US 5,311,586 A · Dynamic routing-administration

Abstract

Choice of what portions of a dialed number are important and what weight they carry in deciding how to route or otherwise treat a call is customized and made contextually dependent via a call-processing arrangement (200) that uses stored definitions of syntax (320, 350) and grammar (400, 410) of the network numbering plan. The syntax definitions are reprogrammable definitions (312) of individual symbol strings and include the string's associated virtual nodepoint index (VNI 334) which indicates the string's influence on call treatment, an indicator (335) of whether digit collection is to continue, an indicator (339) of whether the VNI is to be combined with a VNI resulting from any preceding symbol strings in the dialed number, and an indicator (338) of whether the VNI resulting from this symbol string is to be combined with a VNI of any succeeding symbol strings in the dialed number. The dialed number is parsed (340) to identify therein all included symbol strings, and the definitions of the included symbol strings are used to selectively combine (341) their VNIs to form a resulting VNI that specifies the route or other treatment for the call.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A call-processing arrangement for use in a switching system of a telecommunications network having a network numbering plan and wherein callers supply sequences of symbols to specify treatment that is to be given to calls, each sequence comprising at least one symbol string that is defined for the numbering plan of the network, comprising:

programmable means for holding information for each defined symbol string specifying each symbol string's individual influence on call treatment within a context of other symbol strings, the programmable means for holding information for each symbol string defining each of (a) the symbol string's context-independent influence on call treatment, (b) whether the symbol string's context-independent influence is to be combined with the influence of a preceding symbol string in a call-control symbol-sequence, and (c) whether the symbol string's context-independent influence is to be combined with the influence of a succeeding symbol string in the call-control symbol sequence, the programmable means being reprogrammable to change the specified influence;
means responsive to receipt of one of the symbol sequences, each individual symbol string included in the received symbol sequence having a context formed by other symbol strings included in the received symbol sequence, for identifying the individual included symbol strings and their contexts;
means for applying the identities and the contexts of the individual included symbol strings to the information presently held by the programmable means to determine the influences of the individual included symbol strings on the call treatment of the call;
and
means for selectively combining the context-independent influences of the included strings defined by the held information as dictated for the included strings by the held information to define the call treatment to be given to the call.

2 more elements

programmable means for holding information defining each defined symbol string and including information specifying each symbol string's individual influence on call treatment within a context of other symbol strings, the programmable means for holding a plurality of entries for each individual symbol string, including
a first entry having a call-treatment identifier,
a second entry indicating whether the call-treatment identifier of the first entry is to be combined with a call-treatment identifier resulting from any symbol string preceding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence, and
a third entry indicating whether a call-treatment identifier resulting from the individual symbol string is to be combined with a call-treatment identifier of any symbol string succeeding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence,
the programmable means being reprogrammable to change the specified influence;
means responsive to receipt of one of the symbol sequences, each individual symbol string included in the received symbol sequence having a context formed by other symbol strings included in the received symbol sequence, for identifying the individual included symbol strings and their contexts;
means for applying the identities and the contexts of the individual included symbol strings to the information presently held by the programmable means to obtain from the programmable means the entries for the identified included symbol strings in order to determine the influences of the individual included symbol strings on the call treatment of the call;
and
means for combining the call-treatment identifiers contained in the retrieved first entries in a manner defined at least in part by the retrieved second and third entries to form a resultant call-treatment identifier that specifies the treatment to be given to the call.

6 more elements

A call-processing arrangement comprising:

data storage means for storing contents defining a syntax and a grammar of a network numbering plan that comprises a plurality of defined symbol strings, the contents that define the syntax comprising
definitions of individual ones of the symbol strings of the network numbering plan, each definition including an identifier of the symbol string as being of one of a plurality of string types, a virtual nodepoint index (VNI) for influencing selection of a treatment to be given to a call, an indication of whether the VNI is to be combined with a VNI resulting from any symbol string preceding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence, and an indication of whether a VNI resulting from the individual symbol string is to be combined with a VNI of any symbol string succeeding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence, and the contents that define the grammar comprising
a combine grammar matrix having a plurality of intersecting rows and columns, each row corresponding to a different symbol string type and each column corresponding to a different symbol string type, the rows and the columns indicating at each intersection whether VNIs of the string types that correspond to the intersecting row and column are permitted to be combined so as to both influence selection of the treatment to be given to the call;
parsing means connected to the data storage means and responsive to receipt of a sequence of symbols associated with a call for parsing the received symbol sequence by using the contents of the data storage means, to identify in the symbol sequence at least one symbol string of the network numbering plan;
and
means connected to the data storage means and to the parsing means and responsive to an identity of the identified at least one symbol string of the network numbering plan for specifying a treatment to be given to the call, by using the contents of the data storage means, including
first means for indicating whether a VNI resulting from any identified symbol string preceding an individual identified symbol string in the symbol sequence has been frozen,
second means responsive to the first means indicating that the resulting VNI has been frozen for using the resulting VNI to specify the treatment to be given to the call, and responsive to the first means indicating that the resulting VNI has not been frozen for determining from the definition of the individual identified symbol string whether the VNI of the individual identified symbol string is to be combined with the resulting VNI,
third means responsive to the second means determining that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are not to be combined for making the VNI of the individual identified symbol string a new said resulting VNI, and responsive to the second means determining that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are to be combined for applying to the rows and the columns of the combine grammar matrix a string type determined by said any identified symbol string preceding the individual identified symbol string in the symbol sequence and the string type of the individual identified symbol string, to determine whether the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are permitted to be combined.
fourth means responsive to the third means determining that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are not permitted to be combined for making the VNI of the individual identified symbol string a new said resulting VNI, and responsive to the third means determining that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are permitted to be combined for combining the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string and making the combined VNIs a new said resulting VNI,
fifth means responsive to the first means indicating that the resulting VNI has not been frozen for determining from the definition of the individual identified symbol string whether the VNI resulting from the individual identified symbol string is to be combined with a VNI of any identified symbol string succeeding the individual identified symbol string in the symbol sequence, and
sixth means responsive to the fifth means determining that the resulting VNI is not to be combined with a VNI of any identified succeeding symbol string for causing the first means to change its indication.

9 more elements

A call-processing method for use in a switching system of a telecommunications network having a network numbering plan and wherein callers supply sequences of symbols to specify treatment that is to be given to calls, each sequence comprising at least one symbol string that is defined for the numbering plan of the network, comprising the steps of:

receiving one of the symbol sequences, each individual symbol string included in the received symbol sequence having a context formed by other symbol strings included in the received symbol sequence;
identifying the individual symbol strings included in the received symbol sequence and their contexts;
applying the identities and the contexts of the individual included symbol strings to a reprogrammable programmed arrangement which holds information defining each defined symbol string and including information specifying each defined symbol string's present individual influence on call treatment within a context of other symbol strings, the reprogrammable programmed arrangement having a plurality of entries for each individual symbol string including
a first entry having a call-treatment identifier,
a second entry indicating whether the call-treatment identifier of the first entry is to be combined with a call-treatment identifier resulting from any symbol string preceding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence, and
a third entry indicating whether a call-treatment identifier resulting from the individual symbol string is to be combined with a call-treatment identifier of any symbol string succeeding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence,
to obtain from the reprogrammable programmed arrangement the entries for the identified included symbol strings in order to determine from the information presently held by the reprogrammable programmed arrangement the present influences of the individual included symbol strings on the call treatment of the call;
and
combining the call-treatment identifiers contained in the retrieved first entries in a manner defined at least in part by the retrieved second and third entries to form a resultant call-treatment identifier that specifies the treatment to be given to the call.

6 more elements

A call-processing method comprising:

in response to receipt of a sequence of symbols associated with a call, parsing the received symbol sequence by using stored definitions of a syntax and a grammar of a network numbering plan that comprises a plurality of defined symbol strings, the stored definitions of the syntax comprising
definitions of individual ones of the symbol strings of the network numbering plan, each definition including an identifier of the symbol string as being of one of a plurality of string types, a virtual nodepoint index (VNI) for influencing selection of a treatment to be given to a call, an indication of whether the VNI is to be combined with a VNI resulting from any symbol string preceding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence, and an indication of whether a VNI resulting from the individual symbol string is to be combined with a VNI of any symbol string succeeding the individual symbol string in a symbol sequence, and the stored definitions of the grammar comprising
a combine grammar matrix having a plurality of intersecting rows and columns, each row corresponding to a different symbol string type and each column corresponding to a different symbol string type, the rows and the columns indicating at each intersection whether VNIs of the string types that correspond to the intersecting row and column are permitted to be combined so as to both influence selection of the treatment to be given to the call,
to identify in the symbol sequence at least one symbol string of the network numbering plan;
and
in response to identification of at least one symbol string of the network numbering plan in the symbol sequence, specifying a treatment to be given to the call by using the stored definitions, including the steps of
indicating whether a VNI resulting from any identified symbol string preceding an individual identified symbol string in the symbol sequence has been frozen,
in response to an indication that the resulting VNI has been frozen, using the resulting VNI to specify the treatment to be given to the call,
in response to an indication that the resulting VNI has not been frozen, determining from the definition of the individual identified symbol string whether the VNI of the individual identified symbol string is to be combined with the resulting VNI,
in response to a determination that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are not to be combined, making the VNI of the individual identified symbol string a new said resulting VNI,
in response to a determination that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are to be combined, applying to the rows and the columns of the combine grammar matrix a string type determined by said any identified symbol string preceding the individual identified symbol string in the symbol sequence and the string type of the individual identified symbol string, to determine whether the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are permitted to be combined,
in response to a determination that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are not permitted to be combined, making the VNI of the individual identified symbol string a new said resulting VNI,
in response to a determination that the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string are permitted to be combined, combining the resulting VNI and the VNI of the individual identified symbol string,
in response to the combining, making the combined VNIs a new said resulting VNI,
in response to an indication that the resulting VNI has not been frozen, determining from the definition of the individual identified symbol string whether the VNI resulting from the individual identified symbol string is to be combined with a VNI of any identified symbol string succeeding the individual identified symbol string in the symbol sequence, and
in response to a determination that the resulting VNI is not to be combined with a VNI of any identified succeeding symbol string, causing a change in the indication of whether the VNI resulting from any identified preceding symbol string has been frozen.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Dynamic routing-administration

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Dynamic routing-administration

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14