US 5,692,033 AGranted

AIN queuing for call-back system

AssigneeBell Atlantic Network Services, Inc.

InventorRobert D. Farris

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An arrangement in an intelligent network for queuing incoming calls to a destination number during peak calling times and initiating call-backs based on the order that the incoming calls were originally placed in the queue. Translation tables in a subscriber's telephone switching office have terminate attempt triggers and disconnect triggers set to the subscriber's number. A disconnect detection triggers a query from the telephone switching office to an integrated services control point (ISCP), at which point the ISCP accesses the first caller in the queue and sends a message to the originating office serving the first caller to ring the first caller and the subscriber's number. A call to the subscriber's number triggers a query from the telephone switching office serving the subscriber to the ISCP. If the call is from the first caller in the queue, the ISCP instructs the telephone switching office to connect the call to the subscriber. If the call is not from the first caller in the queue, the ISCP instructs the telephone switching office to route the call to an announcement platform, such as an intelligent peripheral, to collect information regarding adding the calling party to the queue. The announcement platform supplies to the ISCP the collected information, including the calling number and the time of call, and the ISCP adds the collected information to the queue.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A public telephone network for providing a queuing service for a called party without the necessity for computer-based queuing systems at a called party's premises, comprising:

a services control point database storing call processing data for the called party subscribing to the queuing service, said call processing data including a queue list for queued calling stations;
a plurality of interconnected central office switching systems forming connections between a plurality of local communication lines, one of the central office switching systems having a first of said local communication lines connected thereto and serving the called party, the one central office switching system outputting a first query message to the database in response to a service request to provide a communication connection between said first local communication line and an incoming call on a second of said local communication lines, the one central office switching system outputting a second query message to the database in response to a disconnect condition detected on said first local communication line;
a signaling communication system for two-way communications of messages between the central office switching systems and the services control point database;
wherein:
in response to said first query message, said database:
(1) outputs a first database message for said one central office switching system to connect the first and second local communication lines if the queue list is empty, and
(2) stores data identifying the second local communication line in the caller queue list if the queue list is not empty;
and
in response to said second query message, said database outputs a second database message to initiate a call between the called party and a calling station identified at the top of the queue list.

6 more elements

In a public telephone network comprising a services control point database storing call processing data, local communication lines, a plurality of central office switching systems forming connections between the local communication lines, and a signaling communication system interconnecting the central office switching systems and the services control point database, a method of providing a queuing service to a subscriber having a first communication line connected to the public telephone network without the necessity for computer-based queuing systems at the subscriber's premises, the method comprising the steps of:

outputting a first query message from one of said central office switching systems serving the first communication line to the database in response to an incoming call request from a calling station via one of said communication lines;
accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the first query message, the call processing data including a queue portion adapted to identify a plurality of calling stations in a calling queue;
determining a relationship between the calling station and the queue portion and outputting a first response message from the database to the one central office switching system on the basis of the determined relationship;
adding information of the calling station to the queue portion if the calling station is not in the queue;
connecting the calling station and the first communication line within the one central office switching system if the received first response message indicates the calling station is first in the calling queue;
outputting a second query message from the one central office switching system to the database in response to a disconnect detection on the first communication line;
accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the second query message to identify a first of the calling stations in the calling queue;
and
outputting from the database a second response message to a central office switching system serving the identified first of the calling stations in the calling queue to initiate a call between the identified first of the calling stations in the calling queue and the first communication line in response to the second response message.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/589,360Filed 22 Jan 1996
Granted: 25 Nov 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

H04M 3/48
Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers: arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases…
H04M 3/523
Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing: with call distribution…
H04Q 3/0029
Arrangements providing connection between exchanges: provisions for intelligent networking
H04M 3/38
Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges: graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections