Telecommunications custom calling services

A method for using a telecommunications network comprising a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) having trunked together switching systems for selectively establishing a connection between a first telephone station connected to a first of said switching systems and a second telephone station connected to a second of said switching systems, comprising the steps of:

• a) storing in a database, external to said telecommunications network and connected to the Internet, a table of information for call routing through said telecommunications network, said table comprising entries relating to subscribers to said telecommunications network;
• b) setting in at least one of said first and second switching systems a trigger for initiating call set-up signaling in said telecommunications network;
• c) receiving from said first telephone station a telephone number for said called station;
• d) responsive to receipt of said telephone number delivering a signal corresponding to said telephone number to the switching system wherein said trigger has been set in step b);
• e) responsive to delivery of said signal in step d), formulating a first data message in a Common Channel Interoffice Signaling (CCIS) format;
• f) transmitting said first data message to an interface connected between said telecommunications network and said Internet;
• g) responsive to receipt of said first data message by said interface, formulating a second data message in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Program (TCP/IP) format containing said telephone number;
• h) transmitting said second data message to said database;
• i) returning from said database to said interface a response message in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Program (TCP/IP) format including routing information derived from said database for routing a call to said second station;
• j) responsive to receipt of said response message by said interface, formulating a third data message in said Common Channel Interoffice Signaling (CCIS) format including said routing information;
• k) transmitting said third data message from said interface to said telecommunications network;
• and
• l) responsive to receipt of said third data messages, routing said call in accordance with said third data message.

A communications system comprising in combination:

• a) a first switched telecommunications network having trunked together switching systems connected by local links to subscriber stations and having a switching control data network using a first data protocol for effecting selective connection of said subscriber stations through said switching system;
• b) public a wide area data network, separate from said first switched telecommunications network, using a second data protocol to link multiple local area networks using therein data protocols different than said second data protocol, said public wide area data network being linked to said first telecommunications network through an interface between said networks, said interface being capable of performing protocol translation;
• c) a wide area data network routing database connected to said public wide area data network and having stored therein routing information for effecting selective connection of said subscriber stations through said switching systems in said first switched telecommunications network pursuant to preselected options of said subscriber stations stored in said database;
• d) said first switched telecommunications network having control parameters set therein whereby the initiation of a connection between a caller at one of said subscriber stations to a called station having a preselected option for routing stored in said database results in data signaling through said interface to and from said database resulting in (i) retrieval of routing instructions from said stored preselected option, and (ii) effecting of said initiated connection pursuant to said routing instructions.

A communications system comprising in combination:

• a) switched telecommunications networks having trunked together switching systems connected by local links to subscriber stations and having a switching control data network for effecting selective connection of said subscriber stations through said switching systems;
• b) said switching control data network including a public wide area data network separate from said switched telecommunications networks using a first data protocol to link multiple local area networks using in said local area networks data protocols different than said first data protocol,
• c) a wide area data network routing database connected to said public wide area data network and having stored therein routing information for effecting selective connection of said subscriber stations through said switching systems in said switched telecommunications networks pursuant to preselected options of said subscriber stations stored in said database;
• d) said switched telecommunications networks having control parameters set therein whereby the initiation of a connection between a caller at one of said subscriber stations to a called station having a preselected option for routing stored in said database results in data signaling between at least one of said switching systems and said database resulting in retrieval of routing instructions from said stored preselected option and effecting of said initiated connection pursuant to said routing instructions.

For use with a telecommunications network maintained and operated by a first telecommunications entity, a method for establishing a connection between a first station connected to said telecommunications network and a second station, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) storing in a database, external to said telecommunications network and connected to a first public wide area data network not maintained and operated by said first telecommunications entity, a table of information for call routing through said telecommunications network, said table comprising entries relating to subscribers to at least said first telecommunications network;
• b) setting in a switching system associated with at least one of said first station and said second station a trigger for initiating call set-up signaling;
• c) receiving from said first station a call initiating input address for said called station;
• d) responsive to receipt of said address, delivering a signal corresponding to said address to the triggered switching system recited in step b);
• e) responsive to said delivery of said signal in step d), formulating a data message and delivering said data message to said database;
• f) returning from said database a response message including routing information derived from said database for routing a call for said second station;
• and
• g) responsive to receipt of said response message, routing said initiated call.

In a telecommunications network including a first public switched telephone network portion, maintained and operated by a first telecommunications entity and having trunked together switching systems each serving respective telephone stations, and a second public switched telephone network portion, maintained and operated by a second telecommunications entity and having at least one switching system serving respective telephone stations, a method for selectively establishing a connection between a first station connected to one of said switching systems in said first network portion and a second station, connected to a switching system in one of said network portions and having a telephone number associated with a switching system in said first network portion to which said second station is not connected, said method comprising:

• storing in a database connected to a public wide area data network, not maintained and operated by said first telecommunications entity, a table of information for call routing through said telecommunications network;
• setting in at least one of said switching systems in said first network a call processing trigger;
• in a call placed by said first station, receiving a signal at the switching system in which said trigger is set, said signal representing the second station telephone number input by the calling station;
• in response to receipt of said signal, accessing from said database through said wide area public data network routing information derived from said database for routing the call to said second station;
• and
• completing routing of the call to the second station in accordance with the information derived from the database.