Method of providing telecommunications services
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorColin Low
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Traditional IN (Intelligent Network) services in a PSTN use service logic and data that is accessible for use only by the PSTN, though provision may be made for users to change certain controlled parameters of the services. The present system has the service logic and data (“service resource items”) placed on servers (51) accessible over the Internet (50). This permits service resource items to be accessed from the service control subsystem (42) of a PSTN on a worldwide basis using the highly-resilient infrastructure of the Internet (50). Furthermore, the updating of the service resource items can be made the responsibility of the party to whom the service resource item relates, such updating being readily effected by access direct to the server (51) holding the resource items.
Claims45
A method of providing services in a switched telecommunications system that includes a service control subsystem (42) for providing service control upon receipt of a service request, said method including the steps of:
- (a) providing at least one server (51) connected to a computer network (50), said network (50) being generally accessible to users of the telecommunications system but logically distinct from the latter,
- (b) arranging for at least some of said users to directly or indirectly place service resource items (49) on said at least one server (51), the or each service resource item (49) placed by a user on a said server (51) relating to service provision concerning that user by the telecommunications system,
- (c) associating a respective predetermined code (54) with each service resource item (49), and
- (d) upon the service control subsystem (42) receiving a service request indicative of a said predetermined code (54), causing the service control subsystem (42) to:
- (i) use said predetermined code (54) to access the corresponding service resource item (49) over the computer network (50), and
- (ii) thereafter utilize the accessed service resource item (49) in providing service control in response to said service request.
A method of providing services for a telephone system that comprises at least one service switching point (41) and a service control subsystem (42) for providing service control to said service switching point, said method including the steps of:
- (a) provisioning at least one server (51) connected to the Internet (50) with a plurality of service resources (49) that are thereafter locatable on the Internet by respective known URIs, the Internet being generally accessible to users of the telephone system but logically distinct from the latter, said service resources (49) each being associated with a respective predetermined code (54);
- (b) providing a mapping between each said predetermined code (54) and the said known URI of the service resource (49) associated with that predetermined code;
- and
- (c) upon the service control subsystem (42) receiving a said service request including of a said predetermined code, causing said service control subsystem to use said mapping to access the corresponding said service resource (49) over the Internet;
- said predetermined code (54) being capable of input through a standard twelve-key telephone keypad.
A method of providing services for a private telephone system that comprises a Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) and a service control subsystem (42) for providing service control to said PABX, said method including the steps of:
- (a) provisioning at least one server (51) connected to a local or campus computer network (50) with a plurality of senrice resources (49) that are thereafter locatable on the computer network (50) by respective known Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs), said computer network being generally accessible to uses of the telecommunications system but logically distinct from the latter, and said service resources (49) each being associated with a respective predetermined code (54);
- (b) providing a mapping between each said predetermined code (54) and its corresponding said known Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);
- and
- (c) upon the service control subsystem (42) receing a said service request including of a said predetermined code, causing said service control subsystem (42) to use said mapping to access the corresponding said service resource (49) over said computer network (50);
- said predetermined code (54) being capable of input through a standard twelve-key telephone keypad.
A method of providing services in a switched telecommunications system that includes a service control subsystem for providing service control upon receipt of a service request, the service control subsystem having an interface to a computer network that is generally accessible to users of the telecommunications system but, is logically distinct from the latter, the computer network having connected to it a server that holds service resource items placed there directly or indirectly by said users and each having a respective associated predetermined code and relating to the provision, to an associated said user, of a particular service by the telecommunications system;
- said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving at the service control subsystem a service request indicative of a said predetermined code;
- (b) deriving from the received service request the predetermined code of which it is indicative;
- (c) using the predetermined code derived in step (b) to access the corresponding service resource item over the computer network;
- and
- (d) utilizing the accessed service resource item in providing service control by the service control subsystem in response to the service request received thereby in step (a).
A method of providing services in a switched telecommunications system, wherein a service control subsystem of the telecommunications system, in response to receipt of service requests, accesses service resource items indicated in the corresponding requests across a computer network, the accessed resource items being used by the service control subsystem in providing service control in response to the corresponding service requests, the computer network being logically distinct from the telecommunications system and being accessible to at least a significant number of the users of the telecommunications system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.