US 6,389,131 B1Granted

Enhanced initiate call attempt

AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.

InventorsMarino K. Aquino, Barry W. Briggs, Ning-Yin Chou, Kathleen Dalbey

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing calls initiated by an initial call attempt request to permit the characteristics of call connections established in response to the ICA request to be controlled by translation information of a defining port. The defining port can be a real port of a switch, or a pseudo port having associated therewith a block of translation information, but no physical network equipment. Among the characteristics that can be controlled are a billing number of the call, and a routing plan for determining a route based on destination information specified in the ICA request, and the line or trunk features offered in the switch. Advantageously, the characteristics of the ICA request connection can be specified by translation information instead of being inflexibly tied to the pre-defined standard characteristics. Advantageously, this arrangement allows the full flexibility of port translations to be applied to ICA requests without requiring that a physical port be assigned to correspond to the translations required for determining where and how a call is to be routed to the target port. Advantageously, the existing call control structures (terminal processes, interfaces with the SCP) can be used without major modification.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A method of controlling the establishment of a connection comprising the steps of:

receiving an ICA (Initiate Call Attempt) request message from an SCP (Switching Control Point) to a switch, the ICA request message including an identification of a destination port;
and of a defining port for controlling characteristics of a connection to be established;
responsive to receipt of the ICA request message in said switch accessing a data block (tuple) defining characteristics of connections to be established under the control of said defining port;
establishing a connection from said switch to said destination port, said connection controlled by a terminal process for said defining port;
responsive to a call event signal from said connection, under the control of said defining port terminal process, requesting additional call directing information from said SCP;
responsive to an additional request message from said SCP, controlling changes in said connection under the control of said defining port terminal process;
wherein characteristics of call connections for said call are controlled by translation data of said defining port;
wherein said defining port is a pseudo port having associated therewith a block of translation information, but no physical port, and which transmits and receives no signals;
wherein the step of establishing a connection comprises establishing a connection from a port of said switch for accessing said destination port without providing a physical connection between said defining port and said port for accessing said destination port.

6 more elements

In a telecommunications switching system, apparatus for controlling the establishment of a telecommunications connection comprising:

means for receiving an ICA (Initiate Call Attempt) message from
an SCP (Switching Control Point);
wherein the ICA request messages comprises an identification of a destination port, and of a defining port for controlling characteristics of a connection to be established in response to receiving said ICA request message;
processor means for controlling establishment of connections in said telecommunication switching system;
said processor means operative under the control of a program for accessing a data block, (tuple), defining characteristics of connections to be established under the control of said defining port for controlling subsequent operations for establishing said call in response to receipt of said ICA request message;
wherein said processor means is further operative under the control of said program:
for controlling establishment of a connection from said telecommunications switching system to a destination port specified in said ICA request message;
for creating a terminal process for said defining port;
said connection established under the control of a terminal process for said defining port;
responsive to a call event signal received from said connection, controlling transmission of a message to said SCP requesting additional call directing information, said message generated under the control of said defining port terminal process;
responsive to receipt of an additional request message from said SCP controlling changes in said connection under the control of said defining port terminal process;
wherein characteristics of call connections for said call are controlled by translation data of said defining port;
wherein said defining port is a pseudo port, having associated therewith a block of translation information, but no physical port, and which transmits and receives no signals;
wherein controlling the establishment of connections comprises controlling establishment of a connection from a port of said switch for accessing said destination port without providing a physical connection between said defining port, and said port for accessing said destination port.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.