Alternative message usage for voice mail retreival via revertive calling

Abstract

A mobile switching center (MSC) in accordance with the principles of the present invention provides access to a subscribers voice message center from the subscriber's roaming mobile station. The MSC is responsive to a “RemoteFeatureRequest” Invocation by the roaming mobile station in which the subscriber's directory number is the same as the dialed digits by routing the call from the mobile station to the subscriber's voice message center. The MSC may also be responsive to a “OriginationRequest” employing the subscriber's directory number as the dialed digits by routing the roaming mobile station's call to the subscriber's voice message center. If the MSC supports both RemoteFeatureRequest-, and OriginationRequest-based access to the subscriber's voice message center, the MSC determines which of the approaches to use in response to the reception of a subscriber's directory number as the dialed digits from the subscriber's roaming mobile station. The MSC may make this determination on the basis of information stored in a local database that indicates the method employed by other telecommunications devices, such as other MSCs, Visiting Location Registers (VLR), or Home Location Registers (HLR), within the system. One of the methods, that is, the use of an Origination Invocation or the use of a RemoteFeatureRequest invocation, may be chosen as a default method.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.