Auto-dialer blocking on network
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorJames S. Grande
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and platform for reducing call blocking in a telecommunications network addresses problems caused by the use of auto-dialers and by mass calling events in the network. When a capacity excess is detected, information associated with excess calls, such as the Initial Address Message (IAM), is stored in an incoming call cache memory. A message may be played to the caller informing the caller of the status of the message. Once additional call capacity is open, the call is connected using the call information stored in the cache. The calls may be removed from the cache and connected on a first-in, first-out basis.
Claims20
A method for reducing call blocking of calls that exceed a processing capacity of a tandem switch element in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:
- by a call congestion detector associated only with the tandem switch element, receiving a message from elsewhere in the telecommunications network indicating incoming traffic in excess of the processing capacity of the tandem switch element;
- in response to receiving the message, storing call routing information of an incoming call in an incoming call cache memory, the call routing information including a destination address of the call and a caller identification;
- determining that capacity exists in the tandem switch element to connect the incoming call;
- and
- connecting the incoming call using the call routing information.
An anti-blocking platform for reducing call blocking of calls that exceed a processing capacity of a tandem switch element in a telecommunications network, the platform comprising:
- a call congestion detector associated only with the tandem switch element, the call congestion detector comprising a processor and a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by the processor to receive a message from elsewhere in the telecommunications network indicating incoming traffic in excess of the processing capacity of the tandem switch element;
- an incoming call cache memory;
- and
- a cache manager comprising a processor and a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by the processor to perform operations comprising:
- receiving from the call congestion detector an indication that incoming traffic exceeds the capacity of the tandem switch element;
- storing call routing information of an incoming call in the incoming call cache memory, the call routing information including a destination address of the call and a caller identification;
- determining that capacity exists in the tandem switch element to connect the incoming call;
- and
- based on determining that capacity exists, connecting the incoming call using the call routing information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.