Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-03SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING CUSTOMERBLOCKING OF ADVANCEDINTELLIGENT NETWORK SERVICESFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention generally relates to the field oftelecommunications. This invention particularly relates to the field ofmanaging advanced services in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN),and even more particularly, this invention relates to the field of caller-activated blocking of advanced services in an AIN.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the competitive market of telecommunication services, acustomer may desire to augment his orâ her conventionaltelecommunication service with advanced services. Generally, anadvanced service is a service that provides features or functions that arenot usually provided within a local switching system (e.g., #5ESS,manufactured by Lucent Technologies), that are relatively complex, thatrequire coordination of multiple systems, and that are implementedtypically through the use of data communications between or amongnetwork elements. Examples of advanced services include call return,ï¬exible call forwarding, threeâway calling, etc.Presently, some advanced services are usageâsensitiveservices that can be used simply by entering a feature code associatedwith that advanced service. A usage-sensitive service is an advancedl0l520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-032service that is provided on a per use basis in response to an action by thecustomer. The usage-sensitive service usually is also charged on a peruse basis. For example, if a customer wanted to use the call returnservice, the customer would enter a feature code, for example â*69â, tohave the service applied to the calling line. The feature code for theadvanced service is typically entered on the telephone keypad for eachuse of the advanced service. The customer then is charged each time theadvanced service is used. Access to the advanced services is notrestricted or prevented. In other words, anyone aware of the featurecode for an advanced service can use the advanced service without anylimitation. Consequently, a customer may receive charges on thecustomerâs bill that the customer is unaware of, speciï¬cally due to use ofa usage-sensitive service. Therefore, it would be beneficial to acustomer to be able to restrict or prevent access to these type ofadvanced services.One way prior systems have solved the problem ofpreventing access to an advanced service is to provide blocking of theadvanced service. Blocking an advanced service prevents the advancedservice from being applied to the calling line. Generally, a customerwho wants to block an advanced service has to call a service providerrepresentative and make a request to block the advanced service. Theservice provider representative then may obtain administrativeinformation and service-related information regarding the customer andthen may download the information provided by the customer into adatabase or an appropriate advanced intelligent network (AIN) element.Finally, an order is sent to a switch serving the calling line to block theadvanced service. This process is at best time-consuming, inefficient,and complex. The present system does not provide an efficient way ofperforming these operations. Moreover, the present system does notprovide a way of circumventing the representative/customer interactionfor each request made by a customer to block an advanced service.Prior systems usually are designed so that each servicepackage application (SPA) maintains its own "database. Serviceârelatedinformation, such as blocking of an advanced service, is stored in thedatabase for the advanced service. Hence, when a customer makes arequest to the service provider representative to block an advancedservice, the service provider representative generally has the101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-033cumbersome task of downloading information regarding blocking anadvanced service within each applicable SPA for the customer.Consequently, after the customer makes a request to block an advancedservice, implementing blocking of the advanced service may not occurimmediately. In addition, the service provider has to expend moreresources to manage blocking of advanced services due to use of separatedatabases.Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method thatprovides blocking and unblocking of an advanced service in an AdvancedIntelligent Network (AIN).There is also a need for a system and method that providesblocking and unblocking of an advanced service without the need forrepresentative/customer interaction.There is an additional need for a system and method thatprovides a central archive for maintaining and managing informationrelating to blocking of advanced services.There is a further need for a system and method thatprovides a centralized AIN element for implementing theabove-described needs efficiently, easily, and inexpensively.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention satisfies the above-described needs byproviding a callerâactivated rental system and method in the AdvancedIntelligent Network (AIN) for advanced services. The present inventionuses a blocking record database for maintaining a central archive ofblocking records that can be directly accessed by the customer.Advantageously, the blocking record is used to centralize blockinginformation among advanced services so that a customer can directlycontrol and manage the blocking and unblocking of advanced services.The customer then is able to block and unblock an advanced serviceusing the blocking record without intervention from a service providerrepresentative. The present invention conveniently and efficientlymanages blocking and unblocking of an advanced service in an SCP orIP.Generally described, the present invention provides amethod for centralizing information relating to the blocking of anadvanced service associated with respect to a communication from a101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-034calling line number. Specifically, a communication directed to a featurecode is received from a calling line associated with the calling linenumber. Also, an indication to block a selected advanced service isreceived so that the selected advanced service is not to be applied tocommunications from the calling line number. In turn, a blockingrecord is created with respect to the calling line number. The blockingrecord includes the calling line number, an originating point codeassociated with the calling line number, and the indication to block theselected advanced service. The blocking record in association with otherblocking records respectively corresponding to other calling linenumbers is stored so that the blocking record is accessible for review bya network element in its determination whether to apply the selectedadvanced service to the communication from the calling line number.Generally, the blocking record is stored in association withthe other blocking records in a database separate from any servicepackage application (SPA) used to apply advanced services tocommunications from the calling line number. Also, a personalidentification number may established for accessing the blocking record.This personal identification number may be included in the blockingrecord. Confirmation may be provided to the communication that theadvanced service is blocked. Indications that an additional advancedservice is either blocked or unblocked also may be provided in theblocking record.In another aspect, the present invention provides a methodfor implementing blocking of an advanced service with respect to acommunication from a calling line number. In this aspect of the presentinvention, a communication directed to a feature code is received from acalling line associated with the calling line number. On the basis of thecommunication being directed to the feature code, a blocking recordassociated with the calling line number is checked for an indication thatthe selected advanced service is not to be applied to the communication.Based on the indication, the communication is processed withoutapplying the selected advanced service to the communication.In another aspect, the present invention provides a methodfor allowing a change in the status of an advanced service with respect tocommunications from a calling line number. In this aspect of the presentinvention, a communication directed to a feature code is received from a101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-035calling line associated with the calling line number. An indication isreceived from the communication to unblock a selected advanced serviceto communications that are from the calling line number. A blockingrecord with respect to the calling line number is retrieved. The blockingrecord includes an indication that the selected adavanced service iscurrently blocked. In response to receipt of the indication to unblock theselected advanced service, the blocking record is changed by changingthe indication that the selected advanced service is blocked to theindication that the selected advanced service is unblocked. The blockingrecord is then stored in association with other blocking recordsrespectively corresponding to other calling numbers. Finally, theselected advanced service is applied to the calling line associated with thecalling line number. IIn another aspect, the present invention provides a caller~activatedblocking system for advanced services. The system comprisesan advanced intelligent network (AIN) element operative to make arecognition of a communication as a request for blocking of an advancedservice with respect to a calling line on the basis of use of a feature codeto which the communication is directed. The AIN element is alsooperative to direct collection of blocking information regarding theadvanced service for the calling line and to receive the blockinginformation. In addition, on the basis of the blocking information, theAIN element is operative to direct blocking of the advanced service forthe calling line number so that the advanced service is not applied to thecalling line.With respect to the system, the advanced service typically ismaintained independent of the AIN element operative to receive theblocking information. Usually, the AIN element is further operative todirect creation of a blocking record regarding the advanced service forthe calling line number with the blocking record being based on theblocking information and to receive the blocking record instead of theblocking information. Further, on the basis of the blocking record,instead of the blocking information, the AIN element may be operativeto direct blocking of the advanced service for the calling line number sothat the advanced service is not applied to the calling line.In another aspect, the present invention provides a blockingrecord for storing blocking information for advanced services. The101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-036blocking record comprises a calling line number field, an Originatingpoint code (OPC) field, and at least one advanced service field. Thecalling line number field hosts a calling line number associated with acalling line. The originating point code (OPC) field hosts an OPC of aswitch serving the calling line number. The advanced service fieldrepresents an advanced service and indicates a status of the advancedservice. -Typically, the status of the advanced service is eitherunblocked or blocked. The blocking record can also include a personalidentification (PIN) ï¬eld for hosting a PIN. The PIN preferably restrictsaccess to the blocking record and changes the status of an advancedservice either from blocked to unblocked or from unblocked to blockedwithin the blocking record. In addition, the advanced service field isgenerally va1ueâsensitive such that a value of â1â indicates that theadvanced service is blocked and a value of âOâ indicates that the advancedservice is unblocked.In summary, the present invention provides a system andmethod for blocking and unblocking of an advanced service in anAdvanced Intelligent Network (AIN). The present invention alsoprovides a system and method for blocking and unblocking of anadvanced service without the need for representative/customerinteraction. In addition, the present invention provides a system andmethod for maintaining and managing information relating to blockingof advanced services in a central archive. The present invention alsoprovides a system and method for centralizing an AIN element forimplementing the aboveâdescribed features efficiently, easily, andinexpensively.These and other objects, features, and advantages of thepresent invention may be more clearly understood and appreciated froma review of the following detailed description of the disclosedembodiments and by reference to the appended drawings and claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFig. 1 illustrates a blocking record with fields for advancedservices in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-037Figs. 2a and 2b are flow diagrams illustrating an exemplarymethod of operation of the present invention.Fig. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment andexemplary environment for operation of the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present invention includes, inter alia, a caller-activatedblocking system in the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) foradvanced services. A customer can obtain direct access to advancedservices without having to rely on a service provider representative of atelecommunication service provider. Speciï¬cally, the customer is able toplace a call to create a personal profile record, namely a blockingrecord, that is customer controlled and managed. The blocking record isa collection of information that generally includes blocking informationfor advanced services. The blockingrecord is used to centralizeblocking information among advanced services so that a customer cancontrol and manage the blocking and unblocking of advanced services.Once the blocking record is established, the customer is able to directlyaccess the blocking record by merely placing a call to any advancedservice. Consequently, the customer can block and unblock anyadvanced service in the blocking record without the intervention of aservice provider representative. The particular embodiments describedherein are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather thanrestrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which the present invention pertains withoutdeparting from its spirit and scope.This detailed description first provides an overview of anexemplary embodiment of the present invention by reference to theillustration of a blocking record with fields for advanced services Fig. 1and to the flow diagrams of Fig. 2a and 2b.The overview is followed by a description of exemplaryprovisioning of the present invention in the exemplary environment. Inother words, the exemplary provisioning description provides anexplanation of the setâup of an exemplary embodiment through thepreferred provisioning of a service switching point (SSP) with publicoffice feature code (POFC) triggers.101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-038After this exemplary provisioning description, a descriptionof an exemplary operation of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention in connection with the exemplary environment is illustrated inFig. 3. This description of exemplary operation includes examplesillustrating a customer creating and updating a blocking system for anadvanced service and implementation of the present âinvention after thecreation and updating process. Throughout the drawings, like numeralsindicate like elements.Overview of an Exemplag EmbodimentGenerally, the present invention includes, inter alia, a caller-activated blocking system in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) foradvanced telecommunication services. An "advanced telecommunicationservice" is also referred to as an advanced service herein.Fig. 1 illustrates a typical blocking record with fields foradvanced services in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. The blocking record 5 is a collection of informationthat includes blocking information for advanced services and, generallyincludes, identification information for identifying the source of a call.Such identification information may include a calling line number and anoriginating point code. The blocking record 5 is created pursuant to aselected format or protocol. The blocking record 5 can generallyinclude a calling line number field 20, an originating point code (OPC)field 25, a personal identification number (PIN) field 30, and advancedservice fields 40.The calling line number field 20 hosts the calling linenumber of the customer. The OPC field 25 hosts the OPC of the switchserving the calling line number. The OPC identifies the switch servingthe calling line number so that advanced services can be blocked andunblocked.The PIN field 30 hosts a personal identification number(PIN) designated by the customer or provided by the service provider.Preferably, the PIN is established during the creation of the blockingrecord and is designed to restrict access to the blocking record 5. ThePIN is also used for changing the status of an advanced service fromblocked to unblocked and vice-versa within the blocking record 5. Once10152025CA 02264430 2002-03-21the PIN is set up, it remains the same for the existence of the blocking record.The advanced service fields 40 include specific advanced services 40a â 40d thatare provided by a service provider. These advanced service fields 40 are set up by the serviceprovider for designating an advanced service as unblocked or blocked. As used herein, theterms "unblock", "unblocked" and "unblocking" are indicative of an advanced service beingprovided in connection with the associated calling line number. Also, as used herein, the terms"block", "blocked" and "blocking" are indicative of an advanced service not being provided inconnection with the associated calling line number. In an exemplary embodiment, theseadvanced service fields 40 are valueâ-sensitive, where, in an advanced service field, a value of" l â indicates that the advanced service is blocked and a value of "0" indicates that the advancedservice is unblocked.In Fig. 1, the advanced service fields 40 may include a long distance service 40a,a ï¬exible call forwarding service 40b, a threeâway calling service 40c and a call return service40d. These advanced services preferably are usage~sensitive services.A usageâsensitive service is an advanced service that is provided on a per usebasis in response to a positive action by the customer. Such positive action includes dialing afeature code or special access code to access the advanced service. Usually, a service providerbills the customer for the usageâsensitive service on a per use basis. For example, a longdistance service is a usageâsensitive service, where the long distance service typically isprovided when a customer dials "1 ", an area code and a calling line number. The customer isthen charged by the service provider for using the long distance service. Examples of otherusageâsensitive services include repeat dialing service, caller identification tracking service andrental services. For further information regarding rental services and aspects thereof, theinterested reader is referred to the commonly assigned Canadian Patent Application File No.2,244,461, filed on July 31, 1998, entitled "System and Method for Automatic Provision andCustomer Selection and Deactivation of Temporary Advanced Intelligent Network Services",which may be referred to for further details.101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0310As used herein, the phrase "advanced services" refers tofeatures or enhancements that are provided by a service provider to acustomer in addition to conventional telephone service through thePSTN. As previously mentioned, examples of advanced servicespreferably include usage-sensitive services, such as ï¬exible callforwarding service, rental services, threeâway calling service, call returnservice, and long distance service. However, it will be appreciated byone skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to usage-sensitive services. Specifically, the present invention may also includeother advanced services such as voice mail service, caller identificationservice, and so forth. It will also be appreciated that the presentinvention is not limited to the referenced advanced services, but mayinclude various other advanced services. Further, it will be appreciatedthat the blocking record can accommodate an unlimited number ofadvanced service fields for advanced services, but in all practicality, thenumber of advanced service fields may be restricted for manageability ofthe blocking system.Generally, to create a blocking record, a customer first dialsa feature code for an advanced service. If the advanced service can beblocked, an announcement for the advanced service is played indicatingthat the advanced service can be blocked. If the customer desires toblock the advanced service, a blocking record is created containing theadvanced service fields previously mentioned. An indication is provided,for example a value of âlâ, in the advanced service field to block theassociated advanced service. The remaining advanced service fieldspreferably contain a value of âOâ to indicate that the remaining advancedservices are unblocked. This process is described in greater detail inconnection with Figs. 2a and 2b.In a case where all advanced services are unblocked by thecustomer, the blocking record is deleted from the blocking recorddatabase. In doing so, space in the database is not unnecessarilyoccupied. When the customer later desires to block an advanced service,a new blocking record is created and saved in the database, and theadvanced service fields are reestablished.Figs. 2a and 2b are flow diagrams illustrating an exemplarymethod of operation of the present invention. In Fig. 2a, the processbegins at the Start step 200, and in step 205, a feature code and101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0311identification information associated with a calling line are received inconnection with a communication. This identification informationtypically includes an originating point code (OPC) and a calling linenumber associated with a calling line. Generally, the communication isdirected to the feature code and is placed on a calling line associated withthe calling line number. By direction of the communication to thefeature code, the caller has provided an indication of a request for anadvanced service.This advanced service may include a temporary advancedtelecommunication service or a usage-sensitive service with respect to thecalling line or calling line number associated with the communication.As used herein, the term "calling line'' is used synonymously with theterm "calling line number" unless a distinction is noted. For example, acustomer, who is interested in blocking a ï¬exible call forwardingservice, places a call to a feature code for that advanced service by usingthe telephone associated with the calling line number to which theadvanced service is to be applied. The caller can then block the ï¬exiblecall forwarding service so that the advanced service is not provided onthat calling line.Based on the calling line number, in step 210, a database isconsulted in an SCP for a blocking record. The database, which mayalso be referred to herein as a blocking record database, containsblocking records associated with various calling line numbers. Next, instep 215, a determination is made as to whether the calling line numberhas an existing blocking record. If so, the âYESâ branch is followed tostep 265 (Fig. 2b), in which case, the blocking record associated with thecalling line number of the communication is retrieved from the blockingrecord database; otherwise, the âNOâ branch is followed to step 220.The situation where the existing blocking record is retrieved from thedatabase is described in greater detail below in connection with Fig. 2b.Referring to Fig. 2a, in the case where a blocking recorddoes not exist, an announcement is played, in step 220, indicating thatblocking is available for the advanced service. Next, in step 225, adetermination is made as to whether blocking of the advanced service isdesired. Preferably, an announcement is played prompting the customerto provide an indication of the desirability to block the advanced service.If blocking the advanced service is desired, the âYESâ branch is followed101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0312to step 230; otherwise, the âNOâ branch is followed to step 260. In step260, the advanced service is provided in a conventional manner on thecalling line. The process terminates at the END step 295._ If blocking the advanced service is desired, a PIN is set upfor the blocking record, in step 230. The PIN can be designated by thecustomer, or it can be assigned by the service provider. Next, in step235, the blocking record is created having advanced service fields, aspreviously described in connection with Fig. 1. The fields in theblocking record are populated with identification information includingthe calling line number and the OPC associated with the calling linenumber. In addition, the PIN preferably is included in the blockingrecord. The calling line number, the OPC, and the PIN preferably arepopulated in the calling line number field, the OPC field, and the PINfield, respectively.As discussed in connection with Fig. 1, the PIN is used forchanging the status of an advanced service from blocked to unblockedand vice-versa within the blocking record. Specifically, by entering thePIN on a telephone keypad, an advanced service that is blocked becomesunblocked, and an advanced service that is unblocked becomes blocked.In the case where a blocking record is created, all advanced service fieldsinitially are unblocked. However, the act of setting up a PIN indicatesthat the advanced service associated with the feature code that wasreceived in step 205 is to be blocked. Therefore, in step 245, theadvanced service is blocked by placing a value of âlâ in the appropriateadvanced service field. The remaining advanced service fields contain avalue of âOâ, which indicates that the associated advanced services remainunblocked.Once the advanced service has been blocked, in step 250, thestatus of the advanced service is confirmed. For example, anannouncement may be played indicating that the advanced is blocked.After this confirmation, in step 255, the blocking record is stored in thedatabase. The exemplary method ends in step 295.Now turning to Fig. 2b, if a determination is made that theblocking record for the calling line exists, in step 265, the blockingrecord is retrieved from the blocking record database. Next, in step267, a determination is made as to whether the advanced service isblocked. This determination is made by checking the advanced service101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0313field for the advanced service. The advanced service field can eitherhave a value of âlâ meaning blocked or a value of âOâ meaningunblocked, as previously mentioned in connection with Fig. 1. If theadvanced service is blocked, the âYESâ branch is followed to step 268;otherwise, the âNOâ branch is followed to step 269a. If the advancedservice is blocked, in step 268, an announcement is played indicating thatthe advanced service is blocked. VIt will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that anannouncement is played in accordance with methods known in the art oftelecommunications. It will be further appreciated that the presentinvention is not limited to playing an announcement as an indication thatan advanced service is blocked or unblocked, but the present inventioninstead may provide some other indication as to the status of theadvanced service.Once the announcement is played indicating that theadvanced service is blocked, in step 269b, a determination is made as towhether the status of the advanced service is to be changed from blockedto unblocked. After the announcement is played indicating that theadvance âservice is blocked, preferably, another announcement can beplayed prompting the customer to provide an indication to change thestatus of the advanced service. If a determination is made to change thestatus of the advanced service, the âYESâ branch is followed to step270b; otherwise, the âNOâ branch is followed to the END step 295.In step 270b, the PIN is received in an intelligentperipheral,such as a service circuit node, from the customer. The PIN is the sameone established when the blocking record was created. In response toreceiving the PIN, the status of the advanced service changes fromblocked to unblocked, in step 272b. Preferably, the value in theadvanced service field changes from â1â to âOâ. Next, in step 274b, thestatus of the advanced service is confirmed. For example, anannouncement can be played indicating that the advanced service isunblocked. After the change is made and confirmed, the blocking recordis stored in the database, in step 276b. In step 278, the advanced servicethen is provided in a conventional manner on the calling line. Theprocess terminates at the END step 295.Referring back to step 267 in Fig. 2b, in the event that theadvanced service is unblocked, the âNOâ branch is followed to step 269a.101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0314In step 269a, a determination is made as to whether the status of theadvanced service is to be changed from unblocked to blocked. Thisdetermination can be made by playing an announcement indicating thatblocking is available for the advanced service and prompting thecustomer to provide an indication to change the status of the advancedservice. If a determination is made to change the status of the advancedservice, the âYESâ branch is followed to step 270a; otherwise, the âNOâbranch is followed to step 280. In step 280, the advanced service isprovided in a conventional manner on the calling line. The processterminates at the END step 295.In step 270a, the PIN is received in an intelligent peripheral,such as a service node, from the customer. In response to receiving thePIN, the status of the advanced service changes from unblocked toblocked, in step 272a. Preferably, the value in the advanced service ï¬eldchanges from âOâ to âlâ. Next, in step 274a, the status of the advancedservice is confirmed. For example, an announcement can be playedindicating that the advanced service is now blocked. After the change ismade and confirmed, the blocking record is stored in the database, instep 276a. The process terminates at the END step 295.Advantageously, the exemplary method allows a customer tocontrol and manage a selected advanced service without the need for aservice provider representative. Further, the exemplary method allowsthe customer to block and unblock the advanced service with a minimumof time and effort and minimum interaction with a telecommunicationservice provider. Additional advantages of the present invention arediscussed below. IExemplary Operation of an Exemplary Embodiment in anExemplagg EnvironmentOverview of AIN elementsFig. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment andexemplary environment for operation of the present invention.Connected to the public switched telecommunication network (PSTN)320, an exemplary environment is an Advanced Intelligent Network(AIN) 321. For brevity, only a basic explanation of the AIN 321 isprovided herein. Where the AIN 321 operates or is composeddifferently in an important aspect from that which would be understoodl0152025CA 02264430 2002-03-2115by those skilled in the art, additional details are provided herein. For further informationregarding the referenced AIN 321 and aspects thereof, the interested reader is referred to thecommonly assigned patent to Weisser, U.S. Patent No. 5,430,719, which may be referred tofor further details.The AIN 321 includes a variety of interconnected network elements. A groupof such network elements includes the plurality of central offices which are indicated as serviceswitching points (SSPs) 322a, 322b in Fig. 3. An SSP typically includes switch functionality,but also includes other functionality so as to communicate with other AIN elements as thoseskilled in the art understand. As further illustrated in Fig. 4, the SSPS 322a, 322b have aplurality of subscriber lines connected thereto. A subscriber line may also be referred to as acalling line. Each SSP serves a designated group of calling lines and thus, the SSP that servesa particular calling line may be referred to as its serving SSP. Each calling line is connectedtypically to a piece of terminating equipment including a plurality of telephones commonlyreferenced as 324 and individually referenced as 324a, 324b, 324c and 324d. Althoughtelephones are illustrated as the pieces of terminating equipment in Fig. 3, those skilled in theart will understand that such pieces include other telecommunication devices such as facsimilemachines, computers, modems, etc.Pursuant to the preferred embodiment, each active calling line in an AIN isassigned a ten digit calling line number. In the description of the present invention, the term"calling line number" is used in its generally understood meaning to be the number which isdialed or input by a caller or source and used by the network to route the communication soas to reach a piece of terminating equipment on a calling line associated with the dialed callingline number. A calling line number is commonly referred to as a telephone number or a callingline number.Referring again to Fig. 3, SSPs 322a, 322b are interconnected by a plurality oftrunk circuits 323. These are the voice path trunks that interconnect the SSPs to connectcommunications. The term "communication" or âcall" is used herein to include all messagesthat may be exchanged between caller and called party in the network illustrated in Fig. 3..101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0316Each of the SSPs 322a, 322b is connected to another type ofAIN element referred to as a local signal transfer point (STP) 326 viarespective data links. Currently, these are data links employing asignaling protocol referred to as Signaling System 7 (SS7), which is wellknown to those skilled in the art. Much of the intelligence of the AINresides in yet another type of AIN element referred toâ as a local servicecontrol point (SCP) 327 that is connected to STP 326 over a SS7 datalink. Among the functions performed by the SCP 327 is the maintenanceof network databases and subscriber databases as represented collectivelyby databases 330. These databases may be used in providing advancedservices to a customer. One such database is preferably a blockingrecord database 330 for maintaining blocking records. Typically, theSCP 327 is also the repository of service package applications (SPAS)that are used in connection with or as part of the databases 330 in theapplication of advanced services or enhanced features to calling lines.These SPAS may include SPA A 350, SPA B 352, SPA C 354, and SPAD 356, each of which represent an advanced service, such as a longdistance service, a ï¬exible call forwarding service, a three-way callingservice, and so forth. Preferably, the blocking record database 330 isindependent of the advanced services so as to serve as a central archivefor maintaining blocking information for the advanced services.Consequently, each SPA can access the blocking record database 330 toobtain blocking information in connection with the associated advancedservice. Advantageously, the present invention provides a blockingrecord database for conveniently accessing blocking records and forefficiently managing blocking and unblocking of an advanced service.Referring again to Fig. 3, the local STP 326 may beconnected to other network elements through a regional STP 332, whichin turn, may be connected to a regional SCP 334. Both regional SCP334 and local SCP 327 are connected via respective data links to aservice management system (SMS) 335. The SMS 335 interfaces tobusiness offices of the local exchange carrier and interexchange carriers.In order to keep the processing of data and calls as simple aspossible, a relatively small set of triggers is defined at the SSPs for eachcall. A trigger in the AIN is an event associated with a particular callingline that generates a packet to be sent to an SCP. The trigger causes theSCP to query its databases or service package applications for processing101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0317instructions with respect to the particular call. The results are sent backto the SSP in a response from the SCP 327 through STP 326. The returnpacket includes instructions to the SSP as to how to process the call. Theinstructions may be to take some special action as a result of acustomized calling service or enhanced feature. In response, the SSPmoves through its call states, collects the called digits, and generatesfurther packets that are used to set up and route the call. Similar devicesfor routing calls among various local exchange carriers are provided byregional STP 332 and regional SCP 334.As; illustrated in Fig. 3, the AIN 321 also includes anintelligent peripheral 336 (IP), such as a service circuit node (SCN). IP336 includes voice and dual tone multiâfrequency (DTMF) signalrecognition devices and voice synthesis devices. In addition, IP 336 mayinclude a blocking service interface 338 for use in connection with thepresent invention as is further explained below. IP 336 is connected tothe local SCP 327 via data link 339 using an X.25 protocol and to theSMS 335 via a data link. In addition, IP 336 typically is connected toone or more (but usually only a few) SSPs via Integrated Service DigitalNetwork (ISDN) links as shown by the connection to SSP 322b.Exemnlarv OnerationBlocking of an Advanced Service VReferring to Fig. 3, an exemplary method and system ofoperation are described in the context of a customer making use of theblocking system to unblock and block an advanced service. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the blocking system can beoverridden at any time by a service provider, if necessary.As explained above, a customer initiates a request for anadvanced service by placing a call from a device associated with thecalling line number to which the advanced service is to be applied.Speciï¬cally, the customer places the call to a feature code to indicate therequest for the advanced service. Each of the calling lines that may beused to request an advanced service at a particular SSP are provisionedwith a feature code trigger. Preferably, this trigger is a public officefeature code trigger (POFC) that responds to a feature code comprisingan asterisk followed by two digits, toâwit: *XX. Thus, a customer dialsthe feature code (*XX) which triggers the SSP based on the recognition101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0318of the feature code as a POFC trigger to initiate a query/responseexchange with the SCP.It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that to usethe blocking system for blocking an advanced service, the presentinvention is not limited to placing a call from the device associated withthe calling line number to which the advanced service is to be applied.Instead, the present invention may include placing a call from a deviceother than the one associated with the calling line number to which theadvanced service is to be applied. Specifically, a call may be placedfrom any device to block an advanced service for a calling line numberthat is selected by the customer. For example, a customer can place acall from a device at his or her office to access the blocking system andcan block an advanced service associated with the customerâs calling linenumber at the customerâs home.Assume the customer ("Dale") is using his telephone 324awhich is connected by calling line 325a to SSP 322a. In other words,SSP 322a serves Dale's calling line 325a. The SSP 322a is provisionedsuch that it initiates a query/response exchange with SCP 327 on receiptof a feature code based on a public office feature code (POFC) trigger.Also assume that Dale is interested in blocking an advancedservice with respect to the calling line number associated with histelephone 324a and calling line 325a. As a first step in blocking theadvanced service, Dale places a call from his telephone 324a and callingline 325a by using a feature code such as *XX. âXXâ may be any set ofnumbers that may be dialed from a telecommunication device. As noted,an exemplary embodiment provides for the use of *XX based on theprovisioning of the appropriate SSPS with a POFC trigger. The featurecode is associated with the advanced service that Dale desires to block.Referring to Fig. 3, the feature code is received with thecommunication in the SSP 322a serving Dale's calling line 325, and isrecognized by the SSP 322a as an indicator of the special status of thecommunication. The communication typically is carried over voice linksrather than data links. The feature code triggers the SSP 322a to pausein the processing of the call and to obtain further instructions from othernetwork elements. Referring to the example, Dale's call to the featurecode is received in SSP 322a, which pauses in the processing of thecommunication to request instructions from SCP 327. This request101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0319preferably takes the form of a query from SSP 322a to SCP 327. Themedium usually is a data link rather than a voice link, and theinformation exchange is a data exchange.As part of the SSP's query to the SCP 327 for processinginstructions, the SSP 322a provides the SCP 327 with informationrelating to the communication. This information may be provided in aTCAP message pursuant to the SS7 protocol. In particular, the SSP 322aprovides the SCP 327 with communication information including thefeature code and identification information. This identificationinformation includes the calling line number and an originating _pointcode (OPC) or other identifier as appropriate. The OPC is indicative ofthe switch serving the calling line number. The OPC identifies theappropriate switch for blocking and unblocking an advanced service.In response to receiving the communication information andthe identification information from the SSP 322a, the SCP 327 carriesout certain functions. The SCP 327 looks up the meaning of the featurecode and this may be accomplished by looking up the feature codethrough use of a service package application (SPA). Upon look up, theSCP 327 determines that the customer desires to access an advancedservice.As noted, the SCP 327 recognizes the feature code asindicative that the communication is a request for an advanced service.On the basis of this recognition, the SCP 327 retains an associationbetween the calling line or calling line number of the communication andthe SSP 322a which originated the query to the SCP 327. The SCP 327may retain this association in database 330 or some other appropriatestorage medium. Preferably, the SCP retains the originating point code(OPC) associated with this communication in a database 330. This maybe a database that is shared by service package applications (SPAS) thatare associated with SCP 327. The retention of this OPC may beaccomplished through the use of an SPA that is referred to herein as"SPA A". Advantageously, the present invention preferably provides thatthe SCP 327 retain the association between the calling line number andthe SSP 322a at this point in the processing of the communication.Retaining this association at this point in the call processing isadvantageous because the SCP 327 otherwise does not have any101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0320information with respect to the relationship between an SSP and thecalling lines or calling line numbers that the SSP serves.Beforeproviding the advanced service, an SPA for theadvanced service consults a blocking record database 330 in the SCP 327to determine whether a blocking record exists for the calling line 325. Ifa blocking record does not exist, an announcement is played indicatingthat blocking is available for the advanced service and prompting thecustomer to provide an indication as to whether the customer desires toblock the advanced service. It will be appreciated that the announcementis played in a conventional manner known in the art. It will be alsoappreciated that a prompt to provide an indication as to whether thecustomer desires to block the advanced service is also provided accordingto conventional standards known in the art. If the customer provides anindication that he or she does not desire to block the advanced service,the advanced service is applied in a conventional manner to the callingline. For example, Dale may be asked to enter âlâ on the telephonekeypad to indicate that he does not desire to block the advanced service.When Dale enters âlâ, the advanced service is applied to the calling line.However, if the customer provides an indication that he orshe desires to block the advanced service, the SCP 327 determines thatthe communication is to be routed to the intelligent peripheral (IP) 336.Thus, the SCP 327 provides a response with instructions to the SSP 322ato route the communication to the IP 336. In this example, Dale may beasked to enter â2â on the telephone keypad to indicate that he desires toblock the advanced service. When Dale enters â2â, the SCP 327determines that the communication is to be routed to the intelligentperipheral (IP) 336 so that a blocking record can be created for thecustomer.Referring to Fig. 3, upon receipt of the processinginstructions from the SCP 327, the SSP 322a routes the communicationover voice links in a conventional manner to the IP 336. Upon receipt ofthe communication from the SSP 322a, the IP 336 recognizes that thecommunication is a request for special service such as access to theblocking system for blocking or unblocking of an advanced service. TheIP 336may make this recognition by checking an appropriate table ordatabase or through the use of a service package application (SPA) that isreferred to herein as "SPA B". Thus, the IP 336 pauses in the processing.101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0321of the communication to query the SCP 327. The IP 336 provides theSCP 327 with communication information including the feature code. Inaddition, this query may include a request to the SCP 327 to locate ablocking record to determine, based on the calling line number, whetherthe customer has an existing blocking record. If the customer has anexisting blocking record, then a blocking record is retrieved with respectto this customer, calling line or calling line number.The SCP 327, in response to the query, makes a recognitionof the communication as a request for a special service such as a requestfor blocking of an advanced service. This recognition may beaccomplished through the use of other tables or databases as those skilledin the art will understand. This recognition also may be accomplishedthrough the use of an SPA that is referred to herein as "SPA C". As partof this recognition, the SCP 27 may use SPA C to check whether ablocking record exists with respect to this customer, calling line orcalling line number.If a blocking record does not already exist in the case of aninitial request for blocking an advanced service, the IP 336 creates a newblocking record with respect to this customer, calling line or calling linenumber. The fields within the blocking record are populated withinformation such as the OPC, the calling line number, and a PIN, aspreviously described with respect to Figs. 1, 2a, and 2b. As previouslymentioned, the PIN can be designated by the customer, or it can beassigned by the service provider. The blocking record also containsadvanced service fields, as previously described in connection with Fig.l.The act of setting up a PIN indicates that the advancedservice associated with the feature code is to be blocked. Therefore, theadvanced service is blocked by placing a value of â1â in the appropriateadvanced service field. The remaining advanced service fields contain avalue of âOâ, which indicates that the associated advanced services remainunblocked.The blocking record preferably is compiled pursuant to aselected format or protocol, including information such as the type ofadvanced services that are to be provided, as well as whether theadvanced service is unblocked or blocked, as previously described in101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0322connection with Figs. 1, 2a, and 2b. This information may be formattedinto a selected protocol or arrangement.After the advanced service is blocked, in an exemplaryembodiment, the caller is provided with confirmation as to the blockingof the advanced services. In particular, the IP 336 providesconfirmation to the customer of the blocking of the advanced service forthe calling line number. With this confirmation step, the caller may restassured that the advanced service or the change to the advanced serviceis applied to his or her calling line number. The IP 336, preferablythrough use of the blocking service interface 338, may provide Dale withan announcement that confirms that the advanced service is blockedpursuant to the information in the blocking record.After the status of the advanced service is confirmed, theblocking record is provided by the IP 336 to the SCP 327, andpreferably to SPA C. As appropriate, the blocking service interface 338may be used to convert the blocking record from the format that is usedto interact with the caller to the format that is most appropriate fortransmission to the SCP 327 such as the X.25 protocol.Upon receipt of the blocking record from the IP 336, theSCP 327 stores blocking record in the database 330, where eachadvanced service in the blocking record is marked either blocked orunblocked.Now that a blocking record for the calling line exists, theblocking record database is consulted by the applicable SPA wheneverthe customer dials a feature code for an advanced service. The SPAsearches the applicable advanced service field within the blocking recordto determine whether the advanced service is blocked or unblocked. Ifthe advanced service is blocked, the SCP 327 plays an announcementindicating that the advanced service is blocked and prompting thecustomer to provide an indication as to whether the customer desires tochange the status of the advanced service. If the customer provides anindication to change the status of the advanced service, the SCP 327determines that the communication is to be routed to the intelligentperipheral (IP) 336. Thus, the SCP 327 provides a response withinstructions to the SSP 322a to route the communication to the IP 336.Referring to Fig. 3, upon receipt of the processinginstructions from the SCP 327, the SSP 322a routes the communication101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0323over voice links in a conventional manner to the IP 336. Upon receipt ofthe communication from the SSP 322a, the IP 336 recognizes that thecommunication is a request for special service such as access to theblocking system for blocking or unblocking of an advanced service. TheIP 336 may make this recognition by checking an appropriate table ordatabase or through the use of a service package application (SPA) that isreferred to herein as "SPA B". Thus, the IP 336 pauses in the processingof the communication to query the SCP 327. The IP 336 provides theSCP 327 with communication information including the feature code. Inaddition, this query may include a requestâ to the SCP 327 to locate ablocking record to determine, based on the calling line number, whetherthe customer has an existing blocking record. If the customer has anexisting blocking record, then a blocking record is retrieved with respectto this customer, calling line or calling line number.The SCP 327, in response to the query, makes a recognitionof the communication as a request for a special service such as a requestfor blocking of an advanced service. This recognition may beaccomplished through the use of other tables or databases as those skilledin the art will understand. This recognition also may be accomplishedthrough the use of an SPA that is referred to herein as "SPA C". As partof this recognition, the SCP 327 may use SPA C to check whether ablocking record exists with respect to this customer, calling line orcalling line number.In this case, the blocking record exists with respect to thiscustomer, calling line or calling line number. Consequently, the SCP327 routes the blocking record to the IP 336. The IP 336 preferablyplays another announcement prompting the customer to enter the correctPIN using the telephone keypad. The customer then enters the PIN usingthe telephone keypad. The PIN is received in the IP 336. The PIN isverified by the IP 336. In response to receiving the correct PIN, thestatus of the advanced service changes from blocked to unblocked.Preferably, the value in the advanced service field changes from âlâ toâOâ. The IP 336 confirms the status of the advanced service, forexample, by playing an announcement indicating that the advancedservice is unblocked.After the status of the advanced service is confirmed, theblocking record is provided by the IP 336 to the SCP 327, and101520253035CA 02264430 1999-03-0324preferably to SPA C. Upon receipt of the blocking record from the IP336, the SCP 327 stores blocking record in the database 330. Theadvanced service then is applied in a conventional manner to the callingline based on the OPC and calling line number in the blocking record.Referring to Fig. 3, in the event that the advanced service isalready unblocked when the SPA checks the blocking record in theblocking record database 330, the SCP 327 may play an announcementindicating that blocking is available for the advanced service andprompting the customer to provide an indication as to whether thecustomer desires to change the status of the advanced service. Changingthe status of the advanced service from unblocked to blocked follows thesame procedure as discussed above in connection with changing the statusof the advanced service from blocked to unblocked. One exception is thevalue in the advanced service ï¬eld changes from âOâ to âIâ when the PINis received in the IP 336 from the customer.Advantageously, the blocking record database maintains acentral archive of blocking records that can be directly accessed by thecustomer. The customer then is able to change the status of an advancedservice without intervention of a service provider representative.Moreover, the present invention provides the beneï¬t of conveniently andefficiently managing blocking and unblocking of an advanced service inan SCP or IP. Implementation of the present invention is far less time-consuming and cumbersome than setting up a blocking switch on thecalling line as required by some prior art systems.Operation of the Blocking System -Operation of the blocking system is described below by wayof a representative example. Turning back to Fig. 1, assume Dale hasblocked the long distance service in accordance with the methoddescribed in connection with Figs. 2a, 2b, and 3. As shown in Fig. 1, theï¬exible call forwarding service, the three-way calling service, and thecall return service are unblocked. Also, assume Dale desires to forward acall to a forwarding number that requires long distance routing.Dale dials a feature code for ï¬exible call forwarding. Theâflexible call forwarding SPA is triggered for âproviding call forwardingservice. To provide the advanced service, the flexible call forwardingSPA consults the blocking record database and determines that according1015202530CA 02264430 1999-03-0325to the blocking record 5, the ï¬exible call forwarding service isunblocked. An announcement is played by the SCP indicating thatblocking is available and prompting Dale to provide an indication as towhether he desires to block ï¬exible call forwarding. Dale does notdesire to block ï¬exible call forwarding. So, Dale provides an indicationthat he does not want to block the advanced service; In turn, the callforwarding SPA âproceeds as normal in prompting Dale to enter thenumber to which he desires calls to be forwarded. Dale enters aforwarding number that requires long distance routing. The ï¬exible callforwarding SPA checks the blocking record and determines thataccording to the blocking record 5, the long distance service is blocked.The SCP plays an announcement indicating that the long distance serviceis blocked and prompting Dale to provide an indication as to whether hedesires to unblock the long distance service. If Dale decides to leave thelong distance service blocked, Dale can only enter a forwarding numberthat does not require long distance routing.The aboveâdescribed examples illustrate the presentinvention, which includes a caller-activated blocking system for advancedservices. By this invention, a customer can obtain direct access to ablocking record for advanced services without having to rely on theservice provider representative of a telecommunication service provider.The customer then can unblock or block an advanced service withoutintervention from the service provider. Rather, the customer may placea call to the advanced service whenever the customer desires to unblockor block the advanced service.From the foregoing description of the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention and operation thereof, otherembodiments will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by theclaims below and equivalents thereof.
