Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK THAT PROVIDES
CALLER-ENTERED INFORMATION TO MULTIPLE CALL DESTINATIONS
RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to
telecommunication networks that provide caller-entered information to call
destinations.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In a telecommunication network, a switching system routes calls from callers
to
destinations. To determine how to route these calls, the switching systems may
transfer
queries to a Service Control Point (SCP). The SCP translates dialed telephone
numbers into
routing instructions, and responds to the switching system with the routing
instructions. For
example, the SCP might translate an 800 number into a routing instruction that
indicates a
switch and trunk coupled to the call destination.
As a part of the translation, the SCP may transfer queries to routing
processors. The
routing processors process the queries to determine labels that ultimately
control how the
calls are routed. The routing processors transfer the labels to the SCP, and
the SCP
translates the labels into the routing instructions. Customers of the
telecommunication
network may operate their own routing processors to control incoming calls.
The
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telecommunication network may also use routing processors to internally route
calls within
the network.
Many calls require the use of a service platform. The service platform
executes call
processing scripts, typically selected based on the dialed number, that direct
the service
platform to apply services to the call. One example of a service is a calling
card service
where a the service platform answers the call and prompts the caller with
audio messages to
enter their calling card number, a personal identification number, and a
number to call. The
service platform then checks the numbers and initiates the call to the desired
number.
Another example of a service is interactive call routing where the service
platform prompts
the caller to enter a "1" for customer service, "2" for accounting, or a "3"
for product
ordering, and then the service platform directs the switching system to route
the call to the
destination selected by the caller.
In many cases, the destination owns and operates call systems that interact
with the
caller to collect information. For example, an airline may have its own
service platform that
collects frequent flyer numbers for incoming calls, so the agent has caller
information when
they answer the call. In other cases, the agents themselves collect the caller
information.
To relieve the destination of this burden, the telecommunication network can
use its
service platform to collect caller information and transfer the caller
information to the
destination call system. Thus, the destination may have: 1) a routing
processor that interacts
with the network SCP to direct call routing, 2) a call system that interacts
with the network
service platform to receive caller information, and 3) call agents to answer
calls.
Unfortunately, the destination must coordinate the call system and the routing
processor if
routing decisions are to be made using the caller-entered information.
Calls are often transferred from one destination to another. For example an
airline
may transfer a call to a car rental agency after booking a flight for the
caller. After each
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transfer, the caller may be required to re-enter the caller information. In
addition, the
telecommunication network must use service platform capacity to re-collect the
caller
information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention helps solve the above problems with a telecommunication network
that transfers caller-entered information to multiple destinations without
having to re-collect
the caller information for each destination. Advantageously, the destinations
may make call
routing and processing decisions based on the caller information, but they do
not need to
own and operate call systems that collect the caller information. Since the
telecommunication network can provide the caller information directly to the
destination
routing processors, the destinations do not require separate call systems to
coordinate and
transfer the caller information from the telecommunication network to the
routing
processors. Advantageously for the caller, the caller-entered information may
be re-used, so
the caller is relieved from re-entering the information for each destination.
This re-use also
saves call-processing resources within the telecommunication network.
Examples of the invention include a telecommunication network and a method of
operation for the telecommunication network. The telecommunication network
comprises a
switching system, a service platform, and an SCP system. The switching system
routes a
call to a service platform. The service platform transfers a prompt message
over the call,
collects caller-entered information from the caller over the call in response
to the prompt
message, and transfers the caller-entered information to the SCP system. The
SCP system
transfers the caller-entered information to a first destination processor,
processes a first
destination routing code from the first destination processor to determine a
first destination
routing instruction, and transfers the first destination routing instruction
to the switching
system. The switching system routes the call to a first destination in
response to the first
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destination routing instruction. The SCP system transfers the caller-entered
information to a
second destination processor, processes a second destination routing code from
the second
destination processor to determine a second destination routing instruction,
and transfers the
second destination routing instruction to the switching system. The switching
system routes
the call to a second destination in response to the second destination routing
instruction.
In some examples of the invention, the service platform receives a request
from the
first destination to transfer the call to the second destination.
In some examples of the invention, the service platform does not re-collect
the
caller-entered information during the call.
In some examples of the invention, the first destination processor selects the
first
destination routing code based on the caller-entered information and the
second destination
processor selects the second destination routing code based on the caller-
entered
information.
In some examples of the invention, the call from the caller comprises a first
call.
The service platform transfers a tracking number to the SCP system with the
caller-entered
information, initiates a second call to the switching system and transfers the
tracking
number to the switching system with the second call, and connects the first
call to the
second call. The switching system transfers an SCP query for the second call
to the SCP
system. The SCP system correlates the SCP query with the caller-entered
information
based on the tracking number and processes the SCP query to transfer the
caller-entered
information to the first destination processor. The switching system routes
the second call
to the first destination in response to the first destination routing
instruction and wherein
routing the first call to the first destination comprises routing the second
call to the first
destination.
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In some examples of the invention, the service platform receives a call
transfer
instruction from the first destination, initiates a third call to the
switching system and
transfers the tracking number to the switching system with the third call, and
connects the
first call to the third call. The switching system transfers an SCP query for
the third call to
the SCP system. The SCP system correlates the SCP query for the third call
with the caller-
entered information based on the tracking number and processes the SCP query
for the third
call to transfer the caller-entered information to the second destination
processor. The
switching system routes the third call to the second destination in response
to the second
destination routing instruction wherein routing the first call to the second
destination
comprises routing the third call to the second destination.
In some examples of the invention, the service platform terminates the second
call
after receiving the call transfer instruction.
In some examples of the invention, the caller-entered information comprises a
caller
identification number or a caller account number.
In some examples of the invention, the SCP system transfers an ANI to the
first
destination processor and the second destination processor wherein the first
destination
processor selects the first destination routing code based on the ANI and the
second
destination processor selects the second destination routing code based on the
ANI.
In some examples of the invention, the first destination correlates the caller-
entered
information with the call received into the first destination based on the
ANI, and the
second destination correlates the caller-entered information with the call
received into the
second destination based on the ANI.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The same reference number represents the same element on all drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunication network in an example of the invention.
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FIG. 2 is a table that describes call and data flow for a telecommunication
network
in an example of the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of a telecommunication network in an example
of the
invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of a telecommunication network in an example
of the
invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of a telecommunication network in an example
of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1-5 and the following description depict specific examples to teach
those
skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of the invention. For the
purpose of
teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified
or omitted.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these examples that
fall within the
scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
features described
below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the
invention. As a
result, the invention is not limited to the specific examples described below,
but only by the
claims and their equivalents.
Telecommunication Network Configuration -- FIG. 1
FIG. 1 illustrates telecommunication network 100 in an example of the
invention.
Telecommunication network 100 includes switching system 101, Service Control
Point
(SCP) system 102, network Routing Processor (RP) 103, and service platform
104.
Switching system 101 is coupled to caller 150 over call path 131, to service
platform 104
over call paths 132-134, to first destination call system 112 over call path
135, and to
second destination call system 122 over call path 136. Call paths 131-136 may
each include
multiple individual call links and may include other communication systems and
networks.
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SCP system 102 is coupled to switching system 101 by data path 141, to network
RP 103 by
data path 142, to service platform by data path 143, to first destination RP
111 by data path
144, and to second destination RP 121 by data path 145. Data paths 141-145 may
each
include multiple individual data links and may include other communication
systems and
networks.
Switching system 101 could include multiple interconnected telecommunication
switches. SCP system 102 could include multiple SCPs, and an SCP includes any
call
processing system that responds to queries from a switching system with
routing
instructions. Service platform 104 could include multiple voice response
units, control
processors, and switches at multiple sites. Network RP 103 could include
multiple
processors. In variations of the invention, the fiznctionality of network
elements 101-104
could be re-distributed from one element to another, and various ones of
network elements
101-104 could be integrated together. In addition destination RPs 111 and/or
121 could be
hosted by telecommunication network 100. Based on this disclosure, those
skilled in the art
will appreciate how to modify and combine existing telecommunication
components to
configure and operate network 100. Those skilled in the art will also
appreciate that the
operations of network 100 are directed by software that is stored on various
storage media.
Telecommunication Network Operation -- FIGS. 2-5
FIG. 2 is a table that describes call and data flow for telecommunication
network
100 in an example of the invention. FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the operation of
telecommunication
network 100 in an example of the invention. The numbers and actions in the
first two
columns of FIG. 2 correlate to the numbers and actions of FIGS. 3-5. These
actions are
indicated parenthetically below.
In operation, caller 150 calls a first Dialed Number (DN #1), and switching
system
101 receives the call over call path 131 (action 1 ). To place the call,
caller 1 SO uses a
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telephone system that has an associated telephone number that is referred to
as an
Automatic Number Identification (ANI). Switching system 101 receives DN #1 and
the
ANI for the call. Switching system 101 processes DN #1, and possibly the ANI,
to transfer
a query to SCP system 102 (action 2). The query includes DN # 1 and the ANI.
SCP system 102 processes DN #1, and possibly the ANI, to transfer a query to
network RP 103 (action 3). Network RP 103 processes DN #1, and possibly the
ANI, to
select a first label (LABEL #1). Labels are routing codes that control
subsequent call
handling. Network RP 103 transfers a response that indicates LABEL #1 to SCP
system
102 (action 4). SCP system 102 processes LABEL #1 through translation tables
to identify
a first Switch and Trunk (SW/TNK #1) and digits for a first Dialed Number
Information
Service (DNIS #1). Switch and trunk combinations are routing instructions for
switching
system 101. SCP system 102 transfers a response indicating SW/TNK #1 and DNIS
#1 to
switching system 101 (action 5).
Switching system 101 uses SW/TNK #1 to route the call to service platform 104
and
to transfer DNIS #1 and the ANI to service platform 104 (action 6). At this
point, the call is
established from caller 150 to service platform 104 over call path 131,
switching system
101, and call path 132.
Service platform 104 processes DNIS #1, and possibly the ANI, to select and
apply
a call processing script. In response to the call processing script, service
platform 104
transfers an audio prompt message to switching system 101 (action 7), and
switching
system 101 transfers the audio prompt message to caller 1 SO (action 8). In
response to the
prompt, caller 150 transfers caller-entered information to switching system
101 (action 9),
and switching system 101 transfers the caller-entered information to service
platform 104
(action 10).
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In some examples of the invention, the caller-entered information comprises
Dual
Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) tones representing caller-entered digits. Some
examples of
caller-entered digits include caller identification numbers and caller account
numbers. For
example, the audio prompt could say, "Please enter your frequent flyer
number," and caller
150 would provide their frequent flyer number by pressing keys on their
telephone to
transfer corresponding DTMF digits. Alternatively, service platform 104 may
use voice
recognition equipment or some other system to collect the caller-entered
information over
the call.
In response to the call processing script, service platform 104 generates a
tracking
number that allows telecommunication network 100 to associate data with the
call. The
tracking number could include an SCP ID, SCP processor ID, and a unique
number. In
response to the call processing script, service platform 104 initiates a
second call to
switching system 101 using a second Dialed Number (DN #2) and indicating the
tracking
number as the ANI (action 1 lA). Service platform 104 connects the first call
to the second
call. DN #2 is indicated in the call processing script and is typically
different that DN #1.
Advantageously, a destination may have multiple DN #1's that all use a single
DN #2 to
reach the destination. In response to the call processing script, service
platform 104 also
transfers the ANI, tracking number, and caller-entered information to SCP
system 102
(action 11B).
Switching system 101 processes DN #2 to transfer a query to SCP system 102
(action 12). The query includes DN #2 and the tracking number as the ANI. SCP
system
102 uses the tracking number to correlate the ANI and the caller-entered
information
collected by service platform 104 with the second query from switching system
101. SCP
system 102 processes DN #2 to transfer a query to destination RP 111 (action
13). This
query includes the ANI and the caller-entered information.
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Destination RP 111 processes the ANI and the caller-entered information to
select a
second label (LABEL #2) that will control subsequent call handling.
Advantageously, first
destination 110 may use the caller-entered information to route the call to a
selected call
destination. For example, first destination 110 may desire to route privileged
customers
having special account numbers to higher-quality telephone agents having
shorter call
queues. Advantageously, first destination 110 uses telecommunication network
100 to
collect the caller-entered information, and thus, first destination 110 does
not require
additional equipment or operator time to collect the information. Destination
RP 111
transfers a response that indicates LABEL #2 to SCP system 102 (action 14).
SCP system 102 processes LABEL #2 through translation tables to identify a
second
Switch and Trunk (SW/TNK #2) and digits for a second Dialed Number Information
Service (DNIS #2). SCP system 102 transfers a response indicating SW/TNK #2
and DNIS
#2 to switching system 1 O 1 (action 1 S). Switching system 101 uses SW/TNK #2
to route
the call to destination call system 112 and to transfer DNIS #2 and the ANI
destination call
system 112 (action 16). In some examples, the ANI is transferred in a "charge
to" field. At
this point, the call is established from caller 1 SO to destination call
system 112 over call path
131, switching system 101, call path 132, service platform 104, call path 133,
switching
system 101, and call path 135.
Destination call system 112 handles the call. In some examples, destination
110
correlates the call with the caller-entered information based on the ANI. In
some examples
of the invention, destination 110 may desire to transfer the call. For
example, after booking
a flight, an airline may desire to transfer the call to a car rental agency.
Destination call
system 112 initiates the call transfer by transferring DTMF digits, such as
"*8", to switching
system 101 (action 17). Switching system 101 transfers the DTMF digits to
service
platform 104 (action 18).
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In response to the DTMF digits that indicate call transfer, service platform
104
transfers a dial tone to switching system 101 (action 19), and switching
system 101 transfers
the dial tone to destination call system 112 (action 20). In response to the
dial tone,
destination call system 112 transfers a third Dialed Number (DN #3) to
switching system
101 (action 21), and switching system 101 transfers DN #3 to service platform
104 (action
22). DN #3 could be a transfer code or speed-dial number.
At this point, service platform 104 and switching system 101 drop the portion
of the
call over call paths 133 and 135 from service platform 104 to destination call
system 112.
Thus, the call is still established from caller 150 to service platform 104
over call path 131,
switching system 101, and call path 132.
In response to DN #3, service platform 104 initiates a third call to switching
system
101 using DN #3 and indicating the tracking number as the ANI (action 23).
Service
platform 104 connects the first call to the third call. Switching system 101
processes DN #3
to transfer a query to SCP system 102 (action 24). The query includes DN #3
and the
tracking number as the ANI. SCP system 102 uses the tracking number to
correlate the ANI
and the caller-entered information collected by service platform 104 with the
third query
from switching system 101. SCP system 102 processes DN #3 to transfer a query
to
destination RP 121 (action 25). This query includes the ANI and the caller-
entered
information.
Destination RP 121 processes the ANI and the caller-entered information to
select a
third label (LABEL #3) that will control subsequent call handling.
Advantageously, second
destination 120 may also use the caller-entered information to route the call
to a selected
call destination. Advantageously, second destination 120 uses
telecommunication network
100 to collect the caller-entered information, and thus, second destination
120 does not
require additional equipment or operator time to collect the information.
Advantageously
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for telecommunication network 100 and caller 150, the previously collected
caller-entered
information may be re-used without re-collection. Destination RP 121 transfers
a response
that indicates LABEL #3 to SCP system 102 (action 26).
SCP system 102 processes LABEL #3 through translation tables to identify a
third
Switch and Trunk (SW/TNK #3) and digits for a third Dialed Number Information
Service
(DNIS #3). SCP system 102 transfers a response indicating SW/TNK #3 and DNIS
#3 to
switching system 101 (action 27). Switching system 101 uses SW/TNK #3 to route
the call
to destination call system 122 and to transfer DNIS #3 and the ANI destination
call system
122 (action 28). At this point, the call is established from caller 150 to
destination call
system 122 over call path 131, switching system 101, call path 132, service
platform 104,
call path 134, switching system 101, and call path 136.
Destination call system 122 handles the call. In some examples, second
destination
120 correlates the call with the caller-entered information based on the ANI.
In some
examples of the invention, second destination 120 may desire to transfer the
call to a third
destination. This call transfer is handled as described above. Thus, multiple
call transfers
can be implemented. Advantageously, each destination may base routing
decisions and call
processing based on caller-entered information without collecting the caller-
entered
information. Advantageously, caller 150 only places one call and enters their
information
one time, and then caller 150 receives special call handling and services from
multiple call
destinations.
In some examples of the invention, switching system 101 may remove service
platform 104 from the call. For example, on the call to destination 120,
switching system
101 could remove call paths 132 and 134 and directly connect call paths 131
and 136. In
these examples, call transfer functionality would need to be moved to
switching system 101,
or else it would be eliminated when service platform 104 is removed from the
call.
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In some examples of the invention, SCP system 102 retains the caller-entered
information for a time period, such as two hours. If desired, this caller -
entered information
could be re-used on calls to the same DN and from the same ANI.
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