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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to telecommunication switching systems, and more
particularly, to providing a subscriber with personalized
telecommunications features for calls made from stations remote from the
subscriber's home base.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of convenient features are available to enhance the
usefulness of the telephone to subscribers, including such features as
speed calling, call waiting, conference calling and the like. In prior art
systems, data defining subscribed features are recorded in a feature data
block associated with the subscriber's home base telephone in the
telephone exchange to which the subscriber's home base is connected. The
local exchange consults the recorded data to determine what service
features should be provided to calls originating from and terminating on
the subscriber's home base telephone. A problem of prior art systems is
that the telephone features of an individual subscriber are available only
at the subscriber's home base and not, for example, when the subscriber
places a call from a pay station or other remote locations such as a hotel
room, connected to another telephone exchange. One prior art publication
suggests a class of service transfer feature in an office communication
system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The prior art problems are solved and an advance in the art is made in
accordance with the principles of this invention by providing personalized
features on the basis of personal identification of the subscriber. In
accordance with this invention, data defining a subscriber's personalized
set of telecommunication features is temporarily stored in a local
exchange in association with any subscriber line on which the subscriber
is identified. In one embodiment of the invention, personalized feature
data is stored in a data base remote from the local exchange together with
a subscriber's personal identification number such as a credit card
number. The receipt of a subscriber's personal identification number
causes the data base to be searched and causes the retrieved personalized
feature data to be entered in the exchange serving the subscriber line
from which the personal identification number was received.
Advantageously, the personalized feature data may be stored in a
nationally accessible data base allowing the subscriber to have the
features available in other cities.
In one embodiment of the invention, the feature data includes a speed
calling list. Advantageously, this allows a subscriber to use abbreviated
dialing from the remote location.
In one specific embodiment, the subscriber may supply data defining a
duration to the remote telephone exchange, which causes the exchange to
retain the data in association with the affected line for the defined time
period. Advantageously, this provides a convenient way to set up a
temporary office telephone away from the home base and conveniently allows
features relating to incoming calls, such as call screening, to be applied
to the temporary office phone.
In an alternative embodiment, the personalized feature data is carried by
the subscriber, for example, on a credit card which may be read by a card
reader. The data from the credit card is transmitted over a subscriber
line to the local exchange where it is temporarily stored in association
with the subscriber line from which it is received. Advantageously, in
this arrangement no separate data base is required.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention may be better understood from the following detailed
description when read with reference to the drawing in which:
FIG. 1 shows a local telephone exchange together with a data base system
accessible from a plurality of local exchanges;
FIGS. 2 and 3 define data fields in the data base system; and
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are flow diagram representations of functions carried in
the local exchange of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment in which several local exchanges
110 are connected via traffic service position system (TSPS) 120 to a
common data base system 140. Connected to each local exchange are a
plurality of telephone station terminals, such as set 112 which may be any
standard and well-known subscriber set. Also shown in FIG. 1 is a
telephone set 114 incorporating a card reader. This, for example, may be a
coin phone incorporating a card reader such as may be found at airports
and which are commercially available. The card reader in the commercially
available arrangements is particularly adapted for reading a credit card
and transmitting the data from the credit card to the local exchange. The
local exchanges are each controlled by an internal processor 113 which has
access to a local memory 111 for storing feature data in association with
a subscriber terminal (e.g., 112). A clock arrangement 116 in the local
exchange provides signals used for defining time when a subscriber
requests service for a specified period of time. Each local exchange 110
is connected to a TSPS trunk circuit 130 in a standard fashion by means of
trunk 115. The TSPS trunk circuit 130 may be connected to an interexchange
carrier switch, commonly referred to as a toll office, by means of trunk
117. The traffic service position system (TSPS) 120 is a switch system
which in this embodiment is used to provide access to the common data base
system 140. Numerous data base access systems are known and for the
purposes of this invention, any acceptable system providing access from
local exchanges to a common data base 140 may be used.
The local exchange may be, for example, the well-known 5ESS.TM. switch
developed by AT&T and described in the AT&T Technical Journal,
July-August, 1985, Vol. 64, No. 6, Part 2. The local exchange communicates
with the connected stations 112, 114 and the TSPS in a well-known manner.
The TSPS 120 may, for example, be the TSPS No. 1B developed by AT&T and
described in The Bell System Technical Journal, March, 1983, Vol. 62, No.
3, Part 3. One of the functions of the TSPS system is to provide access to
the data base system 140, for example, for the purposes of verifying the
validity of a credit card number when a caller at one of the stations 112,
114 connected to the local exchange 110 makes a credit card call. The data
base 140 is a national data base and accessible from a large number of
local exchanges via associated TSPS. Customarily a number of local
exchanges 110 are connected to a single TSPS 120 and a number of TSPS have
access to a single data base system 140 via a national network using
common channel interoffice signaling (CCIS). Such a network is described
in The Bell System Technical Journal, September, 1982, Vol. 61, No. 7,
Part 3.
In this illustrative embodiment of the invention, the data base 140
contains information regarding the service features of the system to which
subscribers have subscribed. To use the features at a remote location, a
subscriber provides the local exchange with a special code and an
identification number which causes the exchange to consult a data base 140
via TSPS 120, retrieve the data defining the features for the calling
subscriber and store the data in a local memory 111. In this illustrative
embodiment, the data base field, in addition to the credit card number,
contains a word defining features to which the credit card subscriber is
entitled as well as data defining speed calling numbers. Speed calling,
also referred to as abbreviated dialing, is a special feature whereby a
subscriber dials a couple of digits which is interpreted by the local
exchange to represent a full 10 digit telephone number. Such a data field
layout is shown in FIG. 2. The data base may also contain the identity of
the customer's preferred long distance carrier, to be used in making long
distance calls from a remote location. FIG. 2 depicts an information field
column defining the data stored in the data base, and a content column.
The same data stored in the data base may also be stored on magnetic
material on a personalized card, such as a credit card. Such a card may be
read by a known card reading telephone terminal and transmitted to the
local exchange in a well-known manner and stored in the memory of the
local exchange. The feature validity field shown in FIG. 2 is coded in
binary and in this embodiment comprises 8 bits or 1 byte. FIG. 3 further
identifies the bits of the feature validity field. As indicated in FIG. 3,
the first bit of the feature validity field indicates whether or not the
subscriber is entitled to have features transferred to a remote location.
The second through eighth bit, in this particular embodiment, indicate the
specific features to which the calling subscriber has subscribed. In each
case, the validity or entitlement of these features may be indicated by a
1 or a 0 in the appropriate bit position of the feature validity byte. The
features listed in FIG. 3, other than the TEMPORARY OFFICE feature are
standard services available to telephone subscribers. Numerous other
features can be identified by the feature validity field. The TEMPORARY
OFFICE feature is a feature which allows the subscriber to have all the
other features listed in the feature field applied to the temporary
location for a prescribed period of time.
SEQUENCE OF OPERATION
In this illustrative embodiment the feature transfer service is implemented
by actions and interactions of several entities, including the local
exchange 110, the TSPS 120 and the data base system 140. The systems
comprise program controlled processors for carrying out the various
functions. The processor in each of the systems may be, for example, the
AT&T 3B20D processor described in the Bell System Technical Journal,
January 1983, Volume 62, No. 1, Part 2. The functions to be performed for
normal call handling by the local exchange 110 and the TSPS 120 are
outlined in the above referenced AT&T Technical Journal on the 5ESS switch
and the above referenced Bell System Technical Journal on TSPS No. 1B,
respectively. A data base system, which may be used for the data base
system 140 is described in the Bell System Technical Journal, September
1982, Volume 61, No. 1, Part 3, entitled "Stored Program Controlled
Network". This journal describes a data base system together with a
network system which makes the data base accessible from a number of TSPS
and local exchanges. FIGS. 4 through 6 define, in flowchart form, the
program to be executed by the processor 113 of the local exchange in
implementing the feature transfer service. As stated earlier, the local
exchange 110 of the illustrative system includes a program controlled 5ESS
switch controlled by a 3B20D program controlled processor. This processor
operates under operating system programs derived from the well-known UNIX
operating system, and described in the aforementioned January 1983 Bell
System Technical Journal.
Referring to FIG. 4, block 401 depicts off-hook detection and 403 depicts
the provision of dial tone and the connection of a digit receiver which
are normal functions performed by a local exchange. In decision block 405
a test is made on the received digits to determine the existence of a
special string which is referred to herein as *TF which signifies a
request for transfer feature service or a string referred to as *CC which
signifies a request to enter transfer features from a credit card. These
characters are usually available on the telephone sets, if not, any other
string may be substituted. Alternatively, a speech recognition unit (not
shown in the drawing) could be provided to recognize a spoken request for
service by the customer. When the *TF code is dialed, it is interpreted to
mean that the subscriber desires to have personalized telephone features
stored in the credit card data base made available to the line from which
this call is originated. In the event that the *TF code is detected, the
local exchange 110 sets up a path from the originating line to the TSPS
120 and alerts the TSPS to prepare to receive a credit card number. This
is depicted in block 407. The TSPS, over the established path, may prompt
the subscriber for the credit card number or other personal identification
number or may wait for the subscriber to dial the number without a prompt.
As an alternative to dialing the personal identification number, a
subscriber may use a well-known card reading telephone 114 to enter the
number. It is a function of the TSPS to transmit the received credit card
number to the data base system 140. This is a well-known function commonly
performed by the TSPS which does not need to be described herein in detail
for an understanding of the invention. The data base system 140 responds
to the receipt of the 14-digit credit card number from the TSPS by
addressing a corresponding data item in the data base and retrieving the
associated data block. The contents of the data block is outlined in FIGS.
2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the first item of data block comprises the
card number which may be used simply for checking purposes to ascertain
that the proper data has been accessed. In the event that the card number
is invalid or service is not authorized, a denial message is returned to
the local exchange. The functions of the TSPS and the data base system and
the retrieval of data and the checking are well-known functions which are
commonly performed by such systems in connection with credit card calls,
including the provision of a denial message. In the event that service is
authorized, the data base system commonly returns an authorization message
to the TSPS which responds by starting a billing record and by
transmitting the authorization message and billing ID to the local
exchange. In a system in accordance with this invention, the data base
system transmits the retrieved data block to the TSPS and the TSPS in turn
transmits the data block together with billing identification number,
which may be the credit card number, to the local exchange. That the local
exchange waits for the receipt of the data block and billing ID or a
denial message is depicted in block 409. In a case of a denial the call
may be terminated as indicated in block 410. Otherwise, an advance is made
to block 411 where the FEATURE TRANSFER bit of the received data is
examined to determine whether the subscriber is entitled to the feature
transfer service. If not, normal call processing will be provided in a
well-known manner. In the event the *CC characters are detected in block
405, an advance is made to block 402 to receive the card data transmitted
from a card reading terminal and defining the desired feature set as
depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3. Thereafter, the billing ID, or card number is
transmitted to TSPS for billing purposes, as depicted in block 404.
Subsequently, an advance is made to block 411 to examine the FEATURE
TRANSFER bit of the received data.
If the subscriber is entitled to the feature transfer service, a temporary
memory address is entered in the feature data block normally associated
with the calling line and feature data, as defined by the remaining bits
of the feature validity field, are stored together with the speed calling
list in the memory location defined by the temporary address. These last
named functions are depicted in block 413. A further test is made in block
415 in FIG. 5 to determine if the TEMPORARY OFFICE bit, bit 6 of the
feature validity field, has been set. If not, a message is provided to the
subscriber that the Feature Transfer feature has been invoked and the call
is handled in a manner described later with respect to blocks 425 through
431. In the event that the test in block 415 indicates that the temporary
office bit (bit 6) of the feature validity field has been set, the billing
ID received from the TSPS in block 409 is stored in the temporary location
created in block 413. Additionally, as indicated in block 419, a message
is sent to the subscriber that the temporary office feature may be invoked
by dialing an access code and a code indicating a time period. The message
may be in the form of an audible message or tone signals generated in a
well-known fashion. The local exchange, upon receiving the access code and
time period indication, adds the received value of the time period to the
system's current time and stores the computed value in a location in
memory referred to herein as the time-out item. The local exchange
includes a time clock 116 which provides system current time in a
well-known fashion. In block 423 a message is provided to the subscriber
that the temporary office feature has been invoked.
In block 425, after the transfer feature has been invoked, with or without
the temporary office feature, the subscriber is prompted to enter the call
signaling information, i.e., the number the subscriber wishes to reach.
Thereafter the call is handled in a normal fashion including standard
credit card billing until an on-hook is detected or the subscriber pushes
the # sign. A test is made in block 429 to determine whether the # sign or
on-hook sign was received. In the event it is the # sign, the sequence of
blocks 425 through 429 is repeated, allowing the subscriber to make
another call without going through the entire calling sequence. In the
event that an on-hook sign has been received in block 427, an advance is
made to block 430 to determine if the Temporary Office feature is in
effect. If it is, the call is terminated in a normal feature in block 431;
otherwise the temporary address is deleted in block 433 before the call is
terminated. This deletion will disable the personalized feature from being
used on subsequent calls.
Referring again to FIG. 4, in block 405 a test is made to determine if the
*TF or *CC symbol was dialed by the subscriber. If so, the sequence
described above is carried out; if not, the feature data block associated
with the calling line in the local exchange is read as indicated in block
440 of FIG. 6 and a test is made in block 441 to determine if a temporary
address exists in the feature block. If not, the call is processed in a
normal fashion without reference to the transfer feature, as indicated in
block 443. If a temporary address is found, it is taken as an indication
that feature transfer was established previously. A further test is made,
however, to determine whether the time period specified by the subscriber
and recorded in block 421 has expired. In block 442 a test is made to
determine if the value of the time-out item is less than or equal to the
current time. If it is not, the billing ID is retrieved from the temporary
location and transmitted to TSPS, as indicated in block 445, for use in
billing the subsequent call. Thereafter, the subscriber is prompted to
enter the terminating directory number, as indicated in block 425 in FIG.
5, and the sequence subsequent to block 425 is carried out. In the event
that the test in block 442 indicates that the time-out value is not
greater than the current time, the temporary address is deleted from the
feature data block, as shown in block 444, and normal call processing is
provided in block 443.
It is to be understood that the above described arrangement is merely
illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention;
numerous other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described
herein. It is therefore intended that such changes or modifications be
covered by the following claims.
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