NL1002747C2 - Telephone network with database switching for individual private exchanges - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves large organisations have internal automatic telephone exchanges (PABX). Direct dialling to the internal extensions is achieved by dialling the area code and a shortened subscriber code, followed by the extension number. Each PABX is connected to an exchange node (7, 8) of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN) (3). In the present system, a subscriber switch system (9, 6) is interposed between the PABX and the PTSN. Each switch system consists of a call control system (10, 11), a channelling processor (17, 14) and control database (18, 15). The database contains data enabling permitting and barring of incoming and outgoing connections for each extension.

Description

Method of forwarding telecommunications calls on a network

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for forwarding, in a subscriber exchange, of calls received from the telecommunication network to which the subscriber exchange is connected. In particular, call forwarding of telephone calls in the public telephone network is now being considered, however, the invention is equally applicable in other subscriber exchanges.

Nowadays it is possible as telephone subscriber to forward calls from the "normal" telephone number to a telephone number of your choice. In the subscriber exchange, the subscriber's telephone number is provided with a "label", by means of which the control software detects that calls for that telephone number must be routed to another number indicated by the label. The forwarding information is obtained at the final stage of the control process in the exchange, namely the stage at which the calling subscriber (A subscriber) will be connected to the called subscriber's (B subscriber) node.

This method has two drawbacks: 1. Forwarding of so-called extension numbers of business exchanges 20 (PABXs) cannot be forwarded individually by the public telephone network. For example, if the extension numbers of a business exchange start with 070-34 ...... the extension label should be affixed in the subscriber exchange at node 070-34. This can only cause all calls to be forwarded to that node. Diverting individual extension numbers is not possible. For example, number 070-3432714 cannot be forwarded to number 070-3325529 and number 070-3431699 to 070-3431284 to number 050-3122450. Moreover, a serious problem is that in current practice, the control of the subscriber exchange does not record the content of the telephone number dialed by an A subscriber at all once the first digits (in example 3-4 above) show that it is an extension number. regarding. Even those first digits (i.c. 3-4) are no longer known to the controller once the call to the (internally coded) node to which the PABX is connected has been routed. The node is therefore no longer aware of the '10 0 2 7 4 7 2 (extension) number dialed by the A subscriber, so that placing an extension label there is without effect.

2. Because the re-routing only takes place in the last stage of the process, there is a high probability that a (longer) detour 5 will be taken during re-routing, which will require extra transmission means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the insight that in order to be able to forward telephone numbers to be reached via a PABX (extension numbers), the control of the subscriber exchanges must make the value of the number dialed by the A subscriber available to those bodies in the subscriber exchange where the transfer is being performed, an insight that has been strangely lacking so far, with the result that it was impossible to divert 'direct-access subscribers' or even 15 entire PABX populations - for example, during a company move.

The forwarding device may - provided the value of the number of the B subscriber dialed by the A subscriber is presented to the forwarding device - be located at the node to which the PABX is connected or at the beginning of the subscriber exchange, where the calls come in, or somewhere in between. By not dividing the dialed telephone number, as has hitherto been common practice, after that number has served for routing to the correct node, but, as the present invention proposes, offering it to the forwarding device, which verifies whether or not telephone calls are If calls are not to be diverted, all types of calls, whether addressed to a direct number or an extension number behind a PABX, can be diverted to other destinations. Thus, although the location of the forwarding device is not important to the invention per se, it is preferred to place it on the network side of the subscriber exchange, as this accomplishes the most efficient routing. In addition, on that side, the front side of the control process, the call information (the value of the number of the B subscriber dialed by the A subscriber) can be presented to the switching device without much effort. A drawback may be the somewhat longer processing time for all incoming calls, which, after all, must be investigated by the forwarding member. For this reason, the invention, offering the forwarding member the value of the 0 0 2 7 4 7 3 never selected by the A subscriber (or a similar feature) is not limited to forwarding members on the network side of the subscriber exchange, but is equally applicable to the use of call-through labels, to the subscriber nodes, or call-through means at any location in (or even outside) the subscriber exchange.

IMPLEMENTATION EXAMPLES

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the prior art. Figure 2 schematically shows a network following the method 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, network-side forwarding. Figure 3 shows this in more detail. Figure 4 illustrates the individual extension of extension numbers from one PABX to another PABX. Figure 5 shows a situation, for example a company relocation, in which all 15 extension numbers of a PABX are forwarded to another subscriber exchange. Figures 6 and 7 show the use of a separate moving server; in Figure 6, as in Figures 3-5, use is made of a network-side forwarding member of the subscriber exchange, while Figure 7 uses 20 forwarding labels at the subscriber nodes.

Figure 1 shows a communication network 1 in which the periphery 2, in which local subscriber exchanges - to which the subscribers are connected - are located, is shaded differently from the transport network 3, which serves for mutual signal transport between the subscriber exchanges. It is shown the case that an A subscriber 4 makes a call to a B subscriber 5. However, the latter has communicated to the subscriber exchange 6 (by means of the "* 21" service) that calls must be made to his / her node 7 be forwarded to node 8 (in this case from another subscriber exchange 9. For the purpose of that desired forwarding, node 30 7 is labeled in subscriber exchange 6, provided with the instruction "forward to <characteristics node 8>". In the prior art, therefore, a forwarding label is affixed to the node of a number to be forwarded, since in the current control process the call information is lost, extension numbers cannot be forwarded in this way, only direct, non-PABX numbers can be forwarded by the forwarding label to the node of that direct number.

1002747 4

Figure 2 shows the same elements as figure 1. It has been schematically shown that a call, intended for subscriber 5, received from subscriber 5, is received on the receiving side of subscriber exchange 6 and routed to node 8 of subscriber exchange 9. Its technical elaboration shows figure 3.

Figure 3 shows the subscriber exchanges 6 and 9, provided with call connecting controllers 10 and 11, from the transport network 3 arriving at nodes 12 and 13, with the nodes 7 and 8 connected to local subscribers via the local subscriber network.

In subscriber exchange 6, a call received from the transport network 3 is subjected by a processor 14 to an examination of whether or not the call should be forwarded. For this purpose, a feature of the call - the number of the B subscriber designated by the call or part thereof - is compared with the contents of a database 15, in which there is a "label list" with telephone numbers to be forwarded. If the processor 14 in the database 15 does not find a corresponding characteristic, the call is passed on to the control 10 of the subscriber exchange 6, which routes it to node 7, which was designated by the call as characteristic. However, if the processor 20 14 does find a corresponding characteristic in the database 15, the associated new destination is read out and the call is forwarded directly, via node 16 and the transmission network 3, to subscriber exchange 9, characterized by the new destination number, node 8 In the subscriber exchange 6 the call comes in and, at least if the characteristic of node 8 does not exist in the database 18, the controller 11 offers it to node 8.

The characteristics by which incoming calls are examined can be telephone numbers or groups of telephone numbers. The telephone numbers need not necessarily be known as node numbers: for example, a PABX can be connected to the subscriber exchange via node number 5800000, whereby extension numbers connected to that PABX are, for example, in the range of 10000-29999. The invention now offers the possibility of forwarding any extension number to any telephone number outside that PABX.

For example, as illustrated in Figure 4, extension 5821236 may be registered in the subscriber exchange to have incoming calls diverted to 0519563356. Another option, illustrated in Figure 5, is to, for example, move from a 1002747 office to another location, even if it falls within the catchment area of another subscriber exchange, for a certain period of time all calls starting with the old access number, eg 58 ...... to route to the new access number, 5 eg 05165 .... The switchover attribute "58 #####" is then entered into the database 15 via the controller 10 and the processor 14, with the associated new number 05165 #####, which is interpreted by the processor as "add all incoming calls beginning with "58" then assign the (five) digits to "05165" and route 10 the call to the number thus dialed "(for example, if incoming" 5889354 ", enable continue to "0516589354"). Another option, illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, is to store the relocation information in case of relocations, etc. in a separate "relocation server", in which all information relevant to relocations of 15 companies or individuals is registered and can be consulted by subscriber centers and any other "servers" (for example, serving postal traffic). The processor may also include a "voice processor" which informs the calling subscriber that it is being forwarded to another destination. Not least this is important in the case of removals, etc., whereby calling subscribers can be notified of the new telephone number and possibly the new address of the subscriber / organization called. For that purpose, the processor can be arranged in such a way that the subscriber can record an (additional) message therein, which is always "played" upon forwarding.

The register 15 (18) can also store features (parameters) which indicate whether forwarding of registered calls should take place either without further conditions, only when the subscriber to be called is busy or if the subscriber does not answer the call. answered within a certain time. This creates opportunities for, for example, home workers who, via (conditional) forwarding of their home telephone connection, can make use of secretarial support o the office, or, conversely, an office worker can make use of, for example, secretarial support of home workers, or a secretary service. In the latter case, which is attractive to small and medium-sized enterprises, for example, the telephones of a small engineering firm (via its PABX) can use the services of a telephonist / secretary service agency, where the telephones of the engineering firm, be forwarded directly, either in absence or "on call" to the service office, where the 5 telephone call will be answered on behalf of the engineering firm (or on behalf of the employee concerned) and further processed.

The conditions mentioned are not exhaustive. For example, it can also be set as a condition that the telephone does not need to be forwarded for certain A subscribers and for certain calling A subscribers. In the previous example of cooperation between an engineering company and a secretary office, it can be imagined that, for example, in principle all telephone calls for the director of the engineering company go through the (external) secretary, but it is clear that a call from the secretary to that director 15 should not be diverted. The invention includes the ability to set all such conditions.

Figure 6 schematically shows the use of a separate moving server 20, as has already been indicated above. The figure is otherwise the same as figure 5. The moving server 20 is located within the public network, for instance in a 06 exchange, or outside the public network, connected via a number of nodes of a subscriber exchange. The actual location is left in the middle in Figure 6. Calls to extension numbers 58 ....., for example, are detected in the forwarding device 14/15 to be forwarded to the moving server (since that PABX has moved). In the moving server 20, after receiving the call forwarded in subscriber exchange 6, forwarding to the actual final destination takes place, in the case discussed 05165 ...... It is clear that the use of a separate moving server 20 prevents the databases (14, 17, ...) of the switching devices in the different subscriber exchanges from being unloaded.

Finally, Figure 7 also schematically shows the move server option. In Figure 7, however, subscriber exchange 6 uses forwarding devices 19 (forwarding labels) in the direct vicinity of the nodes (7 .....) of that exchange. The forwarding label 19 contains only the number (address) of the moving server 20, to which each call arriving at node 7 is to be forwarded. The call is - including the number dialed by the A subscriber (here 1002 747 7 one of the extension numbers 58 .....) - - transferred to the moving server. In the moving server 20 the extension number received from central 6, under the control of a processor (PROC), is forwarded to node 8 on the basis of old and new 5 numbers stored in a database (DBS) (including the one for controlling the PABX relevant last (in this case five) digits.

REFERENCES

No 1002747

Claims (10)

Method for forwarding, in a subscriber exchange, of calls received from the telecommunication network to which the subscriber exchange is connected, CHARACTERIZED in that the control (10) of the subscriber exchange (6) is a characteristic of a received call, in particular offers the telephone number to be called or at least part of it, regardless of whether it is an extension number or not, to a forwarding agency (14 / 15,19,20), inside or outside the telecommunications network, which detects whether and where to call that call. forwarded. Method according to claim 1, WITH THE IDENTIFICATION that the forwarding means (19) is situated at the node (7) to which the subscriber to be called is connected to the subscriber exchange. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the forwarding means 15 (14/15) is located at the beginning of the subscriber exchange, where the calls are received from the telecommunication network (3). Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the forwarding element comprises a register (15), in which it is maintained which calls from the transmitter side are to be forwarded to which destination, whereby all calls from the transmitter side are compared with the registered calls, then the received calls corresponding to the registered calls are forwarded to the registered destination. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that calls detected by the forwarding member (14 / 15,19) are forwarded to a further forwarding member (20), in which calls received there are assigned a new final destination. 6. Subscriber exchange, CHARACTERIZED BY control means which presents a characteristic of a received call, in particular the telephone number to be called, regardless of whether it is an extension number or not, to a forwarding device (14 / 15,19,20) which detects or and where to forward that call. Subscriber exchange according to claim 6, characterized by a register (15) for recording the characteristics of one or more calls to be forwarded including the associated new destinations, and means (14) for comparing the characteristics of each received call with the characteristics registered in the register, as well as for 1002747 forwarding of calls whose characteristic corresponds to one of the registered characteristics, to the associated new destination. Subscriber exchange according to claim 6, characterized in that the register (15) also stores parameters indicating conditions under which call forwarding whose characteristics are registered must take place. Subscriber exchange according to claim 6, characterized BY means for transmitting a voice message to a calling subscriber when the call of that subscriber is forwarded to a new destination determined by the forwarding member 10. 10. Forwarding server (14 / 15.20), characterized by a register (DBS) for registering features of one or more calls forwarded by the forwarding server including associated new destinations, and means (PROC) for comparing the features of each received call with the characteristics registered in the register, as well as for forwarding calls whose characteristic corresponds to one of the registered characteristics, to the corresponding new destination. 1 f) 0? 7 A 7