AIN queuing for call-back system

Claim 2

A public telephone network for providing a queuing service for a called party without the necessity for computer-based queuing systems at a called party's premises, comprising: a services control point database storing call processing data for the called party subscribing to the queuing service, said call processing data including a queue list for queued calling stations; a plurality of interconnected central office switching systems forming connections between a plurality of local communication lines, one of the central office switching systems having a first of said local communication lines connected thereto and serving the called party, the one central office switching system outputting a first query message to the database in response to a service request to provide a communication connection between said first local communication line and an incoming call on a second of said local communication lines, the one central office switching system outputting a second query message to the database in response to a disconnect condition detected on said first local communication line; a signaling communication system for two-way communications of messages between the central office switching systems and the services control point database; wherein: in response to said first query message, said database: (1) outputs a first database message for said one central office switching system to connect the first and second local communication lines if the queue list is empty, and (2) stores data identifying the second local communication line in the caller queue list if the queue list is not empty; and in response to said second query message, said database outputs a second database message to initiate a call between the called party and a calling station identified at the top of the queue list.

Claim 3

A public telephone network as in claim 1, wherein said database outputs a third database message to said one central office switching system in response to said first query message and if the queue list is not empty, the public telephone network further comprising an intelligent peripheral supplying the identifying data, said one central office switching system connecting said second local communication line to the intelligent peripheral in response to said third database message.

Claim 4

A public telephone network as in claim 1, further comprising an intelligent peripheral that supplies call processing data specifying a queuing interval to the database in response to an interaction with the called party on said first communication line.

Claim 5

A public telephone network as in claim 1, wherein said call processing data further includes priority caller data identifying priority callers to be connected with the called party before the queued calling stations.

Claim 6

A public telephone network as in claim 4, wherein said database, upon receipt of said second query message, outputs said second database message to the central office connected to the second communication line for connection of the incoming call to the called party if the priority caller data stored in said database identifies said incoming call as one of the priority callers.

Claim 7

A public telephone network as in claim 1, further comprising an intelligent peripheral supplying call processing data to the database, wherein the supplied call processing data comprises priority password data identifying priority calling stations to be connected with the first local communication line before a calling station identified at the top of the queue list.

Claim 8

A public telephone network as in claim 1, wherein said call processing data further includes an outgoing call blocking service, the one central office switching system outputting a third query message in response to an off-hook condition detected on said first local communication line, the database in response to the third query message outputting a blocking message instructing the one central office switching system to prevent outgoing calls on the first local communication line.

Claim 9

A public telephone network as in claim 1, further comprising means for supplying information for a queuing interval to said database.

Claim 10

A public telephone network as in claim 8, wherein the supplying means comprises an interactive response means for collecting said information from the called party.

Claim 11

A public telephone network as in claim 9, wherein said interactive response means comprises an interactive voice response platform resident in one of the central office switching systems, the interactive voice response platform supplying and receiving service information during a call terminated with the called party.

Claim 12

A public telephone network as in claim 1, wherein said database outputs an activation message to the one central office switching system to initiate the queuing service for a predetermined queuing interval; and the one central office switching system activates a termination attempt trigger and a disconnect trigger on the first local communication line in response to receipt of said activation message.

Claim 13

A public telephone network as in claim 1, wherein said database outputs said first database message for said one central office switching system to connect the first and second local communication lines in response to said first query message and if said second local communication line corresponds to a calling station identified at a top of the queue list.

Claim 14

In a public telephone network comprising a services control point database storing call processing data, local communication lines, a plurality of central office switching systems forming connections between the local communication lines, and a signaling communication system interconnecting the central office switching systems and the services control point database, a method of providing a queuing service to a subscriber having a first communication line connected to the public telephone network without the necessity for computer-based queuing systems at the subscriber's premises, the method comprising the steps of: outputting a first query message from one of said central office switching systems serving the first communication line to the database in response to an incoming call request from a calling station via one of said communication lines; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the first query message, the call processing data including a queue portion adapted to identify a plurality of calling stations in a calling queue; determining a relationship between the calling station and the queue portion and outputting a first response message from the database to the one central office switching system on the basis of the determined relationship; adding information of the calling station to the queue portion if the calling station is not in the queue; connecting the calling station and the first communication line within the one central office switching system if the received first response message indicates the calling station is first in the calling queue; outputting a second query message from the one central office switching system to the database in response to a disconnect detection on the first communication line; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the second query message to identify a first of the calling stations in the calling queue; and outputting from the database a second response message to a central office switching system serving the identified first of the calling stations in the calling queue to initiate a call between the identified first of the calling stations in the calling queue and the first communication line in response to the second response message.

Claim 15

In a public telephone network comprising a services control point database storing call processing data, local communication lines, a plurality of central office switching systems forming connections between the local communication lines, and a signaling communication system interconnecting the central office switching systems and the services control point database, a method of providing a queuing service to a subscriber having a first communication line connected to the public telephone network without the necessity for computer-based queuing systems at the subscriber's premises, the method comprising the steps of: outputting a first query message from one of said central office switching systems serving the first communication line to the database in response to an incoming call request from a calling station via one of said communication lines; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the first query message, the call processing data including a queue portion adapted to identify a plurality of calling stations in a calling queue; determining a relationship between the calling station and the queue portion and outputting a first response message from the database to the one central office switching system on the basis of the determined relationship; adding information of the calling station to the queue portion if the calling station is not in the queue; connecting the calling station and the first communication line within the one central office switching system if the received first response message indicates the calling station is first in the calling queue; outputting a second query message from the one central office switching system to the database in response to a disconnect detection on the first communication line; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the second query message to identify a first of the calling stations in the calling queue; and outputting from the database a second response message to a central office switching system serving the identified first of the calling stations in the calling queue to initiate a call between the identified first of the calling stations in the calling queue and the first communication line in response to the second response message.

Claim 16

A method as in claim 13, further comprising the steps of: outputting a third query message from the one central office switching system in response to an off-hook detection on the first communication line; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the third query message to determine an outgoing call status; blocking an outgoing call by the subscriber at the one central office switching system in response to the determined outgoing call status.

Claim 17

A method as in claim 14, further comprising the steps of: receiving during the blocking step an override password input by the subscriber, said blocking step comprising the step of routing the outgoing call to an interactive voice response (IVR) unit; outputting from the IVR unit to the database a fourth query message including the received override password; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the fourth query message and comparing the received override password with a stored override password in the accessed call processing data; and allowing the first communication line to make an outgoing bypass call if the received override password matches the stored override password.

Claim 18

A method as in claim 14, further comprising the steps of: receiving during the blocking step an access password input by the subscriber, said blocking step comprising the step of routing the outgoing call to an interactive voice response (IVR) unit; outputting from the IVR unit to the database a fourth query message including the received access password; accessing the call processing data for the first communication line in response to the fourth query message and comparing the received access password with a stored access password in the accessed call processing data; and outputting a response message to the IVR unit to initiate an interactive session, enabling the subscriber to make changes to the subscriber profile information stored in the call processing data for the first communication line, if the received access password matches the stored access password.

Claim 19

A method as in claim 13, wherein the call processing data further includes a priority calling station portion, said determining step including the steps of: comparing an identity of the calling station with the priority calling station portion, and connecting the calling station with the first communication line if the identity of the calling station is stored in the priority calling station portion.

Claim 20

A method as in claim 17, wherein the identity of the calling station is a calling station number.

Claim 21

A method as in claim 17, wherein the identity of the calling station is determined by a priority password.