Method for routing calls based on predetermined assignments of callers geographic locations
US5533107A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 1, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jul 2, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 1, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2207/12
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention is a method that enables a business with multiple locations within a LATA to use a single number for its service. All callers dial the same number to reach the subscriber's business, and a network routes the calls to the most appropriate subscriber location based on the geographic location of the caller, time of day, day of week, and/or percent distribution among subscriber locations. The geographic location of the caller is determined using the calling party number (NPA-NXX-XXXX) and either mapping this number to a wire center (using the NPA-NXX) or to a block group (using the entire NPA-NXX-XXXX). An advantage of Area Number Calling is the granularity of block group routing. Block groups are defined by the Census Bureau and typically encompass a much smaller geographic area than a wire center. Block groups are defined by the Census Bureau for the entire United States. Block groups tend to encompass four to twelve blocks, and they honor natural boundaries, like rivers. This gives an ANC subscriber a greater degree of flexibility in defining which geographic areas should be routed to which subscriber locations. The present invention also provides a method of r…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.