GB2355882A

GB2355882A - Forwarding a call to a destination selected by the caller

Info

Publication number: GB2355882A
Application number: GB9925281A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jocelyne Temple
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-10-27
Filing date: 1999-10-27
Publication date: 2001-05-02
Also published as: GB9925281D0

Abstract

A system that is used in conjunction with a Public Telecommunications Network where dialling an easy to remember number routes the call to a recorded announcement prior to the call being routed to its final destination. The recorded announcement function can be located within the terminal apparatus, within the public telecommunications apparatus or on the premises of a service provider connected to the public telecommunications network. The recorded announcement guides the caller as to which additional digit or digits to dial to route the call to a service entity from a class of service entities - the particular service entity being selected from the class on the basis of providing a service in a geographic area in which the calling party is located. The routing can be a public telecommunications network function or a number translation within the terminal apparatus attached to the public telecommunications network or a function of a service provider connected to the public telecommunications network.

Description

1 2355882 A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES EASY ACCESS FOR THE PUBLIC TO IMPORTANT

NON- EMERGENCY SERVICES ACROSS A PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK

DESCRIPTION

The digits '999' are used by all United Kingdom public telecommunications operators to provide easy access for the public to the Emergency Services. Unfortunately the Emergency Services receive many calls by this means that are not emergencies. This wastes the time of the staff of the emergency services and increases the probability that real emergency calls will not get through first time. However, many members of the public are distressed by incidents and may consider them to be emergencies but they are not life threatening in any way. Alternatively it may be that other members of the public are just too lazy to look up the telephone -number of the local police station or doctor or whatever.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an alternative means by which members of the public can have highly convenient access, via public ' telecommunications networks, to services that they need in a hurry. An easy to remember number is assigned to this means of access to nonemergency services, for example '888'. This number, when dialled on a telephone handset, causes the call to be routed to equipment that gives a recorded voice announcement that invites the caller to press a number, for example from the range 1 to 9, on their telephone handset according to the service that they want. When the caller presses the key for the service they want this sends a signal eg a tone to equipment that recognises the signal. This causes the call to be routed across the public telecommunications network to an external third party that provides the required service in the locality of the caller.

The use of a recorded announcement inviting a caller to press a key on their telephone and after a key is pressed, the use of the tone for call routing purposes is prior art. However it is prior art only in two configurations. The first is that a caller dials a telephone number and this is used to route the call across the public telecommunications network to the premises of a third party. Only after the call is connected to this third party does the voice announcement begin. The tones pass transparently across the public telecommunications network and are used to route the call within the private premises of the called entity. The second configuration is a variant where the call is routed to a calling centre of the public telecommunications operator. Only after the call is connected does the voice announcement begin. The tones are used to route the call within the calling centre. The configuration in this invention is new. The recording occurs prior to the call being routed to the called entity and the tones are used to identify which third party entity to route the call to. In other words the recorded announcement assist the caller to complete the number to be dialled to reach the desired third party entity. Here the caller is the first party, the public telecommunications network operator is the second party (indeed the second party may comprise more that one public telecommunications operator) and the called entity that itself is connected to the public telecommunications network is the third party.

What is also new is the combination of the technique of using the recorded announcement to assist the caller with dialling the rest of the telephone number with knowledge of where the calling party is and where the nearest requested party is from a class of requested parties.

This invention also covers the use of automatic voice recognition as an alternative to the caller being invited to press a key on the telephone.

An example of how the keys may be designated for different nonemergency services is given below:

I Police 2 Doctor 3 Dentist 4 Vet Plumber 6 Vehicle Breakdown 7 Local Council Services 8 Gas Company 9 Other Services The selected services would be chosen to be those that meet the needs of most households for services that may be required under conditions of distress but fall short of being a life threatening emergency. A key point in the invention is that the telephone network knows where a call has originated from and therefore the system looks up the nearest requested service in that location. It then connects the call to that service entity. If the public telecommunications network is a public mobile radio network then the location information is known via the radio cell by which the call enters the network.

Pressing the fourth digit may, in some cases, not connect the call but instead lead to a further recorded announcement. This would give further options for services and against each invite the caller to press a key on their telephone. The pressing of the fifth digit then causes the caller to be connected to a third party that provides that service. An example of this might be vehicle breakdown. The second announcement invites the called to select either the AA or RAC.

Another feature of the system can be to rotate the destination of the third party service provider according to some prior formula. For example where there were a number of plumbers in an area providing a 24 hour emergency service, the system can provide each plumber with a fair share of callers. This might be achieved by stepping on to the next plumber on a list each time a request for a plumber is requested in that area.

This invention can also be implemented entirely within a termiffial apparatus. In this case the recorded announcement is contained within the terminal apparatus and number translation also occurs within the terminal apparatus. When the caller has followed the instructions of the recorded announcement the actual telephone number of the local entity providing the required service is passed to the public telecommunications network. The Public Telecommunications Network then completes the call in the normal way. The numbers for the designated requested service in the locality of the caller can either be entered in advance in the terminal in situ in the customer's premises, entered during manufacture or downloaded from the network or a combination of all three.

In this invention the use of the ten-n public telecommunications operator covers operators operating either fixed or mobile networks or both. It covers automatic voice recognition systems that may be used in a telephone terminal apparatus as an alternative to dialling a call via a key pad. A telephone includes a terminal apparatus for a fixed telephone network or a mobile (cellular) radio hand set.

One implementation of this invention is shown in figure I I A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES EASY ACCESS FOR THE PUBLIC TO IMPORTANT NON- EMERGENCY SERVICES ACROSS A PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK

Claims

I A system that is used in conjunction with a Public Telecommunications Network where dialling a number routes the call to a recorded announcement prior to the call being routed to its final destination and which guides the caller as to which additional digit or digits to dial to route the call to its final destination.
2. A system that is used in conjunction with a Public Telecommunications Network where dialling a number routes the call to a recorded announcement prior to the call being routed to its final destination and which guides the caller a's to which additional digit or digits to dial to route the call to an entity from a class of entities - the particular entity being selected from the class on the basis of providing a service in a geographic area in which the calling party is located.
3. As claim 2 but where software instructions deterinine which entity from a class of entities all within the same geographic area which may include but not exclusively the selection of each entity in turn from one call to the next.
4. A system that is used in conjunction with a Public Telecommunications Network where dialling a specific number initiates a recorded announcement within the terminal apparatus which guides the caller as to which additional digit or digits to dial. This in turn leads to a pre-stored telephone number in the tenninal apparatus being sent to the public telecommunications network to route the call to an entity from a class of entities - the particular entity being selected from the class on the basis of providing a service in a geographic area in which the calling party is located. These pre-stored numbers are either loaded by the supplier of the terminal apparatus or the owner of the terminal apparatus or downloaded from the public telecommunications network or some combination of all three.
5. As claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 but where voice recognition technology is used to dial the number either on the terminal apparatus or within the network in association with the recorded announcement.