The present invention generally relates to wireline and wireless switching systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for integrated wireline and wireless services in a switching system.
Wireline switching or conventional telephony switching has evolved over time with a very well-developed set of protocols, standards, and network topologies. Wireless switching, however, has evolved with yet a different set of protocols, standards, and network topologies. Some of the differences between wireless and wireline switching are unavoidable given the different communication media involved in the different technologies. Nonetheless, the differences in the two systems have largely resulted in disparate systems for switching wireless calls and wireline calls throughout the public telecommunication network.
The public wireless network and the public wireline network obviously must connect together at various points, as wireless subscribers and wireline subscribers need to be able to communicate with each other. Presently, this inter-communication between the two types of networks is accomplished through specialized complexes of hardware. Such a hardware complex includes a wireline telecommunication switch and a wireless telecommunication switch together with specialized network hardware to tie the two together. The problem with these hardware complexes is that they require a separate hardware platform, which in turn requires additional space, power, and maintenance. Additionally, software resources and processing resources are wasted because the wireline and wireless switches have many elements in common.
To address the problems of the prior art, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/072,828, entitled xe2x80x9cIntegrated Wireless And Wireline Telecommunication Switch,xe2x80x9d discloses an integrated wireline and wireless switching system. The integrated wireline and wireless switching system disclosed includes hardware and software for implementing both wireless and wireline telecommunication switching functions. The software includes a wireless module and a wireline module, both of which communicate with a shared telecommunication module and an operating system. By invoking one or more shared procedures, whose addresses are stored in an aspect table, the wireless and wireline modules establish, maintain, and terminate calls between wireline and wireless subscribers without creating direct dependencies between the wireline and wireless modules.
The disclosed integrated wireline and wireless switching system, however, does not extend the enhanced services presently available in wireline switching systems to wireless subscribers and vice versa, without creating direct dependencies between the wireline and wireless modules. These enhanced services may include, for example, group dialing plans, message waiting indicator activation, call forwarding, simultaneous ringing, call conferencing, calling line identification, automatic call back, automatic recall, and speed dialing services. Thus, it is desirable to have a method and system for providing enhanced services to wireline and wireless subscribers in a switching system, which does not have the above and other disadvantages of the prior art.
Methods and systems consistent with the present invention perform enhanced services for wireline and wireless subscribers in an integrated wireline and wireless switching system. The enhanced services may include, for example, group dialing plans, message waiting indicator activation, call forwarding, simultaneous ringing, call conferencing, calling line identification, automatic call back, automatic recall, speed dialing services, and/or any other services that a switching system may provide to wireless and/or wireline subscribers.
When a calling wireline and/or wireless subscriber requests one or more of the enhanced services, the integrated wireline and wireless switching system determines the line types associated with the wireline and/or wireless devices of a called subscriber, and identifies references to one or more shared procedures for performing the enhanced services according to the determined line types without creating direct dependencies between wireline and wireless modules in the integrated wireline and wireless switching system. Finally, the integrated wireline and wireless switching system executes the identified procedures to perform the shared services.
In one embodiment, the integrated wireline and wireless switching system comprises a shared operating system, a shared telecommunications module, a wireline module, a wireless module, and a shared libraries accessed by the wireline and the wireless modules. The shared libraries include structures, such as an aspect table, a dialing plans table, and a speed dialing table. The aspect table includes one or more references to a set of shared procedures for performing one or more enhanced services. The references are arranged such that the wireline and wireless modules execute the shared procedures without creating direct dependencies between the wireline and wireless modules.
The dialing plans table includes routing and translation information, which the wireline and wireless modules access for establishing calls between wireline and wireless subscribers in, for example, a business group. The speed dialing tables include abbreviated codes for dialing directory numbers (DNs) and mobile identification numbers (MINs) associated with wireline and wireless subscribers, respectively.
This summary and the following description of the invention should not restrict the scope of the claimed invention. Both provide examples and explanations to enable others to practice the invention. The accompanying drawings, which form part of the description of the invention, show several embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, explain the principles of the invention.