Number portability and services utilizing number range owner information
View Patent ↗Number portability is a service where a subscriber can keep his old telephone number within a portability cluster and thus retain easy contactibility. Because of number portability, a called address, i.e. B-number, no longer refers to the subscription network/number range owner and the old rule “the number range of the called party reveals the tariff level” is no longer valid. To overcome this defect all intelligent network-like service invocation requests are routed ( 3 - 2 ) via a network node performing a number portability function to the network node controlling the service. The node performing the number portability function performs ( 3 - 3 ) a mapping of the B-number and relays ( 3 - 4 ) the service invocation requests indicating the subscription network/number range owner.
1. A method comprising:
detecting in a first entity a service invocation identifying a service that is to be invoked by a second entity;
routing a service invocation request from the first entity to the second entity via a third entity, said service invocation request comprising a called party address;
mapping, in the third entity, the called party address to a number portability database; and
if the called party address is in the number portability database, adding, in the third entity, to the service invocation request an indication that indicates an address range of the called party address,
if the called party address is not in the number portability database, the called party address indicates the address range;
forwarding the service invocation request, that indicates the address range of the called party address, from the third entity to the second entity, the second entity determining a parameter for the service using the address range indicated in the service invocation request, when invoking the service,
determining, by an apparatus in the third entity, that the request is to be forwarded to the second entity on the basis of the protocol used in the request; and
performing said mapping if the request is to be forwarded to the second entity.
2. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adding a service key indicating the service into the request in response to detecting the service invocation;
determining in the third entity that the request is to be forwarded to the second entity on the basis of the service key in the request; and
performing said mapping if the request is to be forwarded to the second entity.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein
the number portability database comprises information on at least ported addresses of home subscribers; and
the address range indicates whether the subscriber is a home subscriber or a visiting subscriber.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the address range is used to determine a tariff level to be used.
5. A method comprising:
receiving, in a network node providing at least a number portability service using a number portability database, a service invocation request from a first entity, the service invocation request identifying a service which is to be invoked by a second node;
determining, by an apparatus in the network node, whether or not the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node, the services including the number portability service;
if the service invocation request does relate to services provided in the network node, triggering the service the service invocation request relates to;
if the service invocation request does not relate to services provided in the network node, the method further comprises
mapping a called party address in the service invocation request to the number portability database; and
if the called party address is in the number portability database,
adding to the service invocation request an indication that indicates an address range of the called party address, and
if the called party address is not in the number portability database, the called party address indicates the address range; and
forwarding the service invocation request that indicates the address range of the called party address to a second entity,
the method further comprising
recognizing that the message does not relate to services provided in the network node on the basis of the protocol of the service invocation request.
6. A method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
recognizing that the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node on the basis of a service key value in the service invocation request.
7. A method comprising:
receiving a service invocation request from a first entity in a network node, the network node providing, using a database, at least mapping of logical names with an address indicating a tariff level;
determining, by an apparatus in the network node, whether or not the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node;
if the service invocation request does relate to services provided in the network node, triggering the service the service invocation request relates to;
if the service invocation request does not relate to services provided in the network node, the method further comprises
performing the mapping to the address in the service invocation request, and
if the address in the service invocation request is in the database,
adding to the service invocation request an address indicating the tariff level, and
if the address in the service invocation request is not in the database, the address in the service invocation request indicates the tariff level; and
forwarding the service invocation request with the address indicating the tariff level to a second entity,
the method further comprising
recognizing that the message does not relate to services provided in the network node on the basis of the protocol of the service invocation request.
8. An apparatus comprising, comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
to provide a number portability service function having access to a number portability database;
in response to receiving a service invocation request from a first entity, the service invocation request identifying a service to be invoked by a second entity, to determine whether or not the service invocation request relates to a service function in the apparatus;
if the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, to map a called party address in the service invocation request to the number portability database;
if the called party address is in the number portability database, to add to the service invocation request an indication that indicates an address range of the called party address, where if the called party address is not in the number portability database, the called party address indicates the address range; and
to cause the apparatus to forward the service invocation request indicating the address range of the called party address to a the second entity,
wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to perform said determination by comparing the protocol used to forward the service invocation request with protocols used by service functions in the apparatus, and to determine that the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, if the protocol is not one of the protocols used by service functions in the apparatus.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein if the protocol is one of the protocols used by service functions, the processor is further configured to check, whether a service key in the service invocation request indicates one of the service functions in the apparatus and to determine that the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, if the service key does not indicate one of the service functions in the apparatus.
10. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to perform said determination by checking, whether a service key in the service invocation request indicates one of the service functions in the apparatus and to determine that the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, if the service key does not indicate one of the service functions in the apparatus.
11. A system comprising:
a first node configured to encounter a trigger identifying a service that is to be invoked by a second node and, in response to the encountering, sending a service invocation request;
the second node configured to invoke the service; and
a third node having access to a memory comprising a number portability database that comprises ported numbers, and is configured to provide at least a number portability service;
wherein the first node is configured to send the service invocation request to the second node via the third node; and the third node comprises a processor configured to
determine whether or not the service invocation request relates to services provided in the third node, and
if the service invocation request does not relate to services provided in the third node, the third node is configured to
map a called party address in the service invocation request to the number portability database, and
if the called party address is in the number portability database, the processor is configured to add to the service invocation request an indication that indicates an address range of the called party address, and
if the called party address is not in the number portability database, the called party address indicates the address range, and
the processor being further configured to
forward the service invocation request to the second node, the forwarded service invocation request indicating the address range of the called party address; and
wherein the second node is configured to determine a parameter for the service using the address range indicated in the service invocation request, when invoking the service.
12. An apparatus comprising, comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code and a number portability database, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
in response to receiving a service invocation request from a first entity, the service invocation request identifying a service to be invoked by a second entity, to determine whether or not the service invocation request relates to a service function in the apparatus;
if the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, to map an address in the service invocation request to the number portability database;
if the address is in the number portability database, to add to the service invocation request an indication that indicates an address range of the called party address, where if the address is not in the number portability database, the address in the service invocation request indicates the address range; and
to forward the service invocation request indicating the address range of the address to a second entity
wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to perform said determination by comparing the protocol used to forward the service invocation request with protocols used by service functions in the network node, and to determine that the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, if the protocol is not one of the protocols used by service functions in the apparatus.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein if the protocol is one of the protocols used by service functions, the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to check whether a service key in the service invocation request indicates one of the service functions in the apparatus and to determine that the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, if the service key does not indicate one of the service functions in the apparatus.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to perform said determination by checking whether a service key in the service invocation request indicates one of the service functions in the apparatus and to determine that the service invocation request does not relate to a service function in the apparatus, if the service key does not indicate one of the service functions in the apparatus.
15. A computer program, embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program configured to control a processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving, in a network node providing at least a number portability service using a number portability database, a service invocation request from a first entity, the service invocation request identifying a service which is to be invoked by a second node;
determining whether or not the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node, the services including the number portability service;
if the service invocation request does relate to services provided in the network node, triggering the service the service invocation request relates to;
if the service invocation request does not relate to services provided in the network node, the method further comprises
mapping a called party address in the service invocation request to the number portability database; and
if the called party address is in the number portability database,
adding to the service invocation request an indication that indicates an address range of the called party address, and
if the called party address is not in the number portability database, the called party address indicates the address range;
forwarding the service invocation request that indicates at least the address range of the called party address to a second entity; and
recognizing that the message does not relate to services provided in the network node on the basis of the protocol of the service invocation request.
16. A computer program according to claim 15 , the method further comprising:
recognizing that the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node on the basis of a service key value in the service invocation request.
17. A computer program, embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program configured to control a processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving a service invocation request from a first entity in a network node, the network node providing, using a database, at least mapping of logical names with an address indicating a tariff level;
determining whether or not the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node;
if the service invocation request does relate to services provided in the network node, triggering the service the service invocation request relates to;
if the service invocation request does not relate to services provided in the network node, the method further comprises
performing the mapping to the address in the service invocation request; and
if the address in the service invocation request is in the database,
adding to the service invocation request an address indicating the tariff level, and
if the address in the service invocation request is not in the database, the address in the service invocation request indicates the address range;
forwarding the service invocation request with an address indicating the tariff level to a second entity; and
recognizing that the message does not relate to services provided in the network node on the basis of the protocol of the service invocation request.
18. A computer program according to claim 17 , the method further comprising:
recognizing that the service invocation request relates to services provided in the network node on the basis of a service key value in the service invocation request.