Granted Patent B2

US 9,357,062 · App. 14/798,376 · Granted May 31, 2016

Abstract

Claims (49)

1. A method comprising:

registering a location routing number in a number portability administration center database,

wherein the location routing number is in a native number block of a facility carrier;

wherein a company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is not the facility carrier;

wherein the company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is a virtual network operator without an owned and leased dedicated physical facilities hardware switch connected to the telephone network for a call flow using the location routing number, and

wherein a telephone number is added as a new entry of the number portability administration center database by:

determining if an entry associated with the telephone number already exists in the number portability administration center database;

creating, if the entry is determined to not exist, a new entry in the number portability administration center database for that telephone number using the location routing number; and

modifying, if the entry is determined to already exist, an existing entry in the number portability administration center database using the location routing number; and

directing a destination switch of the facility carrier to be programmed to accept traffic associated with the location routing number,

wherein the traffic is generated by an originating telephone switch having access to the number portability administration center database.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination switch is programmed to accept messages from any location routing number or a set of location routing numbers that includes the location routing number.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein directing the destination switch to be programmed includes directing the facility carrier to program the destination switch.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number portability administration center database is communicably coupled to the originating telephone switch and the method further comprising:

receiving, at the originating telephone switch, a request to connect to a destination number; and

generating, at the originating telephone switch, a call setup message having a calling party field populated with a calling party number, a called party field populated with the location routing number retrieved from the number portability administration center database, and a generic address parameter field populated with the destination number.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location routing number is not routable and wherein the destination switch is programmed to ignore messages associated with location routing numbers that are not routable.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein text messages, multi-media messages, and other non-voice service messages are routed to the destination switch using the location routing numbers that are not routable.

7. A method comprising:

registering a location routing number in a number portability administration center database,

wherein the location routing number is in a native number block of a facility carrier;

wherein a company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is not the facility carrier;

wherein the company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is a virtual network operator without an own and leased dedicated physical facilities hardware switch connected to the telephone network that accepts traffic using the location routing number; and

wherein the location routing number is entered into a service version record of the number portability administration center database by:

determining if an entry associated with the location routing number already exists in the number portability administration center database;

creating, if the entry is determined to not exist, a new entry in the number portability database that includes the location routing number; and

modifying, if the entry is determined to already exist, an existing entry using the location routing number; and

directing a destination switch of the facility carrier to be programmed to accept traffic associated with the location routing number,

wherein the traffic is generated by an originating telephone switch having access to the number portability administration center database.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each service version record is active or inactive.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the destination switch is programmed to accept messages from any location routing number or a set of location routing numbers that includes the location routing number.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the number portability administration center database is communicably coupled to the originating telephone switch and the method further comprising:

receiving, at the originating telephone switch, a request to connect to a destination number; and

generating, at the originating telephone switch, a call setup message having a calling party field populated with a calling party number, a called party field populated with the location routing number retrieved from the number portability administration center database, and a generic address parameter field populated with the destination number.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the location routing number is not routable and wherein the destination switch is programmed to ignore messages received using the location routing number that is not routable.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein text messages, multi-media messages, and other non-voice service messages are routed to the switch using the location routing number that is not routable.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a machine to:

register a location routing number in one or more number portability access company databases,

wherein the location routing number is in a native number block of a facility carrier;

wherein a company registering the location routing number in the one or more number portability administration center databases is not the facility carrier;

wherein the company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is a virtual network operator without an own and leased dedicated physical facilities hardware switch connected to the telephone network that accepts traffic using the location routing number; and

wherein the location routing number is entered into a service version record of the number portability database by:

determining if an active entry associated with the location routing number already exists in the number portability database;

creating, if the active entry is determined to not exist, a new active entry in the number portability database that includes the location routing number; and

modifying, if the active entry is determined to already exist, the active entry using the location routing number, and

direct a destination switch of the facility carrier to be programmed to accept traffic associated with the location routing number,

wherein the traffic is generated by an originating telephone switch having access to the number portability administration center database.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the destination switch is programmed to accept messages from any location routing number or a set of location routing numbers that includes the location routing number.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the location routing number is not routable and is used to direct non-voice service messages to the destination switch.

Assignments (8)