Granted Patent B2

US 9,668,033 · App. 15/167,047 · Granted May 30, 2017

Abstract

Claims (57)

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; 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 or an intermediate telephone switch having access to the number portability administration center database; and

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.

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 company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is a virtual network operator with no physical facilities or hardware switch connected to the telephone network for a call flow using the location routing number.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the facility carrier routes messages with the location routing number to a network associated with the company registering the location routing number.

7. The method of claim 1 , 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.

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

register 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; and

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

creating, when an entry associated with the location routing number does not exist in the number, a new entry in the number portability database that includes the location routing number; and

modifying, when the entry associated with the location routing number already exists, an existing entry using the location routing number; and

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

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.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first switch is an originating switch or an intermediate switch.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the number portability administration database includes service version records that are active or inactive.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 , 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.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is a virtual network operator with no physical facilities or hardware switch connected to the telephone network that accept traffic using the location routing number.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein traffic with the location routing number is routed to the company registering the location routing number by the facilities carrier.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein text messages, multi-media messages, and other non-voice service messages are routed to the destination switch using the location routing number that is not routable.

15. A system comprising:

at least one hardware processor; and

at least one memory, coupled to the at least one processor, and storing processor-implementable instruction, wherein the instructions perform a process for registering 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 location routing number is entered into a service version record of the number portability database by:

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

modifying, when the active entry is determined to already exist in the number portability database, the active entry using the location routing number, and

perform a process for directing a destination switch of the facility carrier to be programmed to accept traffic from a first switch and associated with the location routing number, and

wherein the location routing number is not routable and is used to direct non-voice service messages to the destination switch.

16. The system of claim 15 , 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.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the company registering the location routing number in the number portability administration center database is a virtual network operator with no physical facilities or hardware switch connected to the telephone network that accept traffic using the location routing number.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein traffic with the location routing number is routable by the facilities carrier to the registering company.

19. A method comprising:

registering a location routing number (LRN) in a number portability administration center (NPAC) database,

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

wherein a company registering the LRN in the NPAC database is not the facility carrier; and

programming a destination switch of the facility carrier to:

accept traffic generated by a first switch, wherein the traffic is associated with the LRN,

wherein the LRN is not routable and the method further comprises:

programming the destination switch to ignore traffic using the LRN that is not routable, and

routing, from the first switch to the destination switch using the LRN that is not routable, text messages, multi-media messages, and other non-voice service messages.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein traffic associated with the LRN is routable to the registering company via the facilities carrier.

Assignments (8)