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Directory assistance background and information from the following patent. Always more good information at the United States Patent Office (external link)
Semi-automated directory assistance systems
United States Patent 4,677,609, Piereth , et al. June 30, 1987
Filed: May 8, 1985
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to communication assistance systems for use in switching networks and, particularly, to directory assistance systems utilizing computer aided directory number services.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Directory assistance services are provided to help telephone subscribers locate telephone directory numbers of other subscribers. The services are customarily provided by a directory assistance operator connected to the requesting customer via a switching system. Early designs of directory assistance systems required operators to refer to books and file cards to find the desired directory numbers. As directory assistance traffic increased, more efficient and automated techniques and systems were introduced to aid operators in furnishing the required service.
One directory assistance system currently in commercial use, the No. 5 Crossbar Automatic Call Distribution System manufactured by AT&T Technologies, Inc., provides each directory assistance operator with a terminal for communicating with a directory assistance computer. In this system, a subscriber's call requesting directory assistance is routed via a special purpose incoming trunk which is connected to a switching network, for establishing a switchable voice connection to an operator, and is permanently connected to an audio response unit. For each assistance call, the operator verbally requests data regarding the subscriber to be called and, upon its receipt, communicates with a directory assistance computer and concurrently controls a connection of the incoming trunk to the computer terminal. Next, the audio response unit receives data from a switching network controller that a particular incoming trunk has been connected to the computer terminal serving that operator. When the computer has located the correct directory number, it sends a message to the audio response unit causing it to generate an audible directory announcement representing the desired directory number and transmits that voice message to the customer via the permanent path to the previously identified incoming trunk.
Such an arrangement is expensive because it requires the use of expensive special purpose trunks to connect the customer to the switching network and separately to the audio response unit. Further, the audio response unit requires a large number of output ports permanently connected to each of the special purpose trunk circuits. A recognized problem of the prior art is that such computerized directory assistance systems need costly complicated and separate control units for both the switching network and the audio response unit, as well as separate connections to the switching network and the audio response unit. The assistance equipment unit additionally can serve only one call at a time per port with its inherent delays, particularly, for lengthy operation communications.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As the world's telecommunications networks become more sophisticated, operator services remain as important as ever. Because of the continuing need for operator assistance, a new digital, cordless Operator Services Capability is being developed as an integrated component of the 5ESS Switching System. The 5ESS.TM. Switching System is described in J. H. Davis, et al., 5ESS System Evolution, International Switching Symposium, 1984. This new Operator Services Capability builds upon the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) features of the 5ESS Switching System. This is described further in J. A. Davis, et al., Integrated Digital Services on the 5ESS System, International Switching Symposium, 1984. This architecture has the flexibility to provide traditional operator services and meets the needs of anticipated future information age services. Before discussing the features and architecture of this new Operator Services Capability, a brief history of operator service system evolution is presented.
OPERATOR SERVICE SYSTEM EVOLUTION
Traditional operator services can be grouped into two major classification:
I. Toll and Assistance (T&A) operators who assist with calls which cannot be automatically completed.
II Number Service operators who provide information necessary for call completion.
T&A operators perform a number of services such as providing dialing instructions, assisting in call completion, handling coin calls, and handling specially billed calls such as collect, person-to-person, bill-to-third number, and credit card calls. Number Service operators perform Directory Assistance (DA) by providing telephone numbers to both subscribers and other operators, rate and route assistance by providing special routing codes and rating information to T&A operators, and intercept service by assisting customers who have dialed nonworking or recently changed telephone numbers. The term directory assistance system as used herein refers to a system which performs the directory assistance function and may perform other functions. By far, the majority of operators perform either T&A or DA functions.
Directory Assistance
Number services such as DA date back to the early 1900's in the United States. At that time, operators used books or a rotary card index file to find a desired number. By the 1970's, call distribution to DA operators had been improved through the use of Automatic Call Distributors (ACD). The first modern ACD in the United States was the No. 23 ACD, a crossbar switch that could distribute calls uniformly to over 100 operators. Today the No. 5 ACD is the primary used for DA call distribution. It, too, is a modified crossbar switch, but can accommodate up to 500 operators.
DA operators require access to a large information base to find directory listings. As DA traffic increased, more efficient techniques than books and file cards were needed to handle these calls in order to minimize the growth of the DA operator work force and, thereby, keep the cost of DA service low. These microfilm-based DA system (DAS/M) were then automated through computer control. Today, the DAS/M systems are being replaced by computerized DA systems (DAS/C) in which the directory numbers are stored on disk memory. DAS/C systems are more economical because the records can be updated more easily and the listing retrieval time is much faster.
United States Patent 4,677,609
A recent addition to DAS/C systems has been the use of Audio Response Units (ARU). Rather than orally providing the customer with the requested directory number, the operator indicates the correct number to the DAS/C. The operator is dropped from the call while the ARU, under computer control, concatenates digitally encoded speech phrases and announces the number to the customer. While the announcement is played to the customer, the operator is free to handle another call. The use of an ARU increases the DA operator efficiency by significantly reducing the call work time.
OPERATOR SERVICES CAPABILITY FOR THE 5ESS SWITCHING SYSTEM
Integrated Design
The rapid digital evolution of the world's telecommunication networks, coupled with unprecedented growth and change in telecommunications services, has motivated the development of the new 5ESS Integrated Operator Services Capability. The integration of the Operator Services Capability with the 5ESS Switching System contributes to system economy and efficiency through the sharing of resources with the host switch. Common software performs many functions such as circuit and packet switching, call timing, call supervision monitoring, and billing. Common hardware results in simpler and less costly maintenance, as well as a reduction in spare equipment inventories. The integrated system allows greater efficiency to be gained by combining direct distance dialed (DDD) and operator assisted calls on the same switch. The 5ESS Integrated Operator Services Capability can be physically located at any point in a network hierarchy as part of either a local or transit exchange, or a 5ESS Switch dedicated to operator services can be situated behind one or more exchanges in the network as a stand-alone operator system.
Digital Design
The Operator Services Capability has a completely digital design extending to the operator position. Digital technology has been applied providing a cost efficient and compact design. The digital design and use of International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) recommended standard data transmission protocols have been applied to make the Operator Services Capability compatible with the future worldwide ISDN environment. These design criteria provide system flexibility for service to both voice and data customers.
Modular Design
The modular design of the 5ESS Switching System has been extended to the design and development of the Operator Services Capability. The size of an operator office is flexible and can be configured to meet the needs of any Telephone Company Administration (TCA). The system may have a few positions on an initial installation and easily grow to several hundreds of positions without compromising the host switching system's capacity. Operator offices can be located at the host switch or remoted via digital carrier to meet geographic or demographic constraints.
Cordless Operation
As with the previous generation of operator assistance systems, the 5ESS Integrated Operator System Capability has cordless operator positions. The SPC nature of the 5ESS Switching System allows it to process all operator commands entered from the position keyboard and perform all functions required to complete operator assisted calls.
Features
The 5ESS Integrated Operator Service Capability is designed for worldwide use and can provide a broad range of operator and attendant services. The initial features of the system provide national and international T&A services as well as DA service.
For the DA application, the Integrated Operator Services Capability provides call distribution to operators and automatic number announcement to the customer. The directory lookup is performed using a separate Directory Assistance Computer DAS/C. The 5ESS Switching System and the DAS/C communicate via data links to coordinate call processing actions and pass directory numbers from the DAS/C to the switch for announcement via an ARU. The ARU is integrated into the 5ESS Switch as a unit on Switching Modules (SMs) handling operators. It is accessed via the system's network and, therefore, can play an announcement to any line or trunk terminating on the host switch.
U.S. Patent Documents
3539733 Nov., 1970 Morris et al. 179/27.
3549816 Dec., 1970 Fenstermaker et al. 179/27.
3643034 Feb., 1972 Burns et al. 179/27.
4145578 Mar., 1979 Orriss 179/27.
4408100 Oct., 1983 Pritz et al. 179/27.
4484031 Nov., 1984 Gray et al. 179/27.
4592048 May., 1986 Beckner et al. 370/60.
4620066 Oct., 1986 Bushnell et al. 179/27.
Other References
"DMS-200 Operator Services Planning Letter," Northern Telecom., (Manufacturer's Brochure), Jan. 26, 1984, pp. 60-68.
"DMS-200 (AOSS) Auxiliary Operator Services System," Northern Telecom. Courier, DC-16, Nov. 1983, pp. 1-12.
"TOPS Operator Centralization DMS-200," Northern Telecom., (Manufacturer's Brochure), Nov. 1983, pp. 1-3.
N. X. DeLessio et al., "An Integrated Operator Services Capability for the 5ESS.TM. Switching System," ISS '84 (Florence), Session 22C, Paper 3, May 1984, pp. 1-5.
J. W. Johnson et al., "Integrated Digital Services on the 5ESS.TM. System," ISS '84 (Florence), Session 14A, Paper 3, May 1984, pp. 1-8.
"Operator Services Position System," AT&T Technologies, Inc., (Manufacturer's Brochure), 1984, pp. 1-8.
P. E. Molloy et al., "No. 5 Crossbar Automatic Call Distributor," Bell Laboratories Record, vol. 46, No. 11, Dec. 1968, pp. 370-376.
K. Fung et al., "Integrated Digital Access Design for ISDN," IEEE International Conference on Communications, vol. 2, Jun. 19-22, 1983, pp. 1389-1395.
T. Andersson et al., "Operator Services in AXE 10. Addition of a New Subsystem," IEEE International Conference on Communications, vol. 2, Jun. 13-17, 1982, pp. 31.3.1-31.3.5.
D. V. Glen, "Integrated Services Digital Networks, Standards, and Related Technology," U.S. Department of Commerce, Jun. 1982, pp. 1-133.
J. B. Jacob et al., "The E10.B Digital Switching System: Towards the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)," International Switching Symposium 1981 (Montreal), Session 14A, Paper 3, Sep. 1981, pp. 1-6.
G. Oliver et al., "The Subscriber Terminal Concentrator E10-CT and Its Use in the French Electronic Telephone Directory Service," International Switching Symposium 1981 (Montreal), Session 14A, Paper 4, Sep. 1981, pp. 1-8.
M. Ballard et al., "The E10.S-TSS.5: A Multipurpose Digital Switching System," International Switching Symposium 1981 (Montreal), Session 14A, Paper 1, Sep. 1981, pp. 1-9.
R. Delit et al., "ITT 1240 Digital Exchange Operator Subsystem," Electrical Communication, vol. 56, No. 2/3, 1981, pp. 248-263.
4,677,609
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- Many, many more related pages! Click for a list. Information on J.R. Snyder Jr., operators, directory assistance working and history, placing toll calls and so on. Great reading.
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