Abstract: A method allowing a customer to define its telephone service within flexible boundaries for calls directed to the customer. Within constraints imposed by the selected embodiment, the method reduces software development traditionally associated with the provision of new services. A plurality of independent call processing capabilities, such as announcement, digit collection, billing, etc., are provided at a switching office. A program defined by a customer is executed in response to each call to the customer. The program makes decisions based on the parameters of the call, such as time, ANI, information digits requested and received from the caller, etc., and links together the appropriate ones of the capabilities in the proper order to dispose of the call based on the call parameters as specified in the program. A customer service may be modified by changing the customer program.

Abstract: A method of controlling a telephone office serving a call to obtain a call processing capability not available at the office. A data base executes a customer program unique to a customer in response to each call to the customer. The customer program determines from call parameters how to process a particular call and instructs the serving office to perform specific primitive call processing capabilities to process the call. If the serving office is unable to perform a capability required to process the call in accordance with the customed program, the date base selects a second office which should be able to perform the capability. The call is routed from the first office to the second office under control of the data base and the second office performs one or more call processing capabilities under control of the data base. Call processing may be returned to the first office under control of the data base after a capability is performed at the second office. This is referred to as a service assist.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for providing private network types of telephone services via the public switched network without having it provide private hardware facilities. The method is described with respect to a telephone system comprising plural telephone stations and offices, a data base, and a data communications network connecting some of the offices to the data base. Information is stored at the data base defining a virtual private network. The information includes a description of the bounds of the virtual network and its capacity in terms of virtual telephone facility resources of a prescribed type. In response to a call directed to the virtual network, a verification is made at the data base that this call is entitled to complete via the virtual network and that an idle virtual resource is available for assignment to the call. The idle resource is assigned to the call, and the call is completed via the public switched network.

Abstract: A method is disclosed illustratively in an emergency call handling system for automatically providing the identity of a calling station to a call terminating facility, such as a call answering bureau. In response to an appropriate call, a data base is accessed where a fictitious telephone number is temporarily assigned to the call. The calling station identity is stored at the data base with the assigned number. The call is completed over conventional facilities to the call terminating facility using the assigned number. In response to the call directed to the fictitious number, the data base is accessed with the fictitious number to obtain the calling station's identity.