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 of using the public switched telephone network, including the CCIS (Common Channel Interoffice Signaling) system, to provide nationwide personal locator telephone service for called subscribers. In accordance with the service, a calling party may reach a called subscriber wherever the subscriber may be located by merely keying from a standard push-button telephone set a personal number unique to the subscriber. A telephone office having access to CCIS sends the number to a centralized data base. A telephone number at which the subscriber is located is returned to the access office, and the call is automatically completed to the telephone number. Other information may be returned to the access office to provide enhanced features. Such features include called subscriber unavailability announcements to the calling party, storage of a caller's telephone number, automatic call-back by the subscriber, and paging of the subscriber.

Abstract: A method is disclosed of processing telephone calls with customized services in a telephone system with CCIS (Common Channel Interoffice Signaling) in which all offices are not required to have CCIS capability. The entitlement of a call to customized service is verified by transmitting from an action control point (TSPS 13) via CCIS (15, 16, 17, 19) a data message identifying calling and called entities. The message is transmitted to a data processing facility (19) associated with the terminating office (14). If the call is so entitled, a fictitious number (44) is assigned to the call and returned to the action control point. The fictitious number is stored at the data processing facility with the called entity identification. The call is completed from the action control point using the fictitious number. Upon receipt of the call directed to the fictitious number, the terminating office obtains the identity of the called entity from storage and completes the call with customized service.