Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a telephone operating company with the ability to rapidly deploy advanced services into a public switched telephone network includes a service control unit (SCU) for externally controlling call processing of a service call received on a port of a switch matrix. Call control processing is achieved through a high-speed communications link between the switch matrix and the SCU. The SCU receives a new call event notification message from the communications link and selects a service application stored within the SCU to control processing of the service call. One or more primitives is generated by the SCU and output to control actions of the switch matrix, thus controlling processing of the service call. The primitives may include a comprehensive set of primitives (instructions) for call manipulation and control at the switch matrix.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a telephone operating company with the ability to rapidly deploy advanced services into a public switched telephone network includes a programmable service node interacting with a programmable switch matrix. The call processing of a call (associated with one or more ports on the programmable switch matrix) is controlled externally when particular triggering criteria is met (i.e., the call requires or desires external control). When the triggering criteria is met, the service node outputs a new call event notification message over a communications link to an external unit and receives one or more messages over the same link. Call control processing is achieved through this high-speed communications link between the programmable switch matrix and the external unit using a communications protocol defining a comprehensive set of primitives (instructions) for call manipulation and control at the programmable switch matrix which are received by the programmable service node.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a telephone operating company with the ability to rapidly deploy advanced services into a public switched telephone network includes a programmable switch matrix, a service control unit (SCU), and a media resource unit (MRU). The call processing of a call (associated with one or more ports on the programmable switch matrix) is controlled externally by the SCU when particular triggering criteria is met (i.e., the call requires or desires control by the SCU). Call control processing is achieved through a high-speed communications link between the programmable switch matrix and the SCU using a communications protocol defining a comprehensive set of primitives (instructions) for call manipulation and control at the programmable switch matrix. The SCU executes different service application software programs that operate within the SCU for different types of service calls that are under the control of the SCU.