Off-Premises Terminal Call Routing via Private PBX Lookup
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Organizations with private branch exchanges (PBXs) at multiple sites face high communication costs when employees make calls across different locations, as existing systems do not efficiently route calls through the organization's private network to minimize toll charges.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where affiliated off-premises telecommunications terminals, such as cell phones, automatically determine and route calls through the organization's private network of PBXs to minimize costs by selecting the most cost-effective path, using software on the terminals and PBXs to handle call routing transparently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If calls are routed through the public telephone network, then call connectivity is ensured, but toll charges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes routing information in lookup tables stored at off-premises terminals and PBXs before calls are made. When a call is initiated, the terminal queries the lookup table to determine the optimal PBX for routing, eliminating the need for real-time routing decisions and reducing call setup complexity while maximizing private network utilization to reduce toll charges
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lookup tables as intermediary components that mediate between the calling terminal and the PBX network. These tables store pre-computed routing information that guides calls through the private network, acting as an intermediary layer that simplifies the routing decision process while ensuring cost-effective call paths
2Loss of energy
If automatic call routing through private network is implemented, then toll charges are minimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables off-premises terminals to autonomously determine their own call routing by storing and querying local lookup tables. Each terminal independently queries its lookup table to identify the optimal PBX for routing calls through the private network, eliminating the need for centralized routing control and reducing overall system complexity while minimizing toll charges
Solution Approach 2:
Routing information is pre-computed and stored in lookup tables before calls are made. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex real-time routing calculations, allowing terminals to make simple table lookups that reduce call setup complexity while ensuring cost-effective routing through the private network
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple PBXs are associated with a single off-premises terminal, then routing flexibility increases, but cost determination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-determines the most cost-effective PBX for each off-premises terminal and stores this information in lookup tables. When a call is made, the terminal simply queries the lookup table to identify the optimal PBX, eliminating the need for complex real-time cost calculations across multiple PBXs while maintaining routing flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cost determination logic from the call routing process by pre-computing and storing optimal PBX selections in lookup tables. This separation removes the complexity of real-time cost calculations from the call setup process, allowing flexible routing decisions to be made through simple table lookups
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus are disclosed for routing calls over an organization's private network of private branch exchanges. In particular, when a member of the organization (e.g., an employee, etc.) places a call from his or her affiliated off-premises telecommunications terminal (e.g., cell phone, etc.), the call is automatically routed to its destination through at least a portion of the private network of private branch exchanges when doing so reduces the cost of the call. In the illustrative embodiment, the call routing is performed automatically and transparently via software on the affiliated terminals (i.e., employees' cell phones) and on the organization's private branch exchanges.