Virtual foreign exchange service

Claim 3

A method as in claim 1, wherein: the local exchange and the foreign exchange comprise telephone central offices; the communication link comprises a telephone line coupled to the local exchange; and the interoffice signaling network comprises a common channel interoffice signaling network.

Claim 4

A method as in claim 1, wherein the foreign exchange number and the dialed destination number comprise telephone numbers.

Claim 5

A method as in claim 1, wherein: the first call processing instruction further includes a first code instructing the local exchange not to record billing information with regard to the outgoing call; and the second call processing instruction further includes a second code instructing the foreign exchange to utilize the foreign exchange number as point of origin for recording billing information for the outgoing call.

Claim 6

A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of querying the remote database to obtain a first call processing instruction comprises: transmitting a first query from the local exchange to the remote database via the interoffice signaling network, said first query containing the dialed destination number and a local number assigned to the communication link of the customer; and transmitting a first response from the remote database to the local exchange via the interoffice signaling network, said first response containing the foreign exchange number in a routing number field and the dialed destination number in a charge number field.

Claim 7

A method as in claim 5, wherein the step of querying the remote database to obtain a second call processing instruction comprises: transmitting a second query from the foreign exchange to the remote database via the interoffice signaling network, said second query containing the dialed destination number in a charge number field and the foreign exchange number; and transmitting a second response from the remote database to the foreign exchange via the interoffice signaling network, said second response containing the dialed destination number in a routing number field.

Claim 8

A method as in claim 1, wherein: the second call processing instruction further includes the foreign exchange number; and further processing of the outgoing call by the foreign exchange facilitates providing caller identification information to a called destination based on the foreign exchange number.

Claim 9

A method as in claim 1, wherein the first trigger event comprises receipt of a predetermined access code.

Claim 10

A network comprising: a local exchange central office switching system having a predetermined trigger set with respect to outgoing calls from a foreign exchange customer's communication link; a foreign exchange central office switching system having a trigger set with respect to calls directed to a foreign exchange number associated with the foreign exchange central office switching system that has been assigned to the foreign exchange customer; at least one interoffice trunk carrying selectively switched communication traffic between the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system; a central database remote from the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system, wherein the central database stores call processing information for a plurality of customers including the foreign exchange customer, the call processing information for the foreign exchange customer comprising: (a) information to instruct the local exchange central office switching system to route an outgoing call from the foreign exchange customer's communication link to the foreign exchange central office switching system using the foreign exchange number, in response to detection of the predetermined trigger, (b) information to instruct the foreign exchange central office switching system to route outgoing calls from the customer's communication link to a customer selected destination and bill for the call using the foreign exchange number, and (c) information to instruct the foreign exchange central office switching system to route incoming calls directed to the foreign exchange number through the local exchange central office switching system to the customer's communication link; and a interoffice signaling system carrying signaling messages between the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system and between the central office switching systems and the central database.

Claim 11

A network comprising: a local exchange central office switching system having a predetermined trigger set with respect to outgoing calls from a foreign exchange customer's communication link; a foreign exchange central office switching system having a trigger set with respect to calls directed to a foreign exchange number associated with the foreign exchange central office switching system that has been assigned to the foreign exchange customer; at least one interoffice trunk carrying selectively switched communication traffic between the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system; a central database remote from the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system, wherein the central database stores call processing information for a plurality of customers including the foreign exchange customer, the call processing information for the foreign exchange customer comprising: (a) information to instruct the local exchange central office switching system to route an outgoing call from the foreign exchange customer's communication link to the foreign exchange central office switching system using the foreign exchange number, in response to detection of the predetermined trigger, (b) information to instruct the foreign exchange central office switching system to route outgoing calls from the customer's communication link to a customer selected destination and bill for the call using the foreign exchange number, and (c) information to instruct the foreign exchange central office switching system to route incoming calls directed to the foreign exchange number through the local exchange central office switching system to the customer's communication link; and a interoffice signaling system carrying signaling messages between the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system and between the central office switching systems and the central database.

Claim 12

A network as in claim 9, wherein the local exchange central office switching system and the foreign exchange central office switching system comprise telephone switches.

Claim 13

A network as in claim 10, wherein the foreign exchange customer's communication link comprises a telephone link.

Claim 14

A network as in claim 11, wherein the telephone link comprises a telephone line.

Claim 15

A network as in claim 10, wherein the interoffice signaling network comprises a common channel interoffice signaling network.

Claim 16

A network as in claim 13, wherein the common channel interoffice signaling network comprises signaling system 7 (SS7) compliant network.

Claim 17

A network as in claim 10, wherein the central database is an element of an Integrated Service Control Point.

Claim 20

A method as in claim 16, further comprising: recording no billing charge for any portion of the first selectively switched communication link that runs between the local exchange and the foreign exchange; and recording billing related information for any portion of the first selectively switched communication link that runs from the foreign exchange to the customer selected destination using the foreign exchange number as an identification of point of call origin.

Claim 21

A method as in claim 16, further comprising: recording billing related information for any portion of the second selectively switched communication link that runs to the foreign exchange; and recording no billing charge for any portion of the second selectively switched communication link that runs between the foreign exchange and the local exchange.

Claim 23

A method as in claim 19, wherein the public switched telephone network is an advanced intelligent network having call processing information stored in a central database and accessed by the local and foreign exchanges via an interoffice signaling network.

Claim 24

A method as in claim 16, wherein the step of detecting an outgoing foreign exchange service call comprises: detecting an outgoing call from the communication link serving the foreign exchange service customer; and detecting a predetermined trigger event as an indication of a request for foreign exchange service.

Claim 25

A method as in claim 21, wherein the step of detecting a predetermined trigger event as an indication of a request for foreign exchange service comprises detecting input of a predetermined access code by a caller.

Claim 26

A method as in claim 21, further comprising: detecting another outgoing call from the communication link serving the foreign exchange service customer; and in absence of detection of the predetermined trigger event, providing a third selectively switched communication link for said another outgoing call, without use of the foreign exchange number in call processing.