摘要 |
Telecommunications apparatus between a voice frame network gatekeeper and intelligent peripheral such as an interactive voice response unit (IVR) is described. The apparatus includes a voice frame network connection for coupling a gatekeeper to an intelligent peripheral; a protocol over the connection that provides supplemental services messaging between the gatekeeper and the intelligent peripheral, the protocol conveying a request from the gatekeeper to the intelligent peripheral and a response from the intelligent peripheral to the gatekeeper; and a command structure embedded in such request/response protocol, the command structure including a call-transfer request/response sequence to which the gatekeeper is responsive. The interfacing method includes configuring the gatekeeper as a supplemental services provider (SSP) under International H.450 standard; configuring an IVR as an intelligent peripheral under International H.450 standard; first conveying requests from the gatekeeper to the IVR over the voice frame network in accordance with a defined protocol; and second conveying responses to the requests from the IVR to the gatekeeper over the voice frame network in accordance with a defined protocol. The first conveying invokes a call-transfer request/response sequence to which the IVR is responsive to route a given call to a different telephone line, the number of which is provided in conjunction with the call-transfer request/response sequence. Preferably, the protocol and the command structure comply with International H.323 and H.450 standards.
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