Abstract:
LNP databases are made locally accessible to one or more CNAM SCP to avoid network traffic associated with LNP routing determinations required with the advent of providers local number portability. All CNAM service queries are routed to the one or more CNAM SCPs for processing. Service routing is determined from the local accessible LNP databases without additional network traffic associated with such routing determinations in conventional systems. Four classes of service provider are defined. Queries for telephone services are routed in accordance with the class of service provider.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of providing telephone services to telephone subscribers in the context of local number portability. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Historically, the telephone service infrastructure has been based on the concept that groups of telephone numbers are assigned to a particular switch. These assignments provided predictability in determining where a telephone number was homed, and where information relating to that telephone number could be obtained. Under this system, if a telephone subscriber changed his or her telephone service, requiring a telephone number in an area served by another switch, that telephone subscriber would be issued a new telephone number, which would be homed on the switch servicing the subscriber&#39;s new area. Such changes could occur for a number of reasons including, for example, the telephone subscriber moving from one telephone company to another telephone company. As can be imagined, changing a telephone subscriber&#39;s telephone number caused the telephone subscriber significant inconvenience including, for example, the burden of informing others of the telephone number change. 
     To avoid this inconvenience, local number portability (LNP) was instituted. LNP is described in Telcordia standard GR-1299-CORE:  Switch - Service Control Point  ( SCP )/ Adjunct Interface Generic Requirements,  Issue 3, July 1996, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Briefly, with LNP, a telephone subscriber can keep his or her telephone number despite making changes in telephone service that require his or her telephone number to be homed on a different switch. Moving a telephone number from one switch to another is referred to as porting the telephone number. By allowing telephone numbers to port, however, LNP destroys the original assignment of telephone numbers to particular switches. Consequently, LNP removes the predictability of telephone number-switch assignments that facilitates routing of telephone numbers, and identifying where information about the telephone numbers is located. 
     To overcome this problem, LNP standard 1299 provides Global Title Translation (GTT) routing. In LNP routing, an LNP routing record is created for each ported telephone number. An LNP routing record includes the telephone number&#39;s call routing and any service routings associated with the telephone number. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary LNP routing record  101 . LNP routing record  101  contains a telephone number  102  and a local routing number (LRN)  104  corresponding to telephone number  102 . LRN  104  is the network address of the switch on which telephone number  102  is homed. 
     The LNP routing record also contains GTT routings corresponding to certain additional services associated with the telephone number. Such services include Customized Local Area Signaling Services (CLASS), caller ID name identification (CNAM), Inter-Switch Voice Messaging (ISVM) and Line Information Database (LIDB). Each service routing record contains a destination point code (DPC) and a subsystem number (SSN). The DPC is an address of a server on the telephone signaling network that provides the particular service. The subsystem number identifies the particular application executed by the server to implement the service being provided. Exemplary service routings are illustrated as service routings  1 - 4  in FIG.  1 . Using the DPC and SSN, a service request can be issued over the telephone network to provide the service. 
     When a telephone number is ported, each telephone company having an interest in the porting is advised of the change. FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a conventional system  201  for updating LNP databases to reflect a particular telephone number porting. A first telephone company  202  notifies number portability administration center (NPAC)  204  that a telephone number, TN, is porting to it by sending NPAC  204  a notification message  203  advising NPAC  204  of TN&#39;s porting. Service message  203  provides NPAC  204  with a telephone number record  208 . Telephone number record  208  is an LNP routing record for telephone number TN. Telephone number record  208  also contains four form fields called capability codes. 
     When NPAC  204  receives LNP routing record  208 , it broadcasts LNP routing record  208  to all telephone companies in the region, for example, telephone companies  206   a  and  206   b.  Telephone companies  206   a  and  206   b  use the information contained in LNP routing record  208  to update their respective LNP databases. 
     For example, with respect to a telephone company  206   b,  NPAC  204  broadcasts service message  203  through LNP gateway  209  to a service management system (SMS)  210 . SMS  210  obtains telephone record  208  from service message  203 , and stores it in an SMS database  216 . From the information contained in the LNP routing record  208 , a network element record  218  is created. Network element record  218  is a record containing routing information for the telephone number including a local routing number and service routing (destination point code and subsystem number). In this example, SMS  210  then accesses database  216  to transmit network record element  218  to service control points (SCPs)  212   a  and  212   b.  SCPs  212   a  and  212   b  store network element record  218  in their respective LNP databases  214   a  and  214   b.    
     Services, for example calling name identification (CNAM) service, associated with particular telephone numbers can also be affected by LNP. FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system  301  for providing CNAM service conventionally in the LNP environment. Referring to FIG. 3, when a calling party  302  calls a called party  304 , switch  306 , on which calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number is homed, communicates with switch  308 , on which called party  304 &#39;s telephone number is homed, across SS 7  network  310  to establish the telephone call. Switch  308  is owned by telephone company  330 . Telephone company  330  provides CNAM processing for telephone numbers homed on switch  308 . Switch  308  determines that called party  304  subscribes to the caller name identification (CNAM) service. The CNAM service is described in Telcordia standard  Lata Switching System is Generic Requirements, “Class Features: Calling Name Delivery Requirements, ” FSD01-02-1070, TR-NTW-001188, Issue 1, December, 1991, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. There are four types of CNAM service depending on where calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number is homed and industry agreements. 
     A first case of CNAM service is for telephone numbers of subscribers of a telephone company that manages its own CNAM databases, for example, telephone company  330 . For these subscribers, telephone company  330 &#39;s CNAM databases  316   a-d  contain the telephone number and directory name corresponding to each telephone number for its subscribers. 
     A second case of CNAM service is for telephone numbers of subscribers whose telephone numbers are homed on a switch owned by another telephone company that does not maintain its own CNAM databases, for example telephone company  332 . Generally, telephone company  332  enters into an agreement for telephone company  330  to provide CNAM service for its subscribers. In this case, telephone company  330 &#39;s CNAM databases contain the telephone numbers and corresponding directory names for telephone company  332 &#39;s subscribers. For the second type of CNAM service, telephone company  332  issues the CNAM query, as described above with respect to the first case of telephone numbers to telephone company  330 &#39;s CNAM service. 
     A third case of CNAM service is for the telephone numbers of subscribers whose telephone numbers are homed on the switch of another telephone company that maintains its own CNAM database, for example telephone company  334 . In this case, telephone company  334  enters into an agreement with telephone company  330  to provide CNAM processing for telephone company  334 &#39;s subscribers. For the third case of CNAM service, LNP SCP  320  directs the CNAM query to telephone company  334  for processing. 
     A fourth case of CNAM service is for the telephone numbers of subscribers whose telephone numbers are homed on the switch of a telephone company, for example telephone company  336 , for which there is no agreement in place regarding the handling of CNAM service. For the fourth case of CNAM service, telephone company  330  returns a default message in response to the CNAM query. For example, telephone company  330  can return city and state information regarding the calling party number in response to the CNAM query. 
     In conventional systems, STP  314  routes the CNAM query for processing on the basis of the 6-digit NPA-NXX. As is well-known, the NPA-NXX corresponds to the first six digits of a ten-digit telephone number that can be used for routing purposes. If the NPA-NXX corresponds to a telephone number served by the first or second case of CNAM service, STP  314  directs the CNAM query to CNAM SCP  312   a-d.  CNAM SCP  312   a-d  are connected to CNAM databases  316   a-d  respectively. CNAM databases  316   a-d  store telephone numbers and their corresponding directory names. When CNAM SCP  312   a-d  receives the query, it performs a database lookup of CNAM databases  316   a-d,  using the calling party telephone number as an index, to obtain the calling party name (i.e., directory name) associated with calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number. A message containing the calling party name and telephone number is sent to switch  308 . Switch  308  transfers the information to a caller ID display device  318  on which calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number and calling party  302 &#39;s name are displayed to called party  304 . 
     If the NPA-NXX corresponds to a telephone number served by the third case of CNAM service, STP  314  routes the CNAM query to telephone company  334  for processing. Calling party  302 &#39;s directory name is returned to switch  308 , and is ultimately displayed along with calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number on called party  304 &#39;s caller ID display device  318 . 
     If the NPA-NXX corresponds to a telephone number served by the fourth type of CNAM service, STP  314  routes the CNAM query to CNAM SCP  312   a-d  which returns a default message to switch  308  in response to the CNAM query. For example, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  can return city and state information regarding the calling party number to switch  308  in response to the CNAM query. 
     A number of problems arise in the conventional system for processing CNAM queries in the LNP environment. For example, when a telephone number is ported out of the first or second cases of CNAM service, the telephone company must diligently remove that telephone number&#39;s information from its databases. If it does not, the telephone company may deliver incorrect CNAM information in response to a CNAM query for that telephone number. 
     Another problem is CNAM query loops. A CNAM query loop can occur when a telephone number served by the third type of CNAM service is ported to a home switch where it is served by the first or second type of CNAM service, for example a telephone number ported from telephone company  334  to telephone company  330 . In this case, STP  314  sends a CNAM query to the telephone company  334  for processing based on the 6-digit NPA-NXX. Telephone company  334  looks in its databases and determines that the subscriber is no longer in its databases. Because it cannot process the CNAM query, telephone company  334  sends the CNAM query back to STP  314  for processing. Upon receipt of the CNAM query, STP  314  processes it by sending it back to the telephone company  334 . This results in a CNAM query loop. Manual action may be required by an operator to stop the CNAM query loop. 
     In a conventional LNP processing system operating at BellSouth Corporation of Atlanta, Ga. (the “BellSouth system”), a calling party initiates a phone call to a called party subscribing to the CNAM service. When the switch on which the called party telephone number is homed receives the calling party&#39;s attempt to make a call to the called party, it issues a CNAM query to a signaling transfer point (STP) to obtain CNAM information corresponding to the calling party. The STP forwards the query to an LNP services control point (SCP) to obtain routing information to handle the CNAM query. The CNAM query is then routed according to the routing information. Generally, the CNAM query is routed to a CNAM SCP. Using the calling party&#39;s telephone number (contained in the CNAM query) as an index into CNAM databases containing telephone numbers and their corresponding directory names, the CNAM SCP obtains the CNAM information required to respond to the request. The response to the CNAM query (directory name and telephone number) is displayed to the called party on a caller ID display device. 
     In the conventional BellSouth system, STP  314  is modified to send all CNAM queries to LNP SCP  320 . This modification can be accomplished by changing the routing tables in STP  314  to send all CNAM queries to LNP SCP  320 . In this manner, LNP SCP  320  can access LNP databases  322   a-c  to determine where the information for answering the CNAM query is located for a particular telephone number. Importantly, under GTT routing, LNP SCP  320  accesses LNP databases  322   a-c  using the full 10-digit telephone number. This provides the most accurate service routing information available for a particular phone number. 
     In operation, STP  314  sends the CNAM query to LNP SCP  320 . LNP SCP  320  performs a database lookup in databases  322   a-c  to obtain the LNP routing record corresponding to the telephone number in the CNAM query (calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number). Once the LNP routing record is obtained, SCP  320  extracts the DPC and SSN corresponding to the CNAM query. This DPC provides the address of the network element that responds to CNAM queries for the telephone number contained in the CNAM query. 
     If the information to respond to the CNAM query can be found in a CNAM database owned by telephone company  330 , for example, in CNAM databases  316   a-d,  (i.e., the calling party telephone number is served by the first case or second case of CNAM service). The query is then routed to CNAM SCP  312   a-d.  CNAM SCP  312   a-d  accesses the appropriate CNAM database  316   a-d,  using the telephone number contained in the CNAM query as an index, to obtain the directory name associated with the telephone number in the CNAM query. The directory name and calling party telephone number are returned to switch  308 . Switch  308  causes the directory and name and telephone number to be displayed on calling name display device  318 . 
     If the telephone number in the CNAM query is served by the third case of CNAM service, STP  314  redirects the CNAM query to the network node identified by the DPC and subsystem number for processing. The response to the CNAM query is sent back to switch  308  for ultimate display on CNAM data display device  318 . If the telephone number in the CNAM query is determined to be of the fourth case, STP  314  routes the query to a CNAM SCP, which returns city and state data to switch  308  in response to the CNAM query. 
     FIG. 4A is a flow chart  401  for displaying telephone number and directory name information in a conventional LNP routing system such as the BellSouth system described above. In step  402 , STP  314  receives a CNAM query. In step  404 , STP  314  routes the CNAM query to LNP SCP  320 . To perform step  404 , the routing tables in STP  314  are modified to route CNAM queries (except those that telephone company  330  cannot process based on the NPA-NXX) to LNP SCP  320 . Using the telephone number in the CNAM query as an index, LNP SCP  320  obtains the LNP routing record corresponding to the telephone number in step  406 . LNP SCP  320  obtains service routing information for the CNAM service from the LNP routing record in step  408 . In step  410 , LNP SCP  320  routes the CNAM query to the network element identified by the DPC in the CNAM service routing of the LNP routing record for processing. In step  412 , the telephone number and directory name corresponding thereto returned in response to the CNAM query, or city and state information, are displayed to called party  304  on called ID display device  318 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4B, routing step  410  is described in more detail. In step  420 , LNP SCP  320  performs a database lookup in databases  322   a-c  to obtain the LNP routing record corresponding to the telephone number, TN, in the CNAM query. In step  422 , LNP SCP  320  determines if the telephone number is served by the first, second or fourth case of CNAM service. If the telephone call is served by the first, second or fourth case of CNAM service, LNP SCP  320  routes the call to CNAM SCP  312  in step  424 . In step  426 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  determines whether the telephone number corresponds to the fourth case of numbers. If it does, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns city and state information to switch  308  in step  434 . The city and state information is then displayed on display device  318  in step  435 . If the telephone number does not correspond to the fourth case, then in step  426 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  performs a database lookup in CNAM databases  316   a-d  to obtain the directory name corresponding to the telephone number in the CNAM query. If no record is found, as determined by step  428 , CNAM SCP  312  returns city and state information to switch  308  in step  434 . The city and state information is displayed on caller ID display device  318  in step  435 . If a record is found, as determined in step  428 , CNAM SCP  312  returns telephone number and directory name information to switch  308 . The telephone number and directory information is displayed on caller ID device  318  in step  432 . 
     If, in step  436 , LNP SCP  320  determines the telephone number in the CNAM query is served by the third case of CNAM service, then, in step  438 , it routes the CNAM query to the network element identified in the LNP routing record for processing. That network element returns the telephone number and directory name information to switch  308  for ultimate display on caller ID display device  318 . In step  435  the city and state information is displayed on caller ID display device  318 . 
     It can be seen then that while the advent of LNP provides convenience for telephone subscribers, there is a significant increase in network traffic due to sending the CNAM query to LNP SCP  320  to perform an LNP database lookup to acquire the address of the network server that should process CNAM query. With the increasing popularity of the calling party name service, this additional network traffic could deteriorate the operation of the telephone network, and even cause it to fail. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention solves the foregoing problems in the art by duplicating much of the information in LNP databases in new LNP databases that are made accessible to CNAM SCPs. In addition, the STP is reconfigured to send all CNAM queries to the CNAM SCP rather than the LNP SCP as in conventional systems. Because the CNAM SCPs have access to the information in the LNP databases, no network messaging is required to obtain the routing information necessary to satisfy the requested service, in the preferred embodiment, the CNAM service. Rather, the necessary routing information is obtained from the new LNP databases accessed by the CNAM SCP. In practice, the majority of the CNAM queries are handled by the CNAM SCP, that is, of the first, second or fourth classes of service. Thus, network traffic is limited to the relatively few telephone numbers falling in the third class. 
     The STP routes the CNAM query to the CNAM SCP. The CNAM SCP first determines the appropriate network element to handle the CNAM query. In most cases that network element will be the CNAM SCP. Consequently, there will be no need to send the CNAM query elsewhere for handling. As a result, network traffic is significantly reduced over a conventional system such as the BellSouth system described above, which must transmit the CNAM query to an LNP SCP and then to a CNAM SCP for processing. 
     Thus, one object of the present invention is to conserve network resources. 
     Another object of the present invention is to reduce routing related traffic on the SS 7  network. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to make LNP routing information available to the CNAM SCP most likely to be responsible for obtaining the information required to perform a particular service. 
     These and other objects of the present invention are described in greater detail in the detailed description of the invention, the appended drawings and the attached claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exemplary TN routing record used in GTT routing under LNP standard 1299. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of conventional system for updating a telephone company&#39;s LNP databases. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional system for providing CNAM service with LNP. 
     FIG. 4A is a flow chart of a conventional process for providing CNAM service with LNP. 
     FIG. 4B is a flow chart for a conventional process for routing a CNAM query. 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a system for providing CNAM service with LNP according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6A is a flow chart for providing CNAM service with LNP according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6B is a flow chart for routing a CNAM query according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a system for updating and creating LNP databases for providing CNAM service according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A system  501  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention that substantially reduces the network traffic problem described above with respect to conventional LNP routing systems is illustrated schematically in FIG.  5 . Referring to FIG. 5, LNP databases  502   a-d  are added to telephone company  330 &#39;s network. LNP databases  502   a-d  are accessed by CNAM SCP  312   a-d  respectively. Alternatively, LNP databases  502   a-d  are accessed by a separate CNAM LNP SCP co-located with the CNAM SCP. LNP databases  502   a-d  store the service routings to provide the CNAM service for telephone numbers in CNAM databases  316   a-d.  Thus, LNP databases  502   a-d  store the DPC and subsystem number (SSN) corresponding to the CNAM service for each ported telephone number and the DPC, SSN for default routing for each port eligible NPA-NXX in CNAM databases  316   a-d.  Preferably, LNP databases  502   a-d  contain the same information as LNP database  322   a-c,  but the information could be truncated to only the subset of LNP data that is relevant to CNAM. This would economize memory utilization on CNAM SCPs  312   a-d.    
     In operation, when a calling party  302  calls called party  304 , switch  308  determines that called party  304  has calling name service and sends out a CNAM query to SCP  312   a-d  through STP  314 . That is, STP  314  is modified to send all CNAM queries to CNAM SCP  312   a-d.  This modification can be accomplished by changing the routing tables in STP  314  to send all CNAM queries to CNAM SCP  312   a-d.  This routing modification would be well-known to those skilled in the art given the disclosure provided herein. 
     CNAM SCP  312   a-d  then queries LNP databases  502   a-d  to determine whether calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number has ported anywhere. Thus, CNAM SCP  312  indexes LNP databases  502   a-d  using the calling party&#39;s telephone number included in the CNAM query to determine the correct network element to handle the CNAM query. 
     If CNAM SCP  312   a-d  is the correct network element to handle the CNAM query (i.e., the telephone number is served by the first, second or fourth cases of CNAM service), CNAM SCP  312   a-d  accesses CNAM databases  316   a-d  to obtain the calling party name associated with the telephone number included in the CNAM query. The obtained calling party name is transmitted to switch  308 , which sends it to calling party  304  for display on CNAM display device  318 . If CNAM SCP  312   a-d  does not find a directory name associated with the telephone number, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns city and state information to switch  308 . 
     There are several reasons why there may not be a directory name associated with the telephone number in the CNAM databases. The most common reasons are related to timing of updating databases when telephone numbers are ported. For example, the company responsible for providing directory names corresponding to telephone numbers of the second case may be delayed in delivering those directory names. 
     If CNAM SCP  312   a-d  is not the proper network element to handle the CNAM query, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  redirects the CNAM query to the correct network element, for example, telephone company  334 , determined from the information in LNP databases  502   a-d  corresponding to calling party  302 &#39;s telephone number. This redirection is not part of the CNAM  1188  standard. However, it is implemented in the present invention, and is described in further detail below. Experience indicates that only a small percentage of CNAM queries will require this redirection because only a small percentage of telephone numbers are of the third case. 
     If the telephone number is of the fourth case, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns city and state information to switch  308 . Switch  308  forwards the city and state information to called party  304  for display on caller ID display device  318 . 
     By directing all CNAM queries to CNAM SCP  312   a-d,  the preferred embodiment of the present invention significantly reduces the amount of network traffic required to process CNAM queries that is present in conventional systems. This is because, as described above, only a small percentage of telephone numbers are of the third case, that is, have been ported to telephone companies having agreements such as described with respect to telephone company  334 . Consequently, whereas CNAM queries in conventional systems require messages sent to two SCPs over the telephone network (the first message to LNP SCP  320  to determine the appropriate routing, and the second message to CNAM SCP  312   a-d  to process the CNAM query), the preferred embodiment of the present invention only requires one message to be sent over the telephone network (the CNAM query to CNAM SCP  312   a-d ) in the vast majority of cases. 
     FIG. 6A is a flow chart  601  for displaying telephone number and directory name information according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In step  602 , STP  314  receives a CNAM query. In step  604 , STP  314  routes the CNAM query to CNAM SCP  312   a-d.  To perform step  604 , the routing tables in STP  314  are modified to route all CNAM queries (except those that telephone company  330  cannot process based on NPA-NXX as described below) to CNAM SCP  312   a-d,  rather than LNP SCP  320 . These routing modifications would be well-known to those skilled in the art given the disclosure provided herein. Using the telephone number in the CNAM query as an index, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  obtains the LNP routing record corresponding to the telephone number from CNAM LNP databases  502   a-d  in step  606 . CNAM SCP  312   a-d  obtains service routing information for the CNAM service from the obtained LNP routing record in step  608 . In step  610 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  routes the CNAM query to the network element identified in the CNAM service routing of the LNP routing record for processing. In step  612 , the telephone number and directory number corresponding thereto returned in response to the CNAM query, or city and state information, are displayed to called party  304  on called ID display device  318 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6B, routing step  610  is described in more detail. In step  620 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  performs a database lookup in databases  502   a-d  to obtain the LNP routing record corresponding to the telephone number, TN, in the CNAM query. In step  622 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  determines if the telephone number is served by the first, second or fourth case of CNAM service. If the telephone number is served by the first, second or fourth case of CNAM service, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  determines if the telephone number is served by the fourth class of service in step  624 . If the telephone number is served by the fourth class of service, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns city and state information to switch  308 . If the telephone number is not served by the fourth class of service, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  performs a database lookup in CNAM databases  316   a-d  to obtain the directory name corresponding to the telephone number in the CNAM query in step  626 . If no record is found, as determined by step  628 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns city and state information to switch  308  in step  634 . The city and state information is displayed on caller ID display device  318  in step  635 . If a record is found, as determined in step  628 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns telephone number and directory name information to switch  308 . The telephone number and directory information is displayed on caller ID device  318  in step  632 . 
     If, in step  636 , CNAM SCP  312   a-d  determines the telephone number in the CNAM query is served by the third case of CNAM service, then, in step  638 , it routes the CNAM query to the network element identified in the GTT record for processing. That network element returns the telephone number and directory name information to switch  308  for ultimate display on caller ID display device  318 . If the telephone call is not served by the first, second or third cases of CNAM service, CNAM SCP  312   a-d  returns city and state information to switch  308  in step  634 . In step  635  the city and state information is displayed on caller ID display device  318 . 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration for a system  701  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for updating CNAM LNP databases  502   a-d.  A network element record  218  is created as described above with reference to FIG.  2 . This record is now deployed to both LNP SCP  320  and through CNAM SCPs  312   a-d  to CNAM LNP databases  502   a-d.  CNAM LNP databases  502   a-d  are initially created in essentially the same manner as LNP databases  322   a-c.  That is, there is an initial loading of LNP information into CNAM LNP databases  502   a-d  as would be know to those skilled in the art. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, network element record  218  is not physically stored in SMS database  216 . Rather network element record  218  is derived from the information in telephone number record  208  and network addressing information that is stored in SMS database  216 . That is, network element record  218  is a logical record, as opposed to a physical record stored in SMS database  216 . Once created, each network element record  218  is stored in at least one of LNP databases  302   a-c  and in one of CNAM LNP databases  502   a-d.    
     The determination of the routing or redirection of a CNAM query is preferably as follows. The software on CNAM SCPs  312   a-d  receives the CNAM query containing the calling telephone number (TN). CNAM SCPs  312   a-d  has received the CNAM query from the STP based on the first 6 digits of the queried TN. This TN is looked up in the LNP TN routing table to see if this number has been ported. If it is found (and therefore has been ported), the DPC and SSN of the CNAM SCP are extracted from the GTT portion of the record in the TN routing table. If it is not found, the DPC and SSN of the CNAM SCP are extracted from the Default GTT routing table. The DPC and SSN are placed in the CNAM query message and the message is flagged that it should now be routed by DPC/SSN rather than by routing on the first  6  digits of the queried TN. Now when the SCP sends the query to the STP, the STP will route the query to the correct CNAM SCP even if this SCP is owned by another company (as with telephone numbers corresponding to the third class of service). When the CNAM SCP has processed the query, it returns the query to switch  308 , which originated the query. The identity of switch  308  is part of the message in the original query switch  308  sent out. 
     It should be noted that the present invention is applicable to any telephone service where the appropriate network element to respond to the service request must be determined in the LNP environment. Such services include, without limitation, caller ID name identification (as described above), CLASS, ISVM and LIDB. In the general case, for example, STP  314  receives a service request containing a request for the provision of a specified service. STP  314  transmits the service request to an SCP. The SCP receives the service request. SCP accesses a database using information contained in the service request, e.g., the calling party&#39;s telephone number, to obtain routing information for routing the service request to the network element responsible for providing the specified service. The SCP then routes the service request in accordance with the obtained routing information. 
     Thus, the foregoing disclosure of embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents.