Importance

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Abstract

A service node is used in an intelligent communications network to provide services for customers. The node includes a service defining sub-system arranged to define a plurality of services. A first resource has a memory for storing speech segments, each segment having a corresponding identity, and a resource controller is arranged to convert a received command signal to a corresponding succession of speech segment identities for a speech announcement corresponding to the command signal. The first resource accesses the memory storing speech segments in accordance with the speech segment identities, to generate the corresponding speech segments for the speech announcement and provides an 'announcement finished' signal when a last speech segment of the announcement has been generated. A switch is arranged to connect the first resource to an incoming call routed by the network to the service node. A node control is arranged to respond to an incoming call (i) to pass details of the call to the service defining sub-system for processing and queuing the call for subsequent processing if required due to already ongoing call processing, (ii) to logically connect the service defining sub-system to the first resource and to the switch, and (iii) to pass 'announcement finished' signals from the first resource to the service defining sub-system.

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First Claim