CTLR QUESTIONS ACFT'S ALT AFTER LESS THAN ADEQUATE BRIEFING BY CTLR BEING RELIEVED AT ARTCC.

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UPON CLBOUT FROM DAY ON JAN/WED/00; I WAS THE FO ON A SCHEDULED FAR PART 121 CARGO FLT XX OPERATED FROM DAYTON; OH; TO SAN JOSE; CA. OUR FLT WAS CLRED DIRECT TO STL VOR AND WAS ISSUED SEVERAL CLBS BY ZID. OUR LAST ISSUED CLRNC WAS A CLB TO FL310. THIS WAS OUR FINAL CRUISE ALT. PASSING FL295; WE WERE QUERIED BY THE CTLR AS TO WHAT OUR ISSUED ALT AND I RESPONDED THAT IT WAS FL310. THE CTLR SOUNDED PUZZLED AND NO FURTHER COMMENT WAS MADE UNTIL A LATER TIME. A CARGO FLT YX WAS CLBING WESTWARD APPROX 5 MINS BEHIND AND WAS ISSUED AN INTERMEDIATE LEVELOFF AT FL280. LATER; RADIO QUERY WITH THE CTLR RESOLVED THAT WE HAD UNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC CORRECTLY AND THAT THERE WAS NO PROB. HE WENT ON TO SAY HE HAD JUST RELIEVED A CTLR WHO HAD BEEN ON DUTY ALL NIGHT. I BELIEVE THE PREVIOUS CTLR'S BRIEF DURING THE HDOF WAS INCOMPLETE AND POSSIBLY DUE TO FATIGUE. BOTH BRIEFER/CTLRS SHOWED THAT THE HDOF OF AIR TFC BTWN SHIFT CHANGES WAS INADEQUATE. POSSIBLE CONFUSION MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN CAUSED BY SIMILAR FLT NUMBERS WITH THE SAME CARRIER.