Blocking unsolicited calls from CallerID-spoofing autodialing devices

• US 10,097,688 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cook, Charles Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/644,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20170310821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/10 Metering calls from calling party , i.e. A-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques for deterring unsolicited calls are described for deterring unsolicited telephone calls that include a service provider searching and determining that the originating telephone number is in a no-call list, and based on this determination, prohibiting the call from terminating (i.e., connecting with the destination telephone number). Penalties may also be imposed against callers (e.g., solicitors) for no-call violations. Various embodiments provide methods and systems that do not depend on the CallerID (which could be spoofed or might be unavailable) in order to identify the offending party of an unsolicited call or text message (i.e., originating entity), and to block the unsolicited call or text message.

Claims

1. A method of deterring unsolicited telephone calls, the method comprising:

in response to user input received by a telephone switch from a telephone at a destination telephone number during a first call from an originating telephone number and terminated to the destination telephone number by the telephone switch, capturing, with a computer system, call processing data associated with the first call;

identifying, with the computer system and based at least in part on the call processing data, an originating entity of the first call;

adding, with the computer system, information about the originating entity to a database of telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls;

determining, at the computer system, that the originating entity associated with the originating telephone number has been warned previously about unsolicited telephone calls; and

imposing a penalty on the originating entity in response to determining that the originating entity has been warned previously and continues to originate unsolicited telephone calls, wherein imposing a penalty comprises generating a call detail record to bill one or more of the unsolicited telephone calls to the originating entity and sending a bill to the originating entity for the one or more of the unsolicited telephone calls.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone switch comprises the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone switch comprises a class 5 wireline switch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone switch comprises a voice over Internet Protocol (“

VoIP”

) softswitch.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone switch comprises a mobile switching center (“

MSC”

).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call is one of a telemarketing voice call or a telemarketing text message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call is one of a prank telephone call or a prank text message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the telephone switch, a second call originating from a second originating telephone number and directed to the destination telephone number;

searching, with the computer system, the database for the second originating telephone number and determining an originating entity of the second originating telephone number, in response to the telephone switch receiving the second call;

determining, at the computer system, whether the originating entity of the second originating telephone number is the same entity as the originating entity that has been added to the database in response to the user input from the user at the destination telephone number;

prohibiting termination of the second call originated from the second originating telephone number, based on a determination that the originating entity of the second originating telephone number is the same originating entity that has been added to the database in response to the user input from the user at the destination telephone number.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating, in the database, the originating entity, as a single calling entity, with a plurality of telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

prohibiting termination of one or more telephone calls from one or more telephone numbers associated with the originating entity, the one or more telephone numbers comprising the plurality of telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls and at least one other telephone number.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the originating telephone number originates unsolicited telephone calls, by determining that the database contains the originating telephone number.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the originating telephone number originates unsolicited telephone calls, by receiving first input from a subscriber at the destination telephone number, the first input indicating that the first call is an unsolicited telephone call.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein adding, with the computer system, information about the originating entity to the database comprises adding the originating telephone number to the database, based on the first input received from the subscriber at the destination telephone number.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving second input from the subscriber at the destination telephone number, the second input indicating that the originating telephone number should no longer be included in the database; and

removing the originating telephone number from the database, based on the second input received from the subscriber at the destination telephone number.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining, at a telecommunication service provider, a personal database associated with a subscriber at the destination telephone number, the personal database containing telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls to the subscriber at the destination telephone number;

providing a web user interface associated with the subscriber at the destination telephone number, said web user interface being configured to allow the subscriber to manage a personalized no-call list, by allowing the subscriber to select originating telephone numbers for adding or removing from the personal database.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the database further contains a plurality of subscriber telephone numbers, the plurality of subscriber telephone numbers comprising the destination telephone number.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the database correlates a first telephone number that originates unsolicited telephone calls with one or more subscriber telephone numbers associated with subscribers that do not wish to receive telephone calls from the first telephone number that originates unsolicited telephone calls.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining that the destination telephone number is correlated with the originating telephone number in the database; and

prohibiting termination of one or more telephone calls originated from the originating telephone number, based on a determination that the destination telephone number is correlated with the originating telephone number in the database.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the originating telephone number is no longer in use; and

removing the originating telephone number from the database based on determining that the originating telephone number is no longer in use.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing, through the telephone switch, an audible warning to the originating telephone number on the call, the audible warning indicating that further calls will violate unsolicited calling restrictions.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein imposing a penalty further comprises informing an authority about the originated unsolicited telephone calls from the originating entity.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the call processing data comprises information from a call detail record (“

CDR”

).

23. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the originating entity of the first call comprises correlating the call processing data with switch data to identify the originating entity.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises one or more DTMF tones received by the telephone switch from the telephone at the destination telephone number during the first call.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein a CallerID field of the first call is spoofed or unavailable.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the originating entity comprises one or more telephone numbers associated with the originating entity.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the one or more telephone numbers comprises the originating telephone number.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining the database of telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls;

receiving, at the telephone switch, the first call originating from the originating telephone number and directed to the destination telephone number;

terminating the first call to the destination telephone number; and

receiving, at the telephone switch, user input from the user at the destination telephone number.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by one or more computers to cause the one or more computers to;

in response to user input received by a telephone switch from a telephone at a destination telephone number during a first call from an originating telephone number and terminated to the destination telephone number by the telephone switch, capture call processing data associated with the first call;

identify, based at least in part on the call processing data, an originating entity of the first call;

add information about the originating entity to a database of telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls;

determine that the originating entity associated with the originating telephone number has been warned previously about unsolicited telephone calls; and

impose a penalty on the originating entity in response to determining that the originating entity has been warned previously and continues to originate unsolicited telephone calls, wherein imposing a penalty comprises generating a call detail record to bill one or more of the unsolicited telephone calls to the originating entity and sending a bill to the originating entity for the one or more of the unsolicited telephone calls.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the set of instructions, executable by the one or more computers, further cause the apparatus to:

in response to receiving, at the telephone switch, a second call originating from a second originating telephone number and directed to the destination telephone number, search the database for the second originating telephone number and determine an originating entity of the second originating telephone number;

determine whether the originating entity of the second originating telephone number is the same entity as the originating entity that has been added to the database in response to the user input from the user at the destination telephone number; and

prohibit termination of the second call originated from the second originating telephone number, based on a determination that the originating entity of the second originating telephone number is the same originating entity that has been added to the database in response to the user input from the user at the destination telephone number.

31. A system, comprising:

a database of telephone numbers that originate unsolicited telephone calls;

a telephone switch configured to receive a first call originating from an originating telephone number and directed to a destination telephone number, and configured to terminate the first call to the destination telephone number; and

a computer system in communication with the database and the telephone switch, the computer system comprising;

one or more processors; and

a computer readable medium in communication with the one or more processors, the computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the computer system to;

in response to user input received by the telephone switch from a telephone at the destination telephone number during the first call, capture call processing data associated with the first call;

identify, based at least in part on the call processing data, an originating entity of the first call;

add information about the originating entity to the database;

determine that the originating entity associated with the originating telephone number has been warned previously about unsolicited telephone calls; and

impose a penalty on the originating entity in response to determining that the originating entity has been warned previously and continues to originate unsolicited telephone calls, wherein imposing a penalty comprises generating a call detail record to bill one or more of the unsolicited telephone calls to the originating entity and sending a bill to the originating entity for the one or more of the unsolicited telephone calls.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the set of instructions, executable by the one or more processors, further cause the computer system to:

in response to receiving, at the telephone switch, a second call originating from a second originating telephone number and directed to the destination telephone number, search the database for the second originating telephone number and determine an originating entity of the second originating telephone number;

determine whether the originating entity of the second originating telephone number is the same entity as the originating entity that has been added to the database in response to the user input from the user at the destination telephone number; and

prohibit termination of the second call originated from the second originating telephone number, based on a determination that the originating entity of the second originating telephone number is the same originating entity that has been added to the database in response to the user input from the user at the destination telephone number.