Call handling based on augmented caller information

• US 10,165,117 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Haltom, Jeffrey, Barakat, Lulia Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh C
• Application Number:
  US15/794,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20180048764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 455415, 455418, 4555501, 37922101
• 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 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42034 Calling party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• 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: H04M 3/4365 based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13256 Call screening
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/06 for group or trunk group selectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A device can receive a call from a calling party device to a called party device, and can determine caller information based on the call from the calling party device. The device can determine that the caller information satisfies a criterion, and can modify the caller information to create modified caller information, the caller information being modified based on the caller information satisfying the criterion. The device can compare the modified caller information to a data structure that includes information associated with multiple call handling decisions. The device can identify a call handling decision, of the multiple call handling decisions, based on comparing the modified caller information to the data structure that includes the plurality of call handling decisions, and can cause the call handling decision to be implemented.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive a call from a calling party device to a called party device;

determine caller information based on the call from the calling party device;

determine that the caller information satisfies a criterion;

modify the caller information to create modified caller information,

the caller information being modified based on the caller information satisfying the criterion;

compare the modified caller information to a data structure that includes information associated with a plurality of call handling decisions;

identify a call handling decision, of the plurality of call handling decisions, based on comparing the modified caller information to the data structure that includes the plurality of call handling decisions; and

cause the call handling decision to be implemented.

2. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when causing the call handling decision to be implemented, are to one of:

prevent the call from being provided to the called party device,

provide the call to a voicemail associated with the called party device,

provide the call to the voicemail and provide an alert message to the called party device,

provide a recording to the calling party device and release the call,

request a particular response to a captcha, from the calling party device, before providing the call to the called party device, or

provide the call and the modified caller information to the called party device.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when causing the call handling decision to be implemented includes providing the call and the modified caller information to the called party device, are to:

receive, from the called party device, feedback information associated with the call; and

utilize the feedback information to modify the criterion.

4. The device of claim 1,

where the caller information includes at least one field;

and

where the one or more processors, when modifying the caller information to create the modified caller information, are to;

add at least one character to the at least one field.

5. The device of claim 1,

where the data structure includes:

information associated with characters added to the caller information, and

information associated with starting positions of the characters in the caller information; and

where the one or more processors, when identifying the call handling decision, are to;

determine that the modified caller information matches one of characters added to the caller information, and one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information;

determine that the one of characters added to the caller information, and the one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information are associated with the call handling decision; and

identify the call handling decision based on determining that the one of characters added to the caller information, and the one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information are associated with the call handling decision.

6. The device of claim 1, where the criterion is associated with an unwanted connection of the called party device;

and

where the one or more processors are further to;

determine that the caller information satisfies the criterion associated with the unwanted connection of the called party device;

add at least one character to the caller information,

the at least one character designating the call as being associated with the unwanted connection of the called party device;

identify the call handling decision, based on the at least one character, as being to prevent the call from being provided to the called party device; and

prevent the call from being provided to the called party device based on the call handling decision.

7. The device of claim 1, where the criterion is associated with a wanted connection of the called party device;

and

where the one or more processors are further to;

determine that the caller information satisfies the criterion associated with the wanted connection of the called party device;

add at least one character to the caller information,

the at least one character designating the call as being associated with the wanted connection of the called party device;

identify the call handling decision, based on the at least one character, as being to provide the call to the called party device; and

provide the call and the modified caller information to the called party device based on the call handling decision.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a call from a calling party device to a called party device;

determine caller information based on the call from the calling party device;

determine that the caller information satisfies a criterion;

modify the caller information to create modified caller information,

the caller information being modified based on the caller information satisfying the criterion;

compare the modified caller information to a data structure that includes information associated with a plurality of call handling decisions;

identify a call handling decision, of the plurality of call handling decisions, based on comparing the modified caller information to the data structure that includes the plurality of call handling decisions; and

cause the call handling decision to be implemented.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to cause the call handling decision to be implemented, cause the one or more processors to one of:

prevent the call from being provided to the called party device,

provide the call to a voicemail associated with the called party device,

provide the call to the voicemail and provide an alert message to the called party device,

provide a recording to the calling party device and release the call,

request a particular response to a captcha, from the calling party device, before providing the call to the called party device, or

provide the call and the modified caller information to the called party device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the call handling decision includes providing the call and the modified caller information to the called party device, and the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from the called party device, feedback information associated with the call; and

utilize the feedback information to modify the criterion.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

where the caller information includes at least one field;

and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to modify the caller information to create the modified caller information, cause the one or more processors to;

add at least one character to the at least one field.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

where the data structure includes:

information associated with characters added to the caller information, and

information associated with starting positions of the characters in the caller information; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the call handling decision, cause the one or more processors to;

determine that the modified caller information matches one of characters added to the caller information, and one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information;

determine that the one of characters added to the caller information, and the one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information are associated with the call handling decision; and

identify the call handling decision based on determining that the one of characters added to the caller information, and the one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information are associated with the call handling decision.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the criterion is associated with an unwanted connection of the called party device, and where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine that the caller information satisfies the criterion associated with the unwanted connection of the called party device;

add at least one character to the caller information,

the at least one character designating the call as being associated with the unwanted connection of the called party device;

identify the call handling decision, based on the at least one character, as being to prevent the call from being provided to the called party device; and

prevent the call from being provided to the called party device based on the call handling decision.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the criterion is associated with a wanted connection of the called party device, and where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine that the caller information satisfies the criterion associated with the wanted connection of the called party device;

add at least one character to the caller information,

the at least one character designating the call as being associated with the wanted connection of the called party device;

identify the call handling decision, based on the at least one character, as being to provide the call to the called party device; and

provide the call and the modified caller information to the called party device based on the call handling decision.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, a call from a calling party device to a called party device;

determining, by the device, caller information based on the call from the calling party device;

determining, by the device, that the caller information satisfies a criterion;

modifying, by the device, the caller information to create modified caller information,

the caller information being modified based on the caller information satisfying the criterion;

comparing, by the device, the modified caller information to a data structure that includes information associated with a plurality of call handling decisions;

identifying, by the device, a call handling decision, of the plurality of call handling decisions, based on comparing the modified caller information to the data structure that includes the plurality of call handling decisions; and

causing, by the device, the call handling decision to be implemented.

16. The method of claim 15, where causing the call handling decision to be implemented comprises one of:

preventing the call from being provided to the called party device,

providing the call to a voicemail associated with the called party device,

providing the call to the voicemail and providing an alert message to the called party device,

providing a recording to the calling party device and release the call,

requesting a particular response to a captcha, from the calling party device, before providing the call to the called party device, or

providing the call and the modified caller information to the called party device.

17. The method of claim 15, where causing the call handling decision to be implemented includes providing the call and the modified caller information to the called party device, and the method further comprises:

receiving, from the called party device, feedback information associated with the call; and

utilizing the feedback information to modify the criterion.

18. The method of claim 15,

where the data structure further includes:

information associated with characters added to the caller information, and

information associated with starting positions of the characters in the caller information; and

where identifying the call handling decision comprises;

determining that the modified caller information matches one of characters added to the caller information, and one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information;

determining that the one of characters added to the caller information, and the one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information are associated with the call handling decision; and

identifying the call handling decision based on determining that the one of characters added to the caller information, and the one of the starting positions of the characters in the caller information are associated with the call handling decision.

19. The method of claim 15, where the criterion is associated with an unwanted connection of the called party device;

and

where the method further comprises;

determining that the caller information satisfies the criterion associated with the unwanted connection of the called party device;

adding at least one character to the caller information,

the at least one character designating the call as being associated with the unwanted connection of the called party device;

identifying the call handling decision, based on the at least one character, as being to prevent the call from being provided to the called party device; and

preventing the call from being provided to the called party device based on the call handling decision.

20. The method of claim 15, where the criterion is associated with a wanted connection of the called party device;

and

where the method further comprises;

determining that the caller information satisfies the criterion associated with the wanted connection of the called party device;

adding at least one character to the caller information,

the at least one character designating the call as being associated with the wanted connection of the called party device;

identifying the call handling decision, based on the at least one character, as being to provide the call to the called party device; and

providing the call and the modified caller information to the called party device based on the call handling decision.