Systems and methods for screening communication sessions

• US 10,693,920 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Secure Connection, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Secure Connection, Ltd.
• Inventors: Elyashiv, Tal, Taguri, Yoseph, Ur, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Springer, James E
• Application Number:
  US14/827,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: 709204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• 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 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

There is provided a method for centralized screening of a communication session, comprising: receiving, at a server, a request from a caller client terminal, to establish a communication session with a callee client terminal; analyzing, by the server, the request according to a screening set-of-rules; and transmitting, from the server, a screening response to the caller client terminal according to the analysis, wherein the analyzing and the transmitting are performed by the server independently of at least one of real-time status of the callee client terminal and real-time response instructions from the callee client terminal.

Claims

1. A method for centralized screening of a communication session, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request from a caller client terminal, to establish a communication session with a callee client terminal;

analyzing, by the server, the request according to a screening set-of-rules; and

transmitting, from the server, a first screening response to the caller client terminal according to the analysis;

wherein the analyzing and the transmitting are performed by the server independently of real-time response instructions from the callee client terminal;

wherein the first screening response is selected from a group of screening responses to provide to the request; and

wherein, upon detecting that the same caller client terminal issues a plurality of requests, for each subsequent request, a different screening response than a previously selected screening response is selected from the group of screening responses, to provide to the subsequent request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein independently comprises without transmitting data related to the request to the callee client terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the callee client terminal is a registered user of the server, wherein a portion of the communication session between the server and the callee client terminal is established by the server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging a history of communication session request data and associated transmitted screening responses, and selecting the different screening responses according to the logged history to prevent repeated same screening responses.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a certain screening response from a group of screening responses according to an emulated unavailable profile of the callee client device, the emulated unavailable profile including a emulation of non-available activities that a user of the callee client device is performing at least at the time the request is received.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the emulated unavailable profile is automatically learned based on an analysis of actual user non-available activities.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the emulated unavailable profile is automatically generated based on an analysis of non-available entries in a calendar application installed on the callee client terminal.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the emulated unavailable profile includes an emulation of the presence of the callee client terminal at least at one geographical location with unavailable or low quality connectivity.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the emulated unavailable profile includes an emulation of the unavailability of the callee client terminal due to being abroad when the callee client terminal is actually local and available.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the emulated unavailable profile includes at least one block of time manually defined by a user of the callee client terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the screening response transmitted by the server to the caller client terminal is different than a real-time usage state of the callee client terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the screening response includes a plurality of unanswered rings when the real-time usage state includes another active communication session between the callee client terminal and a third client terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the screening response includes establishment of the communication session between the caller client terminal and the callee client terminal, and emulating a dropped call after establishment of the communication session.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the screening response includes establishment of the communication session between the caller client terminal and the callee client terminal, and emulating a low quality communication session insufficient for complete transmission of voice data over the established communication session.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the server coordinates screening responses for a plurality of callee client terminals.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a machine learning analysis of a history of manual user actions of a user of the callee client terminal in response to incoming calls from caller client terminals, and automatically generating the set-of-rules according to the analysis.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the history of manual user actions includes a plurality of messaging service responses, and the machine learning analysis creates the set-of-rules to automatically reply with a message emulating a response of the user.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining a relationship type between the caller and the callee, and selecting the screening response according to the relationship type.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the screening response includes routing the request to another client terminal different than the callee client terminal, to establish a communication session with the other client terminal, emulating a mistaken communication address of the callee client terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the another client terminal is selected from the group consisting of:

a predefined client terminal used by a human operator that emulates a mistaken user, a randomly selected client terminal, and a client terminal having a communication address similar to a communication address of the callee client terminal.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the screening response includes emulating establishment of the communication session with an incorrect client terminal emulated by the server, emulating a mistaken communication address of the callee client terminal.

22. A system for screening of a communication session, comprising:

a server comprising;

a first communication interface for communicating with a caller client terminal;

a second communication interface for communication with a callee client terminal;

a program store storing code;

a processor coupled to the first communication interface, the second communication interface, and the program store for implementing the stored code, the code comprising;

code to receive, using the first communication interface, a request from a caller client terminal to establish a communication session with a callee client terminal, to analyze the request according to a screening set-of-rules; and

to transmit using the first communication interface, a first screening response to the caller client terminal according to the analysis;

wherein the analyzing and the transmitting are performed by the server independently of real-time response instructions from the callee client terminal;

wherein the first screening response is selected from a group of screening responses to provide to the request; and

wherein, upon detecting that the same caller client terminal issues a plurality of requests, for each subsequent request, a different screening response than a previously selected screening response is selected from the group of screening responses, to provide to the subsequent request.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the request is received over a first communication segment between the caller client terminal and the server, the request including establishing of a second communication segment between the callee client terminal and the server and providing communication between the caller client terminal and the callee client terminal using the server using the first and second communication segments.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein communication interface resources of the callee client terminal are free while the server processes the request from the caller client terminal allowing establishing a second communication session between the callee client terminal and a third client terminal.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the caller client terminal and the callee client terminal are connected to the server over a packet network, and the server attempts to establish the communication session as a voice over packet network phone call.

26. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program code thereon for implementation by a server, the program code comprising:

instructions to receive a request from a caller client terminal to establish a communication session with a callee client terminal;

instructions to analyze the request according to a screening set-of-rules; and

instructions to transmit a first screening response to the caller client terminal according to the analysis;

wherein the analyzing and the transmitting are performed independently of real-time response instructions from the callee client terminal;

wherein the first screening response is selected from a group of screening responses to provide to the request; and

wherein, upon detecting that the same caller client terminal issues a plurality of requests, for each subsequent request, a different screening response than a previously selected screening response is selected from the group of screening responses, to provide to the subsequent request.