System and method for disconnecting and preventing unwanted telephone calls and for enhancing desired calls

• US 20020085700A1
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Metcalf, Darrell
• Original Assignee: Metcalf, Darrell
• Inventors: Metcalf, Darrell
• Application Number:
  US09/905,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20020085700A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/210.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• 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

Abstract

A telephony service provider-based system and method to disconnect and prevent unwanted phone calls such as unsolicited telephone sales calls, harassment calls, prank calls, rude calls, and the like, comprising apparatus for bi-directional telephony, and methods for a user receiving an unwanted phone call to send a control signal to a telephone service provider in order for the service provider to then play back a message which, will dissuade the caller from calling again and will automatically terminate the call. Another embodiment permits a user to playback engaging and entertaining messages of his or her choosing by pressing one or more buttons on a telephone keypad.

Claims

1. A telephony service provider system for detecting, interpreting and implementing control signal acquired from a user/customer'"'"'s telephony device which, disconnects unwanted telephone calls and prevents subsequent unwanted telephone calls, and plays back digitized-content, said system comprising:

a.) means for establishing a telephony link with a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

b.) means for establishing a telephony link with a call-initiator'"'"'s telephony device;

c.) at least one customer-editable database capable of storing a record of unwanted calls pertaining to each customer'"'"'s telephony device, wherein the record of each of said unwanted calls includes the call-initiator'"'"'s telephone number a customer chooses to block;

d.) system memory;

e.) at least one intelligent controller with software routines for;

iii. detecting and acquiring control signal from a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

iv. receiving and storing user-configurable system control parameters;

x. receiving and storing data in said database and for editing said data;

xi. determining call-initiator telephone numbers;

xii. storing call-initiator telephone numbers in said database;

xiii. detecting when a call-initiator is attempting to establish a telephony link with a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

xiv. querying database data pertaining to the customer a call-initiator is attempting to call and determining if the call-initiator'"'"'s phone number matches any telephone number that customer has previously chosen to block;

xv. triggering the playback of at least one digitized file from a file playback means through at least one telephony link;

xvi. triggering a phone call disconnecting means to terminate unwanted calls.

2. The control signal of claim 1 consisting of a tone generated by a telephony device when a user presses at least one keypad button.

3. The control signal of claim 1 consisting of at least one sound generated by a user and detectable by the microphone of a telephony device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising means to record and store messages spoken into the microphone of a telephony device when said device is linked with said system, and means for user-configuring the playback of said messages, including the triggering of any of said messages according to a user-configurable control signal.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising an automated system-configuring means having an audio playback means to play audio messages that guide a user through a selection of user-configurable system control parameters, such that said parameters are programmed by at least one user-control signal input into a telephony device while a telephony link between said telephony device and the system exists.

6. The user-control signal of claim 5 consisting of a tone generated by a telephony device when a user presses at least one keypad button.

7. The user-control signal of claim 5 consisting of at least one sound generated by a user and detectable by the microphone of a telephony device.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a.) means for establishing an Internet link with an Internet browsing device,

b.) a website with a graphical user interface to facilitate;

i. acquiring and storing user-configurable system control parameters entered by a customer employing said Internet browsing device;

ii. acquiring and storing database data entered by a customer employing said Internet browsing device;

iii. editing said parameters by a customer employing said Internet browsing device;

iv. editing said database data by a customer employing said Internet browsing device.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising means to receive and store an upload of digitized audio files from said browsing device and graphical user interface means to facilitate user-configuring the playback triggering of any of said files according to one or more user-configurable control signals.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising means to receive and store an upload of digitized graphic files from said browsing device and graphical user interface means to facilitate user-configuring the playback triggering of any of said graphic files according to one or more user-configurable control signals.

11. The system of claim 8 further comprising means to receive and store an upload of digitized video files from said browsing device and graphical user interface means to facilitate user-configuring the playback triggering of any of said video files according to one or more user-configurable control signals.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a.) digitized file playback means;

b.) system memory;

wherein said at least one intelligent controller and software and at least one software routine trigger the playback of at least one digitized file from said file playback means through at least one telephony link.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

i. a customer configuring system parameters for the playback of at least one digitized file when the system receives a particular control signal from said customer'"'"'s telephony device;

ii. said control signal triggering the playback of at least one digitized file from a file playback means through at least one telephony link.

13. A telephony service provider system for detecting, interpreting and implementing control signal acquired from a user/customer'"'"'s telephony device which, disconnects unwanted telephone calls and prevents subsequent unwanted telephone calls, said system comprising:

a.) means for establishing a telephony link with a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

b.) means for establishing a telephony link with a call-initiator'"'"'s telephony device;

c.) at least one customer-editable database capable of storing a record of unwanted calls pertaining to each customer'"'"'s telephony device, wherein the record of each of said unwanted calls includes the call-initiator'"'"'s telephone number a customer chooses to block;

d.) system memory;

e.) at least one intelligent controller with software routines for;

i. detecting and acquiring control signal from a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

receiving and storing user-configurable system control parameters;

ii. receiving and storing data in said database and for editing said data;

iii. determining call-initiator telephone numbers;

iii. storing call-initiator telephone numbers in said database;

iv. detecting when a call-initiator is attempting to establish a telephony link with a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

v. querying database data;

vi. triggering a phone call disconnecting means to terminate unwanted calls.

14. A telephony service provider system for detecting, interpreting and implementing control signal acquired from a user/customer'"'"'s telephony device which, disconnects unwanted telephone calls, said system comprising:

a.) means for establishing a telephony link with a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

b.) means for establishing a telephony link with a call-initiator'"'"'s telephony device;

c.) at least one intelligent controller with software routines for;

i. detecting and acquiring control signal from a customer'"'"'s telephony device while a bi-directional telephony link exists between said customer'"'"'s telephony device and a call-initiator'"'"'s telephony device;

ii. interpreting and implementing said control signal to trigger a phone call disconnecting means to terminate a call-initiator telephony link to said customer'"'"'s telephony device.

16. A method of disconnecting unwanted telephone calls and preventing subsequent unwanted telephone calls, comprising the steps of:

a.) a call-initiator establishing a telephony link between a call-initiator'"'"'s telephony device and a telephony service provider (TSP) system;

b.) a customer establishing a telephony link between the customer'"'"'s telephony device and said TSP system;

c.) a customer determining that a telephone call from a call-initiator is unwanted and transmitting unwanted call control signal from his telephony device to said TSP system while a telephony link exists between said call-initiator'"'"'s telephony device and said TSP system;

d.) during said telephony link of said call-initiator and said customer to said TSP system, at least one TSP system intelligent controller with software routines and system memory providing the steps of;

i. detecting and acquiring control signal from a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

ii. said control signal triggering a phone call disconnecting means to terminate the unwanted call;

iii. said control signal triggering a recording of the telephone number pertaining to said unwanted call placed by said call-initiator in at least one customer-editable TSP system database capable of storing a record of unwanted calls pertaining to each customer'"'"'s telephony device, wherein the record of each of said unwanted calls includes the call-initiator'"'"'s telephone number a customer chooses to block; and

e.) said at least one TSP system intelligent controller with software routines and system memory providing the subsequent steps of;

vi. detecting when a call-initiator is attempting to establish a telephony link with a customer'"'"'s telephony device;

vii. querying database data pertaining to the customer a call-initiator is attempting to call and determining if the call-initiator'"'"'s phone number matches any telephone number said customer has previously chosen to block and upon finding a match, blocking any attempt to ring the customer'"'"'s telephony device, unless and until said customer performs steps to delete database data blocking said call-initiator'"'"'s calls.