Method and apparatus for screening calls from a telephony device

• US 20040240641A1
• Filed: 06/02/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohen, Marc A., Stoops, Daniel S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,515,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call automatic reactions in messaging within packet-switching networks H04L51/02
• 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

A messaging system component provides for a screening of an incoming call from a telephony device of a plurality of telephony devices. The messaging system component is associated with a network and conforms to a signaling protocol of the network to communicate with the network. The messaging system component is located in a peripheral relationship to the network which allows for the addition of providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device without modification to an architecture associated with the network.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a messaging system component that provides for a screening of an incoming call from a telephony device, wherein the messaging system component is associated with a network; and

wherein the messaging system component conforms to a signaling protocol of the network to communicate with the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the messaging system component is located in a peripheral relationship to the network, wherein the peripheral relationship to the network allows for the addition of providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device without modification to an architecture associated with the network.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the architecture associated with the network comprises a signaling infrastructure;

wherein the messaging system component that is located in the peripheral relationship to the network conforms to a signaling protocol associated with the signaling infrastructure;

wherein the messaging system component allows for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device without modification to the signaling infrastructure associated with the network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

telephony and signal processing hardware that conforms to the signaling protocol of the network, wherein the protocol stack employs the signaling protocol to communicate with the network without modification to a signaling infrastructure associated with the network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a screening engine, wherein the screening engine and the protocol stack bridge the incoming call to a screening call, allowing the incoming call to be screened by the telephony device, and wherein the screening engine and the telephony and signal processing hardware serve to establish the screening call between the messaging system component and the telephony device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the screening engine and the protocol stack bridge the incoming call to the screening call in a listen-only mode that provides for a message to be screened from the telephony device in real-time.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein upon receipt of a trigger the screening engine and protocol stack bridge the incoming call to the screening call in a two-way mode that provides for an interactive session between the telephony device and a calling telephony device, and wherein the calling telephony device initiates the incoming call.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a called telephony device receives the incoming call, wherein the screening engine comprises a screening outcall engine, wherein the screening call comprises a screening outcall, wherein a screening device comprises the telephony device;

wherein the screening outcall engine and the telephony and signal processing hardware initiate the screening outcall to the screening device associated with the called telephony device;

wherein the screening engine and the protocol stack bridge the incoming call to the screening outcall provide for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device, and wherein the telephony device responds to the screening outcall.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the screening outcall comprises a respective messaging number, wherein the messaging number identifies the screening outcall as a screening call.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the screening engine comprises a screening in-call engine, wherein the screening call comprises a screening in-call, wherein the telephony device initiates the screening in-call to the messaging system component;

wherein upon receipt of the screening in-call from the telephony device the screening in-call engine and the protocol stack bridge the incoming call to the screening-in call to provide for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the screening in-call comprises a screening number, wherein the messaging system component associates the screening in-call with a mailbox of a called telephony device based on the screening number of the screening in-call.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the screening call comprises a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the messaging system component provides for the screening of the incoming call by bridging the incoming call to a screening call, wherein the telephony device is associated with the screening call.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a called telephony device receives the incoming call, wherein a telephony device comprises the telephony device associated with a called telephony device;

wherein upon receipt of the incoming call the messaging system component employs a profile associated with the called telephony device to provide for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, comprising a database that stores the profile associated with the called telephony device;

wherein the profile comprises a plurality of numbers associated with the telephony device associated with the called telephony device.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signaling protocol comprises Signaling System 7 (SS7) protocol.

17. A method, comprising the steps of:

providing for a screening of an incoming call from a telephony device by a messaging system component associated with a network; and

conforming to a signaling protocol of the network by the messaging system component to communicate with the network.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising the step of:

bridging the incoming call to a screening call in a listen-only mode providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a calling telephony device initiates the incoming call, comprising the steps of:

monitoring the screening call from the telephony device;

receiving a trigger from the telephony device;

bridging the incoming call to the screening call in a two-way mode providing for an interactive session between the telephony device and the calling telephony device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device by the messaging system component associated with the network comprises the steps of:

retrieving a profile associated with a called telephony device of the incoming call from a database; and

employing the profile associated with the called telephony device, wherein the messaging system component provides for the screening of the incoming call by one of initiating a screening outcall and responding to a screening in-call.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the screening device comprises the telephony device associated with a called telephony device, wherein the screening call comprises a screening outcall, wherein the step of providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device by the messaging system component associated with the network comprises the steps of:

initiating the screening outcall to the screening devices associated with a called telephony device, wherein the called telephony device receives the incoming call; and

bridging the incoming call to the one screening outcall in a listen-only mode providing for the screening of the incoming call from the one screening device, wherein the one screening device responds to the screening outcall.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the screening call comprises a screening in-call, wherein the step of providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device by the messaging system component associated with the network comprises the steps of:

responding to the screening in-call initiated by the telephony device; and

bridging the incoming call to the screening in-call of the telephony device in a listen-only mode providing for the screening of the incoming call from the telephony device in real-time.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising the step of:

employing a called party number of the screening in-call to associate the screening in-call to a mailbox of a called telephony device, wherein the called telephony device receives the incoming call.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising the step of:

conforming by the messaging system component to Signaling System 7 (SS7) protocol of the network to communicate with the network, wherein conforming to the signaling protocol to provide for the screening of the incoming call by the telephony device requires no modification to a signaling infrastructure associated with the network.

25. An article, comprising;

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media;

means in the one or more media for screening an incoming call from a telephony device by a messaging system component located in a peripheral relationship to a network;

means in the one or more media for conforming to a signaling protocol of the network by the messaging system component to communicate with the network;

means in the one or more media for retrieving a profile associated with a called telephony device of the incoming call from a database; and

means in the one or more media for employing the profile associated with the called telephony device, wherein the messaging system component provides for the screening of the incoming call by one of initiating a screening outcall and responding to a screening in-call.