Call processing system with call screening

• US 20060182234A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Convergys Customer Management Delaware LLC (Concentrix CVG Customer Management Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Convergys Corporation
• Inventors: Scherer, Gordon F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,215,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• 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: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A system is described in which call processing considers unique information about the call to better serve the caller and/or to enable the called party to more efficiently handle the call. In one embodiment, the unique information considered by the call processor is information indicator digits, which may indicate to the called party whether to accept the call before the voice portion of the call is initiated.

Claims

1-123. -123. (canceled)

124. A method of handling a call, wherein the call is made from a certain type of telephone device, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a device with resources which receives and analyzes information associated with said call;

receiving said information, including information indicator digits, associated with said call at said device, wherein the information indicator digits indicate the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made;

processing said information associated with said call, including the information indicator digits;

determining the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made based on the information indicator digits; and

handling said call in a particular way based on said certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made and said processing of said information associated with said call, wherein the act of handling said call comprises routing the call along a network path that is predeterminedly associated with calls that are made from the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made.

125. The method of claim 124, wherein said information associated with said call further includes a dialed number.

126. The method of claim 124, wherein said information associated with said call further includes automatic number identification (ANI).

127. The method of claim 124, wherein said information associated with said call further includes stored data related to ANI.

128. The method of claim 124, wherein said information associated with said call further includes information inputted by the caller.

129. The method of claim 124, wherein said information associated with said call further includes network data.

131. The method of claim 124, wherein said information associated with said call further includes resource data.

132. The method of claim 124, wherein the processing of said information associated with said call includes retrieving stored data.

138. The method of claim 124, wherein the information indicator digits indicate that the call has been made from one or more of:

i) a multiparty line,

ii) a private branch exchange,

iii) a cellular phone,

iv) a pay phone,

v) a virtual network,

vi) a residential phone,

vii) a business phone, or

viii) a restricted line.

139. The method of claim 124, wherein the information indicator digits consist of a two-digit code, wherein the two-digit code ranges from 00 to 99.

140. The method of claim 124, wherein the call is associated with ANI information and DNIS information, wherein the act of processing said information associated with said call comprises evaluating the information indicator digits in combination with one or both of the ANI and DNIS.

141. The method of claim 124, wherein the information indicator digits are independent of the dialed number.

142. The method of claim 141, wherein the telephone device from which the call has been made is associated with a telephone number, wherein the information indicator digits are further independent of the telephone number associated with the telephone device from which the call has been made.

143. The method of claim 124, wherein the call is associated with ANI information, wherein the ANI information includes a string of seven or ten digits, wherein the information indicator digits precede the string of seven or ten digits.

144. The method of claim 124, wherein the call is associated with ANI information, wherein the information indicator digits further indicate one or more characteristics of the ANI associated with the call.

145. The method of claim 124, wherein the information indicator digits indicate that the call has been made from a cellular phone, wherein the method further comprises handling the call based on the indication that the call has been made from a cellular phone.

148. The method of claim 124, wherein the network path that is predeterminedly associated with calls that are made from the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made is dedicated to calls that are made from the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made.

149. The method of claim 124, wherein the network path that is predeterminedly associated with calls that are made from the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made leads to one or more call center agents that are assigned to receive calls that are made from the certain type of telephone device from which the call has been made.

130. A method of handling a call, wherein the call is made from a certain type of telephone line by a caller, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a device with resources available to said call, the device being operable to receive and analyze information associated with said call;

receiving said information, including information indicator digits, associated with said call at said device, wherein the information indicator digits indicate the certain type of telephone line from which the call has been made;

processing said information associated with said call, including the information indicator digits;

determining the certain type of telephone line from which the call has been made based on the information indicator digits; and

handling said call in a particular way based on said certain type of telephone line from which the call has been made and said processing of said information associated with said call, wherein the act of handling said call comprises;

(i) selecting a prompt or greeting to provide to the caller based on said certain type of telephone line from which the call has been made, and

(ii) presenting the selected prompt or greeting to the caller.

133. A method of handling a call, wherein the call is made from a certain type of telephone line, said method comprising steps of:

providing a call processor which receives information associated with said call;

making resources available to said call;

receiving said information associated with said call, wherein said information comprises;

(i) information indicator digits associated with said call, wherein the information indicator digits indicate the certain type of telephone line from which the call has been made, and

(ii) ANI information associated with said call;

analyzing said information associated with said call, including the information indicator digits, wherein the act of analyzing said information comprises determining relevance of the ANI associated with said call based on the information indicator digits associated with the call; and

handling said call based on criteria comprising;

(i) said resources available to said call,

(ii) the information indicator digits associated with the call, and

(iii) the determined relevance of the ANI associated with said call.

134. The method of claim 133, wherein the resources available to said call are further based on resource data.

135. The method of claim 133, further comprising the steps of:

prompting said caller for additional information other than said received information associated with said call;

processing said additional caller information; and

handling said call in a particular way based on said processing of said additional caller information.

136. The method of claim 135, wherein said additional caller information is touch tone information.

137. A method of handling a call, wherein the call is made from a certain type of telephone line, said method comprising steps of:

providing a call processor which receives information associated with said call;

making resources available to said call;

receiving said information associated with said call, wherein said information comprises;

(i) information indicator digits associated with said call, wherein the information indicator digits indicate the certain type of telephone line from which the call has been made, and

(ii) ANI information associated with said call;

analyzing said information associated with said call, including the information indicator digits, wherein the act of analyzing comprises assigning a value to the ANI associated with the call based on the information indicator digits associated with the call;

handling said call based on;

(i) said resources available to said call,

(ii) the information indicator digits associated with the call, and

(iii) the value assigned to the ANI associated with the call.

146. The method of claim 137, wherein the information indicator digits indicate that the call has been made from a cellular phone, wherein the method further comprises handling the call based on the indication that the call has been made from a cellular phone.

147. The method of claim 137, wherein the act of making resources available to said call is performed in accordance with the information indicator digits.