System and method for blocking a telephone call

• US 20060285676A1
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moss, John W., Schroepfer, Tyler D., Tiliks, Dianna, Heinmiller, Wayne, Herrera, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/220.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• 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: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A system and method are provided for blocking a telephone call from a calling party to a called party, the calling party associated with a calling party directory number, including a local-designated trunk group over which the incoming telephone call from the calling party is received. A service switching point is coupled with the local-designated trunk group, the service switching point receiving the telephone call, generating a query message including the calling party directory number, and sending the query message to a service control point. The service control point is coupled with the service switching point, receives the query message, and determines if the calling party is inter Local Access and Transport Area (interLATA) with respect to the service switching point. Where the calling party is determined to be interLATA, the service control point determines a screening indicator value, and generates a response message to the service switching point to block the telephone call received via the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided.

Claims

1. A method of blocking a telephone call from a calling party to a called party, the telephone call received at a local-designated trunk group of a service switching point (SSP), comprising:

determining if the Local and Access Transport Area (LATA) of the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP;

where the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP,

determining a screening indicator value, and

blocking the telephone call where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the telephone call to proceed where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is not public telecommunications network provided.

3. The method of claim 1, where the calling party has an associated calling party directory number and the SSP is determined to have a SSP LATA, and there is no redirection information present for the telephone call, wherein the determining whether the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP includes:

determining a calling party LATA responsive to the calling party directory number; and

comparing the SSP LATA with the calling party LATA.

4. The method of claim 3, where the determining the calling party LATA includes looking up the calling party directory number in a database of a service control point.

5. The method of claim 1, where the SSP is determined to have a SSP LATA, and there is redirection information present for the telephone call, wherein the determining whether the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP includes:

determining a final redirecting party that redirected the telephone call to the called party;

determining a final redirecting party directory number;

determining a final redirecting party LATA responsive to the final redirecting party directory number; and

comparing the SSP LATA with the final redirecting party LATA.

6. The method of claim 5, where the determining the final redirecting party LATA includes looking up the final redirecting party directory number in a database of a service control point.

7. The method of claim 5, where the redirection information for the telephone call includes information present in at least one of an OriginalCalledPartyID field and a RedirectingPartyID field of an Info_Collected query message sent to the service control point, and where the determining the final redirecting party directory number includes:

determining the final redirecting party directory number as the OriginalCalledPartyID of the Info_Collected query message where the telephone call was redirected one time; and

determining the final redirecting party directory number as the Redirecting PartyID of the Info_Collected query message where the telephone call was redirected more than one time.

8. The method of claim 1, where determining the screening indicator value includes determining whether there is redirection information present for the telephone call.

9. The method of claim 8, where determining whether there is redirection information present includes determining whether there is information indicating redirection in a Redirection_information field of an Info_Collected query message sent to a Service Control Point (SCP), and where the determining the screening indicator value for the telephone call includes:

determining the screening indicator value associated with a Calling_PartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that no information indicates redirection;

determining the screening indicator value associated with a OriginalCalledPartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that information indicates redirection, and the telephone call was redirected one time; and

determining the screening indicator value associated with a Redirecting PartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that information indicates redirection, and the telephone call was redirected more than one time.

10. The method of claim 1, where the determining whether the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP is determined responsive to a trunk-associated trigger encountered on the local-designated trunk group during processing of the telephone call.

11. The method of claim 10, where the trunk-associated trigger is an originating trigger.

12. The method of claim 11, where the originating trigger is one of a Shared Interoffice Trunk Trigger and an Off-Hook Delay trigger.

13. The method of claim 1, where the local-designated trunk group is a local incoming interconnection trunk group.

14. The method of claim 1, where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided when the telephone call is transmitted without utilizing a private telephone network.

15. The method of claim 1, where the blocking the telephone call where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided includes blocking the telephone call where the screening indicator value is equal to a value of 11.

16. A telecommunications network for blocking a telephone call from a calling party to a called party, the telephone call having corresponding voice and control information where the control information includes screening indicator information, the calling party associated with a calling party directory number, comprising:

a local-designated trunk group over which the telephone call from the calling party is received;

a service switching point (SSP) coupled with the local-designated trunk group, the SSP receiving the telephone call, generating a query message including the calling party directory number, and sending the query message to a service control point; and

the service control point (SCP) coupled with the SSP, the SCP receiving the query message, and determining if the calling party is inter Local Access and Transport Area (interLATA) with respect to the SSP, and where the calling party is interLATA, the SCP

determining a screening indicator value, and

generating a response message to the SSP to block the telephone call received via the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided.

17. The telecommunications network of claim 16, including the SCP generating a response message to the SSP to allow the telephone call to proceed where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is not public telecommunications network provided.

18. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the SSP is determined to have a SSP LATA, and further comprising

a LATA database at the SCP listing directory number information and corresponding LATA information for a plurality of telephone subscribers, and

the SCP determining whether the control information includes redirection information for the telephone call,

where if the telecommunications network determines that the control information does not include redirection information, the SCP determining whether the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP includes the SCP

searching the LATA database for directory number information of the calling party directory number to determine a calling party LATA, and

comparing the SSP LATA with the calling party LATA.

19. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the SSP is determined to have a SSP LATA, and further comprising

a LATA database at the SCP listing directory number information and corresponding LATA information for a plurality of telephone subscribers, and

the SCP determining whether the control information includes redirection information for the telephone call,

where if the SCP determines that the control information includes redirection information, the SCP determining whether the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP includes the SCP

determining a directory number of a final redirecting party that redirected the telephone call to the called party,

searching the LATA database for directory number information of the final redirecting party to determine a final redirecting party LATA, and

comparing the final redirecting party LATA with the SSP LATA.

20. The telecommunications network of claim 19, where the query message is an Info_Collected query message, and

the SCP determining whether the control information includes redirection information includes the SCP determining whether there is information indicating redirection in a Redirection_information field of an Info_Collected query message sent from the SSP to the SCP, and

the SCP determining the final redirecting party directory number includes the SCP

determining the final redirecting party directory number as an OriginalCalledPartyID of the Info_Collected query message where the telephone call was redirected one time, and

determining the final redirecting party directory number as a Redirecting PartyID of the Info_Collected query message where the telephone call was redirected more than one time.

21. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the SSP generating and sending the query message is accomplished responsive to a trunk-associated trigger on the local-designated trunk group encountered at the SSP during processing of the telephone call.

22. The telecommunications network of claim 21, where the trunk-associated trigger is an originating trigger.

23. The telecommunications network of claim 22, where the originating trigger is one of a Shared Interoffice Trunk Trigger and an Off-Hook Delay trigger.

24. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the local-designated trunk group is a local incoming interconnection trunk group.

25. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the SCP determining the screening indicator value includes the SCP:

determining whether there is redirection information present for the telephone call by determining whether there is information indicating redirection in a Redirection_Information field of an Info_Collected query message sent from the SSP to the SCP;

determining the screening indicator value associated with the Calling_PartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that no redirection information is present;

determining the screening indicator value associated with the OriginalCalledPartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that there is redirection information present, and the telephone call was redirected one time; and

determining the screening indicator value associated with the Redirecting PartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that there is redirection information present, and the telephone call was redirected more than one time.

26. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided when the telephone call is transmitted without utilizing a private telephone network.

27. The telecommunications network of claim 16, where the generating a response message to the SSP to block the telephone call received via the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided includes generating a response message to the SSP to block the telephone call received via the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value is equal to 11.

28. A service control point used in the blocking of a telephone call, the telephone call being transmitted from a calling party to the called party over a local-designated trunk group, comprising:

a controller for controlling operation of the service control point; and

a memory device coupled with the controller and including directory number information and corresponding Local Access and Transport Area (LATA) information for a plurality of telephone subscribers;

where the controller controlling operation of the service control point includes the controller

determining if the calling party is interLATA with respect to the service switching point, using information from the query message and the memory device,

wherein if it is determined that the calling party is interLATA, the controller determining a screening indicator value, and generating a response message used in the blocking of the telephone call received over the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided.

29. A storage media for use in a telecommunications network device for the blocking of a telephone call from a calling party to a called party that is received at a local designated trunk group of a service switching point (SSP), the SSP generating a query message to the telecommunications network device, the storage media comprising:

a first memory portion programmed for receiving the query message from the SSP;

a second memory portion programmed for determining if the calling party is inter Local Access and Transport Area (interLATA) with respect to the SSP, using information from the query message; and

a third memory portion programmed for determining a screening indicator value where the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP, and for generating a response message to block the telephone call received over the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided.

30. The storage media of claim 29, where the third memory portion programmed for determining a screening indicator includes the third memory portion being programmed for determining whether there is redirection information present for the telephone call.

31. The storage media of claim 30, where the third memory portion being programmed to determine whether there is redirection information present includes the third memory portion being programmed for determining whether there is information indicating redirection in a Redirection_Information field of an Info_Collected query message sent to a Service Control Point (SCP), and where the third memory portion being programmed for determining the screening indicator value for the telephone call includes the third memory portion being programmed for:

determining the screening indicator value associated with a Calling_PartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that no information indicates redirection;

determining the screening indicator value associated with a OriginalCalledPartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that information indicates redirection, and the telephone call was redirected one time; and

determining the screening indicator value associated with a Redirecting PartyID parameter of the Info_Collected query message where it is determined that information indicates redirection, and the telephone call was redirected more than one time.

32. The storage media of claim 29, where the telecommunications network device is a service control point.

33. A storage media for use in a telecommunications network device for the blocking of a telephone call from a calling party to a called party that is received at a local designated trunk group of a service switching point (SSP), the storage media comprising:

a first memory portion programmed for determining if the calling party is inter Local Access and Transport Area (interLATA) with respect to the SSP; and

a second memory portion programmed for determining a screening indicator value where the calling party is interLATA with respect to the SSP, and for generating a response message to block the telephone call received over the local-designated trunk group where the screening indicator value indicates that the telephone call is public telecommunications network provided.

34. The storage media of claim 33, where the telecommunications network device is a service control point.