Method and system for providing enhanced caller identification information

• US 20070121825A1
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bruce E. Stuckman, John Rauch, Jose Cruz, Patrick Walsh, Theodore Myers
• Original Assignee: Bruce E. Stuckman, John Rauch, Jose Cruz, Patrick Walsh, Theodore Myers
• Inventors: Walsh, Patrick, Myers, Theodore, Stuckman, Bruce, Cruz, Jose, Rauch, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,372,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.190
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• 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 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party

Abstract

A method and apparatus permit handling of unwanted calls from callers such as telemarketers, when caller identification is provided. In one embodiment, the called party adds the caller identification information for the telemarketer to a personal list after receiving the unwanted call. Subsequent calls from the telemarketer are intercepted. In a second embodiment, the called party identifies the telemarketer by detecting the caller identification information before answering the call. By providing a screen listing indication, the caller identification information is added to the called party'"'"'s personal list before the call is completed, permitting the call to be intercepted and while future calls from the telemarketer to be intercepted.

Claims

1. A communication system configured to process a call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called party at a called communication station, the communication system comprising:

a first network element to detect a call processing query from a terminating switch and in response to the call processing query, to determine whether standard caller identification information for the calling communication station can be provided to the called communication station, the first network element being further operative to communicate a call processing message if standard caller identification information can not be provided, the call processing message including an identifier for the called communication station and a presentation indicator; and

a second network element coupled with the first network element to receive the call processing message and to transmit a request for spoken caller identification information to the calling communication station and store the spoken caller identification information as audible caller identification information in response to the call processing message, and further to provide the audible caller identification information to the called communication station if the called party accepts the call, the second network element further to detect a screen listing indication from the called communication station, and

the first network element operative to intercept subsequent calls from the calling communication station to the called communication station in response to the screen listing indication.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first network element obtains the standard caller identification information if the standard caller identification information can be provided, the first network element further comparing the standard caller identification information to a stored intercept list for the called communication station, and communicate a response message from the first network element to the terminating switch to complete the received call to the called party only if the standard caller identification information does not match an entry on the intercept list.

3. The communication system of claim 2 wherein a component of the communication system is configured to detect signaling from the called communication station indicating the standard caller identification for the calling communication station should be added to the intercept list for the called communication station if the standard caller identification was provided and the call was completed, and if the signaling is detected, add the standard caller identification for the calling communication station to the intercept list for the called communication station.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first network element is operative to detecting signaling by determining if a data entry was received from the called communication station and determining if the received data entry corresponds to a screen listing indication.

5. A method for processing calls in a communications system, the method comprising:

(a) at a first network element of the communications system, detecting a call processing query associated with a received call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called communication station;

(b) determining if standard caller identification information for the received call for the calling communication station can be provided to the called communication station;

(c) if standard caller identification information can be provided,

(c1) obtaining the standard caller identification information, and

(c2) comparing the standard caller identification information to respective entries of an intercept list;

(c3) communicating a call processing response message from the first network element to complete the received call to the called party only if the standard caller identification information does not match an entry on the intercept list;

(d) if standard caller identification information cannot be provided or if the standard caller identification information matches an entry of the intercept list,

(d1) preventing completion of the call to the called communication station;

(d2) sending a call processing message from the first network element to a second network element of the communications system to cause the second network element to request spoken caller identification information of the calling communication station and to subsequently play the spoken caller identification information to the called communication station when provided; and

(d3) at the second network element, completing the received call only if the called party accepts the call;

(e) if the standard caller identification was provided and the call was completed, detecting signaling from the called communication station indicating the standard caller identification for the calling communication station should be added to the intercept list for the called communication station; and

(f) if the signaling is detected, adding the standard caller identification for the calling communication station to the intercept list for the called communication station.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein (d2) comprises:

transmitting a request for spoken identification information to the calling communication station, and

storing the spoken caller identification information, when provided.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

generating audible caller identification information using synthesized speech signals based on the standard caller identification information.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

detecting in the call processing query a Called Party Identifier, the Called Party Identifier corresponding to the called communication station;

placing the Called Party Identifier in the call processing message as a Calling Party Identifier; and

marking a Presentation Indicator associated with the Calling Party Identifier in the call processing message as presentation allowed.