Phonebook use to filter unwanted telecommunications calls and messages

• US 20070143422A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cai, Yigang
• Application Number:
  US11/314,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143422A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• 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 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

This invention relates to the use of a customer phonebook feature for storing white lists and black lists for filtering unwanted voice calls or data messages. It also relates to the automatic population of a customer phonebook of identifications of a destination of outgoing calls. Advantageously, the phonebook can be rapidly and effortlessly populated with white lists and black lists to reduce processing for determining whether incoming calls or messages should be blocked or passed to the called destination.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system a method of rejecting unwanted communications, comprising the steps of:

responsive to receiving a communication, determining whether an identification of a source of said communication is in a white list of a phonebook of a called customer; and

if said identification of said source is in said white list, completing said communication.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining whether said identification of said source is in a black list of said phonebook; and

if said identification of said source is in said black list, rejecting said communication.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

responsive to an origination of another communication by said called customer, determining whether a destination identification of said another communication is already in said white list; and

if said destination identification of said another communication is not in said white list, adding said destination number to said white list.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

responsive to an origination of another call by said called customer, determining whether a destination identification of said another call is already in said black list; and

if said destination identification of said another call is not in said black list, adding said destination number to said black list.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said communication is a short message service (SMS) message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said communication is an e-mail message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said communication is an instant message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said communication is a voice call.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

if said identification of said source is not in said white list, passing said message to an anti-spam application for further analysis.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

if said identification of said source is not in said black list, passing said message to an anti-spam application for further analysis.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

responsive to an origination of another communication by said called customer, determining whether a destination identification of said another communication is in a phonebook of said called customer; and

if said destination identification of said another communication is not in said phonebook of said called customer, adding said destination identification to said phonebook.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein other destination identifications of a customer identified by said destination identification of said another communication are also added to said phonebook.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein other destination identifications of a customer identified by said destination identification of said another communication are also added to said white list.

14. The method of claim 4 wherein other destination identifications of a customer identified by said destination identification of said another communication are also added to said black list.

15. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of:

adding a time and day restriction to the entry on said white list.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

testing whether a white list entry for said source includes a time and day restriction;

if a time and day restriction exists, preventing a completion of said communication if a present time falls outside said time and day restriction.

17. Apparatus for rejecting an unwanted communications, comprising:

customer station means comprising a customer phonebook, said phonebook controllable by a customer controlling said customer station means;

said customer phonebook comprising a black list of telecommunications sources from which communications are to be blocked;

means for accessing said customer phonebook for obtaining said black list;

network server means, responsive to said means for accessing, for storing said black list of said customer phonebook;

means responsive to receipt of a communication for determining whether a source of said communication is on said black list of said customer phonebook stored in said network server means; and

means for blocking completion of said communication if said means for determining determines that said source is on said black list in said server means.

18. Apparatus for accepting wanted communications, comprising:

customer station means comprising a customer phonebook, said phonebook controllable by a customer controlling said customer station means;

said customer phonebook comprising a white list of telecommunications sources from which communications are to be accepted;

means for accessing said customer phonebook for obtaining said white list;

network server means, responsive to said means for accessing, for storing said white list of said customer phonebook;

means responsive to receipt of a communication for determining whether a source of said communication is on said white list of said customer phonebook stored in said network server means; and

means for allowing completion of said communication if said means for determining determines that said source is on said white list in said server means.