Programmable caller ID

• US 20090052644A1
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wood, Gennaming, Forsberg, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/142.60
• 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 3/436 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 3/4365 based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing Programmable Caller ID Screening services. One method monitors a telephone call for a call screening request for commercial, residential, and other identifiers of incoming calls. An action is taken in response to the call screening request. The action could be playing an announcement, terminating the connection, forwarding to voice mail, storing the ICLID information in a database, adding the ICLID information to a Do Not Call list, updating a subscriber'"'"'s profile with the ICLID information, and/or storing the ICLID information in a subscriber'"'"'s blocked communications list. The call screening request may comprise a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency, a softkey entry, and/or a data message. Subsequent incoming calls from the calling telephone number are characterized as undesirable and are screened from alerting or otherwise establishing a communications connection to the called telephone number.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing a telephone call, the telephone call from a calling telephone number to a called telephone number;

after a connection between the calling telephone number and the called telephone number, monitoring the telephone call for a call screening request associated with a commercial class of service, the commercial class of service identifying the calling telephone number as an undesirable calling party;

upon entry of the call screening request, taking an action in response to the call screening request.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises playing an announcement.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises terminating the connection.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises forwarding the telephone call to voice mail.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises storing incoming line identification information of the calling telephone number in a database.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises communicating incoming line identification information of the calling telephone number to a Do Not Call list, the Do Not Call list associated with the called telephone number.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises updating a subscriber'"'"'s profile with the incoming line identification information of the calling telephone number, the subscriber'"'"'s profile associated with the called telephone number.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of taking an action comprises storing the incoming line identification information of the calling telephone number in a subscriber'"'"'s blocked communications list.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the telephone call for the call screening request comprises monitoring for at least one of a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency, a softkey entry, and a data message.

10. A method, comprising:

detecting a telephone call at a telecommunications switch, the telephone call from a calling telephone number to a called telephone number;

decoding the calling telephone number for line identification information, the line identification information compared with a subscriber'"'"'s profile;

if the line identification information matches an undesirable commercial class of service, then taking acall screening request.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises playing an announcement.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises terminating the connection.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises forwarding the telephone call to voice mail.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises storing incoming line identification information of the calling telephone number in a database.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises communicating the incoming line identification information to a Do Not Call list, the Do Not Call list associated with the called telephone number.

16. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises updating a subscriber'"'"'s profile with the incoming line identification information, the subscriber'"'"'s profile associated with the called telephone number.

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of taking an action comprises storing the incoming line identification information in a subscriber'"'"'s blocked communications list.

18. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of receiving the call screening request comprises receiving at least one of a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency, a softkey entry, and a data message.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving a telephone call at a telecommunications switch, the telephone call from a calling telephone number to a called telephone number;

connecting the telephone call to the called telephone number;

receiving a call screening request from the called telephone number, the call screening request associated with a commercial class of service, the commercial class of service identifying the calling telephone number as an undesirable calling party; and

playing an announcement to a communications address of the calling telephone number.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising terminating the telephone call.