Automatic Reporting of Unwanted or Unlawful Telephonic Communication
First Claim
1. A method for reporting a received call to a reporting authority, said received call originating with a calling party and terminating with a called party, comprising the steps of:
- storing the calling party number of the caller of the received call;
upon receipt of a selected signaling sequence from said called party, requesting a network address for the proper reporting authority; and
upon receipt of a response to said request for a network address, directing a second signaling message to a third party, said signaling message including the telephone number of said calling party and the telephone number of the called party;
wherein said signaling sequence indicates a characteristic of the call and said method is performed on a stored program control system with the ability to construct and deliver signaling messages.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to methods for a called party to report unwanted telephone calls to jurisdictional authorities. These calls may be unwanted, unlawful, or other calls. In the methods of the present invention, the called party dials a code comprised of a series of digits, which triggers the switching node associated with the called party to generate a series of messages, at least one of which encompasses the originating telephone number of the unwanted call. At least one of the messages is directed to the proper reporting authority such that the called party reports the unwanted event. Called parties can take further actions, such as including additional messaging or blocking subsequent calls from the calling party number. The reporting authority can take further action as well, such as matching the called party number with subscriber or geographic information.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for reporting a received call to a reporting authority, said received call originating with a calling party and terminating with a called party, comprising the steps of:
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storing the calling party number of the caller of the received call; upon receipt of a selected signaling sequence from said called party, requesting a network address for the proper reporting authority; and upon receipt of a response to said request for a network address, directing a second signaling message to a third party, said signaling message including the telephone number of said calling party and the telephone number of the called party; wherein said signaling sequence indicates a characteristic of the call and said method is performed on a stored program control system with the ability to construct and deliver signaling messages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for capturing call information comprising:
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a telephone set, smart phone, or other communications phone or device capable of delivering subscriber signaling codes; a stored program control switching element with a subscriber signaling code detector and a register, said switching element capable of preparing and delivering network signaling messages; and a customer node for receiving and decoding network signaling messages, wherein said network signaling messages include data stored in said register; wherein said switching element is programmed to accept particular customer signaling codes and in response preparing and delivering a network signaling message directed to said customer node, and said customer node is accessible via the PSTN. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for reporting a call received by a telephonic device to a reporting authority, said received call originating with a calling party and terminating with a called party, comprising the steps of:
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upon receipt of said call received by said telephonic device, using said telephonic device to send a DTMF sequence to a stored program control switching node, receipt of said sequence by said switching node resulting in said switching node requesting a network address for said reporting authority and directing a second signaling message including the telephone number of said calling party and the telephone number of the called party, to said reporting authority, and using said telephonic device to send a content message to said reporting authority using a data network, wherein said DTMF sequence indicates a characteristic of the call received, said stored program control switching node has the ability to construct and deliver signaling messages, and said second signaling message and said content message include an indicator such that said reporting authority has the ability to associate said second signaling message and said content message. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification