Use of incoming caller line identification

• US 5,278,894 A
• Filed: 10/25/1991
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Shaw, I-Nuoh R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/783,052
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/142, 379/245, 379/246, 379/201, 379/230, 379/247
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• 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 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0016 Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing customized greeting messages from a switch-based voice messaging service. Advantageously, special messages may be left for identified callers. The invention further relates to a method and apparatus for determining which of a plurality of numbers received in a common channel signaling message is to be used as the ICLID number for a specific call. The candidate ICLID numbers include the caller station telephone number, the caller'"'"'s calling card number, or a special number provided by the caller. Advantageously, such an arrangement can be used to identify callers who are calling away from their home or business telephones.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call comprising the steps of:

receiving, in a terminating switching system, a common channel signaling message, said message comprising a plurality of numbers and indication data of which of said plurality of said numbers is to be used as an Incoming Caller Line Identification (ICLID) number for a said call; and

using the number determined from said indication data as an ICLID number for processing said call in said terminating switching system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said using step comprises transmitting said number for display to a called telephone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said using step comprises using said ICLID number as an ICLID number for Local Area Signaling Services (LASS) features for a called customer of said call.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said using step comprises:

responsive to determining that message service is to be provided for said call, comparing said ICLID number with stored ICLID numbers corresponding to a special greeting message; and

if said received ICLID number matches one of said stored numbers, returning on said call a greeting message corresponding to said matched stored number.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving comprises receiving common channel signaling (CCS) messages comprising said numbers and said indication data.

6. Apparatus for processing a telephone call comprising:

means for receiving a common channel signaling message; and

processor means operative under the control of a program for processing messages for said call, said messages comprising a plurality of numbers and indication data of which of said numbers is to be used as an ICLID number for said call for determining the ICLID number for said call; and

for using the determined ICLID number for processing said call in response to previously stored indications from a called customer of said call of how calls from said determined ICLID number are to be processed.