Communications privacy protection system by replacing calling party number with non-assigned number

• US 5,590,184 A
• Filed: 03/03/1995
• Issued: 12/31/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: London, Thomas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/398,251
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 379/127, 379/142, 379/201, 379/213, 379/245, 379/196, 379/197, 379/199, 370/170.1
• US Class Current: 379/142.09
• 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 1/571 Blocking transmission of caller identification to called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• 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 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy

Abstract

A telephone subscriber of a privacy communications service is allowed to use a randomly selected non-assigned telephone number--instead of the subscriber'"'"'s real telephone number--as a return phone number in a telephone message left for a called party. The non-assigned, randomly selected telephone number becomes inoperative after a threshold that may be pre-imposed by the subscriber is exceeded. According to a feature of the invention, the function of randomly selecting a non-assigned telephone number may also include replacing the calling party number with the randomly selected number. Hence, when a caller-id display unit receives the telephone number of an incoming call for which the privacy communications service is used, the randomly selected telephone number--as opposed to the real telephone number--is received and recorded by the caller-id display unit.

Claims

1. In a communications system, a method of providing a communications service, said method comprising the steps of

receiving information associated with a call initiated by a caller;

selecting a non-assigned telephone number for said communication service; and

outputting a message identifying said non-assigned telephone number to said caller during said call.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes a calling party number and wherein said method further comprises the step of:

replacing the calling party number with the selected non-assigned telephone number for delivery to a called party number for which said call is destined.

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

incorporating the selected non-assigned telephone number in a ringing signal delivered to a called party number for which said call is destined.

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

delivering a first and a second ringing signal to a called party number for which said call is destined; and

outputting said selected non-assigned telephone number to said called party number between said first and second ringing signal.

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

completing said call to a called party number for which said call is destined; and

in response to a signal from an answering machine at said called party number, outputting said selected non-assigned telephone number in audible form to said answering machine.

6. The method of claims 3, 4 or 5 further comprising the step of

mapping said selected non-assigned telephone number to said caller'"'"'s calling party number when the non-assigned telephone number is dialed for a return call directed to said calling party number.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

permitting said non-assigned telephone number to be mapped to said calling party number to complete a return call for which said selected non-assigned telephone number was dialed only if predetermined conditions are satisfied.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one of said conditions is selected from a group which includes a) receiving return calls only from telephone sets associated with said called party number, b) limiting the number of calls directed to said selected non-assigned number, and c) limiting time period within which said selected non-assigned number can be used to complete calls to the calling party number.

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

completing said return call to a voice announcement system when said predetermined conditions are not satisfied.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said conditions are pre-selected by said caller.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said conditions are selected by said caller after said call to said called party has been completed.

12. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

triggering said selection of said non-assigned number by entering at least one digit on a dialpad.

13. In a communications network, a method of processing a telephone call, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a destination telephone number dialed by a caller who initiated said call;

determining by said network that said dialed telephone number is a non-assigned telephone number; and

in response to determining that said dialed telephone number was previously used as a replacement number for a different telephone number, mapping said dialed number to said different telephone number.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

completing said call to said different telephone number when at least one condition which was pre-selected by a called party associated with said different telephone number is satisfied.

15. A system for providing a communications service to a caller, said system comprising:

means for receiving source information which includes a calling party number associated with said call; and

means for replacing said calling party number with a selected non-assigned telephone number.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

means for delivering said selected non-assigned telephone number to said caller.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

means responsive to a signal from a voice messaging system at a called party number to which said call is directed, for delivering said selected non-assigned telephone number to said voice messaging system in audible form.

18. A system for processing an incoming call, said system comprising:

means for receiving a called party number for said call;

means for determining that said called party number is a non-assigned telephone number; and

in response to determining that said called party number was previously used as a replacement number for a different telephone number, means for mapping said called party number to said different telephone number to complete said call.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for completing said call to a voice message system when at least one condition that is pre-selected by said called party for receiving calls at said replacement number is not satisfied.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for completing said call to said different telephone number when all conditions pre-selected by said caller are satisfied.

21. In a communications network, a method of providing a communications service to a caller placing a call, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a calling party number and a called party number for said call;

selecting a non-assigned telephone number for said call; and

replacing the calling party number with the selected non-assigned telephone number.

22. A method of providing a communications service to a caller placing a call, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a calling party number and a called party number for said call;

selecting a non-assigned telephone number for said call;

associating said selected non-assigned telephone number to said calling party number such that said non-assigned telephone number can be used as a telephone number at which said caller can be called back.