Method for audible caller name announcement with call list feature

• US 5,850,435 A
• Filed: 03/01/1996
• Issued: 12/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaOne Group Inc. (Comcast Corporation), U S West Inc.
• Inventors: Devillier, Douglas Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US08/609,574
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142, 379/127, 379/67, 379/217, 379/88, 379/196, 379/199, 379/201, 379/207, 379/372, 379/373, 379/374, 379/375, 379/245
• US Class Current: 379/374.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• 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

Abstract

A method to audibly announce an identified caller name includes one embodiment, the caller name includes determined by making a query to a database with phone numbers and corresponding line owners (e.g., to the line information database (LIDB)). In this embodiment, the system phonetically pronounces the name found in the database to the subscriber in an announcement. In another embodiment, the system requests that the calling party speak their name. The spoken name is recorded, and played back to the subscriber in an announcement. The caller is placed on hold while the caller name is provided to the subscriber in an announcement. The subscriber may either accept the call, or reject the call. If the call is accepted, the call is connected. If the call is rejected, the line is busy, or there is no answer, the caller is notified. In one embodiment, a rejected call is transferred to a voice mail system. In yet another embodiment, the subscriber can selectively activate or deactivate the audible caller name feature (e.g., in order to take calls personally without screening, or to use an answering machine). In yet another embodiment, incoming call names are placed on a call list. The subscriber can later access the call name list, and make calls to telephone numbers corresponding to names on the list.

Claims

1. In a communications network comprising a service control point and an intelligent peripheral wherein a caller initiates a call to a subscriber, a method for providing an audible caller name to the subscriber, the method comprising:

automatically obtaining a caller name associated with a telephone number of the caller via a query made by the service control point to a line information database in a local network;

announcing the caller name to the subscriber via an announcement made by the intelligent peripheral;

instructing the service control point to save the caller name and associated number on a list stored in the local network;

accessing the list by using the caller name; and

connecting a call between the subscriber telephone set and a telephone set having number associated with the caller name on the list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein announcing the caller name to the subscriber comprises playing a phonetically produced rendition of the caller name.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

selectively activating and deactivating providing an announcement of the caller name.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

requesting the subscriber to accept or reject the call via an announcement made by the intelligent peripheral.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein announcing the caller name to the subscriber replaces a conventional telephone ring otherwise heard by the subscriber.