Telephone call screener
First Claim
1. A telephone call screener comprising:
- means for detecting an incoming telephone call;
means for seizing said call and disconnecting a called telephone from a telephone line;
means for generating a random number;
means for playing a message to a caller before said called telephone user answers said called telephone, said message identifying said random number;
means for detecting said callers response to said message;
means for reconnecting said called telephone to said telephone line as a function of said caller'"'"'s response; and
means for ringing said called telephone if said caller'"'"'s response includes said random number.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A telephone call screener and method of use is disclosed for use with a user'"'"'s telephone system. It rejects unwanted telephone calls, such as those from telemarketers, while still allowing personal calls to ring through to the user, all without any user involvement. The screener recognizes an incoming call and disconnects the user'"'"'s telephone. The screening process then reads prerecorded messages to the caller, attempting to verbally filter out and reject undesired call types. In a first embodiment, the screener generates a random single digit number, and requests the caller to press this number key on their phone to verify compliance with the previously read message. Depending on the caller'"'"'s actions, the call is either disconnected, or is allowed to ring through to the user'"'"'s telephone. Neither the caller nor the screener user needs to know any predefined codes. Further, the screener does not depend on any Caller ID system or telephone answering machine. In alternate embodiments, the screener could be implemented in a business telephone system, or at a telephone company.
118 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A telephone call screener comprising:
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means for detecting an incoming telephone call; means for seizing said call and disconnecting a called telephone from a telephone line; means for generating a random number; means for playing a message to a caller before said called telephone user answers said called telephone, said message identifying said random number; means for detecting said callers response to said message; means for reconnecting said called telephone to said telephone line as a function of said caller'"'"'s response; and means for ringing said called telephone if said caller'"'"'s response includes said random number. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for blocking the connection of calls from a calling party device to a called party device, said system comprising;
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a controller; an incoming call detector; a random number generator, said random number generator operative to randomly select a number when said incoming call detector detects an incoming call; and a signal detector, said controller operative, upon said incoming call detector detecting an incoming call, to a) couple said incoming call from said calling party device to said signal detector, and, if said signal detector receives a signal from said calling party device corresponding to said number, to b) couple said calling party device to said called party device, said system thereby blocking connection of said incoming call unless a user of said calling party device inputs said number. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A call screening device comprising:
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a controllable switch intermediate to first and second devices coupled to a telecommunications network; a controller coupled to said controllable switch, said controller operative to detect an incoming call to said second device from said first device; a random number generator, said random number generator operative to randomly select a number when said controller detects an incoming call; and a signal detector, said controller operative, upon detecting an incoming call, to cause said controllable switch to a) decouple said second device from said telecommunications network and couple said incoming call from said first device to said signal detector and, if said signal detector receives a signal from said first device corresponding to said number, to b) couple said first device to said second device, said call screening device thereby blocking connection of said incoming call to said second device unless a user of said first device inputs said number. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for screening telephone calls, said method comprising the steps of:
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detecting an incoming call to a called telephone; disconnecting said called telephone from a telephone line; generating a random number; playing a message to the calling party associated with said incoming call, said message identifying said random number; a detecting said calling party'"'"'s response to said message; reconnecting said called telephone to said telephone line as a function of said caller'"'"'s response; and ringing said called telephone if said calling party'"'"'s response includes said random number. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification