Incoming telephone call filter utilizing a duplicitous caller-ID recognition method and apparatus

• US 6,198,812 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Effectrol Patent Trust
• Original Assignee: Effectrol Patent Trust
• Inventors: Weber, Harold J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Application Number:
  US09/159,490
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142, 379/127, 379/179, 379/183, 379/184, 379/189, 379/171, 379/164, 379/161, 379/178, 379/252, 379/197, 379/199, 379/67.1, 379/88.21, 379/93.03, 379/93.04, 379/381, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Abstract

A telephone line incoming call filtering device. A ring-through of an incoming call to a subscriber'"'"'s controlled telephone is reserved to a second call attempt quickly following a succession of a first call and a hang-up. As a result, nuisance calls such as trash calls from telemarketeers and other unwanted calls may be simply diverted to an answering machine. This nuisance call filtering is transparently obtained without even bothering the subscriber when the first call attempt rings more often than one or two times. On the other hand, repeating a rapid-fire succession of incoming calls where the first call attempt is allowed to ring only once or twice followed by a second call attempt are allowed to ring-through directly to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone set. Filtering of unwanted calls is achieved by permitting the ring-through to occur only when the first call attempt is allowed to ring only a few times and distinctly a less number of times than ordinarily attempted by casual or nuisance callers. Then the second call attempt, when it follows the first call attempt in quick time succession is recognized as possibly valid and the ring-through occurs. Filtering may also be obtained by recognizing and storing the caller-ID of the first call attempt and then a second immediately occurring call attempt is intercepted and if the caller-ID of this second call matches the stored caller-ID of the second call, the ring-through to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone set is permitted.

Claims

1. An incoming telephone call filtering method for a subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone apparatus comprising steps of:

receiving a first incoming telephone call signal originated by a first caller and first arriving via a first telephone line;

blocking a coupling of the first incoming telephone call signal with the subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone apparatus;

recognizing a first caller identification number (first caller-ID number) for the first incoming telephone call signal;

storing the first caller-ID number;

receiving a second incoming telephone call signal ordinarily reoriginated by the first caller and second arriving over the first telephone line;

recognizing a second caller identification (caller-ID number for the second incoming telephone call signal;

comparing the second caller-ID number with the stored first caller-ID number; and

,

transferring the second incoming telephone call signal to the subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone apparatus in response to the comparison of the

stored said first caller-ID number and the second caller-ID number as substantially coequal.

2. The incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 1 comprising a further step of:

blocking a coupling of the second incoming telephone call signal with the subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone apparatus when the stored said first caller-ID number and the second caller-ID number are substantially disparate.

3. The incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 2 comprising a further step of:

diverting the blocked Said second, incoming telephone call signal to an alternate telephone apparatus.

4. The incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 1 comprising a further step of:

prescribing at least one vigilant telephone number;

comparing the first caller-ID number with the vigilant telephone number; and

,

diverting the first incoming telephone call signal to an alternate telephone apparatus in response to a substantial match between the first caller-ID number and an unwelcome said vigilant telephone number; and

,

transferring the first incoming telephone call signal to the subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone apparatus in response to a substantial match between the first caller-ID number and a preferential said vigilant telephone number.

5. The incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 1 further comprising an erasing of the stored said first caller-ID number upon an occurrence of at least one step of:

a receiving of a dissimilar said second incoming telephone call signal; and

,

an elapse of a predetermined period of time subsequent to receiving the first incoming telephone call signal.

6. An incoming telephone call screening method comprising steps of:

intercepting a first incoming telephone call signal originated by a first caller and first arriving via a first telephone line;

inhibiting the subscriber'"'"'s telephone apparatus from telltale signaling in response to the intercepted said first incoming call signal;

establishing a first flag signal first denoting the first incoming call-signal;

receiving a second incoming telephone call signal usually reoriginated by the first caller and second arriving on the first telephone line;

establishing a second flag signal second denoting the second incoming telephone call signal; and

,

routing the second incoming call-signal to the subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone apparatus in response to a substantial correlation between the first flag signal and the second flag signal.

7. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 6 further comprising a step of:

decoding a first caller-ID data set for the first incoming telephone call-signal to predicate the first flag signal;

storing the first flag signal;

said intercepting a second incoming telephone call-signal;

decoding a second caller-ID data set for the second incoming telephone call-signal as the second flag signal; and

,

coupling the second incoming call with the subscriber'"'"'s telephone apparatus in response to the substantial correlation between the first flag signal and the second flag signal.

8. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 6 further comprising a step of:

diverting the second incoming telephone call signal to a second telephone receiving apparatus when the stored said first flag signal and the second flag signal are substantially disparate.

9. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 6 further comprising a step of:

tallying component ring signals associated with the first incoming telephone call;

diverting the first incoming telephone call signal to a second telephone receiving apparatus when the component ring signal tally contravenes a predetermined number of rings.

10. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 7 further comprising a step of:

erasing the stored said first flag signal when the stored said first flag signal and the second flag signal are determined as comparatively disparate;

subsequently storing the second flag signal;

said intercepting a tertiary incoming telephone call signal;

decoding a tertiary flag signal from caller-ID data accompanying the tertiary incoming telephone call signal;

comparing the stored said second flag signal and the tertiary flag signal; and

,

routing the tertiary incoming telephone call to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone apparatus in concurrent response to a substantial value equivalence between the second flag signal and the tertiary flag signal.

11. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 6 further comprising a step of:

erasing the stored said first flag signal when a predetermined period of time elapses between the interception of the first incoming telephone call signal and a subsequent said interception of the second incoming telephone call signal.

12. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 6 further comprising steps of:

detecting the first flag signal to comprise a first ring cadence signal accompanying the first incoming telephone call signal; and

,

first blocking the subscriber'"'"'s telephone apparatus from the telltale signaling in response to the detected said first ring cadence signal.

13. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 12 further comprising steps of:

detecting the second flag signal to comprise a second ring cadence signal accompanying the second incoming telephone call signal;

first accumulating a first ring-count number of on-state ring signal periods alternating with off-state ring signal periods that may occur during the detected said first ring cadence signal;

second accumulating a second ring-count number of the on-state ring signal periods alternating with the off-state ring signal periods that may occur during the detected said second ring cadence signal;

second blocking the telltale signaling of the subscriber'"'"'s telephone apparatus in response to the second and subsequent ring cadence signal when first accumulated tally of the first ring-count number contravenes a first predetermined number of ring count occurrences.

14. The incoming telephone call screening method of claim 13 further comprising steps of:

timing elapse of a first interval of time at least extensive subsequent to a completion of the first ring cadence signal; and

,

resetting the accumulated said first ring-count number to an initial value and usually to zero subsequent to the timed elapse of the first interval of time.

15. An incoming telephone call filtering method for a subscriber'"'"'s telephone apparatus comprising steps of:

intercepting a first telephone call first incoming via a first telephone line;

blocking a coupling of the first telephone call with a subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone set;

intercepting a second telephone call second incoming via the first telephone line;

comparing a calling characteristic of the subsequent telephone call with the calling characteristic of the first telephone call; and

,

enabling a coupling of the second telephone call with a subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone set when a predetermined call acceptance criteria is realized by the compared calling characteristics.

16. The incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 15 further comprising steps of:

counting separate ring signal occurrences which may occur during a ring cadence signal portion of the first telephone call; and

,

defining the call acceptance criteria to recognize a predetermined number of the counted said ring signal occurrences accompanying the first telephone call.

17. An incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 15 further comprising steps of:

decoding a first caller-ID number accompanying the first telephone call as a first calling characteristic;

decoding a second caller-ID number accompanying the second telephone call as a second calling characteristic;

and,

defining the second call acceptance criteria to include a substantial equivalence between the first calling characteristic and the second calling characteristic.

18. An incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 15 further comprising steps of:

presetting a defined telephone number in a memory as the predetermined call acceptance criteria;

decoding at least one of;

a first caller-ID number accompanying the first telephone call as a first calling characteristic and a second caller-ID number accompanying the second telephone call as a second calling characteristic;

comparing at least the first caller-ID number with the predetermined call acceptance criteria; and

,

said blocking the coupling of at least one of the first telephone call and the second telephone call with the subscriber'"'"'s primary telephone set when a substantial comparative match is obtained between at least one of the first calling characteristic and the second calling characteristic relative with the predetermined call acceptance criteria.

19. An incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 15 further comprising steps of:

presetting a defined telephone number in a memory as the predetermined call acceptance criteria; and

, decoding at least one of;

a first caller-ID number accompanying the first telephone call as a first calling characteristic and a second caller-ID number accompanying the second telephone call as a second calling characteristic;

enabling an immediate coupling of the first telephone call with the subscriber'"'"'s telephone primary telephone set when a substantial comparative match is obtained between the first calling characteristic and the predetermined call acceptance criteria.

20. An incoming telephone call filtering method of claim 15 further comprising a step of:

defining the predetermined call acceptance criteria to include a recognition of a preestablished number of ring signal pulses accompanying a first ring cadence signal portion of the incoming first telephone call in combination with a second ring cadence signal portion of the incoming second telephone call occurring prior to an elapse of less than a predetermined period of time between a receiving of the first telephone call and the second telephone.