Method and apparatus for screening a call as the call is transmitted to voice mail

• US 6,310,939 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Varney, Douglas William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Putt, Nora J.
• Application Number:
  US09/134,267
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 379/258, 379/35, 379/80, 379/82, 379/210, 379/211, 379/230, 379/235, 379/34, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.04
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4563 Voicemail monitoring during recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party

Abstract

A screening and monitoring capability for switch based voice messaging systems that allows a called party to hear the caller and the caller'"'"'s voice as the caller leaves a message and break in to start a normal telephone discussion if the caller or the caller'"'"'s subject warrants such action. The method and apparatus of this invention provide for an advanced intelligent network service feature that controls the bridging of the connections to the voice mail and the called party'"'"'s telephone station. The service feature turns the voice mail off and tears down the connection if the monitoring called party speaks.

Claims

1. A method for providing a call screening service feature comprising the steps of:

a calling party at a first station dialing a number of a called party'"'"'s station starting a first call and causing an alerting at said called party'"'"'s station;

if the called party'"'"'s station is not answered, determining that a no answer condition exists for the dialed number;

if a called party corresponding to the called party'"'"'s station is a subscriber to a voice mail service feature, invoking a known call-forwarding-on-no- answer service feature;

in response to said call-forwarding-on- no-answer service feature, forwarding the first call to a number of a switch based voice mail system;

based on the dialed number, determining by a service control point that the called party is a subscriber to a screening type of voice mail service;

routing the first call to a service switching point connected to a service node and passing call setup information of the first call to the service node;

answering said first call by said service node and storing the calling party'"'"'s number, dialed party'"'"'s number and the number of the voice mail system;

placing a second call that is destined for the voice mail system;

routing this second call to said voice mail system;

bridging the first call with the second call;

said voice mail system playing a prerecorded greeting to said calling party and beginning to receive any transmitted message therefrom;

in response to said alerting, said called party going off-hook and dialing a control string in order to screen a message the calling party is transmitting to said voice mail system;

bridging the called party on to the bridged first and second calls between the calling party at calling party'"'"'s station and the voice mail system by using a 2 B-Channel Transfer Feature switch capability;

monitoring the portion of bridged first call and second call to the called party'"'"'s station for speech and if speech is detected dropping from said bridged first call and second call the connection to said voice mail system; and

terminating any remaining portions of the bridged first call and second call when said calling party goes on-hook.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said control string has been provisioned with a trigger for a service switching point, which causes an advanced intelligent network SS7 query to be transmitted to a service control point, said service control point returns a number designating said service node as the routing number in a response to the query so when said service switching points route the first call to the service node which answers the first call, correlates the dialed number with the first call between the calling party and the voice mail system and said service node performs the bridging to said called party for screening.

3. A method for providing a call screening service feature comprising the steps of:

a calling party at a first station dialing a number of a called party'"'"'s station starting a first call and causing an alerting at said called party'"'"'s station;

if the called party'"'"'s station is not answered, determining that a no answer condition exists for the dialed number;

if a called party corresponding to the called party'"'"'s station is a subscriber to a voice mail service feature, invoking a known call-forwarding-on-no- answer service feature;

in response to said call-forwarding-on- no-answer service feature, forwarding the first call to a number of a switch based voice mail system;

based on the dialed number, determining by a service control point that the called party is a subscriber to a screening type of voice mail;

routing the first call to a service switching point connected to a service node and passing call setup information to the service node;

answering the first said call by said service node and storing the calling party'"'"'s number, dialed party'"'"'s number and the number of the voice mail system;

placing, by said service node, a second call that is destined for the voice mail system;

routing, by said service switching point, this second call to said voice mail system;

bridging, by said service node, the call from the first calling party with the second call to said voice mail system;

said voice mail system playing a prerecorded greeting to said calling party and beginning to receive any transmitted message therefrom;

said called party going off-hook and dialing a control string in order to screen a message the calling party is transmitting to said voice mail system;

bridging, by said service node, the called party bridged first and second call after on to the on to the call between the calling party at calling party'"'"'s station and the voice mail system by using a 2 B-Channel Transfer Feature switch capability;

said service node monitoring an output of the called party'"'"'s station for speech and if speech is detected dropping the second call portion of the bridged first call and second call to said voice mail system; and

terminating any remaining portions of bridges first the call when said calling party goes on-hook.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said control string has been provisioned with a trigger for a service switching point, which causes an advanced intelligent network SS7 query to be transmitted to a service control point, said service control point returns a number designating said service node as the routing number in a response to the query so when said service switching points route the first call to the service node which answers the first call, correlates the dialed number with the first call between the calling party and the voice mail system and said service node performs the bridging to said called party for screening.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

if the called party chooses not to screen the call, detecting when said calling party and said voice mail system terminate the call; and

in response to said termination of the call, tearing down the call.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said service node signals to said the service switching point to bridge the call using a 2 B-Channel Transfer Feature switch capability.

7. A method for providing a call screening service feature comprising the steps of:

a calling party at a first station dialing a number of a called party'"'"'s station starting a first call and causing an alerting at said called party'"'"'s station;

if the called party'"'"'s station is not answered, determining that a no answer condition exists for the dialed number;

if a called party corresponding to the called party'"'"'s station is a subscriber to a voice mail service feature, invoking a known call-forwarding-on-no- answer service feature;

in response to said call-forwarding-on- no-answer service feature, forwarding the first call to a number of a switch based voice mail system;

based on the dialed number, determining by a service control point that the called party is a subscriber to a screening type of voice mail;

routing the first call to a service switching point connected to a service node and passing call setup information of the first call to the service node;

answering the first call by said service node and storing the calling party'"'"'s number, dialed party'"'"'s number and the number of the voice mail system;

placing, by said service node, a second call that is destined for the voice mail system;

routing, by said service switching point, this second call to said voice mail system;

bridging, by said service node, the call from the calling party with the second call to said voice mail system;

said voice mail system playing a prerecorded greeting to said calling party and beginning to receive any transmitted message therefrom;

said called party going off-hook and dialing a control string in order to screen a message the calling party is transmitting to said voice mail system;

bridging, by said service node, the bridged first call and second called party on to the call between the calling party at calling party'"'"'s station and the voice mail system;

said service node monitoring the portion of the bridged first call and second call to the called party'"'"'s station for any speech and if any speech is detected from the called party'"'"'s station said service node dropping a portion of the second call to said voice mail system while maintaining a portion of the bridged the first call and second call from the calling party to the called party;

terminating any remaining portions of the the call when said calling party goes on hook; and

said service node signaling to said service switching point to bridge the calling and called parties using a 2 B-Channel Transfer Feature switch capability.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said control string has been provisioned with a trigger for a service switching point, which causes an advanced intelligent network SS7 query to be transmitted to a service control point, said service control point returns a number designating said service node as the routing number in a response to the query so when said service switching points route the first call to the service node which answers the first call, correlates the dialed number with the first call between the first calling party and the voice mail system and said service node performs the bridging to said called party for screening.

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

if the called party chooses not to screen the bridged first call and second call, detecting when said calling party and said voice mail system terminate the bridged first call and second call; and

in response to said termination of the bridged first call and second call, tearing down the bridged first call and second call.