Method and apparatus for forwarding a caller identification for a credit card or calling card call to an automatic number identification system of a telephone network

• US 6,310,943 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kowalski, Thaddeus Julius
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Application Number:
  US09/431,066
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 379/127, 379/142, 379/144, 379/114, 379/115, 379/130, 379/198, 379/142.01, 379/142.03, 379/142.06, 379/142.17, 379/127.03
• US Class Current: 379/127.03
• 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 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• 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: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13374 Paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 for connecting to private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A telecommunication system enables a called party having a caller identification device to learn the identity of a calling party although the calling party is a credit card caller, a calling card caller, a caller using an Intelligent/Agent service, a caller using a pager or a caller connected to a PBX system. If the calling party'"'"'s ANI does not fully identify the calling party, information stored in a database is used to supplement the ANI so that the calling party can be identified.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications network, a method for providing calling party identification information to a called party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving first information associated with a calling party;

in response to receiving the first information, retrieving second information associated with the first information;

determining whether the second information further identifies the calling party;

responsive to a determination that the second information further identifies the calling party, forwarding the second information to the called party; and

responsive to a determination that the second information does not further identify the calling party, forwarding the first information to the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forwarding the second information to the called party responsive to the determination that the second information further identifies the calling party includes not forwarding the first information to the called party, and the step of forwarding the first information to the called party responsive to the determination that the second information does not further identify the calling party includes forwarding both the first information and the second information to the called party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving includes retrieving the second information from a database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calling party is calling from a terminal other than a terminal associated with the calling party.