Method and apparatus for screening telephone calls
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of screening calls, comprising the steps of:
- prompting a calling party that a fee will be charged for a connection to be established with a called party;
terminating the call responsive to an action indicative of an rejection of the fee charge;
charging a fee to the calling party and establishing a connection responsive to an action indicative of an acceptance of the fee charge; and
paying at least a portion of said fee to the called party.
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Abstract
Callers to a number subscribing to a screening application are prompted that a fee will be charged for the connection to be completed. The prompting can occur at the initiation of the call, prior to any connection to the called party, or after the called party has had a chance to screen the call. The calling party can choose whether to complete the connection or to terminate the call. If the connection is completed, the fee is charged; otherwise, the call is terminated. Accordingly, most unwanted calls are avoided and users are compensated for receiving unwanted calls that are completed.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of screening calls, comprising the steps of:
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prompting a calling party that a fee will be charged for a connection to be established with a called party;
terminating the call responsive to an action indicative of an rejection of the fee charge;
charging a fee to the calling party and establishing a connection responsive to an action indicative of an acceptance of the fee charge; and
paying at least a portion of said fee to the called party. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Circuitry for screening calls, comprising:
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circuitry for prompting a calling party that a fee will be charged for a connection to be established with a called party;
circuitry for terminating the call responsive to an action indicative of an rejection of the fee charge;
circuitry for charging a fee to the calling party and establishing a connection responsive to an action indicative of an acceptance of the fee charge; and
circuitry for paying at least a portion of said fee to the called party. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification