Call processing system utilizing subscriber services and preferences

• US 6,535,596 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1997
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tripp, Susan J., Frey, Alan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Agdeppa, Hector
• Application Number:
  US08/939,353
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211, 379/265, 379/201, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 379/67, 379/121, 379/111, 379/114, 379/88.21, 379/100.07
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• 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 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/06 using auxiliary connections for control or supervision , e.g. where the auxiliary connection is a signalling system number 7 link

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for processing a call from a calling party to a called party. The system includes subscriber profiles for both the called and calling parties and a call behavior module. The subscriber profiles which reside in a switch or one or more remote databases comprehensively maintain the subscribed services and preferences of the parties. The call behavior module processes the telephone call in accordance with the subscriber service options and preferences of the called party and the calling party as provided in the subscriber profiles. Call processing is thereby handled more efficiently and reduced risk of feature interactions between the different subscriber services.

Claims

1. A call processing system for processing telephone calls between a calling party and a called party, the system comprising:

a calling party subscriber profile that comprehensively maintains data that describes subscriber services of the calling party, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

a called party subscriber profile that comprehensively maintains data that describes subscriber services of the called party, wherein the called party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

a subscriber profile module that stores the calling party subscriber profile and the called party subscriber profile;

a call behavior module to process the telephone calls in accordance with the calling party subscriber profile and the called party subscriber profile and to resolve one or more service conflicts that occur between the calling party subscriber profile and the called party subscriber profile;

an end user access module of the calling party coupling the call behavior module to the calling party; and

an end user access module of the called party coupling the call behavior module to the called party;

wherein a process flow of the call processing system at least in part comprises first, second, third, and fourth process flow times, wherein the second process flow time is subsequent to the first process flow time, wherein the third process flow time is subsequent to the second process flow time, wherein the fourth process flow time is subsequent to the third process flow time;

wherein the calling party accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the first process flow time;

wherein the end user access module of the calling party communicates with the call behavior module at the second process flow time;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the subscriber profile module at the third process flow time;

wherein the subscriber profile module accesses the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile between the third and fourth process flow times;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the fourth process flow time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber profile module is coupled to the call behavior module and the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile for providing profile information to the call behavior module based on the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the called party subscriber profile also comprehensively maintains preferences of the called party and wherein the call behavior module processes the telephone call also in accordance with the preferences of the called party.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party subscriber profile maintains preferences of the calling party that include a calling party language preference, wherein the called party subscriber profile maintains preferences of the called party that include a called party language preference and,

wherein the call behavior module resolves a conflict between the calling party language preference and the called party language preference to route the telephone call to a telephone operator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party subscriber profile also comprehensively maintains preferences of the calling party and wherein the call behavior module processes the telephone call also in accordance with the preferences of the calling party.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party subscriber profile maintains preferences of the calling party that include a language preference, wherein the called party subscriber profile maintains preferences of the called party that include a called party language preference and,

wherein the call behavior module resolves a conflict between the calling party language preference and the called party language preference to route the telephone call to a designated telephone number.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the end user access module of the called party coupled to the call behavior module serves to provide geographic information of the called party to the call behavior module.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing geographic information of the calling party to the call behavior module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the call behavior module routes the telephone call to a designated telephone number based on the geographic information of the calling party.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the call behavior module has means for providing the geographic information of the calling party to the called party.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing a message to the calling party from the call behavior module in accordance with the communications capabilities of the calling party.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile are located in at least one remote database coupled to the switch via a subscriber profile module.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the called party subscriber profile is organizable in the group profile, wherein the group profile maintains subscriber service options of a group of subscribers of which the called party is a member and the call behavior module processes the telephone call also in accordance with the group profile.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a per call profile for the called party for maintaining subscriber service options based on particular calling numbers, and wherein the call behavior module processes the telephone call also in accordance with the per call profile for the called party.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is organizable in the group profile, wherein the group profile maintains subscriber services of a group of subscribers of which the calling party is a member and the call processor processes the telephone call also in accordance with the group profile.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a per call profile for the calling party for maintaining subscriber service options based on particular called numbers, and wherein the call behavior module processes the telephone call also in accordance with the per call profile for the calling party.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is identified by the directory number of the calling party.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is identified by a keyword entered by the calling party during a placed call.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the call behavior module has means for resolving service conflicts between subscriber service options of the called party and the calling party.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber profile module has means for resolving service conflicts between subscriber service options of the calling party.

21. A method for processing a telephone call from a calling party to a called party in accordance with subscriber services of the calling party and the called party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a call setup request from the calling party;

obtaining profile information of the calling party and the called party, wherein said profile information provides comprehensive information that relates to the subscriber services of the calling party and the called party, wherein the profile information comprises a calling party subscriber profile and a called party subscriber profile, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile, wherein the called party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

storing the calling party subscriber profile and the called party subscriber profile in a subscriber profile module;

coupling a call behavior module to the calling party through employment of an end user access module of the calling party;

coupling the call behavior module to the called party through employment of an end user access module of the called party;

processing the call based on the profile information of the called party and the calling party;

if one or more service conflicts occur between the profile information of the called party and the calling party, resolving the one or more service conflicts in accordance with the calling party subscriber profile and the called party subscriber profile through employment of the call behavior module;

the calling party in at least one process flow accessing the end user access module of the calling party at a first process flow time;

the end user access module of the calling party in the at least one process flow communicating with the call behavior module at a second process flow time subsequent to the first process flow time;

the call behavior module in the at least one process flow accessing the subscriber profile module at a third process flow time subsequent to the second process flow time;

the subscriber profile module in the at least one process flow accessing the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile between the third process flow time and a fourth process flow time subsequent to the third process flow time; and

the call behavior module in the at least one process flow accessing the end user access module of the calling party at the fourth process flow time.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of processing includes the steps of:

(a) determining whether to charge the telephone call to the called party or the calling party; and

(b) determining a call treatment for the telephone call.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of providing information of the calling party to the called party.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein step of determining the call treatment is a step selected from the group consisting of routing the call to the called party, routing the call another party, taking a message for the called party, and notifying that calling party that the call will not be completed.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of determining the call treatment includes the step of obtaining geographic location information of the calling party and routing the telephone call to a designated telephone number based on the geographic information of the calling party.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of determining the call treatment is achieved from accessing the profile information that is selected from the group consisting of a directory number of the calling party, a response from the calling party, the time of day, geographic location of the calling party and a language preference of the calling party.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining the call treatment includes the step of obtaining language preference information of the calling party and routing the telephone call to a designated telephone number based on the preferred language of the calling party.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the profile information is located in at least one remote database and the step of obtaining the profile information is via the subscriber profile module.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of obtaining the profile information of the calling party and the called party is achieved by retrieving information from the group profile of which the called party is a member.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of obtaining the profile information of the calling party and the called party is achieved by retrieving information from the group profile of which the calling party is a member.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of obtaining the profile information of the calling party and the called party includes the step of identifying the calling party by a directory number of the calling party.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of obtaining the profile information of the calling party and the called party includes the step of identifying the calling party by at least one keyword entered by the calling party during a placed call.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of obtaining the profile information of the calling party and the called party includes the step of identifying the calling party by a credit card number of the calling party.

37. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of processing the call based on the profile information of the called party and the calling party comprises the steps of:

obtaining language preference information of the calling party and the called party, wherein the language preference information comprises a calling party language preference and a called party language preference; and

resolving a conflict between the calling party language preference and the called party language preference to route the telephone call to a telephone operator.

34. A call processing system for processing a telephone call from a calling party to a called party, the system comprising:

(a) a switch operatively coupling the calling party with the called party;

(b) a calling party subscriber profile operatively coupled to the switch and comprehensively maintaining data describing subscriber services and preferences of the calling party, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

(c) a called party subscriber profile operatively coupled to the switch and comprehensively maintaining data describing subscriber services and preferences of the called party, wherein the called party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

(d) a call behavior module coupled to the switch for processing the telephone call in accordance with calling party subscriber profile and called party subscriber profile;

(e) a subscriber profile module coupled to the call behavior module for providing information contained within the calling party subscriber profile and the called party subscriber profile to the call behavior module;

(f) an end user access module of the called party coupling the call behavior module to the called party; and

(g) an end user access module of the calling party coupling the call behavior module to the calling party;

wherein a process flow of the call processing system at least in part comprises first, second, third, and fourth process flow times, wherein the second process flow time is subsequent to the first process flow time, wherein the third process flow time is subsequent to the second process flow time, wherein the fourth process flow time is subsequent to the third process flow time;

wherein the calling party accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the first process flow time;

wherein the end user access module of the calling party communicates with the call behavior module at the second process flow time;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the subscriber profile module at the third process flow time;

wherein the subscriber profile module accesses the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile between the third and fourth process flow times;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the fourth process flow time.

35. A call processing system for processing a telephone call within a telephone network, the system comprising:

(a) a switch operatively coupled to a calling party and a called party, the calling party and the called party each having profile information of services and preferences of the calling party and the called party, the profile information of the called party and the calling party being located in one or more databases within the telephone network, the database being operatively coupled to the switch;

(b) a subscriber profile module operatively coupled to the switch having means for retrieving the profile information of the calling party and the called party, wherein the profile information comprises a calling party subscriber profile and a called party subscriber profile, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile, wherein the called party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

(c) a call behavior module coupled to the switch for processing the telephone call in accordance with the profile information of the calling party and called party;

(d) an end user access module of the called party coupling the call behavior module to the called party; and

(e) an end user access module of the calling party coupling the call behavior module to the calling party;

wherein a process flow of the call processing system at least in part comprises first, second, third, and fourth process flow times, wherein the second process flow time is subsequent to the first process flow time, wherein the third process flow time is subsequent to the second process flow time, wherein the fourth process flow time is subsequent to the third process flow time;

wherein the calling party accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the first process flow time;

wherein the end use access module of the calling party communicates with the call behavior module at the second process flow time;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the subscriber profile module at the third process flow time;

wherein the subscriber profile module accesses the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile between the third and fourth process flow times;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the fourth process flow time.

36. A call processor for processing a telephone call from a calling party to a called party, the processor comprising:

(a) means for accessing subscriber service information of the calling party and the called party, wherein the subscriber service information comprises a calling party subscriber profile and a called party subscriber profile, wherein the calling party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile, wherein the called party subscriber profile is organizable in an individual profile and/or a group profile;

(b) coupling means for communications with the calling party and the called party;

(c) a call behavior module containing uniform set of procedures for processing the telephone call based on the subscriber services information of the calling party and the called party;

(d) an end user access module of the called party coupling the call behavior module to the called party; and

(e) an end user access module of the calling party coupling the call behavior module to the calling party;

wherein a process flow of the call processor at least in part comprises first, second, third, and fourth process flow times, wherein the second process flow time is subsequent to the first process flow time, wherein the third process flow time is subsequent to the second process flow time, wherein the fourth process flow time is subsequent to the third process flow time;

wherein the calling party accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the first process flow time;

wherein the end user access module of the calling party communicates with the call behavior module at the second process flow time;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the subscriber profile module at the third process flow time;

wherein the subscriber profile module accesses the called party subscriber profile and the calling party subscriber profile between the third and fourth process flow times;

wherein the call behavior module accesses the end user access module of the calling party at the fourth process flow time.