System and method for completing private or unknown calls made to subscribers to a privacy screening service

• US 6,553,109 B1
• Filed: 08/10/1999
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holt, Scott C., Hussain, Aamir M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/372,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201-1-2, 379/207-2-2, 379/219, 379/220.01, 379/221-8-2, 379/229, 379/230, 379/210.02, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/142-1-1
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• 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: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13256 Call screening
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13282 Call forward, follow-me, call diversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0037 involving call modelling techniques, e.g. modifications to the basic call state model [BCSM]

Abstract

An advanced intelligent network system for managing and routing telephone calls from a calling party to a subscriber to a privacy screening service. The system routes the calls according to whether the calling party number is known and public, in which case the call is terminated in a routine manner; unknown, in which case the system plays an announcement asking the calling party to record his or her name; or known and private, in which case the system asks the caller for permission to override his or her privacy before routing the call to the subscriber. The advanced intelligent network system stores the subscriber'"'"'s number in a display text field, thus enabling termination of the call to the subscriber irrespective of whether the subscriber number is private or public.

Claims

1. A method for terminating calls from a calling party to a subscriber to a privacy screening service when the calling party has a private number comprising:

(a) determining that the calling party number is known and private;

(b) routing the call to a service node through a service switching point;

(c) triggering a query from the service switching point to a service control point;

(d) in response to the query, sending a message from the service control point to the service node through the service switching point, said message having the subscriber number in its display text field;

(e) retrieving the subscriber number from the display text field; and

(g) terminating the call to the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the calling party'"'"'s agreement to override his or her privacy before routing the call to the service node.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the calling party'"'"'s agreement to override his or her privacy after routing the call to the service node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is an info_analyzed query.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the response is an analyze_route message with its display text field populated by the subscriber number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is triggered by a trigger provisioned on a multi-line hunt group connecting the service switching point to the service node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises sending a setup message to the service node to the service node with the subscriber number in its display text field.

8. In an advanced intelligent network system having a first service switching point, a second service switching point, a service control point in communication with the first and second service switching points, a service node having a service node number directly connected to the second service switching point, and a subscriber line having a subscriber number connected to the first service switching point, a privacy screening manager comprising:

(a) a first termination attempt trigger provisioned on the subscriber line at the first service switching point such that a call from a calling party to the subscriber triggers a first query to the service control point;

(b) an applications package on the service control point directing that the call be routed to the service node if the calling party has a private calling party number;

(c) a second termination attempt trigger at the second service switching point that triggers a second query from the second service switching point to the service control point; and

(d) an applications package at the service control point that responds to the second query by retrieving the subscriber number from the re-directing party field of the second query and populating a display text field of its response to the second query with the subscriber number.

9. The privacy screening manager of claim 8, wherein the trigger at the second service switching point is a termination attempt trigger, and wherein the second switching point sends an info analyzed query to the service control point in response to the termination attempt trigger.

10. The privacy screening manager of claim 8, wherein the system collects at least one digit from the calling party indicating that the calling party allows his or her privacy overriden.

11. The privacy screening manager of claim 8, wherein the second service switching point retrieves the subscriber number from the display text field of the response received from the service control point, and includes it in a setup message it sends to the service node.

12. The privacy screening manager of claim 11, wherein the service node retrieves the subscriber number from the setup message and dials a customized dialing plan code followed by the subscriber number.

13. The privacy screening manager of claim 12, wherein the customized dialing plan code prompts a third query from the second service switching point to the service control point.

14. The privacy screening manager of claim 13, wherein the service control point responds to the third query by returning an analyze route response with the subscriber number as the called party number and the number of the service node as the charge number.

15. The privacy screening manager of claim 14, wherein the service switching node retrieves the subscriber number and the number of the service node from the analyze route response and routes the call to the subscriber.

16. A system for managing calls from a calling party number to a subscriber number for a subscriber who has subscribed to a privacy screening service comprising:

(a) a service switching point and a service node in communication with the service switching point,

(b) a signaling system 7 data link from the service switching point to a service control point through a signaling transfer point;

(c) a line connecting the service switching point to a multi-line hunt group at the service node; and

(d) a termination attempt trigger for the service node'"'"'s multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service switching point,

wherein the termination attempt trigger prompts a query to the service control point, and

the service control point responds to the query with a response that has the subscriber number in its display text field.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the query is an info_analyzed query.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the response is an analyze_route response.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the service node obtains the calling party'"'"'s permission to override his or her privacy.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the service node retrieves the subscriber'"'"'s telephone number from the message'"'"'s display text field.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the line connecting the service switching point to the multi-line hunt group at the service node is a basic rate interface line.

22. A method for managing a call from a calling party calling from a calling party number having a presentation indicator classifying the calling party number as public, private or unknown, to a subscriber to a privacy screening service at a subscriber number in an advanced intelligent network having a service control point and a service node having a service node number, wherein the service control point determines whether the calling party number is public, private or unknown, comprising:

(a) re-writing the presentation indicator as public, if the calling party number is private;

(b) playing an announcement to the calling party, asking the calling party for permission to override the calling party'"'"'s privacy, and, if the calling party grants permission to override, routing the call to the service node;

(c) triggering a query at a service switching point in direct communication with the service node to the service control point, said query containing the subscriber number in the redirecting party field of the query;

(d) responding to said query with a response that includes the subscriber number in a display text field of the response; and

(e) routing the call to the subscriber at the subscriber number.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the query is triggered by a termination attempt trigger provisioned on the service node number at the service switching point.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein, upon receiving the response from the service control point, the service switching point sends a setup message to the service node with the subscriber number in the setup message.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the service node retrieves the subscriber number from the setup message and then dials a customized dialing plan code followed by a string including the subscriber'"'"'s telephone number, after the calling party has granted permission to override the calling party'"'"'s privacy.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the customized dialing plan code triggers a customized dialing plan code query from the service switching point to the service control point, and wherein the service control point responds to the customized dialing plan code query by returning an analyze_route response with the subscriber number in the response'"'"'s called party field and the service node number in the response'"'"'s charge party field.

27. The method of claim 22, comprising sending a termination attempt query to the service control point from the service switching point, and responding to the termination attempt query with an analyze_route response from the service control point to the service switching point.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the advanced intelligent network comprises a service switching point in direct communication with the subscriber, wherein the service switching point in direct communication with the subscriber collects at least one digit from the calling party, and wherein the service control point reads the collected at least one digit to determine whether the calling party granted permission to override the calling party'"'"'s privacy.

29. A service manager comprising:

(a) means for routing a call from a calling party to a privacy screening service subscriber to a service node via a service switching point in communication with the service node, when the calling party has a private number;

(b) means for sending a query to a service control point from the service switching point;

(c) means for responding to the query by sending a message from the service control point to the service node via the service switching point with the message'"'"'s display text field populated with the subscriber number; and

(d) means for terminating the call to the subscriber.

30. The service manager of claim 29, wherein the calls are routed to the service node according to instructions received from the service control point.

31. The service manager of claim 29, wherein the query to the service control point is an info analyzed query.

32. The service manager of claim 31, wherein the response from the service control point is an analyze route message.

33. The service manager of claim 29, wherein the means for terminating the call to the subscriber comprises means for routing the call to a second service switching point that is in direct communication with the subscriber.