Call screening apparatus and method

• US 6,631,182 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1998
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Holdings Properties, LP
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ekstrom, Gayle Roberta, Marcus, Gisele A, Schwab, Eileen Cecilia, Ossello, Edward Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/124,960
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/70, 379/88.01, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/93.03, 379/93.09, 379/93.23, 379/93.35, 379/201, 379/212, 379/88-2-, 379/88-1-, 379/130, 379/140, 379/142, 379/199, 379/210, 379/221, 379/215, 379/93.24, 379/908, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.07, 379/201.08, 379/207.2, 379/207.12, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 379/142.08, 455/31.2, 455/445, 348/14
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• 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 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• 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

Abstract

A method of screening incoming telephone calls and programming screening options and apparatus that allows incoming calls to be screened according to various criteria programmed by a subscriber.

Claims

1. A call processing method in a telecommunications system, the method comprising:

receiving a call at a first end office switch of the telecommunications system, the call placed by a calling party for a called party at a called communication station;

routing the call from the first end office switch to a platform, the platform associated with a platform end office switch;

retrieving a subscriber profile for the called party;

playing to the calling party one of a called party-provided greeting and a greeting announcement;

determining if a screening list feature is active;

if so, determining if a number associated with the calling party is available;

if so, determining if the number associated with the calling party is on a screening list of the called party;

if so, routing the call to a default destination at the platform;

if the number associated with the calling party is not available or if the number associated with the calling party is not on the screening list,

determining if a recorded name screening feature is active;

if so, prompting the calling party for identification;

recording the spoken identification provided by the calling party;

determining status of the called party;

if the called party is engaged in a call, providing an announcement and entering a call waiting process;

otherwise, routing the call to a directory number in accordance with the subscriber profile;

connecting from the platform and the platform end office switch to an end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and which is different from the platform end office switch, and playing to the called communication station one of a predefined announcement and the recorded spoken identification;

determining from the subscriber profile if caller ID screening is active for the called party;

if so, determining if a calling directory number is available;

if so, connecting to the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and announcing the calling party directory number to the called communication station from the platform;

otherwise, if the calling directory number is not unknown, connecting to the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and announcing an unavailable directory number to the called communication station from the platform;

prompting the called party to accept or reject the call;

detecting at the platform a call routing option entered at the called communication station and detected at the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station;

if the call routing option corresponds to rejecting the call, routing the call to a default destination at the platform; and

if the call routing option corresponds to accepting the call, connecting the call between the first end office switch and the end office switch associated with the called communication station to connect the calling party with the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the subscriber profile is valid.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a called directory number associated with the call;

determining if the called directory number is available; and

if the called directory number is not available, prompting the calling party to enter a desired directory number.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

when the call is routed to the default destination,

determining if the default destination corresponds to a telephone number;

if so, playing an announcement to the calling party and directing the call to the telephone number;

otherwise, determining if the default destination corresponds to an announcement;

if so, playing the announcement and disconnecting the call;

otherwise, determining if the default destination corresponds to voice mail; and

if so, providing a voice mail announcement and routing the call to voice mail.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein playing to the called communication station one of a predefined announcement and the recorded spoken identification comprises:

determining if the recorded name screening feature is activated;

if not, connecting to the end office switch associated with the called communication station and providing the predefined announcement to the called communication station from the platform;

if the recorded name screening feature is activated, determining if the recorded spoken identification is available,

if so, connecting to the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and providing an announcement including the recorded spoken identification to the called communication station from the platform, and

otherwise, connecting to the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and providing an unknown caller announcement to the called communication station from the platform.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if caller ID screening is active for the called party; and

if the calling directory number is unavailable, determining if the calling directory number is blocked;

if so, connecting to the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and announcing a blocked directory number to the called communication station from the platform; and

otherwise, connecting to the end office switch which is associated with the called communication station and announcing an unknown directory number to the called communication station from the platform.