Apparatus and method for identifying a third party engaged in communication with a called party

• US 6,721,407 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Michelena, Carlos Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, KAREN L
• Application Number:
  US09/710,417
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/46, 379/49, 379/7, 379/35, 379/142, 379/208.01
• US Class Current: 379/142.08
• 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 1/571 Blocking transmission of caller identification to called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• 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 3/42025 Calling or Called party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13284 Call tracing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 Operator, emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13372 Intercepting operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A method of identifying an other party associated with identifying information engaged in communication with a called party, includes the steps of: receiving a call for the called party, receiving an indication that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party, receiving a request for the identifying information; and receiving the identifying information. An apparatus for identifying a third party engaged in communication with a called party may include a node for receiving a call for the called party, receiving an indication that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party, receiving a request for the identifying information, and receiving the identifying information. The apparatus may also include a timer associated with a preselected timeout period.

Claims

1. A method of identifying an other party engaged in communication with a called party to a calling party, wherein the other party is associated with an identifying information, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call for the called party from the calling party;

receiving an indication that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party;

receiving a request for the identifying information;

determining whether the calling party is authorized to receive the identifying information and

sending the identifying information to the calling party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is a busy signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes a feature code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying information includes a telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying information includes a name.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying information includes a location and a name.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the called party is associated with a telephone number and wherein the step of receiving a call for the called party from the calling party includes the step of dialing the telephone number associated with the called party.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving an indication that the called party is engaged in conversation with the other party includes the step of receiving a busy signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication between the called party and the other party occurs within a telecommunications network including a node serving the calling party, and wherein the step of receiving a request for the identifying information includes the step of receiving a preselected feature code at the node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of sending the identifying information to the calling party includes the step of sending the identifying information from the node to the calling party.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication between the called party and the other party occurs within a telecommunications network including a node serving the calling party, wherein the node includes a timer associated with a preselected timeout period, and wherein the step of receiving a request for the identifying information further includes the steps of:

waiting for the preselected timeout period; and

requesting the identifying information associated with the other party.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the identifying information to the calling party includes the step of sending a telephone number associated with the other party to the calling party.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the identifying information to the calling party includes the step of sending a name associated with the other party to the calling party.

14. A method of identifying an other party engaged in communication with a called party to a calling party, wherein the other party is associated with an identifying information, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call for the called party from the calling party;

receiving an indication that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party;

receiving a request for the identifying information; and

comparing a subscriber identity presentation for the calling party with a subscriber identity presentation for the called party and a subscriber identity presentation for the other party to determine whether the identifying information will be sent to the calling party.

15. The method of claim 14, further including the step of:

rejecting the request for the identifying information.

16. The method of claim 14, further including the step of:

sending the identifying information to the calling party.

17. An apparatus for identifying an other party engaged in communication with a called party to a calling party, wherein the other party is associated with an identifying information, comprising:

a node for receiving a call for the called party from the calling party, receiving an indication that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party, receiving a request for the identifying information, receiving the identifying information, determining whether the calling party is authorized to receive the identifying information and sending the identifying information to the calling party.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the node includes a timer.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the timer has a preselected timeout period which measures the time between receiving the indication that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party and receiving the request for the identifying information.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the timer counts a number of events received indicating that the called party is engaged in communication with the other party.