Method for providing additional information to a telephone customer having a non-published telephone number

• US 6,917,674 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2003
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilbert, Lanny
• Primary Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US10/347,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20030108170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.16, 379 8819- 8823, 379/201.11, 379/210.01, 379/210.02, 379/210.03, 379/211.01, 379/212.01, 379/213.01, 379/214.01, 379/218.01, 379/218.02
• US Class Current: 379/201.11
• 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 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• 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: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A method and system for notifying a non-published customer of a telephone network the number and possibly the identity of callers who have been attempting to obtain their non-published number from directory assistance. When a calling party calls for directory assistance, it is determined whether the telephone number sought is a non-published. If so, the call is forwarded to a service package application on a service node where at least a telephone number, and preferably also the name, of the calling party is obtained. A notification call is then placed to the non-published customer and the customer is provided with at least the telephone number and possibly the name of the calling party.

Claims

1. A method of authorizing the release of a non-published telephone number, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a call from a calling party requesting a telephone number;

(b) determining whether the telephone number is non-published;

(c) obtaining at least one of a telephone number associated with the calling party, a name associated with the calling party, and a message input by the calling party;

(d) calling the non-published telephone number and presenting a notification of at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message;

(e) requesting authorization to release the non-published telephone number;

(f) receiving authorization to release the non-published telephone number;

(g) disconnecting the non-published telephone number; and

(h) placing a subsequent call to the calling party and presenting a notification of the non-published number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) disconnecting the calling party from the call.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

forwarding the call from the calling party to a communications session control component.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

informing the calling party that the telephone number being requested is non-published.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message associated with the calling party comprises:

(a) prompting the calling party to provide at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message to present in the notification; and

(b) in response to the prompt, receiving at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message to present in the notification.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the telephone number provided by the calling party comprises a telephone number for establishing the subsequent call to the calling party.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the telephone number for establishing the subsequent call to the calling party is not presented in the notification to the non-published customer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of obtaining at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message associated with the calling party further comprises prompting the calling party to select at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message to present in the notification to the non-published customer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message associated with the calling party comprises:

(a) retrieving a telephone number of a telephone used to make the call;

(b) retrieving a directory name associated with the telephone number of the telephone used to make the call;

(c) retrieving telephone network identification information of the telephone used to make the call, and

(f) retrieving communications network identification information associated with a communications address provided by the calling party, the communications address comprising at least one of another telephone number and an electronic communications address.

10. A method for responding to a request for a non-published telephone number, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving the request;

(b) prompting a calling party to provide identification information to present in a notification to the non-published telephone number;

(c) receiving the identification information to present in the notification;

(d) placing the calling party on hold; and

(e) calling the non-published telephone number and presenting the notification identifying the calling party.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification information comprises at least one of a telephone number, a name, and a message associated with the calling party.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the request is communicated to a directory assistance service of a telecommunications network.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

calling the non-published telephone number from a communications session control component of a telecommunications network.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

delaying the calling step of calling the non-published telephone number.

15. The method claim 10, wherein the step of presenting a notification identifying the calling party comprises using a pre-recorded voice identifying the calling party.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the telephone number provided by the calling party comprises a telephone number for establishing a subsequent call to the calling party.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of prompting the calling party to provide identification information further comprises prompting the calling party to select at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message to present in the notification.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification information comprises telephone network identification information associated with a telephone used to make the call.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of requesting authorization to release the non-published telephone number to the calling party on hold.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of requesting authorization to connect a telephone call between the non-published telephone number and the calling party on hold.

21. A method of blocking the release of a non-published telephone number, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a call from a calling party requesting a telephone number;

(b) determining whether the telephone number is non-published;

(c) if the telephone number is non-published, then further determining if the non-published telephone number authorizes a request for the release of the non-published telephone number;

(d) if the non-published telephone number does not authorize the request, then disconnecting the call;

(e) if the non-published telephone number does authorize the request, then;

(1) obtaining at least one of a telephone number, a name, and a message associated with the calling party,

(2) calling the non-published telephone number and presenting a notification of the request for the release of the non-published telephone number to the calling party identified by at least one of the telephone number, the name, and the message,

(3) prompting the non-published telephone number to request additional information associated with the calling party, the additional information comprising the telephone number, the name, and the message,

(4) presenting the additional information to the non-published telephone number,

(5) requesting authorization to release the non-published telephone number, and

(6) receiving a response to the request for authorization to release the non-published telephone number; and

(f) if the response not authorize the release, then blocking a subsequent request for the release of the non-published number by the calling party.