System and method to detect privacy screening

• US 6,944,276 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2002
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Hong Thi, Silver, Edward M., Roberts, Linda A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US10/055,242
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210.02, 379/142.02, 379/196
• US Class Current: 379/142.02
• 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 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• 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 system and method enables a caller to detect subscribers to a privacy screening service. The caller detection of privacy screening is initiated when a subscriber to the caller detection of privacy screening service places a telephone call to a called party. After the calling party enters the telephone number of the called party, the caller detection of privacy screening service places a query to an SCP. The SCP determines if the called party is a subscriber to privacy screening. If the called party is a subscriber to privacy screening, the call is not completed, and a message is sent from the SCP to the SSP indicating that this is a caller detection of privacy screening call. This information is forwarded from the SSP to a billing system for processing as a caller detection of privacy screening charge. If the called party is not a subscriber to privacy screening, the call is completed and normal charges accrue.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a call made to a telephone station associated with a privacy screening service routed from a first telephone station to a second telephone station via a switching network, comprising:

intercepting a call from a first telephone station, the first telephone station associated with a subscriber to a caller detection of privacy screening service, the call directed to a second telephone station;

determining if the second telephone station requires identification of the first telephone station for completion of the call; and

in response to determining that the second telephone station requires identification of the first telephone station for completion of the call, automatically disconnecting the call before a charge for connecting the call accrues to the first telephone station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising intercepting the call from the first telephone station to the second telephone station based on an indicator associated with the first telephone station.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising allowing the call to proceed if a directory number of the second telephone station is included in a list associated with the first telephone station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to determining that the second telephone station does not require identification of the first telephone station, completing the call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an indicator to a billing system to identify a call sent from the first telephone station to the second telephone station wherein the second telephone station requires the identification of the first telephone station for completion of the call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) having a service switching point and a service control point, wherein said service switching point hosts an off-hook delay trigger associated with the first telephone station, and wherein said intercepting act comprises:

actuating said off-hook delay trigger; and

querying the service control point to obtain information associated with the second telephone station from a database stored at the services control point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to determining that the information associated with the second telephone station indicates that identifying information must be supplied by a calling party to the second telephone station before the call can be completed, disconnecting the call.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to determining that identifying information does not need to be supplied by a calling party to the second telephone station before the call can be completed, the call is completed.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising intercepting the call from the first telephone station to the second telephone station based on actuation of a trigger type event.

10. An advanced intelligent network comprising:

a service switching point communicatively connected to a first party telephone station, the first telephone station associated with a subscriber to a caller detection of privacy screening service;

the service switching point including an off-hook delay trigger, which takes an action when an outgoing call destined for a second telephone station associated with a subscriber to a privacy screening service is received, one or more actions including generating a query;

a service control point, communicatively connected to a second service switching point, which receives said query from the first telephone station and which, based on the query, instructs the first service switching point to automatically disconnect the call before a charge for connecting the call accrues to the first telephone station.

11. The advanced intelligent network of claim 10, further comprising a services node, the services node including:

a voice synthesizer which generates an audible message.

12. The advanced intelligent network of claim 11, wherein the services node generates an audible message to a first party telephone station when the call is disconnected.

13. The advanced intelligent network of claim 10, wherein the service control point generates a message and sends the message to the service switching point for inclusion on a billing record created by the services switching point and sent to a billing system.

14. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for:

intercepting a call from a first telephone station, the first telephone station associated with a subscriber to a caller detection of privacy screening service, the call directed to a second telephone station;

determining if the second telephone station requires identification of the first telephone station for completion of the call; and

in response to determining that the second telephone station requires identification of the first telephone station for completion of the call, automatically disconnecting the call before a charge for connecting the call accrues to the first telephone station.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, comprising further instructions for intercepting the call from the first telephone station to the second telephone station based on an indicator associated with the first telephone station.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, comprising further instructions for allowing the call to proceed if a directory number of the second telephone station is included in a list associated with the first telephone station.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, comprising further instructions for in response to determining that the second telephone station does not require identification of the first telephone station, completing the call.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, comprising further instructions for sending an indicator to a billing system to identify a call sent from the first telephone station to the second telephone station wherein the second telephone station requires the identification of the first telephone station for completion of the call.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, comprising further instructions for intercepting the call from the first telephone station to the second telephone station based on actuation of a trigger type event.