Method and system for providing enhanced call waiting and caller identification

• US 6,954,521 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Bull, Rex Norman, Maciejewski, James Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US10/272,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20030035526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.21, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/215.01, 379/211.01, 379/207.16, 379/207.15, 379/207.14, 379/207.13, 379/207.07, 379/207.04, 379/201.07, 379/201.01, 379/142.14, 379/93.15, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.2, 379/142.01, 379/142.02, 379/142.04, 379/142.08, 379/205.01
• 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 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• 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 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• 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 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 Code signals, frame structure
• 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 2213/13375 : Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 : Signaling in general, in-band signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An efficient and effective method and system for providing to a customer an audible call notification of a current call and a subsequently received call waiting call. The present embodiments notify the customer that a current call is waiting in an effective manner that reduces confusion. Confusion is reduced by the combination of audible call waiting indicators and audible caller identification information associated with the calling telephone station. Additionally, both the indicator and the representation of the information can be provided automatically without significant delay. The indication is provided even when standard caller identification information is not available by prompting the caller to provide spoken caller identification information. The spoken caller identification information is provided to the called party along with call disposition options, such as options to accept or reject the call, route the call to voice mail or send a sales refusal message.

Claims

1. A method for processing a call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called party at a called communication station in a communications system, the method comprising:

receiving a terminating attempt query including a calling party identifier and a calling party restriction indicator associated with the call at a Service Control Point (SCP) of the communications system;

at the SCP, in response to the terminating attempt query, determining whether standard caller identification can be provided for the call, including at least one of

determining if standard caller identification for the call is complete, and

determining if a presentation restriction indicator for the call is set to presentation restricted;

if standard caller identification can not be provided for the call, initiating a prompt to the calling party to provide spoken caller identification information;

storing the spoken caller identification information;

determining if the called communication station is off hook;

if the called communication station is off hook, providing audible call waiting information including one of the stored spoken caller identification information and an audible representation of name data associated with the calling communication station;

if the called communication station is on hook, ringing the called communication station; and

providing available caller identification information to the called communication station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing audible call waiting information comprises:

retrieving the name data from a caller identification with name database; and

processing the name data in a text to speech module to produce the audible representation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing audible call waiting information comprises:

processing the standard caller identification in a text to speech module to produce the audible representation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing available caller identification information comprises:

providing standard caller identification information if the standard caller identification can be provided for the call, otherwise

providing audible caller identification information including the stored spoken caller identification information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing available caller identification information comprises providing an indication that the standard caller identification can not be provided.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing audible call waiting information comprises:

providing a trade name of a service provider'"'"'s call processing service.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the call from a calling communication station routing the call to a Service Switching Point (SSP) of the communications system;

at the SSP, generating the terminating attempt query; and

communicating the terminating attempt query to a Service Control Point (SCP).

8. The method of claim 1 wherein prompting the caller to provide audible caller identification information comprises:

at the SCP, producing call control information;

conveying the call control information to the SSP; and

at the SSP, in response to the call control information, activating a service node/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP) to generate a prompt to the calling communication station.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the audible call waiting information comprises:

at the SSP, retrieving from the SN/IP the recorded spoken caller identification information; and

transmitting the recorded spoken caller identification information to the called communication station.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing to the called party call disposition options for the call;

detecting a selected disposition option; and

processing the call according to the selected call disposition option.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein providing call disposition options comprises offering an option to suspend a current call between the called communication station and a third communication station while completing the call between the calling communication station and the called communication station.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining if a human answers the call at the called communication station;

if a human does not answer the call, routing the call to a voice messaging system.

13. A method for processing a call from a calling party to a called party in a Service Control Point (SCP) of a communications system, the method comprising:

receiving a terminating attempt query including a calling party identifier and a calling party restriction indicator associated with the call at the SCP;

in response to the terminating attempt query, determining whether standard caller identification can be provided for the call, including at least one of

determining if standard caller identification for the call is complete, and

determining if a presentation restriction indicator for the call is set to presentation restricted;

if standard caller identification can not be provided for the call, at the SCP producing call control information for controlling a Service Switching Point (SSP) and a service node/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP);

conveying the call control information;

activating the SN/IP to

generate a prompt to the calling communication station, prompting the calling party to provide spoken caller identification information, and

store the spoken caller identification information;

determine if the called communication station is off hook;

if the called communication station is off hook, provide audible call waiting information including the stored spoken caller identification information; and

if the called communication station is on hook, provide the audible call waiting information including the stored spoken caller identification information.

14. A communication system configured to process a call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called party at a called communication station, the communication system comprising:

a service control point operative to determine at least one of

whether standard caller identification for the call is complete, and

whether a presentation restriction indicator for the call is set to presentation restricted; and

system equipment in communication with the service control point, the system equipment being configured to

prompt the calling party to provide spoken caller identification information;

store the spoken caller identification information;

determine if the called communication station is off hook; and

if the called communication station is off hook, provide audible call waiting information including one of the stored spoken caller identification information and an audible representation of name data associated with the calling communication station;

if the called communication station is on hook, ring the called communication station and provide available caller identification information to the called communication station.

15. The communication system of claim 14 wherein the system equipment comprises a service node in data communication with the service control point and the called communication station.

16. The communication system of claim 14 wherein the system equipment comprises an intelligent peripheral in data communication with the service control point and the called communication station.

17. The communication system of claim 14 wherein the system equipment comprises a service switching point (SSP) and an intelligent peripheral in communication with the SSP and the called communication station.

18. The communication system of claim 14 further comprising a memory which stores caller identification information and associated name information.

19. The communication system of claim 18 wherein the system equipment is operative to retrieve from the memory the associated name information in response to the standard caller identification information.

20. A caller identification method for a telecommunication system, the method comprising:

processing a call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called party at a called communication station;

determining if standard caller identification information for the call can be provided to the called communication station;

if standard caller identification information for the call can not be provided, prompting the calling party for spoken caller identification information and recording the spoken caller identification information;

if the called communication station is off hook, determining if Type II capable caller premises equipment (CPE) is present at the called communication station;

if Type II capable CPE is present, providing to the called communication an audible call waiting indicator and

a text to speech representation of the standard caller identification information if the standard caller identification information can be provided, or

the recorded spoken caller identification information.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

providing to the called communication station a beep-name-beep signaling pattern,

wherein the beeps correspond to the audible call waiting indicator and the name corresponds to either the text to speech representation of the standard caller identification information or the recorded spoken caller identification information.