Identifying a call made or received on behalf of another

• US 7,130,405 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winters, Scott Lee, Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Weaver, James Mark, McIntyre, Joseph Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US10/022,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210.02, 379/214.01, 379/201.07, 379/201.08, 379/213.01
• US Class Current: 379/210.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• 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, system, and program for identifying a call made or received on behalf of another are provided. In particular, a call request for a call is detected. A context for the call is requested from a context inference service, wherein the context indicates whether an on behalf of action is invoked for the call by the caller or callee. An on behalf of action may be requested by a caller or callee, automatically authorized by the on behalf of party, or inferred from other call context.

Claims

1. A system for determining a call context, comprising:

a context inference server communicatively connected to a telephone network;

means for receiving, by a context inference service, a call context request for a call at said context inference server;

means for analyzing, by a context inference service, call context information associated with at least one from among a caller and a callee associated with said call; and

means for inferring, by a context inference service, that an on behalf of action is invoked for said call from call context information.

2. A system for identifying parties to a call comprising:

a context inference server communicatively connected to a telephone network;

means for detecting a call between at least two parties, wherein said call is processed by said telephone network;

means for detecting, by a context inference service running on a context inference server, an on behalf of action invoked for said call; and

means for informing at least one party to said call that said on behalf of action is invoked.

3. A system for determining a call context, comprising:

a context inference server communicatively connected to a telephone network;

means for receiving, by a context inference service running on a context inference server, a call context request for a call at said context inference server;

means for analyzing, by a context inference service running on a context inference server, call context information associated with said call; and

means for determining, by a context inference service running on a context inference server, whether an on behalf of action is invoked for said call from said call context information.

4. The system for determining a call context according to claim 3, wherein said call context information comprises at least one from among, identifiers for said at least two parties, profiles associated with said at least two parties, and profiles associated with subscribers of line numbers associated with said call.

5. The system for determining a call context according to claim 3, wherein said means for determining whether an on behalf action is invoked further comprises:

means for detecting a request for said on behalf action by at least one party to said call.

6. The system for determining a call context according to claim 3, wherein said means for determining whether an on behalf action is invoked further comprises:

means for detecting an automatic authorization for said on behalf of action by an on behalf party to said call.

7. The system for determining a call context according to claim 3, wherein said means for determining whether an on behalf action is invoked further comprises:

means for inferring said on behalf action from said call context information.

8. The system for determining a call context according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for contacting an on behalf of party for authorization of said on behalf of action.

9. The system for determining a call context according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for paging said on behalf of party within a paging radius of a private network system; and

means responsive to detecting an identifier for said on behalf ofparty at a telephony device within a private network system, for requesting authorization of said on behalf of action at said telephony device.

10. The system for determining a call context according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for querying at least one line number for said on behalf of party; and

means responsive to locating said on behalf of party via a particular line number, for requesting authorization of said on behalf of action via said particular line number.

11. The system for determining a call context according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for accessing on behalf of filtering preferences; and

means for filtering said on behalf of action in said call context according to said filtering preferences.

12. The system for determining a call context according to claim 11, wherein said on behalf of filtering preferences are accessed for an on behalf of party.

13. The system for determining a call context according to claim 11, wherein said on behalf of filtering preferences are accessed for a party invoking said on behalf of action.

14. The system for determining a call context according to claim 11, wherein said filtering preferences specify parties enabled to invoke said on behalf of action for said call.

15. The system for determining a call context according to claim 11, wherein said filtering preferences specify parties enabled to receive said call context.

16. The system for determining a call context according to claim 11, wherein said filtering preferences specify parties blocked from invoking said on behalf of action for said call.

17. A method for identifying a call context for a call on behalf of another, said method comprising:

receiving, by a context inference service running on a context inference server, a request for a call context for a call;

receiving, by the context inference service, call context information associated with at least one from among a caller and a callee associated with said call;

analyzing, by the context inference service, the call context information;

inferring, by the context inference service in dependence upon the call context information, the identity of at least one party to the call and a subject matter surrounding the call;

inferring, by the context inference service in dependence upon the identity of at least one party to the call and the subject matter surrounding the call, that an on behalf of action is invoked for said call; and

sending, from the context inference service, a call context for the call including an indication that an on behalf of action is invoked for said call.