Methods and systems for automatically registering complaints against calling parties

• US 7,283,969 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Marsico, Peter Joseph, Allison, Rick L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov; Igor N.
• Application Number:
  US09/721,287
• Time in Patent Office: 2,519 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/29, 705/400, 705/500, 379/210.02, 379/210.03, 379/201.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/213.01, 379/196, 379/197, 379/900
• US Class Current: 705/346
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• 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 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

Disclosed is a communication system that is adapted to notify a calling party that no further call attempts should be made and to automatically register a complaint with a calling party complaint registration database. The calling party complaint database is further adapted to notify an enforcement authority of repeated violations by a calling party. The called party communication terminal is adapted to automatically block subsequent call or communication attempts from a repeat offending calling party while simultaneously sending an additional complaint registration to the calling party complaint registration database.

Claims

1. A method for registering complaints against communication initiators, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a signaling message from a communication initiator relating to a communication from the communication initiator;

(b) extracting a calling party identifier from the signaling message and determining whether the communication is from a communication initiator with whom an intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate;

(c) determining whether the communication initiator has previously been notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient;

(d) in response to determining that the communication is from a communication initiator with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and that the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient, automatically generating, from a user communications terminal or a service switching point (SSP), a complaint registration message identifying the communication initiator using the

calling party identifier extracted from the signaling message and transmitting the complaint registration message over a data network;

wherein step (b) includes providing a complaint registration application comprising at least one of hardware and software for determining whether the communication is from a communication initiator with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate based on a trigger initiated by the intended communication recipient; and

wherein step (d) includes providing a complaint message generator, the complaint message generator comprising at least one of hardware and software for generating the complaint registration message in response to the determination that the communication is from a communication initiator with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and the determination that the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient and for transmitting the complaint registration message over the data network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication comprises a short message service (SMS) message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication comprises a voice telephone call.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication comprises a facsimile message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the calling party identifier extracted from the signaling message comprises a telephone number for the communication initiator.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the signaling message comprises a mobile call signaling message and wherein the calling party identifier comprises a mobile identification number for the communication initiator.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to receiving the signaling message, notifying the communication initiator that no further communication with the intended communication recipient is to be attempted, wherein notifying the communication initiator that no further communication with the intended communication recipient is to be attempted includes providing a recorded message buffer comprising at least one of a hardware, software, and firmware for playing a pre-recorded message to the communication initiator that no further communication with the intended communication recipient is to be attempted.

8. The method of claim 7 including notifying the communication initiator that the complaint registration message is being sent to a complaint registration database.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signaling message from a communication initiator includes receiving a session initiation protocol (SIP) message at a SIP phone.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the SIP message comprises an Invite message.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein extracting a parameter from the signaling message includes extracting a parameter from the From field of the Invite message for identifying the communication initiator.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signaling message includes receiving an IP telephony call signaling message.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein step G (d) is performed by the communications terminal.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) is performed by the SSP.

15. A method for automatically generating a complaint registration message in response to receiving a signaling message relating to a communication from a communication initiator with whom communication is not desired, the method comprising:

at a user communications terminal associated with a communication recipient;

(a) receiving a signaling message from a communication initiator relating to a communication from the initiator;

(b) determining, based on a calling party identifier in the signaling message, whether the communication initiator has previously been notified not to initiate communications with the communication recipient; and

(c) in response to determining that the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the communication recipient, automatically generating, based on the signaling message, a complaint registration message including the calling party identifier and transmitting the complaint registration message over a data network;

wherein step (b) includes providing a blocking table listing calling party identifiers of communication initiators who have been previously notified not to initiate communications with the communication recipient and a complaint registration application comprising at least one of hardware and software residing on the user communications terminal for determining whether the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the communication recipient based on the presence of the calling party identifier in the blocking table; and

wherein step (c) includes providing a complaint message generator comprising at least one of hardware and software residing on the user communications terminal for automatically generating the complaint registration message in response to the determination that the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the communication recipient and transmitting the complaint registration message over the data network.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising, at a complaint registration server, receiving the complaint registration message, performing a lookup in a complaint registration database using the identifying information from the complaint registration message to determine whether the communication initiator is a repeat offender.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising, at the complaint registration server, in response to determining that the communication initiator is a repeat offender, generating a violation message and transmitting the violation message to an enforcement authority.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein transmitting the complaint registration message over a data network includes sending the message to a complaint registration server storing previously-registered complaints indexed by at least one of called and calling party identifiers.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving a signaling message at a communication recipient terminal includes receiving a session initiation protocol (SIP) message at a SIP phone.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein generating the complaint registration message comprises generating the complaint registration message at the SIP phone.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the SIP message comprises an Invite message and the parameter is a calling party identifier in a From field of the Invite message.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving a signaling message includes receiving an IP telephony call signaling message.

23. A system for registering a complaint against a communications initiator, the system comprising:

(a) a communications terminal adapted to receive communications and signaling messages associated with the communications from

communications initiators, wherein the communications terminal is adapted to determine whether the communication is from a communications initiator with whom an intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and whether the communications initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient, and wherein, in response to determining that the communication is from a communications initiator with whom an intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and that the communications initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient, the communication terminal is adapted to generate and forward a complaint registration message over a data network, the complaint registration message including information extracted from one of the signaling messages for identifying the communications initiator; and

(b) a complaint registration server operatively associated with the communications terminal for receiving and processing the complaint registration message;

wherein the communications terminal includes a complaint registration application comprising at least one of hardware and software for determining whether the communication is from a communications initiator

with whom an intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate; and

wherein the communication terminal further includes a complaint message generator comprising at least one of hardware and software for automatically generating the complaint registration message and forwarding the complaint registration message over the data network.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the communication terminal comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP)-capable phone.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the communications terminal comprises a personal computer.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the complaint registration message is based on information contained in a calling party call setup signaling message.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the complaint registration message comprises a SIP message.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the complaint registration server is adapted to generate a violation notification message.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the complaint registration server is adapted to send the violation notification message to a third party.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the third party is a government agency.

31. The system of claim 23 wherein the complaint message generator is adapted to generate a complaint registration message in response to a trigger initiated by the intended communication recipient.

32. The system of claim 23 wherein the communications terminal includes a call blocking database that is adapted to store identification information related to a calling party that has been notified that communication with the intended communication recipient is not desired.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the complaint message generator is adapted to generate the complaint registration message automatically in response to determining that an entry exists for the calling party in the call blocking database.

34. The system of claim 23 wherein the communications terminal comprises an IP telephony communications terminal.

35. The system of claim 23 wherein the complaint registration server is adapted to store previously registered complaints indexed by at least one of called and calling party identification information.

36. A method for automatically registering complaints against communication initiators, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a signaling message from a communication initiator relating to a communication from the communication initiator;

(b) extracting a calling party identifier from the signaling message and determining whether the communication is from a communication

initiator with whom an intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and whether the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient; and

(c) in response to determining that the communication is from a communication initiator with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and that the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient, automatically generating, from a user communications terminal or a service switching point (SSP), a complaint registration message identifying the communication initiator using the calling party identifier extracted from the signaling message and transmitting the complaint registration message over a data network;

wherein step (b) includes storing a blocking table including calling party identifiers identifying calling parties with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and providing a complaint registration application comprising at least one of hardware and software for accessing the blocking table using the calling party identifier extracted from the signaling message to determine whether the communication is from a communication initiator with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate; and

wherein step (c) includes providing a complaint message generator comprising at least one of hardware and software for generating the complaint registration message in response to the determination that the communication is from a communication initiator with whom the intended communication recipient does not desire to communicate and that the communication initiator has been previously notified not to initiate communications with the intended communication recipient, and for transmitting the complaint registration message over a data network.