Comprehensive telephone call screening system

• US 7,379,544 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2002
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telebuyer LLC
• Original Assignee: Telebuyer LLC
• Inventors: Katz, Ronald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US10/287,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20040086101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 379/120, 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/188, 379/200, 379/207.13, 379/207.15, 379/210.02, 379/210.03, 379/215.01
• US Class Current: 379/210.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/573 Line monitoring circuits for detecting caller identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• 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 dynamic telephone-call screening system detects indications of the character for incoming calls as a basis to determine acceptance. Calls that are identified and indicated to be undesirable, as from a facsimile machine, may be categorically screened on the basis of character. Calls identified to be from an undesired terminal also are recognized and screened. Indications of undesired character calls and undesired calling terminal are stored for reference testing. Upon receiving an undesired call, its character and source may be stored for future reference.

Claims

1. A call screening system for blocking unwanted incoming calls to a telephonic instrument from a telephonic apparatus, which calls are received through a public switched telephone network and whereby call identification representations generated by a calling telephonic apparatus reveal the character of a call, the call screening system comprising:

a receiver to interface an incoming call and associated call identification representations;

a signal recognition structure for receiving the call identification representations and to directly recognize select of said call identification representations that are generated by a facsimile capability of the calling telephonic apparatus by a comparison against stored reference data to selectively identify unwanted incoming facsimile calls to said telephone instrument; and

a call screening structure controlled by the signal recognition structure to block unwanted facsimile calls to the telephone instrument as selectively identified.

2. A call screening system according to claim 1 for blocking unwanted facsimile calls wherein the signal recognition structure unit recognizes call identification representations including tonal sounds indicative of a calling facsimile machine as select representations of unwanted incoming facsimile calls.

3. A call screening system according to claim 1 further including a storage for calling number representations of unwanted incoming facsimile calls to command a screening operations based on calling number representations.

4. A call screening system according to claim 3 further including a working register to temporarily store calling number representations pending manual operation to store select calling number representations for subsequent screening operations.

5. A call screening system according to claim 1 further including a calling number recognition unit for receiving calling number representations to identify telephone numbers and wherein the call screening structure also screens calls from select telephone numbers.

6. At least one processor readable storage device having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage device, the processor readable code for programming the at least one processor to perform a method of telephone call screening for a telephone instrument for unwanted calls received from a calling telephonic apparatus through a public switched network, which calling telephonic apparatus provides call identification signals including call character signals reveling the character of an incoming call, the method comprising the steps of:

interfacing a called telephone line to receive said call identification signals generated directly by a calling telephonic apparatus provided through the public switched telephone network;

identifying certain select of said received call identification signals including call character signals associated with a facsimile transmission call by a comparison against stored reference data and indicating unwanted facsimile telephone calls to provide a blocking signal; and

terminating the interface of calls under control of the blocking signal.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the method further comprises identifying the certain select of said received call identification signals to include signals indicative of a facsimile transmission call generated by a facsimile capability of the calling telephonic apparatus.

8. A device according to claim 6 wherein the method further comprises identifying certain calling number signals as representative of unwanted calling telephone numbers to provide a blocking signal.

9. A device according to claim 6 wherein the method further includes storing reference identification signals as a basis for identifying said certain select of the received call identification signals.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein the stored reference identification signals are call character signals revealing the character of an incoming call.

11. A device according to claim 9 wherein the stored reference identification signals revealing the character of an incoming call are indicative of a facsimile transmission call generated by a facsimile capability.

12. A device according to claim 8 wherein the reference calling number signals indicative of an unwanted calling telephone number are stored.

13. A device according to claim 6 wherein the method further includes storing certain manually selected calling number signals received from the public switched telephone network.

14. A device according to claim 13 wherein the method further includes a step of clearing stored calling number signals in response to a manual command.

15. A call screening process for blocking unwanted calls to a telephone instrument, which are received through a public switched telephone network from a calling telephonic apparatus and whereby call identification signals provided by the calling telephonic apparatus reveal the character of an incoming call and accompany incoming calls to the telephone instrument, the call screening system comprising the steps of:

interfacing incoming calls to the telephone instrument to provide call identification signals including the call identification signals generated by the calling telephonic apparatus to indicate a facsimile transmission call;

directly recognizing select of the call identification signals provided to the telephone instrument;

identifying select of the recognized call identification signals to command a screening operation of a facsimile transmission call by a comparison against stored reference data; and

blocking incoming facsimile calls under control of the screening operation.

16. A method according to claim 15 further including a step of providing termination message to at least certain of said blocked incoming calls.