Person to person telephone services

• US 7,403,600 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Gail E., Koch, Robert A., Meadows, Vernon
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee; Md S
• Application Number:
  US09/737,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20040234061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,773 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.02, 37920705-20708, 379/201.05, 379/215.01, 379/211.02, 379/88.25, 379/88.22, 379/211.01, 379/76, 379/67.1, 379372-37203, 379/911, 379/142.02, 379/207.16, 379/221.05, 379/252, 379/201.01, 379/157, 379/142.06, 379/88.18, 370/352, 370/338, 709/206, 709/217, 455/463
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• 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 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A method for delivering person to person services to a telephone subscriber. An embodiment of the present invention may be implemented on an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN). A telephone number of a buddy of the subscriber is associated with a buddy rule on a buddy list. The buddy list is accessible by a service control point. When a call intended the subscriber is received by a service switching point from a calling party, a query is launched by the service switching point to the service control point. The query comprises the calling number of the calling party and the called number of the subscriber. Using the called number, the service control point retrieves and reviews the buddy list. If the calling number matches the telephone number on the buddy list, the service control point instructs the service switching point to terminate the call using the buddy rule. If the calling number does not match the telephone number on the buddy list, the service control point instructs the service switching point to terminate the call using a default rule.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call, comprising:

establishing a subscriber number that is shared amongst multiple subscribers;

receiving a trigger to detect the call;

querying a database for call services to be applied to the call, the query including a calling party'"'"'s telephone number and the subscriber number, the database associating the calling party'"'"'s telephone number and the subscriber number to multiple call services;

retrieving a buddy list associated with the subscriber number, the buddy list identifying buddy numbers for the multiple subscribers to the subscriber number, the buddy list associating at least one buddy rule to each buddy number;

if the calling party'"'"'s telephone number is not found in the buddy list, then terminating the call according to a default rule for when the calling party is not a buddy;

if the calling party'"'"'s telephone number is found in the buddy list, then querying for a buddy rule that applies a distinctive ringtone associated with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number and with the subscriber number;

receiving a distinctive ringtone response having a ControllingLegTreatment field identifying the distinctive ringtone to be applied;

recording the distinctive ringtone that was played for the call;

querying for a mailbox number that indicates which of multiple voicemail boxes are associated with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number and with the subscriber number;

receiving a mailbox response in which a CallingPartyID field is preceded by the mailbox number;

when the subscriber number has an idle status, then ringing a device of the subscriber number for a predetermined amount of time;

when the predetermined amount of time has passed without answer, then forwarding the call to the mailbox number;

receiving a second incoming call while the subscriber number is engaged in the call;

determining if a second calling party is a buddy of a subscriber engaged in the call by comparing the recorded distinctive ringtone and a second calling number;

when the second calling party is a buddy of the subscriber engaged in the call, then retrieving a distinctive call waiting tone to alert the subscriber engaged in the call of the buddy'"'"'s incoming second call; and

if, however, the second calling party is not the buddy of the subscriber engaged in the call, then declining to alert of the second incoming call.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving a personal identification number, the personal identification number indicating which of multiple members associated with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number initiated the telephone call.

3. A system for processing a call, comprising:

means for establishing a subscriber number that is shared amongst multiple subscribers;

means for receiving a trigger to detect the call;

means for querying a database for call services to be applied to the call, the query including a calling party'"'"'s telephone number and the subscriber number, the database associating the calling party'"'"'s telephone number and the subscriber number to multiple call services;

means for retrieving a buddy list associated with the subscriber number, the buddy list identifying buddy numbers for the multiple subscribers to the subscriber number, the buddy list associating at least one buddy rule to each buddy number;

if the calling party'"'"'s telephone number is not found in the buddy list, then means for terminating the call according to a default rule for when the calling party is not a buddy;

if the calling party'"'"'s telephone number is found in the buddy list, then means for querying for a buddy rule that applies a distinctive ringtone associated with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number and with the subscriber number;

means for receiving a distinctive ringtone response having a ControllingLegTreatment field identifying the distinctive ringtone to be applied;

means for recording the distinctive ringtone that was played for the call;

means for querying for a mailbox number that indicates which of multiple voicemail boxes are associated with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number and with the subscriber number;

means for receiving a mailbox response in which a CallingPartyID field is preceded by the mailbox number;

when the subscriber number has an idle status, then means for ringing a device of the subscriber number for a predetermined amount of time;

when the predetermined amount of time has passed without answer, then means for forwarding the call to the mailbox number;

means for receiving a second incoming call while the subscriber number is engaged in the call;

means for determining if a second calling party is a buddy of a subscriber engaged in the call by comparing the recorded distinctive ringtone and a second calling number,

when the second calling party is a buddy of the subscriber engaged in the call, then means for retrieving a distinctive call waiting tone to alert the subscriber engaged in the call of the buddy'"'"'s incoming second call; and

if, however, the second calling party is not the buddy of the subscriber engaged in the call, then means for declining to alert of the second incoming call,

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising means for retrieving a personal identification number indicating which of multiple members associated with the calling party'"'"'s number initiated the call.