System and method for real-time blocking of a telephone call

• US 7,412,049 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• 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: Koch, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US10/159,542
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210.02, 379/196, 379/200
• US Class Current: 379/210.02
• 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 preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a call blocking service to which a user subscribes. The preferred call blocking service includes maintaining an updateable list of calling parties that the user wishes to block from being able to complete telephone calls to the user, maintaining a buffer for storing information associated with the most recent calling party placing a telephone call to the user, and recognizing a signal that the user activates to automatically add the most recent calling party to the list of calling parties blocked from being able to complete telephone calls to the user.

Claims

1. A system for real-time blocking telephone calls, the telephone calls placed by a calling party to a called party, the system comprising:

call blocking logic configured with a blocked caller list, the blocked caller list comprising at least one calling party to be blocked from being able to complete telephone calls to the called party; and

a buffer, the buffer storing at least a telephone number associated with a most recent calling party from which the called party has received a telephone call,

wherein the call blocking logic is configured to respond to an update signal to add the telephone number contained in the buffer to the blocked caller list that can be edited for review by the user before adding the calling party to the blocked caller list, wherein the update signal is received during the telephone call from the most recent calling party to the called party such that the blocked caller list is edited for review during the call and the call is blocked, terminating the call.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the call blocking logic is a switch, the switch configured to receive telephone calls intended for the called party, and to block telephone calls to the called party placed by calling parties that appear on the blocked caller list.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the blocked caller list is maintained within a memory of the switch.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the switch is further configured to receive the update signal from the called party, and to add the telephone number stored in the buffer to the blocked caller list.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, the buffer comprises a memory location within the switch.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the switch is a softswitch.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the switch is a Central Office switch.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the Central Office switch operates under the AIN protocols.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the call blocking logic further comprises a service control point, the service control point operating under the AIN protocols.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the update signal further comprises a signal from the called party to the switch.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the update signal further comprises a signal sent from the called party to the switch after the conclusion of a telephone call.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the update signal comprises a Star Feature Code.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the update signal comprises a signal from an IP telephone.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the call blocking logic further comprises a call blocking server, wherein the call blocking server communicates with the switch, and wherein the blocked caller list is stored on the call blocking server.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the buffer is located on the call blocking server.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, the call blocking server is contained within a softswitch.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the call blocking server is configured to allow the called party to communicate with the call blocking server.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication comprises HTML communications from a computer operated by the called party.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the call blocking server is further configured to allow the called party to edit information stored on the call blocking server.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the information edited by the called party comprises the blocked caller list.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a DTMF tone.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the signal comprises a DTMF tone from a PSTN telephone.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a signal from an IP telephone.

24. A method for a called party to block a telephone call from at least one selected calling party in real-time, the method comprising:

subscribing to a call blocking service, the call blocking service including a list of calling parties that the called party desires to block;

receiving a telephone call from an unwanted calling party that the called party desires to block; and

sending a signal to the call blocking service to place the unwanted calling party on the list of calling parties the called party desires to block that can be edited for review by the user before adding the calling party to the list of calling parties, wherein the signal is sent during the telephone call from the unwanted calling party such that the blocked caller list is edited for review during the call and the call is blocked, terminating the call.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein sending a signal to the call blocking service further comprises using the telephone of the called party to send the signal to the call blocking service.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein sending a signal to the call blocking service further comprises using the telephone of the called party to send a DTMF tone to the call blocking service.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein sending a signal to the call blocking service further comprises using the telephone of the called party to send the signal to the call blocking service after the telephone call from the unwanted calling party.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the telephone of the called party comprises an IP telephone.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the telephone of the called party comprises a PSTN telephone.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the call blocking service further includes a call blocking service server.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the list of calling parties the called party desires to block is located on the call blocking service server.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the call blocking service server is configured to allow the called party to communicate with the call blocking service server.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the communication between the called party and the call blocking service server comprises HTML communications from a computer operated by the called party.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the call blocking service server is further configured to allow the called party to view information stored on the call blocking service server.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the information on the call blocking service server viewed by the called party comprises the list of calling parties the called party desires to block.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the information on the call blocking service server may be edited by the called party.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein editing the information on the call blocking service server further comprises deleting a calling party from the list of calling parties the called party desires to block.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein editing the information on the call blocking service server further comprises adding a calling party to the list of calling parties the called party desires to block.

39. A method for a called party to block a telephone call from at least one selected calling party in real-time, the method comprising:

providing a call blocking service, the call blocking service including a list of calling parties that the called party desires to block, the call blocking service further including a buffer;

sending a telephone call to the called party from a calling party;

storing information associated with the calling party in the buffer;

receiving a signal from the called party that the called party desires to block the calling party, wherein the signal is received during the telephone call from the calling party to the called party such that the blocked caller list is edited for review during the call and the call is blocked, terminating the call; and

placing the calling party on the list of calling parties the called party desires to block that can be edited for review by the user before adding the calling party to the list of calling parties.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein receiving a signal from the called party further comprises receiving a signal from the telephone of the called party.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein receiving a signal from the called party further comprises receiving a signal from the telephone of the called party after the telephone call from the calling party.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the call blocking service further includes a call blocking service server.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the list of calling parties is stored on the call blocking service server.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein receiving a signal from the called party further comprises receiving a communication to the call blocking service server.

45. A method for a called party to block a telephone call from at least one selected calling party in real-time, the method comprising:

subscribing to a call blocking service, the call blocking service including a list of calling parties that the called party desires to block;

receiving a telephone call from an unwanted calling party that the called party desires to block;

sending a signal to the call blocking service to place the unwanted calling party on the list of calling parties the called party desires to block that can be edited for review by the user during the call before adding the calling party to the list of calling parties resulting in a blocking of the telephone call, thereby terminating the call; and

editing the list of calling parties.

46. The method of claim 45, further including:

accessing a web server having the list of calling parties using a web compliant device.

47. The method of claim 46, further including:

maintaining the list of calling parties on a web server; and

enabling the called party to access the list via a web compliant device.

48. The method of claim 45, further including:

viewing the list of calling parties.

49. A method for a called party to block a telephone call from at least one selected calling party in real-time, the method comprising:

providing a call blocking service, the call blocking service including a list of calling parties that the called party desires to block, the call blocking service further including a buffer;

sending a telephone call to the called party from a calling party;

storing information associated with the calling party in the buffer;

receiving a signal from the called party that the called party desires to block the calling party;

blocking the call, thereby terminating the call;

placing the calling party on the list of calling parties the called party desires to block that can be edited for review by the user during the call before adding the calling party to the list of calling parties; and

enabling the called party to edit the list of calling parties.