Method and system for providing enhanced caller identification information

• US 7,593,517 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Myers, Theodore J., Rauch, John G., Stuckman, Bruce E., Walsh, Patrick J., Cruz, Jose M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor; Barry W
• Application Number:
  US12/098,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20080187120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 37914201-14205, 379/142.09, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/93.23
• US Class Current: 379/142.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• 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

Abstract

A tangible storage medium stores code which permits handling of unwanted calls from callers such as telemarketers, when caller identification is provided. In one embodiment, the called party adds the caller identification information for the telemarketer to a personal list after receiving the unwanted call. Subsequent calls from the telemarketer are intercepted. In a second embodiment, the called party identifies the telemarketer by detecting the caller identification information before answering the call. By providing a screen listing indication, the caller identification information is added to the called party'"'"'s personal list before the call is completed, permitting the call to be intercepted and while future calls from the telemarketer to be intercepted.

Claims

1. A tangible storage medium storing code operable in conjunction with a communication system to process a call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called party at a called communication station, the code comprising:

first code operable with a first network element to detect a call processing query from a terminating switch and, in response to the call processing query, to determine whether standard caller identification information for the calling communication station can be provided to the called communication station, the first code being further operative in conjunction with the first network element to communicate a call processing message if standard caller identification information can not be provided, the call processing message including an identifier for the called communication station and a presentation indicator; and

second code operable with a second network element to receive the call processing message and to transmit a request for spoken caller identification information to the calling communication station and to store the spoken caller identification information as audible caller identification information in response to the call processing message, and further to provide the audible caller identification information to the called communication station if the called party accepts the call, the second code further operable with the second network element to detect a screen listing indication from the called communication station, and

the first code operative with the first network element to intercept subsequent calls from the calling communication station to the called communication station in response to the screen listing indication.

2. The tangible storage medium of claim 1 wherein the first code is further operable with the first network element to

obtain the standard caller identification information if the standard caller identification information can be provided,

to compare the standard caller identification information to a stored intercept list for the called communication station, and

to communicate a response message from the first network element to the terminating switch to complete the received call to the called party only if the standard caller identification information does not match an entry on the intercept list.

3. The tangible storage medium of claim 2 further comprising code operable in conjunction with a component of the communication system to detect signaling from the called communication station indicating the standard caller identification for the calling communication station should be added to the intercept list for the called communication station if the standard caller identification was provided and the call was completed, and if the signaling is detected, to add the standard caller identification for the calling communication station to the intercept list for the called communication station.

4. The tangible storage medium of claim 1 wherein the first code is operative with the first network element to detect signaling by

determining if a data entry was received from the called communication station, and

determining if the received data entry corresponds to a screen listing indication.

5. A tangible storage medium storing code for processing calls in a communications system, the code comprising:

(a) at a first network element of the communications system, first code operable to detect a call processing query associated with a received call from a calling party at a calling communication station to a called communication station;

(b) second code operable to determine if standard caller identification information for the received call for the calling communication station can be provided to the called communication station;

(c) third code which is operable, if standard caller identification information can be provided,

(c1) to obtain the standard caller identification information, and

(c2) to compare the standard caller identification information to respective entries of an intercept list;

(c3) to communicate a call processing response message from the first network element to complete the received call to the called party only if the standard caller identification information does not match an entry on the intercept list;

(d) fourth code which is operable, if standard caller identification information cannot be provided or if the standard caller identification information matches an entry of the intercept list,

(d1) to prevent completion of the call to the called communication station; and

(d2) to send a call processing message from the first network element to a second network element of the communications system to cause the second network element to request spoken caller identification information of the calling communication station and to subsequently play the spoken caller identification information to the called communication station when provided;

(e) at the second network element, fifth code operable to complete the received call only if the called party accepts the call;

(f) sixth code which is operable, if the standard caller identification was provided and the call was completed, to detect signaling from the called communication station indicating the standard caller identification for the calling communication station should be added to the intercept list for the called communication station; and

(g) seventh code which is operable, if the signaling is detected, to add the standard caller identification for the calling communication station to the intercept list for the called communication station.

6. The tangible storage medium of claim 5 wherein the fourth code comprises:

code to transmit a request for spoken identification information to the calling communication station, and

code to store the spoken caller identification information, when provided.

7. The tangible storage medium of claim 5 further comprising:

eighth code to generate audible caller identification information using synthesized speech signals based on the standard caller identification information.

8. The tangible storage medium of claim 5 further comprising:

code to detect in the call processing query a Called Party Identifier, the Called Party Identifier corresponding to the called communication station;

code to place the Called Party Identifier in the call processing message as a Calling Party Identifier; and

code to mark a Presentation Indicator associated with the Calling Party Identifier in the call processing message as presentation allowed.