Intermediary device based callee identification

• US 7,839,989 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winters, Scott Lee, Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Weaver, James Mark, McIntyre, Joseph Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/554,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20070237319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 379/199, 379/201.07, 379/214.07, 379/88.02, 379/91.01, 379/142.05, 379/207.14, 379/211.02, 379/265.02, 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 370/310, 370/409, 370/390, 455/433, 704/275, 713/170, 709/207
• US Class Current: 379/142.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products for informing a caller of a callee identity are disclosed that include: detecting a call receipt condition from a destination device at a trusted telephone network; brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server enabled to perform a callee identity authentication service; and responsive to receiving, from said external server, an authenticated callee identity of a callee utilizing said destination device, transferring said authenticated callee identity to an origin device, such that a caller initiating said call at said origin device is informed of an identity of a party answering said call.

Claims

1. A method for informing a caller of a callee identity, comprising:

detecting a call receipt condition from a destination device at a trusted telephone network;

brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server enabled to perform a callee identity authentication service; and

responsive to receiving, from said external server, an authenticated callee identity of a callee utilizing said destination device, transferring said authenticated callee identity to an origin device, such that a caller initiating said call at said origin device is informed of an identity of a party answering said call.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server further comprises:

transmitting a request for said callee identity authentication service via a signal gateway to a network for accessing said external server;

responsive to receiving access to said callee identity authentication service, transferring a call to said external server;

transferring a prompt for a voice utterance, received from said external server via a media gateway, to said destination device;

transferring a voice utterance by said callee through said media gateway to said network for accessing said external server; and

receiving said authenticated callee identity via said signal gateway at said trusted telephone network.

3. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

filtering content of said authenticated callee identity before transfer to said origin device.

4. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 3, further comprising:

filtering content of said authenticated callee identity according to filtering preferences associated with said authenticated callee identity.

5. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 3, further comprising:

filtering content of said authenticated callee identity according to an identity of said caller.

6. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

filtering said authenticated callee identity to block at least a portion of the content of said authenticated callee identity.

7. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a line number utilized to access said destination device; and

transferring said line number with said authenticated callee identity to said origin device.

8. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a line number utilized to access said destination device; and

blocking said line number from transfer to said origin device with said authenticated callee identity.

9. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a call forwarded from a first line number to a second line number; and

transferring an indicator to said origin device with said authenticated callee identity that said call is forwarded to said second line number.

10. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a call transferred from a first line number to a second line number during a call; and

brokering a connection between a current destination device accessible via said second line number and an external server enabled to perform a callee identity authentication service; and

responsive to receiving, from said external server, a current authenticated callee identity of a current callee utilizing said current destination device, transferring said current authenticated callee identity to said origin device to update said caller.

11. The method for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 1, further comprising:

brokering a connection between said destination device and said external server periodically throughout said call to authenticate said callee identity;

responsive to receiving, from said external server, a current authenticated callee identity differing from a previously received authenticated callee identity, transferring said current authenticated callee identity to said origin device to update said caller that the identity of the callee has changed.

12. A system for informing a caller of a callee identity, comprising:

a trusted telephone network enabled to process a call;

a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable, when executed by the computer processor, of causing the system to carry out the steps of

detecting a call receipt condition from a destination device at said trusted telephone network;

brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server enabled to perform a callee identity authentication service; and

responsive to receiving, from said external server, an authenticated callee identity of a callee utilizing said destination device, transferring said authenticated callee identity to an origin device to inform a caller initiating said call at said origin device of an identity of a party answering said call.

13. The system for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 12 wherein the brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server further comprises:

transmitting a request for said callee identity authentication service via a signal gateway to a network for accessing said external server;

responsive to receiving access to said callee identity authentication service, transferring a call to said external server;

transferring a prompt for a voice utterance, received from said external server via a media gateway, to said destination device;

transferring a voice utterance by said callee through said media gateway to said network for accessing said external server; and

receiving said authenticated callee identity via said signal gateway at said trusted telephone network.

14. The system for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 12, wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

filtering content of said authenticated callee identity before transfer to said origin device.

15. The system for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 12, wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

filtering said authenticated callee identity to block at least a portion of the content of said authenticated callee identity.

16. The system for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 12, wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

detecting a line number utilized to access said destination device; and

transferring said line number with said authenticated callee identity to said origin device.

17. A computer program product for informing a caller of a callee identity, the computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions for:

detecting a call receipt condition from a destination device at said trusted telephone network;

brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server enabled to perform a callee identity authentication service; and

transferring an authenticated callee identity received from said external server to an origin device to inform a caller initiating said call at said origin device of an identity of a party answering said call.

18. The computer program product for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 17 wherein brokering a connection between said destination device and an external server further comprises:

transmitting a request for said callee identity authentication service via a signal gateway to a network for accessing said external server;

responsive to receiving access to said callee identity authentication service, transferring a call to said external server;

transferring a prompt for a voice utterance, received from said external server via a media gateway, to said destination device;

transferring a voice utterance by said callee through said media gateway to said network for accessing said external server; and

receiving said authenticated callee identity via said signal gateway at said trusted telephone network.

19. The computer program product for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 17, further comprising:

computer program instructions for filtering content of said authenticated callee identity before transfer to said origin device.

20. The computer program product for informing a caller of a callee identity according to claim 17, further comprising:

computer program instructions for filtering content of said authenticated callee identity according to filtering preferences associated with said authenticated callee identity.