System and method for control of communications connections
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A control system for selectively prohibiting a communications connection between an origin and destination within a communications network, the system comprising:
- at least one list of prohibited destination identifiers;
at least one list of exempted destination identifiers including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier; and
a control unit that selects one of prohibiting and allowing the communications connection between the origin and destination based on one or more mediation rules and the lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, the control unit determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for selectively prohibiting a communications connection between an origin and destination in a communications network based on one or mediations rules and one or more lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers either in real-time using a control unit or with a pre-check using an analysis unit.
68 Citations
95 Claims
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1. A control system for selectively prohibiting a communications connection between an origin and destination within a communications network, the system comprising:
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at least one list of prohibited destination identifiers; at least one list of exempted destination identifiers including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier; and a control unit that selects one of prohibiting and allowing the communications connection between the origin and destination based on one or more mediation rules and the lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, the control unit determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 91)
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25. A method of selectively prohibiting a communications connection between an origin and destination in a communications network, the method comprising:
receiving or initiating a connection request for a communications connection between an origin and destination, the request including the destination identifier; and selecting one of prohibiting and allowing the requested communications connection based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier, allowing including determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 92)
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48. A computer readable medium having computer readable program codes embodied therein for causing a computer to function as a control unit that selectively prohibits a communications connection between an origin and destination in a communications network, the computer readable medium program codes performing functions comprising:
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receiving or initiating a connection request for a communications connection between an origin and destination, the request including the destination identifier; and selecting one of prohibiting and allowing the requested communications connection based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier, allowing including determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact.
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49. An analysis system for selectively designating whether a communications connections between an origin and one or more destinations are prohibited, the system comprising:
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an interface unit that receives one or more proposed destination identifiers; at least one list of prohibited destination identifiers; at least one list of exempted destination identifiers including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier; and an analysis unit that designates whether the communications connection between an origin and one or more proposed destinations is one of prohibited and allowed based on one or more mediation rules and the lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, the analysis unit determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 93)
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68. A method of selectively designating whether communications connections between an origin and one or more destinations in a communications network are prohibited, the method comprising:
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receiving one or more destination identifiers; and designating whether the communications connection between the origin and one or more destinations is one of prohibited and allowed based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier, designating including determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 94)
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86. A computer readable medium having computer readable program codes embodied therein for causing a computer to function as an analysis unit that selectively designates prohibited communications connections between an origin and one or more destinations in a communications network, the computer readable medium program codes performing functions comprising:
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receiving one or more destination identifiers; and designating whether the communications connections between the origin and one or more destinations is one of prohibited and allowed based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier, designating including determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connections depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact.
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87. A method of selectively prohibiting a communications connection between an origin and destination in a telecommunications network, the origin having a user interface for a client agent, the destination having a destination telephone number, the method comprising:
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at the origin, establishing a communications connection with a connection unit; at the connection unit, interacting with a control unit to validate a dialed number and, upon successful validation by the control unit, prompting the client agent for identification and authentication information; at the origin, entering the identification and authentication information; at the connection unit, interacting with the control unit to validate the identification and authentication information and, upon successful validation by the control unit, prompting for the destination telephone number; at the origin, entering the digits associated with a destination telephone number; at the connection unit, sending the destination telephone number to the control unit; at the control unit, verifying that the dialed area code of the destination telephone number is valid; retrieving client-specific mediation rules; selecting one of prohibiting and allowing the communications connection based on the mediation rules, one or more prohibited destination number lists, and one or more exempted destination number lists, by sending a prohibit or allow order to the connection unit; at the connection unit if the communications connection is allowed, establishing a second communications connection with the destination and bridging the origin communications connection to the destination communications connection to establish a communications connection between origin and destination; and at the connection unit if the communications connection is prohibited, ending the communications connection with the origin or notifying the client agent that the call is prohibited and prompting for entry of another destination telephone number. - View Dependent Claims (88, 95)
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89. A system for selectively prohibiting a communications connection between an origin and destination in a communications network, the system comprising:
means for receiving or initiating a connection request for a communication connection between an origin and destination, the request including the destination identifier; and means for selecting one of prohibiting and allowing the requested communications connection based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier, including means for determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact.
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90. A system for selectively designating whether communications connections between an origin and one or more destinations in a communications network are prohibited, the system comprising:
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means for receiving one or more destination identifiers; and means for designating whether the communications connection between the origin and one or more destinations is one of prohibited and allowed based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers, including a date of contact associated with each exempted destination identifier, the date of contact corresponding to a business transaction or inquiry made by a customer associated with the exempted destination identifier, including means for determining whether to apply a particular exemption to allow the communications connection depending on a duration that the particular exemption is valid from the date of contact.
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Specification