Methods, systems, and products for recipient identification

• US 8,385,529 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daigle, Brian K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US12/549,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.04, 379/142.03
• US Class Current: 379/211.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/571 Blocking transmission of caller identification to called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products provide called party identification to a calling party. A communication is processed from a calling communications address to one of a plurality of communications addresses associated with a simultaneous ring. When an answer is detected at one of the plurality of communications addresses, an answering communications address is sent to the calling communications address.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing an incoming communication from a calling communications address to a called communications address of a plurality of called communications addresses;

associating the calling communications address with a shared caller identification that is common for a plurality of calling communications addresses;

sending the shared caller identification to the plurality of called communications addresses;

simultaneously ringing each called communications address in the plurality of called communications addresses;

detecting an answer at an answering communications address of the plurality of called communications addresses; and

communicating the answering communications address to the calling communications address.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising associating the answering communications address to an answering communications device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving the shared caller identification from memory.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising associating the answering communications address to a preferred communications address.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising sending the preferred communications address to the calling communications address.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising blocking communication of the answering communications address to the calling communications address.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor executing code stored in memory that causes the processor to;

process an incoming communication from a calling communications address to a called communications address of a plurality of called communications addresses;

associate the calling communications address with a shared caller identification that is common for a plurality of calling communications addresses;

send the shared caller identification to the plurality of called communications addresses;

simultaneously ring each called communications address in the plurality of called communications addresses;

detect an answer at an answering communications address in the plurality of called communications addresses; and

communicate the answering communications address to the calling communications address.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising code that causes the processor to associate the answering communications address to an answering communications device.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising code that causes the processor to communicate the answering communications device to the calling communications address.

10. The system according to claim 7, further comprising code that causes the processor to associate the called communications address to the plurality of called communications addresses.

11. The system according to claim 7, further comprising code that causes the processor to associate the answering communications address to a preferred communications address.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising code that causes the processor to send the preferred communications address to the calling communications address.

13. The system according to claim 11, further comprising code that causes the processor to route future communications from the calling communications address to the preferred communications address.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

processing an incoming communication from a calling communications address to a called communications address of a plurality of called communications addresses;

associating the calling communications address with a shared caller identification that is common for a plurality of calling communications addresses;

sending the shared caller identification to the plurality of called communications addresses;

simultaneously ringing each called communications address in the plurality of called communications addresses;

detecting an answer at an answering communications address in the plurality of called communications addresses; and

communicating the answering communications address to the calling communications address.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 14, further comprising instructions for associating the answering communications address to an answering communications device.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for communicating the answering communications device to the calling communications address.