Method and system for customized caller identification

• US 8,681,959 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage Business Inc (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage Network LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Citron, Jeffrey, Mamakos, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc D
• Application Number:
  US13/657,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.07, 379/142.15, 455/44.1, 455/415, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 379/142.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• 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 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system and method for customized caller identification and call routing are disclosed. A disclosed method of providing customized caller identification information for a phone call includes associating a first phone number in a database with a plurality of user specified identifications, selecting one of the plurality of user specified identifications in response to the phone call placed from the first phone number to a second phone number as a function of the second phone number, and providing the selected one of the plurality of identifications to a device associated with the second telephone number.

Claims

1. A method of routing a call between a caller at a first phone number and a user at a second phone number comprising:

(a) associating the first phone number in a database with a customized identifier provided by the caller associated with the first phone number;

(b) associating the first phone number and the associated customized identifier in the database with a customized routing instruction selected by the user, wherein the customized routing instruction includes an alternate communications identifier associated with the user;

(c) selecting the alternate communications identifier in response to a phone call placed from the first phone number to the second phone number as a function of the customized identifier; and

(d) routing the phone call from the first phone number to the alternate communications identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) determining calling behavior patterns of at least one of the user or the caller by applying a learning logic to the database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein applying a learning logic to the database includes analyzing at least one of call frequency to phone numbers of the called and calling parties, call times, call costs, and call distances.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(f) using the determined calling behavior patterns to suggest to user incentives, wherein the user incentives include at least one of preferred calling plans among frequently called numbers or a change in plan to reduce the user'"'"'s subscription cost according to past call usage patterns.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the call routing instruction for a selected associated pair of first and second phone numbers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) routing the phone call from the third phone number to a fourth phone number using the selected call routing instruction.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(f) routing the phone call from the third phone number to a fourth phone number after a predetermined time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) routing the phone call from the first phone number to at least a third phone number and a fourth phone number simultaneously.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

(f) detecting a channel opening at a terminal device; and

(g) completing the phone call to the terminal device.

10. A method of validating the identity of a caller comprising:

(a) receiving, by a user device associated with a second phone number, a call from a caller device associated with a first phone number;

(b) retrieving a first user specified identification of the caller associated with the first phone number from a first database using the first phone number as a lookup key;

(c) providing the user specified identification of the caller to the user device associated with the second telephone number being called;

(d) performing a caller name (CNAM) lookup in a second database using the first telephone number as a lookup key to determine a second caller identification associated with the first telephone; and

(e) validating an identity of the user based on a comparison of the determined second caller identification associated with the first phone number from the second database and the first user specified identification associated with the first phone number in the first database.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identity of the caller is determined to be invalid based on a lack of correspondence between the first user specified identification in the first database and the second caller identification retrieved from the second database.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the identity of the caller is determined to be valid based on a match between the first user specified identification in the first database and the second caller identification retrieved from the second database.