Identifying and filtering incoming telephone calls to enhance privacy

• US 9,426,288 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ooma Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ooma Incorporated
• Inventors: Farrand, Toby, Snow, Kevin, Peng, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US14/318,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20150087280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 787 Days
• Field of Search: 379/188, 379/210.02, 379/210.03, 379196-199
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called 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 3/4365 based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A method for filtering a telephone call is provided. The method may comprise receiving from a caller the telephone call directed to a communication device associated with an intended call recipient. The received telephone call may be scored based on predetermined scoring criteria to create a score indicative of a desirability of the telephone call. Furthermore, the method may comprise comparing the score to a predetermined threshold score. Based on the comparison, the method may further comprise selectively classifying the telephone call as an unwanted telephone call. Furthermore, the method may comprise selectively rejecting the unwanted telephone call.

Claims

1. A method for generating a community blacklist comprising:

receiving, using a processor, an incoming telephone call directed to a recipient telephone number, the recipient telephone number being associated with a telephone service, the recipient telephone number being unassigned to a subscriber of the telephone service;

determining, using the processor, the incoming telephone call is from an originating telephone number;

answering, using the processor, the incoming telephone call;

providing, using the processor, a verbal challenge;

receiving, using the processor, a response, the response being at least an audible answer;

measuring, using the processor, a time between when the verbal challenge is provided and when the response is received; and

adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist based at least on one of the measured time being equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the audible answer corresponding to at least one predetermined answer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one predetermined answer includes “

hello”

.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding, using the processor, the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on at least one of time of day, day of week, and time of year.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

searching, using the processor, a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and

adding, using the processor, the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in at least a predetermined number of the plurality of subscriber blacklists, the predetermined number being greater than or equal to two.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

searching, using the processor, at least a subset of a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and

adding, using the processor, the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in at least one of the subset of the plurality of subscriber blacklists.

6. A system for generating a community blacklist comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions, the instructions being executable by the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving an incoming telephone call directed to a recipient telephone number, the recipient telephone number being associated with a telephone service, the recipient telephone number being unassigned to a subscriber of the telephone service;

determining the incoming telephone call is from an originating telephone number;

answering the incoming telephone call;

providing a verbal challenge;

receiving a response, the response being at least an audible answer;

measuring a time between when the verbal challenge is provided and when the response is received; and

adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist based at least on one of the measured time being equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the audible answer corresponding to at least one predetermined answer.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one predetermined answer includes “

hello”

.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:

adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on at least one of time of day, day of week, and time of year.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:

searching a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and

adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in a predetermined number of the plurality of subscriber blacklists, the predetermined number being greater than or equal to two.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:

searching at least a subset of a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and

adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in at least one of a subset of the predetermined number of the plurality of subscriber blacklists.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for generating a community blacklist, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming telephone call directed to a recipient telephone number, the recipient telephone number being associated with a telephone service, the recipient telephone number being unassigned to a subscriber of the telephone service;

determining the incoming telephone call is from an originating telephone number;

answering the incoming telephone call;

providing a verbal challenge;

receiving a response, the response being at least an audible answer;

measuring a time between when the verbal challenge is provided and when the response is received; and

adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist based at least on one of the measured time being equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the audible answer corresponding to at least one predetermined answer.