Anonymous voice communication

• US 6,148,067 A
• Filed: 07/02/1996
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leipow, Robert Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US08/673,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/202, 379/67, 379/88, 379/177, 379/204, 379/158, 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/207, 370/389, 370/259, 370/260, 370/261
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5054 Meet-me conference, i.e. participants dial-in
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

The invention provides a trusted agent for anonymous voice communication using telephones. The trusted agent includes an access network communications unit, a memory device and a voice bridge processor coupled to the memory device and the access network communications unit. The voice bridge processor receives information through the access network communications unit from at least one user and connects the at least one user to a telephone network for anonymous voice communication. The voice bridge processor displays to the at least one user a display panel prompting the at least one user to enter a telephone number and an identification. The voice bridge processor searches the memory device for an entry corresponding to the identification entered by the at least one user. If the entry corresponding to the identification is found, then the voice bridge processor connects the at least one user with another user identified with the identification entered by the at least one user. If the identification entered by the at least one user is not found, the voice bridge processor creates an entry in the memory device corresponding to the at least one user.

Claims

1. A trusted agent, coupled to an access network, that provides for anonymous voice communication using telephones coupled to a voice communications network, comprising:

a network communications unit; and

a voice bridge processor coupled to the network communications unit, wherein the voice bridge processor receives information from at least one user through the network communications unit and the access network, the information including a voice room name identifying a voice room, and initiates a connection between the at least one user and the voice room over the voice communications network based on the received information for the anonymous voice communication.

2. The trusted agent of claim 1, wherein the voice bridge processor communicates with the at least one user through the network communications unit and receives from the at least one user a telephone number associated with the first user and an identification associated with at least one anonymous voice communication partner.

3. The trusted agent of claim 2, wherein the voice bridge processor displays to the at least one user a display panel prompting the at least one user to enter the information, the telephone number and the identification.

4. The trusted agent of claim 2, further comprising:

a memory device, wherein the at least one user comprises a first user and a second user, the voice bridge processor reading an identification of the first user from the memory device and searching in the memory device for an entry corresponding to the identification of the second user that also identifies the identification of the first user as an anonymous voice communication partner.

5. The trusted agent of claim 4, wherein if the entry corresponding to the identification of the second user is found in the memory device, then the voice bridge processor connects the first user in the voice room with the second user over the voice communications network, the voice bridge processor connecting the first user with the second user using the telephone number of the first user and a telephone number of the second user contained in the entry corresponding to the identification of the second user.

6. The trusted agent of claim 5, wherein the voice bridge processor waits a preset time before connecting the first user with the second user to allow the first user and the second user to make available telephone lines corresponding to the telephone numbers of the first user and the second user, respectively.

7. The trusted agent of claim 4, wherein if the entry corresponding to the second user is not found, then the voice bridge processor creates an entry in the memory device corresponding to the first user, the entry containing at least the telephone number of the first user, the identification of the first user and the identification of the second user as the anonymous voice communication partner.

8. The trusted agent of claim 2, wherein if the entry corresponding to the voice room name is found, then the voice bridge processor connects the first user to a voice conference corresponding to the voice room name over the voice communications network, the entry corresponding to the voice room name containing information required to connect the first user to the corresponding voice conference.

9. The trusted agent of claim 8, wherein the voice bridge processor waits a preset time before connecting the first user with the voice conference corresponding to the voice room name to allow the first user to make available a telephone line corresponding to the telephone number of the first user.

10. The trusted agent of claim 2, further comprising a memory device, wherein the voice bridge processor searches in the memory device for an entry corresponding to the voice room name, if the entry corresponding to the voice room name is not found, then the voice bridge processor initiates a voice conference corresponding to the voice room name over the voice communications network, connects the first user to the voice conference and creates an entry in the memory device corresponding to the voice room name that includes information which identifies the corresponding voice conference.

11. The trusted agent of claim 10, wherein the voice bridge processor waits a preset time before connecting the first user with the voice conference corresponding to the voice room name to allow the first user to make available a telephone line corresponding to the telephone number of the first user.

12. A method for connecting at least one user to a voice communication room through a trusted agent, coupled to an access network using telephones coupled to a voice communications network, comprising:

receiving information from the at least one user through a network communications unit and the access network, the information including a voice room name identifying a voice room; and

initiating a connection between the at least one user and the voice room over the voice communications network based on the received information for the voice communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving step comprises:

communicating with the at least one user using the voice bridge processor through the network communications unit; and

receiving from the at least one user a telephone number associated with the at least one user and an identification associated with at least one anonymous voice communication partner.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one user comprises a first user and a second user and the second user is an anonymous voice communication partner of the first user, the method further comprising:

reading an identification of the first user from a memory device; and

searching in the memory device for an entry corresponding to the second user that also identifies the identification of the first user as an anonymous voice communication partner of the second user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

initiating a connection in the voice room between the first user with the second user over the voice communications network, if the entry corresponding to the identification of the second user is found in the memory device, the voice bridge processor initiating the connection between the first user with the second user using the telephone number of the first user and a telephone number of the second user contained in the entry corresponding to the identification of the second user.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

creating an entry in the memory device corresponding to the first user, if the entry corresponding to the second user is not found in the memory device, the entry containing at least the telephone number of the first user, the identification of the first user and the identification of the second user.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

searching in a memory device for an entry corresponding to the voice room name; and

initiating the connection between the first user with a voice conference corresponding to the voice room name over the voice communications network, if the entry corresponding to the voice room name is found in the memory device, the voice bridge processor connecting the first user with the voice conference corresponding to the voice room name using the telephone number of the first user and the information contained in the entry corresponding to the voice room name that identifies the voice conference.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the entry corresponding to the voice room name is not found in the memory device, then the method further comprising:

initiating a voice conference corresponding to the voice room name; and

creating an entry in the memory device corresponding to the voice room name, the entry containing at least the information identifying the voice conference corresponding to the voice room name.