Selective feature blocking in a communications network

• US 7,242,680 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Gallant, John Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh; Bob A.
• Application Number:
  US10/097,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20020167946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4523 using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 : at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 : specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 : specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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 15/43 : Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 : Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 : using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 : for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 : for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/63 : based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8292 : Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 : composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 : Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 : Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 : VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 : Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 : Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 : Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 : Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• 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 3/46 : Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 : Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• 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: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

In the context of a communications system, means are disclosed for ensuring that invocation of redirect features, such as call forwarding, do not circumvent call blocking settings. User profile information associated with a party controls the invocation of features for the party and controls the screening of redirect contacts resulting from feature invocation. The behavior of feature-associated contact screening for the party is configurable independently of the originating calling permissions of the party.

Claims

1. In a communications system, a method for establishing a communications session with a party comprising:

invoking at least one feature in the communications system that results in at least one contact for establishing the communications session with the party;

determining a type of address associated with the contact;

applying at least one screening criterion to the contact, based on the determined type of address, to determine whether the contact is permitted to he used for establishing communications with the party; and

using the contact to establish communications with the party, when the contact is permitted to establish communications with the party.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a user profile associated with the party, wherein the invoking of the feature is affected by the content of the user profile.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a user profile associated with the party, wherein the screening criterion is affected by the content of the user profile.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the invoking of the feature is affected by contents of at least one data structure maintained in the system and associated with the party.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the screening criteria is affected by contents of a data structure maintained in the system and associated with the party.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the applying at least one screening criterion to the contact is conditionally performed as a function of whether the contact results from the invoking of the feature.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the at least one screening criterion from a first screening table if the determined type of address corresponds to a telephone number or from a second screening table if the determined type of address corresponds to an IP address.

7. In a communications system, a method for processing a request to establish a communications session with a party comprising:

receiving a session request to establish a communications session with the party, wherein the session request is received from a requestor;

obtaining at least one contact by applying at least one routing feature in response to the session request, the contact pertaining to establishing the communications session with the party;

determining a type of address of the contact;

accessing user profile information associated with the party;

obtaining at least one screening criterion from the user profile information, wherein the at least one screening criterion is based on the determined type of address of the contact;

applying the screening criterion to the contact to determine whether the contact is permitted to be contained in a response to the session request;

including the contact in the response to the session request, when the contact is permitted to be contained in the response to the session request; and

sending the response to the session request to the requestor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein operation of the routing feature is affected by the user profile information.

9. A location server, coupled to a communications system, to establish a communications session between a requesting party and a destination party, the location server comprising:

means for receiving a routing request;

means for invoking a feature to determine at least one contact for establishing the communications session between the requesting and destination parties;

means for determining a type of address of the at least one contact;

means for applying at least one screening criterion to the at least one contact based on the determined type of address of the at least one contact, to determine whether the contact is permitted to be used for establishing the communications session; and

means for sending a routing response, the routing response including the contact if the contact is permitted to be used for establishing the communications session.

10. The location server of claim 9, wherein the communications system further comprises:

a proxy server, wherein the routing request is received from the proxy server.

11. The location server of claim 9, wherein the communications system further comprises:

a proxy server, wherein the routing response is sent to the proxy server.

12. The location server of claim 9, wherein the routing request includes information relating to the identification of the requesting and destination parties.

13. The location server of claim 9, further comprising:

means for obtaining a user profile, wherein said user profile affects the at least one screening criterion.

14. The location server of claim 9, wherein the feature comprises at least one of:

find me, call forwarding, conditional call forwarding, call blocking, do not disturb or call screening.

15. The location server of claim 9, further comprising:

means for obtaining at least one screening table, wherein said screening table comprises screening criteria records comprising the at least one screening criterion.