Techniques for bypassing call screening in a call messaging system

• US 8,885,809 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2014
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Vendrow, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US14/158,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20140133644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.01, 379/142.01, 379/93.17, 379/211.02, 379/67.1, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/211.01, 379/207.15, 379/221.01, 379/220.01, 379/219, 455/445, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• 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 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• 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 3/436 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 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0021 Details of Application Programming Interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding

Abstract

Techniques for bypassing call screening in a call messaging system. In one embodiment, for example, a method performed by one or more computing devices comprises: receiving an incoming call from a device of a caller; determining whether a bypass condition exists for the incoming call; and in response to determining that the bypass condition exists, causing the incoming call to be connected to a device of a callee without performing a call screening action of a call screening rule that, based at least in part on one or more conditions of the call screening rule, applies to the incoming call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a device of a caller;

determining whether a bypass condition exists for the incoming call; and

in response to determining that the bypass condition exists, causing the incoming call to be connected to a device of a callee without performing a call screening action of a call screening rule that, based at least in part on one or more conditions of the call screening rule, applies to the incoming call;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more screening actions include presenting one or more prompts at the caller'"'"'s device;

and wherein the method further comprises causing the incoming call to be connected to the callee'"'"'s device without presenting the one or more prompts at the caller'"'"'s device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions include routing the incoming call to voicemail of the callee;

and wherein the method further comprises causing the incoming call to be connected to the callee'"'"'s device without routing the incoming call to the callee'"'"'s voicemail.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a bypass condition exists comprises determining a priority of the incoming call and determining whether a bypass condition exists based at least in part on the priority.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a bypass condition exists comprises determining that a bypass condition does exist based at least in part on determining that a previous call from the callee'"'"'s device to the caller'"'"'s device was disconnected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a bypass condition exists comprises determining that a bypass condition does exist based at least in part on determining that a previous call from the callee'"'"'s device to the caller'"'"'s device could not be connected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a bypass condition exists comprises determining that a bypass condition does exist based at least in part on a determined identity of the caller'"'"'s device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a bypass condition exists includes determining that a bypass condition does exist based at least in part on a determined time of the incoming call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller'"'"'s device is a device selected from the group consisting of an analog telephone, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone, a computing device executing a softphone application, and a hand-held cellular telephone;

and wherein the callee'"'"'s device is a device selected from the group consisting of an analog telephone, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone, a computing device executing a softphone application, and a hand-held cellular telephone.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to determining whether a bypass condition exists for the incoming call, determining whether to filter the incoming call.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to determining whether a bypass condition exists for the incoming call, determining an identifier pertaining to the caller, and determining whether to block the incoming call based at least in part on the identifier pertaining to the caller.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the call screening rule is associated with an identifier of the callee.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the call screening rule is associated with an identifier of the callee'"'"'s device.

14. A method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a device of a caller;

determining whether to filter the incoming call;

after determining not to filter the incoming call, determining whether a bypass condition exists for the incoming call; and

in response to determining that the bypass condition exists, causing the incoming call to be connected to a device of a callee without performing a call screening action of a call screening rule that, based at least in part on one or more conditions of the call screening rule, applies to the incoming call;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether to filter the incoming call based at least in part on one or more call filtering rules associated with an identifier of the callee.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether to filter the incoming call based at least in part on one or more call filtering rules associated with an identifier of the callee'"'"'s device.

17. A method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a device of a caller;

determining an identifier pertaining to the caller;

determining whether to block the incoming call based at least in part on the identifier pertaining to the caller;

after determining not to block the incoming call, determining whether a bypass condition exists for the incoming call; and

in response to determining that the bypass condition exists, causing the incoming call to be connected to a device of a callee without performing a call screening action of a call screening rule that, based at least in part on one or more conditions of the call screening rule, applies to the incoming call;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifier pertaining to the caller is an identifier of the caller'"'"'s device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining whether to block the incoming call based at least in part on the identifier pertaining to the caller and one or more call routing rules associated with an identifier of the callee.