Systems and methods for call processing

• US 9,215,326 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Brahm, David J., Trandal, David S., Smith, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US14/290,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 379/215.01, 379/142.08, 379/88.23, 379/211.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/4563 Voicemail monitoring during recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• 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 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• 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

The present invention provides flexible, user-definable call screening processes. The user can optionally define to which telecommunication terminals a screened call is to be broadcast to and under what conditions. An incoming call is forwarded to a call management system that asks the caller to leave a voice message. The call management system selectively couples the call to a POTS line or a VoIP-capable device so that the user can listen to the incoming message and thereby screen the incoming call. Based on the screening, the user can instruct the call management system to connect the caller to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing call connections, the method comprising:

registering, by a computing system comprising a computing device and a network interface, a unique phone number to a user wherein the unique phone number is not a wireless phone number of the user and the unique phone number is not a wireline phone number of the user;

receiving, at the computing system, an online presence indication of an Internet-connected computing device associated with the user; and

at least partly in response to receiving the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device, enabling an incoming call to the unique phone number to be connected to the Internet-connected computing device associated with the user.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receipt of the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device is based at least in part on a receipt of a data transmission from a software application installed thereon.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receipt of the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device is performed using an Internet-based messaging service.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein incoming calls to the unique phone number are directed to the computing system prior to being connected to the Internet-connected computing device associated with the user.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising enabling the user and a calling party associated with the incoming call to communicate over the connection.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing for display in association with a presentation of the incoming call a caller identification of a calling party, wherein the caller identification of the calling party is based at least in part on call signaling information associated with the incoming call.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising enabling the user to screen the incoming call by playing audio from a caller of the incoming call, without the caller being able to hear the user, via a user interface of an application software program installed on the Internet-connected computing device.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, the method further comprising enabling the user to direct the incoming call, subsequent to the initiation of the playing of the audio, to an alternative telephonic device of the user via the user interface of the application software program.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising enabling the user to direct the incoming call to an alternative telephonic device of the user via a user interface of an application software program installed on the Internet-connected computing device.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the Internet-connected computing device comprises a web-enabled cellular phone.

13. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the receipt of the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device uses at least in part an Internet-based messaging service.

11. A system, comprising:

at least one network-based server comprising hardware;

at least one network interface;

a router subsystem, which serves as an interface to the Internet to manage communications between online Internet Protocol client devices and the network-based server; and

non-transitory memory, coupled to the network-based server, that stores instructions that when executed by the network-based server cause, at least in part, the system to perform operations comprising;

recording a unique phone number assigned to a user wherein the unique phone number is not a wireless phone number of the user and the unique phone number is not a wireline phone number of the user;

receiving an online presence indication of an Internet-connected computing device associated with the user; and

at least partly in response to receiving the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device, enabling an incoming call to the unique phone number to be connected to the Internet-connected computing device associated with the user.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the receipt of the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device is based at least in part on a receipt of a data transmission from an application software program installed thereon.

14. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein incoming calls to the unique phone number are directed to the computing system prior to being connected to the Internet-connected computing device associated with the user.

15. The system as defined in claim 11, the operations further comprising enabling the user and a calling party associated with the incoming call to communicate over the connection.

16. The system as defined in claim 11, the operations further comprising providing for display in association with a presentation of the incoming call a caller identification of a calling party, wherein the caller identification of the calling party is based at least in part on call signaling information associated with the incoming call.

17. The system as defined in claim 11, the operations further comprising enabling the user to screen the incoming call by playing audio from a caller of the incoming call, without the caller being able to hear the user, via a user interface of an application software program installed on the Internet-connected computing device.

18. The system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising enabling the user to direct the incoming call, subsequent to the initiation of the playing of the audio, to an alternative telephonic device of the user via the user interface of the application software program.

19. The system as defined in claim 11, the operations further comprising enabling the user to direct the incoming call to an alternative telephonic device of the user via a user interface of an application software program installed on the Internet-connected computing device.

20. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the Internet-connected computing device comprises a web-enabled cellular phone.

21. A system, comprising:

at least one network-based server comprising hardware;

at least one network interface;

a router subsystem, which serves as an interface to the Internet to manage communications between online Internet Protocol client devices and the network-based server; and

non-transitory memory, coupled to the network-based server, that stores instructions that when executed by the network-based server cause, at least in part, the system to perform operations comprising;

recording a unique phone number of a user in an account associated with the user, wherein the unique phone number is not a wireless phone number of the user and the unique phone number is not a wireline phone number of the user;

receiving an online presence indication of an Internet-connected computing device associated with the user; and

at least partly in response to receiving a selection of a control via a user interface of an application software program installed on the Internet computing device, enabling an incoming call to the unique phone number to be connected to the Internet-connected computing device associated with the user.

22. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein the receipt of the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device is based at least in part on a receipt of a data transmission from the application software program.

23. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein the receipt of the online presence indication of the Internet-connected computing device uses at least in part an Internet-based messaging service.

24. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein incoming calls to the unique phone number are directed to the computing system prior to being connected to the Internet-connected computing device associated with the user.

25. The system as defined in claim 21, the operations further comprising enabling the user and a calling party associated with the incoming call to communicate using the Internet-connected computing device.

26. The system as defined in claim 21, the operations further comprising providing for display in association with a presentation of the incoming call a caller identification of a calling party, wherein the caller identification of the calling party is based at least in part on call signaling information associated with the incoming call.

27. The system as defined in claim 21, the operations further comprising enabling the user to screen the incoming call by playing audio from a caller of the incoming call, without the caller being able to hear the user, via the user interface of the application software program.

28. The system as defined in claim 27, the operations further comprising enabling the user to direct the incoming call, subsequent to the initiation of the playing of the audio, to one or more telephonic devices of the user via the user interface of the application software program.

29. The system as defined in claim 21, the operations further comprising enabling the user to direct the incoming call to one or more telephonic devices of the user via the user interface of the application software program.

30. The system as defined in claim 29, wherein the one or more telephonic devices comprises a landline phone or a cellular phone capable computing device.