U.S. patent application number 11/418742 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-19 for method and system for canceling unwanted calls.
Invention is credited to Nancy Ann Book, Mary Louise Hardzinski, Teresa Farias Latter, James Thomas Maciejewski, Thomas Joseph McBlain, Diana Inara Tiliks, Paul R. Wilczynski.
Application Number | 20060233320 11/418742 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22991599 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060233320 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Latter; Teresa Farias ; et
al. |
October 19, 2006 |
Method and system for canceling unwanted calls
Abstract
The present method and system enable a called party to cancel an
unwanted call and send a message to the calling party. The method
and system are activated in response to a plurality of inputs
provided by the called party. In response to the input provided by
the called party, a custom or a standard message can be transmitted
to the calling party. A confirmation message can also be
transmitted to the called party. The method and system can be
implemented in conjunction with other systems that are also
activated in response to an input from the called party.
Inventors: |
Latter; Teresa Farias;
(Kildeer, IL) ; Book; Nancy Ann; (Naperville,
IL) ; Hardzinski; Mary Louise; (Palatine, IL)
; Maciejewski; James Thomas; (Spring Grove, IL) ;
McBlain; Thomas Joseph; (Arlington Heights, IL) ;
Tiliks; Diana Inara; (Elk Grove, IL) ; Wilczynski;
Paul R.; (Cary, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BRINKS HOFER GILSON & LIONE
P.O. BOX 10395
CHICAGO
IL
60610
US
|
Family ID: |
22991599 |
Appl. No.: |
11/418742 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10811614 |
Mar 29, 2004 |
7068761 |
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11418742 |
May 4, 2006 |
|
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10209184 |
Jul 30, 2002 |
6765994 |
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10811614 |
Mar 29, 2004 |
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09261012 |
Mar 2, 1999 |
6453019 |
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10209184 |
Jul 30, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
379/67.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/64 20130101; H04M
3/4872 20130101; H04M 3/436 20130101; H04M 1/663 20130101; H04M
2203/2011 20130101; H04M 1/642 20130101; H04M 3/42382 20130101;
H04M 2203/4527 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/067.1 |
International
Class: |
H04M 1/64 20060101
H04M001/64 |
Claims
1. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of
instructions for canceling a call, the set of instructions to
direct a computer system to perform acts of: (a) analyzing a
plurality of inputs from a called telephone station, where the
plurality of inputs are selected from the group consisting of DTMF
tones, flash-hook, dial pulse input, modem/fax input, and voice
input; (b) transmitting a message to a calling telephone station;
and (c) canceling a call placed to the called telephone
station.
2. A method for canceling a call, comprising: (a) determining that
a called telephone station seeks to cancel a call based on a
plurality of inputs received from the called telephone station and
based on data in a look-up table, the look-up table comprising an
input required to be received by a called telephone station to
cancel a call; and (b) transmitting a message to a calling
telephone station.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: (c) transmitting a
signal to a call station to indicate termination of the call.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein (a) comprises determining whether
a user at the called telephone station seeks to send a message to a
calling telephone station.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein (b) comprises transmitting a
message to the calling telephone station requesting that the
telephone number associated with the called telephone station be
removed from a call list.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein (b) comprises transmitting a
message to the calling telephone station requesting that a caller
at the calling telephone not call the telephone number associated
with the called telephone station again in the future.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising: (d) transmitting a
confirmation message to the called telephone station.
8. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of
instructions for canceling a call, the set of instructions to
direct a computer system to perform acts of: (a) determining that a
called telephone station seeks to cancel a call based on a
plurality of inputs received from the called telephone station and
based on data in a look-up table, the look-up table comprising an
input required to be received by a called telephone station to
cancel a call; and (b) transmitting a message to a calling
telephone station.
9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further
comprising a set of instructions to direct the computer system to
perform acts of: (c) transmitting a signal to a call station to
indicate termination of the call.
10. A system for canceling a call, the system comprising: at least
one telecommunications network element operative to: (a) determine
that a called telephone station seeks to cancel a call based on a
plurality of inputs received from the called telephone station and
based on data in a look-up table, the look-up table comprising an
input required to be received by a called telephone station to
cancel a call; and (b) transmit a message to a calling telephone
station.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one
telecommunication network element is further operative to: (c)
transmit a signal to a call station to indicate termination of the
call.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the message comprises a message
to the calling telephone station requesting that the telephone
number associated with the called telephone station be removed from
a call list.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the message comprises a message
to the calling telephone station requesting that a caller at the
calling telephone not call the telephone number associated with the
called telephone station again in the future.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one
telecommunications network element comprises a service switching
point.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one
telecommunications network element comprises a service control
point.
16. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one
telecommunications network element comprises a service node.
17. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one
telecommunications network element comprises an intelligent
peripheral.
18. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one
telecommunication network element is further operative to: (d)
transmit a confirmation message to the called telephone station.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/811,614 (pending), filed Mar. 29, 2004,
which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
10/209,184 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,765,994), filed Jun. 30, 2002,
which is a continuation of U.S. patent Ser. No. 9,261,012 (now U.S.
Pat. No. 6,453,019), and the entirety of each is hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates generally to
telecommunications services and more particularly to canceling
unwanted telephone calls.
[0003] Telecommunications system users commonly receive unwanted
telephone calls. These calls are often placed by callers, such as
telemarketers, whose identities are not revealed by traditional
caller identification systems. Accordingly, the user does not
discover the identity of the caller until after the user has
answered the call and has begun speaking with the caller. Once the
user has begun speaking with the caller, many users find it
difficult to end the call even if it is unwanted. The callers are
often aggressive and the user typically does not want to be
perceived as being rude to the callers. Accordingly, the user may
be forced to engage in unwanted telephone calls for extended
periods of time because they do not have what they view as a polite
way of ending the calls.
[0004] One system that enables a user to disconnect an unwanted
call and send a message to the caller, in what the user might view
as a polite manner, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,053 to
Mitchell. The system disclosed in Mitchell disconnects an unwanted
call and sends a message to the caller in response to the user
hanging up, or performing a flash hook at (i.e. hanging up) their
telephone. However, telecommunications service providers typically
offer a number of other services, such as three-way calling, that
are initiated by the user first performing a flash hook at their
telephone and then providing some additional input to signify the
service sought by the user. Since the system described in Mitchell
is automatically activated by the user performing a flash hook,
this system cannot be used in conjunction with other services that
are activated by the user performing a flash-hook. Therefore a
system that overcomes these deficiencies is needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telecommunications system of
a preferred embodiment.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method of a preferred embodiment
for canceling a telephone call and transmitting a message to the
calling communications station.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of
the telecommunications system of FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 4. is a block diagram of a second preferred embodiment
of the telecommunications system of FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method of a preferred embodiment
for canceling a telephone call and transmitting a message to the
calling communications station using the system of FIG. 3 or 4.
[0010] FIG. 6 is a more detailed flow chart of a portion the method
of FIG. 5.
[0011] FIG. 7 is a more detailed flow chart of a portion of the
method of FIG. 5.
[0012] FIG. 8 is flow chart of an alternative method for canceling
a telephone call and transmitting a message to the calling
communications station using the system of FIG. 3 or 4.
[0013] FIG. 9 is flow chart of an alternative method for canceling
a telephone call, transmitting a message to the calling
communications station, and transmitting a message to the called
communications station using the system of FIG. 3 or 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] By way of introduction, the preferred embodiments described
below include a method and system for canceling a telephone call
that has been established between a calling communication station
and a called communication station. In one embodiment, a called
party at the called communication station provides a plurality of
inputs that are transmitted from the called communication station
to a telecommunications network. The plurality of inputs can vary
depending upon the type of action sought by the called party. The
plurality of inputs are analyzed to determine what action the
called party is seeking. In response to a determination of the
action sought, the call can be canceled. In addition, a message can
be transmitted to the calling communication station and the called
communication station.
[0015] By way of example, FIG. 1 depicts a system 10 of a preferred
embodiment. The system 10 comprises a network 20, a called
communication station 30 coupled with the network 20 and a calling
communication station 40 coupled with the network 20. The term
"coupled with," as used herein, means directly coupled with or
indirectly coupled with through one or more components. The network
20 preferably comprises a computer usable medium having first,
second and third computer readable program codes 22, 24, 26
embodied therein. It is important to note that while the program
codes 22, 24, 26 have been shown as three separate elements, their
functionality can be combined and/or distributed. It is also
important to note that "medium" is intended to broadly include any
suitable medium including analog or digital, hardware or software,
now in use or developed in the future.
[0016] The system 10 is preferably implemented in a
telecommunications network. Alternatively, the system 10 can be
implemented in a computer network or any other network that is
adapted to transmit, store and retrieve information. The calling
communication station 40 and the called communication station 30
preferably comprise analog telephone stations. According to an
alternative embodiment, the communication stations 30, 40 can
comprise any suitable communication station adapted for use in the
present embodiments.
[0017] The system 10 of FIG. 1 can be used to implement the method
100 depicted in FIG. 2. Assume for purposes of this example that a
call originating from calling communication station 40 has been
established between calling communication station 40 and called
communication station 30. When a called party at the called
communication station 30 decides to cancel the call, the called
party causes a plurality of inputs to be transmitted from the
called communication station 30 to the network 20. The first
computer readable program code 22 receives the plurality of inputs
and analyzes the plurality of inputs to determine what action the
called party seeks (step 110, FIG. 2). If it is determined that the
called party seeks to cancel the call and transmit a message to the
calling communication station 40, the second computer readable
program code 24 cancels the call (step 120). After the call has
been canceled, the third computer readable program code 26
transmits a message to the calling communication station 40 (step
130).
[0018] By way of further example, FIG. 3 depicts a preferred
embodiment of the system 10 described above. The system 200
comprises a service switching point (SSP) 220, a look-up table 224,
a signal transfer point (STP) 230, a service control point (SCP)
240, a SCP database 242, a service node (SN) 250, a central office
260, called telephone station 222, and calling telephone station
262. Intelligent network system components, commonly referred to as
advanced intelligent network (AIN) components, suitable for
implementing the present embodiment are commercially available from
several vendors and are known to those skilled in the art. AIN
components can implement computer readable program code as known to
those skilled in the art. Vendors of AIN components typically have
a preferred programming language and operating platform as known to
those skilled in the art.
[0019] SSP 220 preferably comprises an AIN switch that routes
calls, recognizes and responds to triggers, generates queries to
obtain call control information, and responds to returned call
control information. SSP 220 connects called telephone station 222
with central office 260 to enable calls to be placed by and
established between called telephone station 222 and calling
telephone station 262. SSP 220 is preferably coupled with look-up
table 224 and preferably communicates with SCP 240, central office
260 and SN 250 by utilizing a signaling protocol such as Signaling
System 7 (SS7) or other such signaling protocols as presently known
to those skilled in the art or developed in the future. SSP 220
preferably generates queries to SCP 240 and receives and responds
to responses to the queries returned from SCP 240.
[0020] SSP 220 can disconnect and forward telephone calls that have
been established between calling telephone station 262 and called
telephone station 222. SSP 220 can forward calls to SN 250 through
standard call transfer capabilities. SSP 220 is preferably coupled
with look-up table 224 such that SSP 220 can access the information
stored within look-up table 224 as described herein.
[0021] Look-up table 224 preferably comprises a database that
contains information regarding the implementation of different
services provided by SSP 220 and SCP 240. Each service is
preferably correlated with at least one entry that identifies the
specific input that is required to activate the service and can
also include call control information that enables the SSP 220 to
implement the service. This information can be searched to
determine the service sought by the called party. Look-up table 224
is preferably coupled with SSP 220 but can also be internal to SSP
220. Alternatively, look-up table 224 can be located anywhere
within the network or it can be located within any other computer
system that is connected to network through TCP/IP protocol or
otherwise.
[0022] STP 230 preferably comprises a network element that
transfers signaling communications in response to signaling
protocols such as SS7 or other such signaling protocols as
presently known to those skilled in the art or developed in the
future. STP 230 preferably transfers queries from SSP 220 to SCP
240 and transfers responses to the queries from SCP 240 to SSP
220.
[0023] SCP 240 preferably comprises an AIN element that stores call
control information and receives and responds to queries. SCP 240
preferably stores call control information in SCP database 242 and
can access the stored call control information. SCP 240 receives
queries generated by SSP 220 and preferably responds to the queries
by performing database searches to locate the requested call
control information or caller identification information as known
to those skilled in the art. SCP can also store the call control
information that is required to determine the type of action sought
by the called party. SSP can request this information by generating
a query. SCP 240 can respond to such a query by accessing the
requested information and returning it to SSP 220. SCP 240 can
forward the call control information or caller identification
information to SSP 220.
[0024] SN 250 preferably comprises a network element that can
receive calls forwarded from SSP 220 or SCP 240 and can transmit
messages to telephone stations 222, 262. SN 250 can generate
announcements that can be transmitted to telephone stations 222,
262. SN 250 can transmit standard announcements to calling
telephone stations 262, 222. SN 250 can alternatively transmit
custom announcements, which are recorded by a user, to calling
telephone stations 262, 222.
[0025] Database 242 preferably comprises a data storage element for
use with SCP 240 as known to those skilled in the art. Database 242
preferably stores call control information that can be implemented
by SSP 220 to control calls and implement services. Database 242
can also include the information regarding the implementation of
different services as described above. This information can be
searched to determine the service sought by the called party.
[0026] Central office 260 preferably comprises an AIN network
switch as known to those skilled in the art. Central office 260
enables calls to be placed between calling telephone station 262
and called telephone station 222. Alternatively, central office 260
can comprise a non-AIN network switch.
[0027] Telephone stations 222, 262 preferably comprise analog
telephone sets. Alternatively, telephone stations 222, 262 can
comprise wireless, PCS, ISDN or any other form of communication
station known to those skilled in the art.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 4, an alternate embodiment of the
system of FIG. 3 is shown. The system 280 comprises an SSP 220; a
called telephone station 222; a look-up table 224, an STP 230, an
SCP 240; a SCP database 242, a central office 260 and a calling
telephone station 262, all as described above in reference to FIG.
3. The system 280 also includes an intelligent peripheral (IP) 290
that communicates with SSP 220 and performs the same functions as
the SN 250 as described herein.
[0029] The systems depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be utilized to
implement the method 300 depicted in FIG. 5. For purposes of
illustration, assume that a calling party at calling telephone
station 262 places a call to a called party at called telephone
station 222. The call originates from calling telephone station 262
and is routed to called telephone station 222 via central office
260 and SSP 220. A call is thereby established between calling
telephone station 262 and called telephone station 222.
[0030] In this embodiment, when the called party decides that they
wish to cancel the call, the called party provides a first input
that is transmitted to SSP 220 (step 310). After providing the
first input, the called party provides a second input which is also
to be transmitted to SSP 220 (step 320). When SSP 220 receives the
inputs, they are analyzed to determine what action the called party
desires (step 330). If for example, it is determined that the
called party seeks to cancel the call and send a message to the
calling telephone station 262, SSP 220 disconnects the called
telephone station 222 from the call (step 340). In addition to
disconnecting the called telephone station 222, a message can be
transmitted to the calling telephone station 262 (step 350). Since
the call is canceled in response to a plurality of inputs, the
present systems and methods can be configured to work in
conjunction with other services, such as three-way calling for
example, that are activated by the flash-hook.
[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the first input comprises a
flash-hook and the second input comprises a series of DTMF tones.
In alternative embodiments, the first and second inputs can
comprise one or a combination of any suitable input(s) such as DTMF
tones, flash-hook, dial pulse input, modem/fax input or voice input
as known to those skilled in the art. For example, the plurality of
inputs flash-hook, # (DTMF), 3 (DTMF) can be used to cancel a call
and send a message to the calling party. In this example, the first
input comprises the flash-hook and the second input comprises the #
and the 3.
[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the step of analyzing the
plurality of inputs from the called party (step 330) comprises the
steps shown in FIG. 6. After receiving the plurality of inputs, SSP
220 utilizes a look-up table to determine the action sought by the
called party. SSP 220 searches the look-up table (step 410) to find
the entry that matches the plurality of inputs. If SSP 220 finds a
match, it retrieves instructions that correlate to the entry (step
420). The instructions enable the SSP 220 to perform the action
sought by the called party. These functions can include canceling
the call and transmitting a message to the calling telephone
station as described herein.
[0033] In an alternative embodiment, the step of analyzing the
plurality of inputs from the called party (step 330) comprises the
steps shown in FIG. 7. After the called party transmits the
plurality of inputs to the SSP 220, instead of accessing the
look-up table, SSP 220 can generate a query to SCP 240 requesting
information corresponding to the plurality of inputs provided by
the called party (step 510). The SCP 240 can search database 242
and obtain information corresponding to the plurality of inputs
(step 520). After SCP 240 obtains the information, it can transmit
this information to SSP 220 (step 530). SSP 220 can use this
information in order to perform the operations described
herein.
[0034] In a preferred embodiment, SSP 220 forwards the call to SN
250/IP 290 prior to step 350 as shown in FIG. 8. After
disconnecting the called telephone station 222 (step 340), SSP 220
can forward the call to SN 250/IP 290 (step 610). After receiving
the call from SSP 220, SN 250/IP 290 can transmit a message to the
calling telephone station (step 350). In an alternative embodiment,
SSP 220 can transmit a message to the calling telephone
station.
[0035] In an alternative embodiment, a confirmation message is
transmitted to the called telephone station 222 prior to step 340
as shown in FIG. 9. After the inputs have been analyzed (step 330)
SSP 220 can transmit a confirmation message to the called telephone
station that indicates that the call has been canceled. The
confirmation message can also indicate that a message will be
transmitted to the calling telephone station 262. Alternatively,
the confirmation message can be transmitted by the SN 250 or IP
290.
[0036] The message and the confirmation message preferably comprise
audible information. The message and the confirmation message can
comprise a standard message generated by SN 250, IP 290, or SSP
220. Alternatively, the message and the confirmation message can
comprise a custom message recorded by the called party. In an
alternative embodiment, the message and the confirmation message
can comprise text or data. The message sent to the calling party
can comprise, for example, a request for the removal of the called
party from telemarketer's call list.
[0037] The specific message transmitted by SN 250, IP 290, or SSP
220 is preferably selected in response to input provided by the
called party. The called party can provide different inputs, of the
type indicated above, that can be used to signify different custom
or standard messages. In response to the input provided by the
called party, SN 250, IP 290, or SSP 220 can determine the message
sought by the called party and can transmit the appropriate message
to the calling telephone station 262.
[0038] In a further alternative embodiment, if the called party
fails to provide an appropriate second input within a predetermined
amount of time, the call can be reestablished between the calling
telephone station 262 and the called telephone station 222.
[0039] The present embodiments provide an efficient and effective
method and system for canceling an unwanted call and transmitting
messages to the person placing the call.
[0040] It is to be understood that a wide range of changes and
modifications to the embodiments described above will be apparent
to those skilled in the art and are contemplated. It is therefore
intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as
illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that
it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are
intended to define the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *