Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-29
2001-09-11
Hoosain, Allan (Department: 2645)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
C379S088110, C379S093230, C379S192000, C379S201060, C379S207030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289084
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to telecommunication services and, more particularly, to an apparatus, method and system for personal telecommunication incoming call screening and alerting.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the advent of sophisticated telecommunication services, telecommunication consumers frequently experience the reception of unwanted or otherwise undesirable telephone calls. For example, telemarketers frequently use computerized calling procedures, which often interrupt consumers at unwanted times, such as at meal times.
In the prior art, telephone customers are able to screen such incoming calls, using a caller identification (“caller ID”) system, after they have been alerted to the incoming call, typically by an incoming ring. Under such circumstances, the consumer is interrupted from their current activity, and must personally examine the incoming caller identification information to determine whether they want to answer the incoming call.
Another current method of call screening includes use of a telephone answering and message recording machine. Under this method, the consumer typically allows the machine to answer, and personally listens to any message, which may be in the process of being recorded. The consumer may then choose to interrupt the message recording process and answer the call at that time. Again, the consumer has been interrupted from his or her current activity, and must also personally listen to the incoming message to screen the call. In addition, this type of call screening is unavailable to consumers utilizing centralized voice mail systems, which typically do not broadcast the audible message as it is being recorded.
As a consequence, a need remains for an apparatus, method and system that may be used by a telecommunication consumer to automatically screen their incoming calls. Such call screening should occur without personal interruption and without any required user intervention (such as caller ID examination or listening to a message). In addition, such an apparatus, method and system should be user friendly, should be personalized and automatically tailored to the needs, tastes and preferences of individual customers. In addition, the apparatus, method and system should be cost effective and capable of implementation in existing telecommunication systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus, method and system to screen incoming calls, without consumer interruption and without personal involvement in the screening process. The present invention provides such automatic screening in accordance with the personal and tailored needs, tastes and preferences of the individual telecommunication consumer. In addition, the apparatus embodiment may be implemented in customer premise equipment, such as telephones, while the system embodiment may be implemented in existing telecommunication systems, such as network switches. The various embodiments may also be expanded to include more than voice communications, such as faxing, other data communications, and video conferencing.
The personal call screening and alerting of the present invention incorporates an “organic persona” concept, such that not only are the services personalized or customized to the needs or preferences of individual consumers, but also the apparatus or system automatically learns these preferences by observing the actions or activities of the individual consumer.
In accordance with the present invention, such personal and individualized automatic call screening and alerting is based upon a statistical or other probabilistic likelihood that the individual consumer does or does not, in fact, want to receive an incoming call from a particular source at a particular time. Such a likelihood is derived from a measure of an affinity between the calling and called parties, such that the called party is more likely to want to receive a call from someone with whom they have a greater or more significant affinity or association, such as their parent or child, and less likely to want to receive a call from someone with whom they have a lesser or no affinity or association, such as a telemarketer or a prankster. As a consequence, calls having a greater affinity measurement are given a correspondingly higher priority in the screening process, and calls having a lesser affinity are given a correspondingly lower priority in the screening process.
Such affinity measures may be performed or derived in a variety of ways. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention measures such an affinity based upon two parameters. First, affinity is based upon the frequency of calls between the called and calling parties. For example, a higher affinity may exist between people who call each other frequently. Second, affinity is based on the duration or holding time of such calls, with calls having a brief duration indicative of a lower affinity, such as calls from telemarketers, wrong numbers, or prank calls. The telephone numbers corresponding to the calls having such a comparatively high affinity, in the preferred embodiment, are stored in an affinity database, and are referred to herein as “affinity numbers”.
A method for personal telecommunication call screening and alerting, in accordance with the present invention, includes, first, receiving an incoming telecommunication call. Second, the method determines whether caller identification information from the incoming telecommunication call is associated with or otherwise matches an affinity number, i.e., the incoming caller ID information is from someone whose telephone number is in the affinity database. Third, when the incoming caller identification information is associated with an affinity number, the method assigns a first priority to the incoming telecommunication call. Fourth, when the incoming caller identification information does not match or is not associated with an affinity number, i.e., the incoming caller ID information is from someone whose telephone number is not in the affinity database, the method assigns a second priority to the incoming telecommunication call.
For an incoming telecommunication call having the first priority, the method may provide a user alert, such as a ring or a distinctive ring. In contrast, for an incoming telecommunication call having the second priority, the method may not provide a user alert during a predetermined period of time, such as during meal times or late evening. Instead, the method typically provides telecommunication messaging and answering, such as voice mail, to the incoming call having the second priority. Other gradations or levels of priority may also be utilized, with corresponding levels of treatment for the incoming call. For example, incoming calls having the lowest level of priority, such as a third or fourth level of priority (e.g., calls from telemarketers or pranksters), may not be answered altogether or may be routed to a message system indicating that the user does not wish to receive those types of calls. Also for these variable or various levels of priority, different alerting patterns can be provided, such as a greater number of rings for higher priority calls.
In the various embodiments, an affinity database is maintained which has a plurality of telephone numbers referred to as affinity numbers. The telephone numbers in the affinity database (“affinity numbers”) are determined by including telephone numbers corresponding to the user's outgoing telecommunication calls, and by including telephone numbers corresponding to the user's received incoming calls having a predetermined minimum duration. The affinity database is maintained preferably as an affinity stack, with any affinity numbers having a comparatively higher frequency of use clustered in an upper portion of the affinity stack, and with any affinity numbers having a comparatively higher duration of use clustered in an upper portion of the affinity stack.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily
Gamburd Nancy R.
Hoosain Allan
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
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