Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Voice activation or recognition
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-03
2001-12-04
Smith, Creighton (Department: 2742)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Voice activation or recognition
C379S207110, C379S211020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327344
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention allows a caller whose call has not reached the desired party (i.e., person is no longer at the called number, call sent to Intercept) to receive optional additional call connection service, including, but not restricted to, automatic connection to a directory-assistance operator.
BACKGROUND
From the subscriber's perspective, calls which are intended for a prior subscriber are often annoying and sometimes harassing. Recent acceleration of the rate of change of assigned telephone numbers (increased ‘churn’) has increased significantly the problem of calls going to the wrong party; the shortened length of time a number can be held out of service means that within a few months a reassigned number will receive calls from callers still attempting to reach the previous subscriber. This problem is not addressed by number intercept, since the called number has a new valid subscriber.
A consequence is that a single number carries its history with it. Callers who use their own databases of telephone numbers, which are not maintained synchronously with the telephone system, dial the reassigned number and contact the later subscribers instead of persons they had intended to reach. When such calls concern debts owed by the prior subscriber, or other such adverse needs motivating the call, the subscriber receiving the call unjustly bears the adverse burden. The telephone company (telco) currently has no way to relieve the burden apart from reassigning the innocent subscriber's phone number once again. The causative problem, that is, the inaccurate number used by the caller, remains uncorrected. Further, the reassignment of the subscriber's number carries no guarantee that the newly-assigned number will be free of adverse history.
The invention resolves the subscriber's problem, and motivates callers to obtain and maintain accurate data concerning those they wish to contact. It further lessens the burden of complaints that are handled by the telco.
From the caller's perspective, failing to connect to the desired party is a single problem. The caller wants to make the connection regardless of whether the failure was due to a recent change of service for the desired party, to a not-recent change of service (in which case the number used has been reassigned to a new subscriber), to an incorrectly-stored or incorrectly-entered number. The invention provides the caller with a clear distinction among these three cases, and optionally offers the caller a directory-assistance search in the process, all of which simplifies the caller's task.
Even when intercepted, the called party's new number is not always provided or available. This necessitates a separate call to directory assistance on the caller's part. The invention obviates the need for a separate call to directory assistance in this case.
SUMMARY
The invention provides a method and apparatus for improving subscriber telephone service. The method includes the steps of providing the subscriber with a protective access code so that calls to the subscriber are intercepted and the caller is queried for the correct access code. If the correct access code is given, the call is completed. If the access code is incorrect, it is compared to access codes in an historical database of access codes to identify another subscriber associated with said other access code. If the caller requests further directory assistance, the caller is provided with current information on the party with the access code given by the caller. The method of the invention includes providing subscribers with one or more access codes for connecting different callers to different subscriber services such as voice mail of direct connection. The invention is embodied in a telephone network with an enhanced network subscriber system (ENSS). It includes a first computer with a first database for storing a plurality of access codes, each access code associated with a subscriber. A suitable switch that connects a caller to a subscriber includes means for preventing connection of a call to the subscriber unless the caller provides at least one of one or more access codes authorized by the subscriber. The switch has means for intercepting the call to a subscriber when the caller uses an access code not authorized by the subscriber. As supplemental directory assistance feature has means for providing the caller with a history of users of the called number.
The invention has numerous advantages over the conventional system. It provides a positive answer to the problem of churning for the subscriber and for the caller. The invention treats the caller's connection-failure problem as a single problem and simplifies the caller's efforts to complete connection. It offers the telecommunications company supplying the intercept and directory-assistance services a significant revenue-earning opportunity by increasing the proportion of automated directory-assistance traffic and potential chargeable call completions. The invention reduces intercept traffic and repeat wrong-number traffic. The telecommunications company supplying the intercept and directory-assistance services improves its customer relations by offering a significant public-service enhancement, with positive impact on its public image. The invention offers the telco supplying regional or national directory-assistance services a significant revenue-earning opportunity by increasing the potential search traffic to such companies from the company offering the invention's service. The invention offers the subscriber protection from unwanted calls, of several types: a caller trying an outdated number assignment, a fax machine or model autodialer with a wrong number, an annoyance caller, or a normal wrong number call.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4266098 (1981-05-01), Novak
patent: 4850013 (1989-07-01), Rose
patent: 4979206 (1990-12-01), Padden et al.
patent: 5781616 (1998-07-01), Youngs et al.
Hunton & Williams
Northern Telecom Limited
Smith Creighton
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