WO2001086915A2

WO2001086915A2 - Method and apparatus for providing call screening on customer premises equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2001086915A2
Application number: PCT/US2001/013947
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephen J. Clore; Ronald E. Anglikowski; Mark C. Jensen; James E. Sieffert
Original assignee: Cidco Communications Llc
Priority date: 2000-05-09
Filing date: 2001-05-01
Publication date: 2001-11-15
Also published as: WO2001086915A3; AU2001255782A1

Abstract

Use of the present invention enables the user of a central voicemail service (135) to selectively screen incoming calls on a CPE (110). For the present invention, the user pre-programs a CPE device (110) through a manual configuration process during which the characteristics of the screening function are stored. When an incoming call is received the user has the choice of answering the call or screening the call simply by waiting or a preset number of incoming ring signals. The method enables screening on both stationary and portable CPEs (110).

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for a called party to monitor an incoming telephone call without the knowledge of a calling party, comprising: detecting a preset number of incoming rings; connecting a calling party to a voicemail service of a called party; and establishing a three-way connection between said calling party, said called party and said voicemail service such that said calling party has no knowledge that said called party is listening.

2. The method of Claim 1 further comprising the steps of: detecting a preset number of rings; seizing the telephone line of said called party; playing a prerecorded message to said calling party; flashing said telephone line of said called party to place said calling party on hold; dialing said voicemail service of said called party; and flashing said telephone line of said called party a second time establishing a three way call between said called party, said calling party, and said voicemail service.

3. A method for a called party to monitor an incoming call without the knowledge of the calling party, comprising: looking for a telephone line of a called party to be seized by primary telephone equipment during ringing; qualifying time required for a prerecorded message to be played by said primary telephone equipment to a calling party; looking for a first flash when said primary telephone equipment is placing said calling party on hold; qualifying time required for said primary telephone equipment to dial a voicemail service of said called party; and

22 looking for a second flash while said primary telephone equipment is establishing a three-way call between said called party, said calling party and said voicemail service.

4. A memory to direct a digital device to function in a specified manner, comprising: a ring detector state machine module to enable answering a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE); and a screening state machine module to enable three-way connection and aural monitoring of an incoming call on said CPE.

5. The memory of Claim 4 wherein said memory resides in a base station type called party CPE.

6. The memory of Claim 4 wherein said memory resides in a cellular telephone called party CPE.

7. The memory of Claim 4 wherein said memory resides at a central office of a telephone service provider.

8. The memory of Claim 4 wherein said ring detector state machine is located in the memory of a called party's CPE, said ring detector state machine comprising: an Idle state; a Ringing state; and a Ringing Quit state such that said ring detector state machine detects a predetermined number of ring signals and determines how to respond to an incoming telephone call.

9. The memory of Claim 4 wherein said ring detector state machine is located in the memory of a telephone service provider's office equipment, said ring detector state machine comprising: an Idle state;

23 a Ringing state; a Ringing Quit state; a Look for Ping state; a Ping Start state; a Ping End state; and a Wait No Ring state such that said ring detector state machine detects a predetermined number of ring signals and determines how to respond to an incoming telephone call.

10. The memory of Claim 4 wherein said screening state machine comprises: an Idle state; a Voice state; a Flash One (FI) state further comprising a FI Start state and a FI End state; a Dialing state; a Flash Two (F2) state further comprising a F2 Start state, and a F2 End state; a Screening state; and an Alternate Screening state such that said screening state machine plays a prerecorded message to a calling party, a telephone line of a called party is flashed a first time, a central voicemail service of said called party is dialed, said telephone line is flashed a second time, and a three-way connection is established between said called party, said central voicemail service, and said calling party.

11. The memory of Claim 10 wherein said screening state machine is located in the memory of a called party CPE.

12. The memory of Claim 10 wherein said screening state machine is located in the memory of a central office equipment of a telephone service provider.

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