WO2010076771A1 - A method to provide anonymous call mode in a telecommunication system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for providing an anonymous call mode between a first (101) and a second (102) end points, each end point being characterized by a corresponding true caller identification (C ID), the true C IDs being used in a call to identify a caller and a callee of the call, the method including acts of generating (220) a first and second fake C IDs (actually temporary caller IDs), respectively for the first and second end points, when receiving a confirmation message that both the first and second end points requested the anonymous call mode, providing to each end point the other end point fake C ID (230), intercepting (240) a first call from the first end point to the second end point when identifying in the first call the second fake C ID as a callee C ID, processing (250) a second call to the second end point using the first fake C ID as a caller C ID, and joining (260) the first and second calls to generate a call from the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true C IDs to both end points.

Description

A MEIHOD TO FHOVlDE ANONYMOlB CADLMODE IN A TEtECOMMlJNICATK)N SYSIEM EMDOFTHEFRESENTSYSIEM:

The present invention generally relates to communications using telecommunication devices in telecommunication networks, and more sp e c ific a Uy to e nha nc e d c o mmunic a tio ns se rvic e s.

Telecommunication devices, such as mobile or land line phones, have become important devices in our daily life. A mobile phone or d e vie e is g e ne ra lly a sub sc rib e r to a te Ie c o mmunic a tio n ne two rk in o rd e r to enjoy communication services, such as voice , data, etc . A mobile user is generally identified using an International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or MSI The mobile MSI is a unique number associated with all GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network mobile phone users. It is stored in the Subscriber Identity Module (SM) inside the phone. The SM is a c tua lly uniq ue to one sub sc rib e r a nd carries information to identify that sub sc rib e r in his ho me ne two rk, i.e . the ne two rk he is a sub sc rib e r o f. This information includes among other things the MSI and further authentication data. The SM is generally provided by the network operator when a user gets his subscription, and corresponds on this network to a unique MSBDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number) which is actually the mobile device phone number in this network.

A landline, main line or fixed-line is a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fiber. This is distinguished from a mobile cellular line mentioned here above, where the medium used is the airwaves. A landline telecommunication device can be a hardwired phone or a wireless phone, both connected to a b a se d e vie e c o nne c te d to the PSIN (Pub lie Switc he d Te Ie p ho ne Network). Landline devices are also associated to phone numberinthe PSM.

When placing a call from a calling party to a called party (respectively named here afterthe callerand callee), the callerphone number may be presented to the callee device fo r id e ntific a tio n o f the c a lie r. The c a lie r p ho ne numb erisgenerallyreferred to as the C a lie r K) or C K) in sho it. Pre se nting the C a lie r K) is a fa irly re c e nt se rvic e pro vid e d b y most if not aline twork operators to the ir sub sc rib e rs. Fb r insta nc e CallerK) presentation is a service offered by the PSIN today. CLIP (Calling Line H e ntific a tio n Presentation), a similar service offered for GSM mobile d e vie e s, is d e sc rib e d in the doc ume nt 3GPP (3rd Ge ne ra tio n Pa rtne rship Project) TS23.081. Different solutions are available to transmit the callerK) information to the callee device, for instance an SS7 (Signaling System 7) message for PSIN lines or an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) message se tup in G SM a nd UMTS ne two rks fo r Vo ic e o ve r IP. Whe n a c o nta c t list is available on the callee device, the contact name associated to the incoming CallerK) may be presented to the callee in place of the Caller K).

Caller IDs, when referring to phone numbers either for landline or mobile telecommunication devices, are defined according to standardized numbers recommended by IIU-T (Telecommunication Standardization Sector) in the recommendation E 164 (Public telecommunication numbering plan). As they are unique to a given telecommunication device, they can be referred to as globally routable numbers, i.e. they can be dialed from any other telecommunication device to reach the given telecommunication device. The Caller ID presentation can be problematic when the caller wa nts to ke e p his numb e r se c re t, fo r insta nc e whe n the c a lie r a nd c a lie e are two members of a social network who meet over their common inte re sts. Social networks, available through mobile networks and over the internet, are increasingly successful communication platforms. Members of a social network generally identify themselves through a login or p se ud o nym tha t ma inta ins the ir true id e ntity se c re t fro m o the r me mb e rs. In some instances, it can be useful for two members to talk over the p ho ne a nd g e t to kno w e a c h o the r. A p ro b Ie m a rise s whe n the me mb e rs need to exchange contact information as they are at risk of providing their phone number to an untrustworthy member. Members may not be comfortable with sharing their private phones numbers. This is all the more important when the social network is a dating network. Some platforms offer "click to call" services which allows members to speak to each other. The two members need to be connected to the social group simultaneously and the communication is established through the telecommunication device each memberused to log in to the social network. When the device is a computer, the member or user cannotmove away from the computeras the c omputer micro phone has a limited range. Furthermore, such a solution cannot be used forlandline phones.

Ano the r so lutio n is fo r the c a lie r to hid e his C a lie r E) to the c a lie e . Nevertheless, he will need to convince the callee to share his phone numb e r, whic h is no t a sa tisfa c to ry situa tio n fo r him .

Tb day there is still a need for a simple solution that allows two parties to preserve their anonymity when calling each other. There is a further need for a solution that is accessible regardless of the type of te Ie c o mmunic a tio n d e vie e s invo lve d in the c a 11. StMMAEY OF THE FRESENTSYSIEM AND MEHOD:

It is an object of the present system, processor and method to overcome disadvantages and/ormake improvements in the priorart.

Tb that extent, the present method proposes a method for providing an anonymous call mode between a first and a second end points, each end point being c ha ia c te rize d by a corresponding true c a lie r id e ntific a tio n (CK)), the true CDs being used in a call to identify a c a lie rand a callee of the call, the method comprising the acts of:

- generating a first and second fake CDs, respectively for the first and second end points, when receiving a confirmation message that both the first and second end points requested the anonymous call mode,

-providing to each end point the otherend point fake CID, -intercepting a first c all from the first end point to the second end point when identifying in the first call the second fake CID as a callee

CD,

- p ro c e ssing a second callto the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fake CD as a callerCID,

-joining the first and second calls to generate a call from the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CDs to both end points.

Thanks to the present method, the user of the first end point will only place a call using the contact information, i.e . the second fake Caller ID, he/she knows forthe userofthe second end point. The second use r will re c e ive a call with a Caller ID corresponding to fake CallerIDof the first end point. The true Caller E) of both users are never revealed to the other user, thanks to the three stage calling process (first call and second call, and joining of the two calls). Such a process is permitted once both users have requested the anonymous call mode and the fake CallerIDs have been generated. The present system also relates to a service node for providing an anonymous call mode between a first and a second end points, each end point being characterized by a corresponding true caller identification (CK)), the true CDs being used in a call to identify a caller a nd a c a lie e , the se rvic e node be ing a rra ng e d to :

- generate a first and second fake CDs, respectively for the first and second end points, when receiving a confirmation message that both the first and second end points requested the anonymous call mode, - p ro vid e to e a c h e nd p o int the o the r e nd p o int fa ke C K),

- inte re e p t a first c a Il fro m the first e nd p o int to the se c o nd e nd point when identifying in the first call the second fake CK) as a c a flee CK),

-processa second callto the se c o nd end p o int using the first fa ke CIDasa callerCK),

- jo in the first a nd se c o nd callsto generate a callfrom the first e nd point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CIDsto both end p o ints.

A telecommunication system in accordance with the present syste m ma y c o mp rise :

- a first a nd a se c o nd e nd p o int, each of the end p o ints b e ing characterized by a corresponding true c a He r id e ntific a tio n (CK)), the true C IDs b e ing use d ina callto ide ntify a callerand a callee of the c a 11,

- a so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r, ho sting a socialnetworkeach use r o f a n end point is a member of, the social network server being arranged to offer the activation of an anonymous call mode to the users of the first and second end points,

-a service node for providing an anonymous call mode between the first a nd a se c o nd e nd p o ints, the se rvic e no d e be ing a rra ng e d to : -generate a first and second fake CDs, respectively for the first a nd se c o nd e nd p o ints, whe n re c e iving fro m the so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r a confirmation message that both the first and second end points a c tiva te d the a no nymo us c a 11 mo d e , - p K) vid e to eachend point the o the r e nd p o int fa ke C ID,

- inte rcept a first c a 11 fro m the first e nd p o int to the se c o nd e nd point when identifying in the first call the second fake CK) as a c a flee CD,

-processa second callto the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fa ke CIDasa callerCK),

-join the first and second calls to generate a call from the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CDs to both end p o ints.

An application embodied on a computer readable medium in accordance with the present system may be arranged to provide an anonymous call mode between a first and a second end point, each end point being characterized by a corresponding true caller identification (CK)), the true C IDs being used in a callto identify a caller and a caflee in a call, the application comprising: -a portion to generate a first and second fake C IDs, respectively fo r the first a nd se c o nd e nd p o ints, whe n re c e iving a c o nfiima tio n message that both the first and second end points requested the a no nymo us c a Il mo d e ,

- a portion to provide to each end point the other end point fake CK),

-a portion to intercept a first call from the first end point to the se c o nd e nd p o int whe n id e ntifying in the first c a 11 the se c o nd fa ke C K) a s a callee CK),

- a p o rtio n to p ro c e ss a se c o nd c a 11 to the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fake CIDasa callerCK), - a p o itio n to jo in the fust and second callsto generate a callfrom the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CDs to b o th e nd p o ints.

BEOEFDESCRIPπONOFIHEDR^WMGS:

The present system, call management node and method are explained in furtherdetail, and by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG.1 shows an illustrative embodiment of the p re se nt sy ste m ; FlG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the present method;

FlG.3 shows another illustrative embodiment of the present system; and,

FlG.4 is another illustrative embodiment of the p re se nt sy ste m .

The following are descriptions of exemplary embodiments that whe n take n in c o njunc tio n with the drawing s will demo nstrate the ab o ve noted features and advantages, and introduce furtherones. In the fo Uo wing d e sc rip tio n, fo r p urp o se s o f e xp Ia na tio n ra the r tha n limitation, specific details are set forth such as architecture, interfaces, techniques, etc., for illustration. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments that depart from these details would still be understood to be within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, detailed descriptions of well- known devices, systems, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present system. Furthermore, routers, servers, no de s, b a se statio ns, gate ways o r o the r e ntitie s in a te Ie c o mmunic atio n network are not detailed as their imp Ie mentation is beyond the scope of the p re se nt syste m a nd me tho d .

Fbr purposes of simplifying a description of the present system, the terms "operatively coupled", "coupled", and formative s thereof as utilized herein refer to a connection between devices and/or portions thereof that enables operation in accordance with the present system, ϊbr example, an operative coupling may include one or more of a wired c onnection and/or a wireless connection between two ormore devices that enables a one and/or two-way communication path between the devices and/orportions thereof. Fbrexample, an operative coupling may include a wired and/or wireless coupling to enable communication between a social network serve rand one ormore use r d e vie e s. A furthe r operative coupling, in accordance with the present system may include one ormore couplings between two ormore user devices, such as via a telecommunication network in accordance with an embodiment of the present system.

Unless specified otherwise, the exemplary embodiment here after will be described in its application to mobile devices characterized by the Caller K) as pro vided by the Telecommunication Network (Tele o) the use rs a re sub sc rib e rs o f. This C a lie r E) will be referred to as the p rima ry o r true CallerlD and corresponds to the unique number MSlSDN or mobile phone number, i.e. the number through which the device can be reached. This illustration is in no way a limitation of the scope of the p re se nt me tho d a nd syste m a s te Ie c o mmunic a tio n d e vie e s sue has fixe d devices or communication devices behind a PBX (Private Branch eXchange) may implement the present teachings. Variations to the present system will be detailed later on when one orboth the parties involved in the anonymous call are not subscriber of the Telco providing the present method. Rπthermoie, what will be referred to as a "call" in this description may be a standard voice call or any other communication session established between a first party, referred to as the first user, or caller, and another party referred to as the second user, orcallee. One will understand of course that the call is placed more precisely between the users telecommunication devices, i.e. the calling device and the called device, for instance a video call between the first and second users, or data exchange between devices. Each side of the call in the te Ie c o mmunic a tio n ne two rk will be referred to as a branch or a leg of the call. The call may also be referred to as a c o mmunic a tio n p a th b e twe e n the two d e vie e s. Whe n a c o mmunic a tio n path is set up between both calling and called devices, different entities of the present telecommunication system are involved and this path generally involves a two level exchange mechanism: -a signaling level corresponding to the signaling (or set up) messages exchanges through the network entities between the two d e vie e s,

- a media level for hand ling data, voice, etc .

Furthermore, the calling and called devices will also be referred to a s e nd p o ints a s the y re p re se nt b o th e nd s to the c o mmunic a tio n p a th.

In addition, it should be expressly understood that the drawings are included for illustrative purposes and do not represent the scope of the p re se nt sy ste m .

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present system. A first telecommunication device, or first end point, 101 is illustrated as a mobile device comprising a SM with information to identify itself in its network 160. The first device 101, belonging to a first user A, is further c ha ra c te rize d b y a first C a lie r ID NUM_A, whic h c o rre sp o nd s to its p rima ry Caller ID. In the exemplary embodiment of a GSM or UMTS network, a device is associated to the unique MSI in its subscriber network as explained before. The Caller K) is generally the MSBDN associated to this MSI Depending on the type of network the CallerID could be a different identifier for the calling device. It could be for instance metadata associated to the user, like a picture or details information about this user such as a name and address, depending on the possibility offered by the network as well as the consent of the user. The term Caller K) will encompass these different possibilities. When placing a call, the first d e vie e is re fe ire d to as the c a lung d e vie e .

A second device 102 or second end point is also provided in the present network. When receiving the call, the second device will be referred to as the called device. The second device 102 belongs to a se c o nd use r B a nd is furthe r c ha ra c te rize d b y a se c o nd C a lie r K) NUM_B, whic h c o ire sp o nd s to its p rima ry C a lie r K). Whe n a callis placed from userAto user B, user A is the callerwhile userBisthe callee. The p re se nt syste m a lso c o mp rise s a te Ie c o mmunic a tio n ne two rk

160, or Tele o, both users are sub sc rib e rs o f. O ne mobile switching center (MSC) 110 is provided to handle communications between users of network 160. A database 115 is associated to MSC 110 for storing information about subscribers of Telco 160, and more specifically about users A and B.

A social network (or c ommunity) server 150 is also provided in the present system for offering a social network platform to users, whether subscribers of Telco 160 or not, to exchange information about themselves, common subjects of interest, news, sports ... The social network may comprise communities like Myspace™, Facebook™, communities hosting blogs from users, etc. Such social network servers are generally accessible overthe Inte met. Users may need to registerto a social network to become a member in o id er to receive or define a use mame ,a pro file to betterdescriber himse If/he rse If, e tc . In the pre se nt illustration of FIG.1, both users A and B are members of a dating social network c ailed dateme.com hosted on the social network server 150.

A partnership is also provided in the present system between Telco 160 and the social network. This partnership, as illustrated here after, ensures that relevant user information is passed on from the social network server 150 to the Telco 160 and sub se q ue ntly to the users when both request an anonymous c all mode according to the p re se nt syste m . FlG.2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present method, wherein the first device places an anonymous call to the se c o nd d e vie e using the p re se nt me tho d .

M a p re limina ry a c t 200, b o th use rs A a nd B re g iste r with the se rve r 150 to become members of the social group dateme.com. They may register either through their respective first and second devices or through other devices with access to the internet. Tb that extend, they may define a personal profile , choose a usemame, etc . The use ma me is generally a unique identifier to login to the social network server 150. This can be an email address for instance (like with Fkcebook™) or a usemame chosen by the userhimself provided it has not been allocated before . User A and user B get to know each other through their online activity with the social group and decide to call each other using the anonymous c a 11 mode enabled with the p re se nt syste m .

The anonymous call mode may for instance be activated through mutual invitations like the friend invitation currently available on most social networks. The activation may be on a re quest/ confirmation basis, i.e. one of the users, say user A, will send a request to the other user B, who can either accept the request or decline it. Both users A and B requesting the anonymous call mode may also trigger its activation simultaneously.

Provided one of the users does not accept or request the mode (answer no to act 210), the users A and B will no t e njo y the p o ssib ility o f calling each other anonymously. When the anonymous call mode is activated (answerYes to act 210), a confirmation message, comprising relevant user information or data, is passed on between the social network server 150 and Tele o 160, c onfirming that both users A and B are "paired" with the anonymous call mode of the present system. The partnership mentioned here above allows the transfer of such a c o nfirma tio n me ssa g e .

Relevant user information is information that permits Telco 160 to id e ntify use rs fro m the so c ia 1 ne two rk who re q ue ste d the a no nymo us c a 11 mode of the p re se nt sy ste m . Such relevant user information may be for insta nc e :

- the user Caller K) provided both users A and B registered with the so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r using the ir C a lie r K) fo r Te Ic o 160,

- the ir uniq ue id e ntifie r with the so c ia 1 ne two rk, p ro vid e d Te Ic o 160 can retrieve the corresponding subscriber. The anonymous call mode according to the present system may be offered to members of the social network through subscribing to a corresponding service provided by Telco 160. Upon subscribing to the service, users may have to provide the na me of the social network as well as the ir use ma me , so tha t Te Ic o 160 can subsequently match the relevant user information provided in the confirmation message with the usemames as provided by users A and B when subscribing to the service.

Otheruserdata such as their actual name, a membership number etc. are readily available to the man skilled in the art for identification by Telco 160 of the anonymous call mode requesters.

One e both users A and Bhave been identified, in a furtheract 220, a fake Caller K) is generated for both users A and B, respectively FAKE_NUM_A and FAKE_NUM_B. M the present system, the fake Caller K) of a user is used as the contact data for the user, i.e. that it will be used as the c a lie e CK). As such this K) is unique as it is used in the present syste m to c o nta eta use r.

The fake Caller K) may be generated in different ways. In an additional embodiment of the present system, the fake Caller K) is retrieved from a poolofavailable (i.e. non allocated) Caller IDs stored in database 115. Once the fake Caller IDs are allocated to both users A and B, Telco 160 may store in a table the correspondences between the a c tua 1 a nd fa ke C a lie r IDs:

Social First

Second network user First use r Se c o nd use r Anonymous user Caller fake CK) fake CK) caUmode CK) K)

Date me NUM_{. .}A FAKE_{. .}NUM_ A NUM_. _B FAKE_{. .}NUM_. _B Active

Date me NUM_{. .}A FAKE_{. .}NUM_ A NUM_ .C FAKE_. NUM_ C Ac tive

Facebook NUM_{. .}A FAKE_{. .}NUM_ A NUM_{. .}D FAKE_{. .}NUM_ _.D Active

Fhcebook NUM_{. .}D FAKE_{. .}NUM_ D NUM_. _B FAKE_{. .}NUM_{. .}B C a nc e lie d

Fhcebook NUM_{. .}A FAKE_{. .}NUM_ A NUM_. _E FAKE_{. .}NUM_. _E Active

Table 1: correspondences stored by Telco

As iHustra te d here after, the association of the different Caller IDs and fake Caller IDs for each couple of users will allow to guarantee an anonymous call between these users. The anonymous call mode column is defined as "active" when a confirmation message from the so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r 150 hasbeenrece ive d fo r b o th use rs A a nd B.

In an alternative embodiment of the present system, both fake Caller IDs may be generated through reversible func tio ns using NUM_A, NUM Band the social network: fake CIDofcallee = FUNCTION (caller C K), callee CallerlD, social network) wherein:

- c a lie e is use rBwhen c a lie r is use r A i.e . use r A is the re c ip ie nt of the fa ke C K) o f c a lie e , a nd re ve rse Iy .

- the func tio n FUNC ΗO N is re ve rsib Ie , i.e . Te Ic o - up o n inte re e p ting a call to a fake CallerlD - can retrieve the true caller C K) and callee C K) a nd the so c ia 1 ne two rk b o th use rs a re me mb e rs o f.

This alternative embodiment is suitable when both users are subscribers of Telco 160. Indeed the fake Caller IDs do not need to match standardized numbers as recommended by IHJ-T in the rec ommendation E164, and henc e do not need to be globally routable numb e rs. Fo r insta nc e , a fa ke C a lie r K) c o uld be a 12 digit numb e r: XX YYYYYY 77777^ whe re in: - XX is an identifier for one of the social networks which partner with Te Ic o 160,

- YYYYYY is a number representing the caller, i.e. the user who is the recipient of, i.e . who will receive the fake CallerlD,

- 777777, is a number representing the callee, i.e. the real user behind the fake CallerlD.

Other methods are readily available to the man skilled in the art to generate fake Caller IDs that associate in a reversible manner both users A and B primary Caller IDs and the social network. Each fake CallerlD, FAKE_NUM_A fo r use r B a nd FAKE_NUM_B fo r use r A, will a lso be use d to check the current status of the anonymous call mode between both use rs, a s e xp Ia ine d Ia te r o n.

In a fuitheract 230, the fake CallerlD of one end point is provided to the other end point. Li other words, FAKE_NUM_A is provided to the se c o nd te Ie c o mmunic a tio n d e vie e 102 o f use r B while FAKE_NUM_B is provided to the first telecommunication device 101 of user A. The provision may be carried out through a short message such as an SMS or MMS, o r a ny o the r typ e o f d a ta tra nsfe r. SMS is a c o nve nie nt sup p o it a s it allows for mobile phones an update of the mobile phone contact list (also referred to as address book). The new entry will comprise for instance the name of the use r a s id e ntifie d on the social group, i.e. the name used by user B to present him self/ herself to user A, and the corresponding fake Caller K), i.e. FAKE_NUM_B. Tables 2 and 3 here after illustrate the update of both users' contact list:

User Bs phone

Address bo ok of user B

Use ma me

FAKENUM A A

Table 2: user B address bo ok up da ted through SMS

Tkb Ie 3: user A address book up da ted through SMS

In an alternative embodiment according to the present system, both the generating of the fake Caller IDs and their provision to both users may be carried out by the social network server itself. In the agreements between Telco 160 and the social network platform 150, these acts may be allocated to the social network itself. The fake Caller Ds, once generated, will then also be provided to the Telco so that it canprocessany sub se q ue nt a no nymo uscallsbetweenboth use rs A a nd B.

Sub se q ue nt a c ts 240 to 265 correspond to anac tua 1 c a 11 using the anonymous call mode. The hereafter call will be described with user A calling userB. The present teachings are of course transposable to userB c a lung use rA. In a callbetween a callerand a callee, the c a lie r a nd callee CIDsare re sp e c tive Iy use d to identify the callerand the callee, i.e. they are passed on as parameters in the call signaling messages b e twe e n the c a lung d e vie e , the Te Ic o a nd the c a lie d d e vie e .

With a c o nta c t info rma tio n fo r use r B in his/ he r te Ie c o mmunic a tio n device, user A can proceed with calling user B using the number associated to use r B in his/he r address book, i.e. FAKE_NUM_B. A node in Telco 160, such as MSC 110, is aware of all call signaling messages within the ne two ik o f Te Ic o 160, a nd a s sue h, c a n inte rc e p t in a furthe r a c t 240 a first call from the first end point to the second end point, when id e ntifying in this first c a 11 the se c o nd fa ke C ID FAKE_NUM_B a s the c a lie e CK). The first call corresponds to the first leg of the anonymous call between both users A and B. Whether the callee number belongs to a specific pool of numbers or has been generated using reversible functions, or any methods as mentioned before, MSC 110 can identify a fake Caller K) in the first call issued from the first end point. The first call also c omprises NUM_A as the callerCK).

With the first c all, MSC 110 c an identify:

- that user A is placing a call,

-to a fake Caller K) that actually belongs to user B (using the reverse function ortab Ie 1),

-both users having requested an anonymous call mode through the socialnetworkdateme.com.

In an additional act 245, prior to processing the anonymous call mode, MSC 110 may verify if the anonymous call mode is still activated between both users. Indeed, user B may have in the mean time requested the cancellation of the anonymous call mode. Tb do so, he/she may for instance cancel the mode associated to user A on his buddy list attached to his/her profile in the social network. Other deactivation of the mode maybe readily available to the man skilled in the art. Once the deactivation is completed on the social network, an update (deactivation message) is sent from social network 150 to Telco 160 so as to update the status of the anonymous call mode between both users. In the exemplary embodiment of Table 1, the last column gives the c urre nt sta tus o f the anonymous call mode between two users. As se e n with use r C a nd use r D, it ha s b e e n c a nc e lie d b y o ne of the two use is. With the exemplary embodiment of the XX YYYYYY ZZZZZ numb e is, the id e ntific a tio n of the so c ia 1 ne two ik thro ug h XX will a Uo w MSC 110 to c heck the most up to date status of the anonymous call mode between userAand use r B, a s id e ntifie d through YYYYYY and ZZZZZZ re sp e c tive Iy . In the more generic exemplary embodiment, wherein the fake

Caller ID is given by a reversible function, the social network component will cause the reverse function to return a "FALSE' result when Telco 160 has received a deactivation message for the anonymous call mode betweenboth use rs A a nd B. If the anonymous c all mode is no longer activated (answerNo to act 245), the c all will not follow through and will end in a further act 265. Provided the anonymous call mode is still a c tive (answerYesto act245), MSC 110 will process a second call to the second end point, using the first fake CD FAKE_NUM_A as the caller Caller E) and the primary Caller ID NUM_B fo r the callee Caller ID. This second call corresponds to the second leg of the anonymous call between both users A and B. When rec eiving the sec ond c all (perc eived as a regular c all from user B side ), use r B will se e an inc o ming c a 11 fro m use r A, as id e ntifie d fro m use r B address book (as illustrated with Table 2), i.e. with FAKE_NUM_A as the Caller E). He/she can immediately recognize the member from the social ne two rk with who m he / she re q ue ste d the a no nymo us c a 11 mo d e .

In a further act 260, MSC 110 will jo in the two calls, i.e. the first and second legs of the anonymous call. Thanks to the present system, Telco 160 performs a swap in the CallerE)s: -from an outgoing call (first leg initiated from the first te Ie c o mmunic a tio n d e vie e 101) fro m NUM_A to FAKE_NUM_B, to

-an incoming call (second leg, bound to the second te Ie c o mmunic a tio n d e vie e 102) fro m FAKE_NUM_A to NUM_B. In accordance with the p re se nt syste m , o ne use r ne e d ne ve r actually know the other users true number. In the present system, the fake Caller K) of a user is both used:

- a s the c o nta c t info rma tio n to c a 11 the use r, - as an anonymous Caller K) to present him self/ herself as the member from the social group, without giving out his/ her actual number. An interesting aspect with the additional act 245 (is the anonymous c all mode still active ?)isthe fact that the fake Caller IDs can be reused assoonasa deac tiva tio n me ssa ge is re c e ive d b y Te Ic o 160. Pro vid e d fo r instance user B deactivated the anonymous call mode using the social network platform, as user A and user B are no longer "paired" with the present anonymous call service, any subsequent attempt by user A to call user B using FAKE_NUM_B will fail (answer No to act 245). Telco 160 may reallocate the number to a no the r use r B involved with user A, or to a ny o the r c o up Ie of me mb e rs fro m the so c ia 1 ne two rk, a s Io ng a s Te Ic o 160 can identify such a number as the callee CID in a call and retrieve the two use rs, a nd the so c ia 1 ne two rk invo Ive d .

As me ntio ne d b e fo re , whe n b o th use rs A a nd Bare sub sc rib e rs of Telco 160, fake CallerIDsdo notneed to be globally routable numbers. In the event one if not two of the users are not subscribers, as the anonymous c all mode is ho ste d in Te Ic o 160, the fake C a lie r IDs will ne e d to be globally routable numbers associated with Telco 160 so thatthe first call can be intercepted as intended to a number managed by Telco 160. FIG.3 is an illustration of the different setup messages that may be exchanged in the p re se nt syste m . Setup 1 corresponds to the registration of users A and B with server 150 to become members of social network dateme.com. Setup 2 corresponds to the confirmation message that both users requested the anonymous call mode of the present system. The setup 2 message may also be used when one of the two users deactivate the anonymous call mode. Both setup 3 and 4 messages c o ire sp o nd to the tia nsfe r o f the fa ke C a lie r Ds o f a use r to the o the r user, i.e.:

- setup 3 message to send FAKE_NUM_B a nd use ma me B to user A, - setup 4 message to send FAKE_NUM_A and use ma me A to user B.

Setup 5 message will allow the processing of the first call from user A intended to user B. Setup 6 message corresponds to the processing of the se c o nd Ie g o f the c a 11, fro m use r A p re se nte d with FAKE_NUM_A, to user B. Asa consequence, a communication path (dashed line) will be generated in an anonymous way between both users A and B.

In the he re above illustrations, telecommunication devices 101 and

102 were illustrated as mobile devices, such as PDAs, c e llula r p ho ne s, smart phones and the likes. The present teachings can be readily imp Ie me nte d with e ithe r o ne , or bo th, o f the first a nd se c o nd telecommunication devicesbeing a landline phone.

In the present illustration, MSC 110 is a node from Telco 160 implementing the present method. One may note that MSC 110 may comprise one or more parts and that illustrating the MSC 110 as comprising one part is in no way limiting as these more parts could be hosted by one ormore other nodes or servers of Tele o 160, these parts being operative Iy coupled to each other. In accordance with a further embodiment of the present system, another coupled node otherthan MSC 110 in Telco 160 may readily implement the method according to the p re se nt sy ste m , p ro vid e d it c a n inte rc e p t the first c a 11, p ro c e ss the second call and join these two calls. Such a node or the MSC, when implementing the present method may be seen as a service node offering the anonymous call mode.

The present system also brings enhanced anonymity as the user does not have to give his true Caller K). Furthermore, as the anonymous caUmode maybe available on a payment basis, identification of a user, and/orofthe socialne two rkmay allow further billings of the service.

FIG.4 shows a system 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the p ie se nt syste m . The syste m 400 inc lud e s a se ivic e no d e 490 ho sting the present anonymous call mode. Service node 490 has a processor 410 operationally coupled to a memory 420, a rendering device 430, such as one ormore of a display, speaker, etc ., a userinput device 470, such as a sensorpanel, a keyboard, trackball and the likes, and a connection 440 operationally coupled to o ther entities and nodes of Tele o 160(notshown in FIG.4). The connection 440 may be an operable connection between the service node 490 and anothernode or server that has similar elements as service node 490, such as a web se rve r ho sting one ormore social ne two rks.

The memory 420 may be any type of device for storing for instance the application data related to the operating system of the service node, as well as to application data in accordance with the present method. The application data are received by the processor 410 for configuring the processor 410 to perform operation acts in accordance with the present system. The operation acts include receiving the confirmation message, generating the fake Caller Ds and processing the first and second calls to ensure an anonymous callbetween two usesAand Bwho requested the anonymous call mode of the p re se nt syste m .

The user input 470 may include a sensor panel as well as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad or other devices, which may be stand alone orbe a part of a system, such as part of a personal computer (e.g., desktop computer, laptop computer, etc .) personal digital assistant, mobile phone, converged device, or other rendering device for c o mmunic ating with the pro c e sso r 410 via any type o f c o up ling , sue h a s a wired or wireless coupling. The user input device 470 is operable for interacting with the processor410 including interaction within a paradigm of a GUI and/or other elements of the present system, such as to enable entry of data by an operator.

Clearly the service node 490, the processor 410, memory 420, rendering device 430 and/ or user input device 470 may all or partly be portions of a computer system or other device, and/or be embedded in one or mo re servers.

The syste m , d e vie e and method described herein address problems in prior art systems. In accordance with an embodiment of the present system, the telecommunication devices 101 and 102 may interact with service node 490 to enjoy an anonymous call mode in accordance with the present system. As may be readily appreciated, one or mo re of the user device s (i.e., first device 101, second device 102) may also include a corresponding processor, memory, rendering device, user input device and operable coupling as the service node 490 and as such, the description of operation, etc. of the service node 490 should be understood to encompass a description of illustrative operable portions of the users devices, suitably coupled and configured for operation in accordance with the present system.

The methods of the present system are particularly suited to be carried out by a computer software program, such program containing modules corresponding to one or more of the individual steps or acts described and/or envisioned by the present system. Such program may of course be embodied in a computer-readable medium, such as an integrated chip, a peripheral device ormemory, such as the memory 420 orothermemory coupled to the processor410.

The computer-readable medium and/or memory 420 may be any recordable medium (e.g., RAM, ROM, removable memory, CD-ROM, hard drives, DVD, floppy disks or memory cards) or may be a transmission medium utilizing one ormore of radio frequency (RF) coupling, Bluetooth coupling, infrared coupling, etc. Any medium known or developed that can store and/or transmit information suitable for use with a computer system maybe used as the computer-readable medium and/ormemory 420.

Additional memories may also be used. These memories configure processor 410 to implement the methods, operational acts, and functions disclosed herein. The operation acts may include controlling the rendering device 430 to render elements in a form of a GUI and/ or controlling the rendering device 430 to render other information in accordance with the present system. Moreover, the term "memory" should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by a processor. With this d e finitio n, info rma tio n on a ne two rk is still within memory 420, fo r insta nc e , because the processor 410 may retrieve the info im a tio n from the network for operation in accordance with the present system. Fbr example, a portion of the memory as understood herein may reside as a portion of the c o nte nt p ro vid e rs, and/ or the userdevice.

The processor 410 is capable of performing operations in response to incoming confirmation messages and first calls and executing instructions stored in the memory 420. The processor 410 may be an application-specific or general-use integrated circuits). Further, the processor 410 may be a dedicated processor for performing in accordance with the present system or may be a general-purpose pro c e sso r wherein only one of many functions operates fo r p e rfo rming in accordance with the present system. The processor 410 may operate utilizing a program portion, multiple program segments, or may be a hardware device utilizing a dedicated or multi-purpose integrated circuit.

Finally, the above discussion is intended to be merely illustrative of the present system and should notbe construed aslimiting the appended claims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Thus, while the present system has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, including use r inte rfa c e s, it sho uld also be appreciated that numerous modifications and alternative embodiments may be devised by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the broader and intended spirit and scope of the present system as set forth in the claims that follow. Further, while exemplary user interfaces are provided to facilitate an understanding of the present system, other user interfaces may be provided and/or elements of one user interface may be c o mb ine d with a no the r o f the use r inte rfa ces in accordance with furthe r embodiments of the present system.

The sec tion headings included herein are intended to facilitate a review but are not intended to limit the scope of the present system. Accordingly, the specifications and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.

M inte rp re ting the appended claims, it should be understood that: a) the words "comprising" or "including" do not exclude the p re se nc e o f o the r e Ie me nts o r a c ts tha n tho se liste d in a g ive n c Ia im ; b) the word "a" or"an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence ofa p lura lity o f sue h e Ie me nts; c) anyreference signs in the claimsdo no t limit the ir sc o p e ; d) several "means" may be represented by the same item or hardware orsoftware implemented structure orfunction; e) any of the disclosed elements may be comprised of hardware portions (e.g., including discrete and integrated electronic circuitry), software portions (e.g., computer programming), and any c o mb ina tio n the re o f; f) hardware portions may be comprised of one or both of analogue and digital portions; g) any of the disclosed devices or portions thereof may be c o mb ine d to g e the rorsepaiated into furthe r p o rtio ns unle ss sp e c ific a lly stated otherwise; h) no specific sequence of acts or steps is intended to be re quire d unle ss spe c ific ally indie ate d ; and i) the te rm "p lura lity o f ' a n e Ie me nt inc lud e s two o r mo re of the c Ia ime d e Ie me nt, a nd d o e s no t imp Iy a ny p a rtic ula r ra ng e of numb e r o f elements; that is, a plurality of elements may be as few as two elements, and may include an immeasurable numberof elements.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for providing an anonymous call mode between a first and a second end point, each end point being characterized by a corresponding true c a lie r id e ntific a tio n (CK)), the true CDs being used in a c a 11 to id e ntify a c a lie r a nd a c a lie e of the c a 11, the me tho d c o mp rising a c ts o f :

-generating a first and second fake CDs, respectively for the first and second end points, when receiving a confirmation message that both the first and second end points requested the anonymous call mode,

-providing to each end point the otherend point fake CK),

- inte re e p ting a first c a 11 fro m the first e nd p o int to the se c o nd e nd point when identifying in the first call the second fake CK) as a c a flee

CK),

-proce ssing a se c o nd c a 11 to the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fake CK) as a callerCK),

- jo ining the first a nd se c o nd callsto generate a callfrom the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CIDsto both end points.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the act of inte rc e p ting a first call, anactofve rifying tha t the a no nymo us c a 11 mo d e is still a c tive b e twe e n the c a lie r a nd the c a lie e .

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the confirmation message originates from a social network users ofeachend point aie members of, the confirmation message being issued when both users activated the anonymous c all mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fake CK) of an end point is a reversible func tio n o f the true CDs of the first end point, the second end point, and the social network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the anonymous call mode is ho ste d by a te Ie c o mmunic atio n ne two rk (Te Ic o ), o ne of the e nd po ints is not a subscriber of, the first and second fake CDs corresponding to globally ro utable numb e is a tta c he d to the Telco.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the anonymous call mode is hosted by a telecommunication network (Telco), both end points are sub sc rib e rs o f.

7. A service node for providing an anonymous call mode between a first a nd a se c o nd end p o int, each end pointbe ing c ha ra c te rize d b y a corresponding true caller identification (CK)), the true CIDs being used in a c a Il to id e ntify a callerand a callee, the se ivic e no d e be ing a rra ng e d to: -generate a first and second fake CIDs, respectively for the first and second end points, when receiving a confirmation message that both the first and second end points requested the anonymous call mode,

- p ro vid e to eachend point the o the r e nd p o int fa ke C K), -intercept a first call from the first end point to the second end point when identifying in the first call the second fake CK) as a callee CK),

-processa second callto the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fa ke CIDasa callerCK), -join the fust and second calls to generate a call from the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CDs to both end p o ints.

8. The service node of claim 7, further arranged to verify that the anonymous call mode is still active between the caller and the callee a fte r inte re e p ting the first c a 11 fro m the first e nd p o int to the se c o nd e nd point.

9. The servic e node ofclaim 7, wherein the fake CK) of an end point is a reversible function of the true CDs of the first end point, the second end point, and the social network.

10. A te Ie c o mmunic a tio n syste m c o mp rising :

- a first a nd a se c o nd e nd p o int, each of the end p o ints b e ing characterized by a corresponding true c a lie r id e ntific a tio n (CK)), the true C IDs b e ing use d ina callto ide ntify a callerand a callee of the c a 11,

- a so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r, ho sting a socialnetworkeach use r o f a n end point is a member of, the social network server being arranged to offer activation of an anonymous c all mode to the users of the first and second end points,

-a service node for providing an anonymous call mode between the first a nd a se c o nd e nd p o ints, the se rvic e no d e be ing a rra ng e d to : -generate a first and second fake CIDs, respectively for the first a nd se c o nd e nd p o ints, whe n re c e iving fro m the so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r a confirmation message that both the first and second end points a c tiva te d the a no nymo us c a 11 mo d e ,

- p ro vid e to eachend point the o the r e nd p o int fa ke C K), - inte rc e p t a fust c a 11 fro m the fust end p o int to the se c o nd e nd point when identifying in the first call the second fake CK) as a c a flee CD,

-processa second callto the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fa ke CIDasa callerCK),

-join the first and second calls to generate a call from the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true CDs to both end p o ints.

11. The syste m o f c Ia im 10, whe re in the so c ia 1 ne two rk se rve r is furthe r arranged to send to the service node a deactivation message when one o f the use rs ie q ue ste d the d e a c tiva tio n o f the a no nymo uscallmode, the service node being further arranged to terminate any first call from the first end point to the second end point once the deactivation message hasbeenreceived.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the fake CK) of an end point is a reversible func tio n o f the true C IDs of the first end point, the second end point, and the social network.

13. An application embodied on a computer readable medium and arranged to provide an anonymous call mode between a first and a se c o nd e nd p o ints, each end point be ing c ha ra c te rize d b y a corresponding true cafler identification (CK)), the true CIDs being used in a call to identify a caller and a callee in a call, the application comprising:

-a portion to generate a first and second fake C IDs, respectively for the first and second end points, when receiving a confirmation message that both the fust and second end points requested the anonymous c all mode,

- a portion to provide to each end point the other end point fake CD, -a portion to intercept a first call from the first end point to the se c o nd e nd p o int whe n id e ntifying in the first c a 11 the se c o nd fa ke C K) a s a c a lie e CK),

- a p o rtio n to p ro c e ss a se c o nd c a 11 to the se c o nd e nd p o int using the first fake CK) as a caller C K), - a p o rtio n to jo in the first a nd se c o nd callsto generate a callfrom the first end point to the second end point, thereby hiding the true C IDs to b o th e nd p o ints.

14. The application of claim 13, further comprising a portion to verify that the anonymous call mode is still a c tive between the caller and the c a lie e a fte r inte re e p ting the first c a 11 fro m the first e nd p o int to the second end point.