Identifying and filtering incoming telephone calls to enhance privacy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9426288-B2
Application number	US-201414318630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2014
Priority date	Sep 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A method for filtering a telephone call is provided. The method may comprise receiving from a caller the telephone call directed to a communication device associated with an intended call recipient. The received telephone call may be scored based on predetermined scoring criteria to create a score indicative of a desirability of the telephone call. Furthermore, the method may comprise comparing the score to a predetermined threshold score. Based on the comparison, the method may further comprise selectively classifying the telephone call as an unwanted telephone call. Furthermore, the method may comprise selectively rejecting the unwanted telephone call.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a community blacklist comprising:
receiving, using a processor, an incoming telephone call directed to a recipient telephone number, the recipient telephone number being associated with a telephone service, the recipient telephone number being unassigned to a subscriber of the telephone service;
determining, using the processor, the incoming telephone call is from an originating telephone number;
answering, using the processor, the incoming telephone call;
providing, using the processor, a verbal challenge;
receiving, using the processor, a response, the response being at least an audible answer;
measuring, using the processor, a time between when the verbal challenge is provided and when the response is received; and
adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist based at least on one of the measured time being equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the audible answer corresponding to at least one predetermined answer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one predetermined answer includes “hello”.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
adding, using the processor, the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on at least one of time of day, day of week, and time of year.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
searching, using the processor, a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and
adding, using the processor, the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in at least a predetermined number of the plurality of subscriber blacklists, the predetermined number being greater than or equal to two.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
searching, using the processor, at least a subset of a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and
adding, using the processor, the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in at least one of the subset of the plurality of subscriber blacklists.

6. A system for generating a community blacklist comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions, the instructions being executable by the processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving an incoming telephone call directed to a recipient telephone number, the recipient telephone number being associated with a telephone service, the recipient telephone number being unassigned to a subscriber of the telephone service;
determining the incoming telephone call is from an originating telephone number;
answering the incoming telephone call;
providing a verbal challenge;
receiving a response, the response being at least an audible answer;
measuring a time between when the verbal challenge is provided and when the response is received; and
adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist based at least on one of the measured time being equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the audible answer corresponding to at least one predetermined answer.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one predetermined answer includes “hello”.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:
adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on at least one of time of day, day of week, and time of year.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:
searching a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and
adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in a predetermined number of the plurality of subscriber blacklists, the predetermined number being greater than or equal to two.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises:
searching at least a subset of a plurality of subscriber blacklists for the originating telephone number; and
adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist further based on the originating telephone number being in at least one of a subset of the predetermined number of the plurality of subscriber blacklists.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for generating a community blacklist, the method comprising:
receiving an incoming telephone call directed to a recipient telephone number, the recipient telephone number being associated with a telephone service, the recipient telephone number being unassigned to a subscriber of the telephone service;
determining the incoming telephone call is from an originating telephone number;
answering the incoming telephone call;
providing a verbal challenge;
receiving a response, the response being at least an audible answer;
measuring a time between when the verbal challenge is provided and when the response is received; and
adding the originating telephone number to the community blacklist based at least on one of the measured time being equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the audible answer corresponding to at least one predetermined answer.

Assignees

• Ooma Inc

Inventors

• Farrand Toby
• Snow Kevin
• Peng Dennis

Classifications

• H04M3/4365

  based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject · CPC title

• H04M1/00

  Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers (subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08) · CPC title

• H04M3/436 Primary

  Arrangements for screening incoming calls {, i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it (based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54)} · CPC title

• H04M1/663

  Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set · CPC title

• H04W4/16

  Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold · CPC title