Call screening apparatus and method

A call screening platform comprising:

• a connection to the public switched telephone network configured to receive a call placed by a calling party for a called party at a called communication station;
• a database storing a subscriber profile which defines call screening information for the called party;
• a voice switch to play to the calling party one of a called party-provided greeting and a greeting announcement;
• a control computer and operating software operative in conjunction with the stored subscriber profile to control the call screening platform to perform the following operations:
• if a recorded name screening feature is active in accordance with the stored subscriber profile,
• from the voice switch, prompting the calling party for identification, and
• recording in memory the spoken identification provided by the calling party;
• if the called party is engaged in a call, providing an announcement from the voice switch and entering a call waiting process;
• otherwise, routing the call to a directory number in accordance with the stored subscriber profile;
• playing from the voice switch to the called communication station one of a predefined announcement and the recorded spoken identification;
• determining at the control computer from the subscriber profile if caller ID screening is active for the called party;
• if so, and if a calling directory number is available for the call, providing the calling party directory number to the called communication station;
• from the voice switch, prompting the called party to enter a call routing option;
• detecting a call routing option entered at the called communication station and received at the call screening platform;
• if the entered call routing option corresponds to rejecting the call, routing the call from the call screening platform to a reject-call default destination;
• and
• if the entered call routing option corresponds to accepting the call, connecting the call between the calling party with the called party.