US 5,796,806 A · Apparatus and method for spoken caller identification using signals of the advanced intelligent network

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing spoken identification of a telephone caller on all phones of a service subscriber's telephone line. The caller's identification is spoken over a regular telephone receiver so no visual display hardware is needed. Software allows the call to be handled by the subscriber in multiple ways. Voice or keypad commands allow the subscriber to take the call, play the caller a message declining the call, route the call to a voice mail system (if available), or refer the call to some other system. Software control of the apparatus allows the call routings to be optional, flexibly configured, and extended to other capabilities in the future. Software control also allows the telephone company's billing name database to be expanded beyond what is known to the local telephone company of the subscriber. Alternatively, a predefined list of expected caller's numbers can be defined by the caller and their names recorded. Adding call screening for desired calls would also be particularly useful in the cellular environment. The caller's name, or if not available his phone number, can be spoken to the subscriber using text-to-speech technology. Alternatively, the caller could be asked to state his name and the apparatus record it and then play it back to the subscriber for caller identification.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A telephone system, comprising:

a first advanced intelligent network (AIN) service switch point connected to a first telephone;
a second advanced intelligent network (AIN) service switch point connected to a second telephone;
a voice network coupling the first (AIN) service switch point to the second (AIN) service switch point;
an intelligent peripheral system connected to the first (AIN) service switch and including an intelligent peripheral and a data server, the data server resident to the intelligent peripheral system and operable to store a plurality of data sets, the data sets including a caller number and associated customer name, the intelligent peripheral operable to process a call from a caller at the second telephone and to receive caller identification information identifying the caller number associated with the second telephone, the intelligent peripheral operable to query the data server to provide an associated customer name stored in a data set with the caller number, the intelligent peripheral operable to initiate the first (AIN) service switch to connect the intelligent peripheral to a called party at the first telephone and to audibly deliver the customer name to the first telephone;
and
a signaling network coupled to the first (AIN) service switch, the second (AIN) service switch and the intelligent peripheral system, the signaling network operable to communicate the caller identification information to the intelligent peripheral.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for spoken caller identification using signals of the advanced intelligent network

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for spoken caller identification using signals of the advanced intelligent network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20