Method and system for providing enhanced caller identification information

#The present invention relates generally to telecommunication services and more particularly to caller identification.

#Telecommunications service providers typically offer services that attempt to provide customers with information that enables them to determine whether or not to accept a call before answering the call. One service that provides such information is caller identification (“Caller ID”). Standard Caller ID services generally provide a customer with an indication of who is calling without requiring the customer to answer the call. These systems typically retrieve information about the calling party from a database and provide that information to the called party. Customer premise equipment (CPE) in the form of a display device is generally used to provide the called party with a visual readout of the name and/or telephone number associated with the calling party.

#However, the effectiveness of Caller ID systems can be reduced due to a number of different occurrences. One such occurrence is the inability of a service provider to provide the standard Caller ID information for a particular incoming call. A service provider may not be able to provide the standard Caller ID information if the Caller ID information is blocked by the calling party, or if the Caller ID information is unavailable or incomplete. Also, the service provider may not be able to provide the standard Caller ID information if the call is marked “Private,” indicating that the calling party has taken steps to suppress transmission of Caller ID information. This may be done, in some areas of the United States by, for example, pressing *67 when initiating a call.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telecommunications system.

#FIG. 2 is a call flow diagram illustrating a method for processing a call in the telecommunications system of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the telecommunication system of FIG. 1.

#By way of introduction, a method and apparatus in accordance with the illustrated embodiments provides for determining whether standard caller identification information can be provided for a received call. If not, the call is suspended and the calling party prompted to provide spoken caller identification information. This spoken caller identification information is recorded and played back to the called party, while the call is still suspended. The called party is presented with options for disposing of the call, such as by answering the call, refusing the call or routing the call to an automated answering system such as a voice mail answering system.

#If standard caller identification information can be provided for the call, the call is terminated at the called communication station, which rings to announce the call. The standard caller identification information is presented to the called party. A screen listing indication may be detected, indicating that the called party wishes to place the calling communication station associated with the caller identification information on a list for having subsequent calls from the listed communication station intercepted. The called party may provide the screen listing indication before answering the call or after answering and disposing of the call.

#Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telecommunications system 100. The system 100 comprises a service switching point (SSP) 102, a signal transfer point (STP) 104, a service control point (SCP) 106, a first SCP database 108, a second SCP database 110, a compact service node (CSN) 112, a central office 114, called telephone station 116 and calling telephone station 118. Intelligent network system components, commonly referred to as advanced intelligent network (AIN) components, suitable for implementing the present embodiment are commercially available from several vendors and are known to those skilled in the art. AIN components can implement computer readable program code as known to those skilled in the art. Vendors of AIN components typically have a preferred programming language and operating platform as known to those skilled in the art.