Phone call screening

A system comprising:

• hardware;
• and,
• a first component implemented via the hardware to detect that a phone call has been initiated to a target phone number by a caller using a phone device having a calling phone number;
• a second component implemented via the hardware to determine whether the calling phone number is on a first list of phone numbers associated with a first user, and to determine whether the calling phone number is on a second list of phone numbers associated with a second user;
• a third component implemented via the hardware to:
• where the calling phone number is not on the second list of phone numbers and is on the first list of phone numbers, notify the phone device having the calling phone number that the target phone number is no longer associated with the first user, to determine whether the caller wants to continue with the phone call, and to permit the phone call to continue only where the caller wants to continue with the phone call;
• and
• where the calling phone number is on the second list of phone numbers, regardless of whether the calling phone number is on the first list of phone numbers, automatically continue the phone call without any further interaction by the caller with the phone device having the calling phone number such that the phone call is permitted to be connected to a phone device having the target phone number presently associated with the second user, such that the phone device having the calling phone number is not notified that the calling phone number has been checked against the first list of phone numbers and against the second list of phone numbers
• wherein the target phone number is presently associated with the second user such that the target phone number is not presently associated with the first user, and the target phone number was previously associated with the first user,
• and wherein the second list is always examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon prior to the first list being examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon, and the first list is not examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon where the calling phone number has been determined to be on the second list, such that the first list is only examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon where the calling phone number has been determined to not be on the second list.

A method comprising:

• in response to a phone device having a calling phone number being used by a caller to initiate a phone call to a target phone number, the target phone number previously associated with a first user and presently associated with a second user such that the target phone number is not presently associated with the first user,
• determining whether the calling phone number is on a list of phone numbers associated with the second user, the list of phone numbers associated with the second user being a second list;
• in response to determining that the calling phone number is not on the list of phone numbers associated with the second user,
• determining whether the calling phone number is on a list of phone numbers associated with the first user, the list of phone numbers associated with the first user being a first list;
• in response to determining that the calling phone number is on the list of phone numbers associated with the first user,
• notifying the phone device having the calling phone number that the target phone number is no longer associated with the first user such that the phone device informs the caller that the target phone number is no longer associated with the first user;
• in response to receiving communication from the phone device having the calling phone number that the caller does not want to continue with the phone call, terminating the phone call prior to the phone call being connected to a phone device having the target phone number presently associated with the second user;
• and
• in response to determining that the calling phone number is on the list of phone numbers associated with the second user,
• automatically continuing with the phone call without any further interaction by the caller with the phone device having the calling phone number such that the phone call is permitted to be connected to the phone device having the target phone number presently associated with the second user, and such that the phone device having the calling phone number is not notified that the calling phone number has been checked against the list of phone numbers associated with the second user,
• wherein the second list is always examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon prior to the first list being examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon, and the first list is not examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon where the calling phone number has been determined to be on the second list, such that the first list is only examined to determine whether the calling phone number is thereon where the calling phone number has been determined to not be on the second list.