Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
CALL SCREENING~METHOD AND APPARATUS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to systems and methods for screening incoming calls to
a
mobile station, or a handset, in a cellular telephone system. Particularly,
this invention
relates to systems and methods for screening incoming calls to a cellular-
telephone
mobile station in which the mobile station performs the control function in
the system or
method.
1o INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The subject matter disclosed and claimed in the copending application entitled
"Outgoing Call Handling System and Method." invented by the same inventors. f
led on
the same day as the instant application, and to be assigned to the same
assignee, is
hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The screening of incoming calls is important to cellular telephone users
because
many cellular-telephone subscriber plans provide for billing subscribers for
incoming-
answered, as well as outgoing, calls. The subscriber who knows the identity of
the
2o incoming caller can choose to answer only those incoming calls for which
the subscriber
wishes to pay. Moreover, the subscriber who knows the identity of the incoming
caller
can choose to answer the call or allow the incoming caller to leave a voice
message
depending upon the subscriber's priorities, time constraints, and other
considerations.
There are several methods and products that allow the user of a telephone to
screen incoming calls. United States Patent No. 5,473,671 to Partridge cites
some of
them and explains their disadvantages, and its disclosure is incorporated by
reference.
Answering machines are probably the most popular method of call screening in
use
today. One of the disadvantages of the answering-machine method is that a
connection
is made between the incoming caller and the answering machine even if the
incoming
3o call is unwanted. In a cellular system, the user of an answering machine
might pay for
the time the incoming caller takes to leave a message. The "Caller ID" feature
is also a
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
popular method of call screening. Among the disadvantages of the "Caller ID"
feature is
that some systems provide for identifying only the telephone number from which
the
incoming call originates. Also, state of the art cellular systems do not
provide the
"Caller ID" feature.
United States Patent No. 5,473,671 to Partridge discloses an invention for
selectively screening incoming calls for cellular telephone systems. The
invention
disclosed therein maintains a preselected list of caller identities, such as
telephone
numbers. The user predesignates treatment for each identity, such as forward
to the
user's cellular telephone, offer the caller the option of paying for the call,
or other
1 o treatment. An incoming call is compared to the preselected list and is
treated in the
manner predesignated. One of the disadvantages of this invention is that it
requires
predesignation of treatment. It does not allow the user to make dynamic
decisions
regarding how to treat the incoming call based upon the user's needs and
desires at the
time of the incoming call.
United States Patent No. 5,559,860 to Mizikovsky discloses an invention for
screening incoming calls at a mobile station. In a manner similar to the
invention
disclosed in United States Patent No. 5,473,671, the invention disclosed
therein
compares the incoming call to a preselected list containing calling party
identification
data and corresponding predesignated response categories. The invention
responds to
2o the incoming call in the manner indicated by the preselected list. This
invention has the
same disadvantages as those of the invention disclosed in United States Patent
No.
5,473,671. In particular, dynamic decisions by the user are not permitted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides processes and apparatus for screening an
incoming call from an incoming call in a cellular telecommunications system.
The
processes are carried out by, and the apparatus comprises, a service provider
and a
mobile station. The mobile station answers the incoming call and places the
call on
hold. The mobile station connects to the service provider and places the
service
2
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
V WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
provider and the incoming caller on rnulti-party hold. The mobile station then
signals
the service provider to begin screening the call. In response, the service
provider
prompts the incoming caller for the incoming caller's identification and then
communicates this information to the mobile station. Based on this
information, the
mobile station can elect to accept or reject the incoming call.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process and
product
to screen incoming telephone calls. It is a further object of the present
invention to
provide for the dynamic screening of incoming telephone calls. It is a still
fi~rther object
of the present invention to provide for screening of incoming calls that
lessens the
to amount of time spent by a cellular-telephone-service subscriber answering
unwanted
calls and expending money paying for those calls. It is a still further object
of the
present invention to provide a process and product to screen incoming
telephone calls in
which the mobile station controls the operation.
~ 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a product in accordance with the present
invention.
FIG. 2A is a flow chart illustrating a first portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 2B is a flow chart illustrating a second portion of an embodiment of the
20 claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 2C is a flow chart illustrating a third portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 2D is a flow chart illustrating a fourth portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
25 FIG. 2E is a flow chart illustrating a fifth portion of an embodiment of
the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 2F is a flow chart illustrating a sixth portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
3
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
FIG. 2G is a flow chart illustrating a seventh portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 3A is a flow chart illustrating a first portion of another embodiment of
the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 3B is a flow chart illustrating a second portion of another embodiment of
the claimed process, showing particularly the action of a mobile station.
FIG. 4A is a flow chart illustrating a first portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a service provider.
FIG. 4B is a flow chart illustrating a second portion of an embodiment of the
to claimed process, showing particularly the action of a service provider.
FIG. 4C is a flow chart illustrating a third portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a service provider.
FIG. 4D is a flow chart illustrating a fourth portion of an embodiment of the
claimed process, showing particularly the action of a service provider.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
One embodiment of the present invention includes a process for
screening an incoming call from an incoming caller wherein the apparatus for
carrying
out the process comprises a mobile station and a service provider, said
process
2o comprising the following steps: a) sending communication from an incoming
caller to
the service provider regarding the incoming caller; b) sending communication
from the
service provider to the mobile station regarding the incoming caller; c)
selecting one of
a set comprising (1) accepting the incoming call and (2) rejecting the
incoming call.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a process for screening
an
incoming call from an incoming caller wherein the apparatus for carrying out
the
process comprises a mobile station, said process comprising the following
steps: a)
answering an incoming call from an incoming caller; b) placing said incoming
caller on
hold; c) communicating with a service provider; d) placing the service
provider and
4
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
the incoming caller on mufti-party hold; and e) signalling the service
provider to begin
screening.
Another embodiment further comprises the following step: f) receiving
communication from the service provider indicating information received from
the
incoming caller.
Another embodiment further comprises the following step: g) selecting one of a
set comprising (1) accepting the call and (2} rejecting the call.
Another embodiment further comprises the following steps: h) in the event that
accepting the call was selected in step g), disconnecting communication with
the service
to provider; and i) in the event that rejecting the call was selected in step
g), signalling the
service provider that the service provider should handle the incoming call.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a process for screening
an
incoming call from an incoming caller wherein the apparatus for carrying out
the
process comprises a service provider, said process comprising the following
steps:
~5 a) receiving communication from a mobile station indicating a desire to
connect;
b) connecting with the mobile station; c) receiving communication from the
mobile
station to begin screening an incoming call from an incoming caller; d)
collecting
information regarding the incoming caller; and e) communicating information
collected
in step d) to the mobile station.
2o Another embodiment further comprises the following step: f) receiving
communication from the mobile station indicating further action desired by a
user of the
mobile station.
Another embodiment further comprises the following step: g) communicating
the further action desired by the mobile station's user to the mobile station.
25 Another embodiment includes the following step: h) in the event that the
communication received in step f) indicates a desire to accept the call,
disconnecting
communication with the mobile station.
5
*rB
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/Z2736
Another embodiment comprises the following step: i) in the event that the
communication received in step f) indicates a desire to reject the call,
prompting the
incoming caller for information.
Another embodiment comprises the following step: j) disconnecting
communication with the mobile station.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a process for screening
an
incoming call from an incoming caller wherein the apparatus for carrying out
the
process comprises a mobile station and a service provider, said process
comprising the
following steps: a) answering an incoming call from an incoming caller; b)
placing said
t o incoming caller on hold; c) sending communication from the mobile station
to a service
provider indicating a desire to connect; d) receiving communication to the
service
provider from the mobile station indicating a desire to connect; e) connecting
the mobile
station and the service provider; f) placing the service provider and the
incoming caller
on multi-party hold; g) sending communication to the service provider from the
mobile
station signalling the service provider to begin screening; h} receiving
communication
from the mobile station to the service provider signalling the service
provider to begin
screening; i) collecting information from the incoming caller; j) sending
communication
regarding information collected in step i) from the service provider to the
mobile station;
k) receiving communication from the service provider to the mobile station
regarding
2o information collected in step i); 1} selecting one of a set comprising (1)
accepting the
call and (2) rejecting the call; m) in the event that accepting the call was
selected in step
1), disconnecting the connection between the service provider and the mobile
station;
and n) in the event that rejecting the call was selected in step 1),
signalling the service
provider that the service provider should handle the incoming call.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes an apparatus for
screening an incoming call for use in cellular telecommunications, said
apparatus
comprising: a service provider; and a mobile station; wherein said service
provider is
programmed to collect information regarding an incoming caller's
identification and to
communicate at least part of said information to said mobile station; and
wherein said
6
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
V WO 99/23845 PC"fNS98/22736
mobile station is programmed to receive communications from said service
provider
regarding said information and to communicate said information to a user of
said mobile
station, whereby said user can select one of a set comprising {I) accepting
the incoming
call and (2) rejecting the incoming call.
s FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. The
apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a service provider 20, or a sen~ice node.
The
apparatus also includes a mobile station 30, or handset. The service provider
20 and the
mobile station 30 are in communication 35. The attributes and operation of a
service
provider and a mobile station are well known to those of ordinary skill in the
art of the
1o present invention. The service provider 20 and mobile station 30 shown in
FIG. 1 have
all of the standard attributes of service providers and mobile stations known
in the art
today. The operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is best described by
reference to
the process which the apparatus carries out. The process is described below.
FIGS. 2A-2G are linked flowcharts showing an embodiment of the present
t 5 invention in detail. The flowcharts in FIGS. 2A-2G describe the operation
of the mobile
station, or handset, during the carrying out of an embodiment of the present
invention.
The mobile station and the service provider take the steps shown in FIGS. 2A-
2G, 3A
3B, and 4A-4D in cooperation with each other to carry out the prefen:ed
embodiment of
the present invention. The embodiment shown therein is described below.
2o In the process shown, the mobile station starts at idle 10. An incoming
caller
calls the mobile station and the mobile station receives the call 12. The
mobile station
carries out the step of answering the incoming call. As shown in FIG. 2A, the
mobile
station answers the call 100 from the incoming caller. This answering 100
occurs
without alerting the mobile-station user. For example, this answering 100
occurs
25 without the mobile station ringing. The mobile station user can elect to be
alerted when
this answering 100 occurs, however.
The mobile station then carries out the step of placing the incoming caller on
hold. As shown in FIG. 2A, the mobile station attempts to place the incoming
caller on
hold 102. If the attempt 102 is not acknowledged by the incoming caller 103,
the caller
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
V WO 99123845 PCT/US98IZ2736
is disconnected 99, the process ceases and the mobile station returns to idle
10.
Likewise, if the incoming call is disconnected 98, the process ceases and the
mobile
station returns to idle 10.
If the hold is acknowledged 101, and is thus successful, the mobile station
carries out the step of communicating with a service provider or service node.
As
shown in FIG. 2A, the mobile station begins calling the service provider or
sen~ice node
or platform 104. Immediately after beginning the call to the service provider
104, the
mobile station starts a timer 106, designated herein as Tl. The starting of a
timer 106
does not interrupt the call to the service provider, and the call continues
108. The timer
1o T1 governs the amount of time the mobile station will wait for the service
platform to
connect. The timer expires preferably in a very short amount of time. between
approximately five and six seconds.
As shown in FIG. 2B, if the service provider does not answer after a
predesignated time after the starting of timer Tl 110, or if the call fails
111, or the
service provider is busy 112, the caller is disconnected 114, and the mobile
station
returns to idle mode 10. If the call from the incoming caller is disconnected
in a manner
not specifically provided for 116, e.g., the caller hangs up, the pending call
to the service
provider is released 118, and the mobile station returns to idle mode 10.
If the service provider answers the mobile station's call and connects 120,
the
2o timer, T1, is stopped 122. Then, the mobile station carries out the step of
placing the
service provider and the incoming caller on mufti-party hold. As shown in FIG.
2A, the
mobile station begins putting the caller and the service provider in mufti-
party 124, i.e.,
attempts to bridge the caller and the service provider. If the mufti-party is
not
acknowledged 128, the mobile station will disconnect both the caller and the
service
provider 130 and return to idle 10. If either the incoming caller or the
service provider
disconnects from the connection with the mobile station 132, the mobile
station will
disconnect the remaining connection 134, and will return to idle 10. If the
mufti-party is
acknowledged 136, and is thus successful, the handset begins placing the
connection
between the three parties on mufti-party hold 138. If the mufti-party hold is
not
8
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99123845 PCT/US98I22736
acknowledged 139, the mobile station disconnects both the incoming caller and
the
service provider 140 and returns to idle mode 10. If either the incoming
caller or the
service provider disconnects from the mufti-party 142, the mobile station
disconnects
the remaining connected-party 144 and returns to idle 10. If the hold is
acknowledged
146, and is thus successful, the parties are in mufti-party hold.
Once the parties are in mufti-party hold 146, the mobile station carries out
the
step of signalling the service provider to begin screening. As shown in FIG.
2B, the
mobile station signals the service provider to begin screening 150 and awaits
the service
provider's response 154. The mobile station preferably makes this
communication using
to Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). Once this signal is
received, the
service provider carries out the step of collecting information from the
incoming caller.
The service provider prompts the incoming caller for the caller's name and
awaits the
caller's response. For example, the service provider plays the following
message to the
incoming caller: "Please state your name" and then records the caller's
response. The
service provider's action in this regard is described in further detail below
and in FIGS.
4A-4D.
As shown in FIG. 2C, if either the incoming caller or the service provider
disconnects from the connection with the mobile station 156 while the service
provider
is awaiting the caller's response 154, the mobile station disconnects the
remaining
2o connection 158 and return to idle mode 10. If the service provider receives
no response
from the incoming caller or the name-collect fails for some other reason and
the service
provider communicates that the name-collect failed to the mobile station 160,
the mobile
station disconnects both the incoming caller and the service provider 162 and
returns to
idle mode 10. The communication of name collect failure is preferably
completed using
USSD. If the incoming caller's response is successfully collected by the
service
provider, the mobile station will receive a signal that the name was collected
from the
service provider 164. The service provider preferably makes this communication
using
USSD.
9
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
As shown in FIGS. 2C, once the mobile station receives the successful name-
collection signal 164, the mobile station starts a timer 168, designated T2.
Then, the
mobile station will begin ringing 170. The mobile station will continue
ringing until
either the service provider or the calling party disconnects 174, the timer T2
reaches a
s predesignated expiration time 178, or the mobile station is answered 172.
The timer T2
governs the amount of time the process waits for the mobile station user to
answer.
Once the mobile station begins ringing, as shown in FIG. 2C, if the either the
service provider or the calling party disconnects 174, then the mobile station
stops
ringing 175, disconnects the remaining party 176, and enters idle mode 10. The
timer
1 o T2 is preset to expire after a designated amount of time, preferably
thirty and forty-five
seconds. If the timer reaches the designated amount of time and expires 178,
the mobile
station stops ringing 180 and signals the service provider to handle the call
182. This
signal preferably occurs using USSD. Then, the service provider handles the
call while
the mobile station waits 184. This handling is discussed in further detail
below. For
15 example, the service provider records a message on voice mail. As seen in
FIG. 2F,
once the service provider performs its handling of the call while the mobile
station waits
184, the mobile station is disconnected from the service provider 185.
Afterwards, the
mobile station disconnects the incoming caller 186 and returns to idle mode
10.
The mobile station preferably is programmed to recognize voice signals.
2o Referencing FIG. 2C, if the mobile station answers the call 172, preferably
by the user
of the mobile station speaking an "attention phrase" such as "Answer,"
"Attention," or
"PowerCall," the mobile station stops ringing 188 and stops the timer T2 189.
The
mobile station, service provider, and incoming caller attempt to resume multi-
party
connection 190. As seen in FIG. 2D, if the attempt to enter mufti-party
connection fails
25 192, the mobile station signals the service provider to handle the call
194. This
signalling preferably is accomplished using USSD. Following this signalling
194, as
seen in FIG. 2F, the mobile station awaits the call handling 184. Once the
service
provider handles the call by recording a message or other service, the
connection
between the service provider and the mobile station is broken 185, the
connection
to
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
between the mobile station and the incoming caller is disconnected 186. and
the mobile
station returns to idle mode 10. Referencing FIG. 2D, if the mobile station's
connection
with either the service provider or the incoming caller is broken 196 while
attempting to
resume mufti-party 190, the mobile station will disconnect from the remaining
party
198, and return to idle mode 10.
If the mufti-party resumes successfully 200, the mobile station attempts to
separate the connection with the service provider from the mufti-party 202.
If; during
this attempt, either the service provider or the incoming caller is
disconnected from the
mobile station 204, the mobile station disconnects the remaining party 206 and
returns
1 o to idle mode 10. If the separation attempt is not acknowledged by the
service provider
208, the mobile station signals the service provider to handle the call 210.
This
signalling is preferably accomplished with USSD. Then, the service provider
handles
the call as the mobile station waits 184. Referring to FIG. 2F, after the
service provider
handles the incoming call, the service provider is disconnected 185, the
incoming caller
is disconnected 186, and the mobile station returns to idle mode 10.
If the separation attempt is acknowledged 212, and is thus successful, the
mobile
station signals the service provider to proceed with screening 214. This
signalling is
preferably accomplished using USSD. The service provider's screening is
described in
further detail below and is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4D.
2o Next, the mobile station carries out the step of receiving communication
from
the service provider indicating the information collected from the caller.
Referring to
FIG. 2D and FIG. 2E, the service provider communicates and the mobile station
receives the information provided by caller 216. For example, the service
provider plays
and the mobile station receives the following message: "Hello, [information
provided
z5 by the caller] is holding. Would you like to accept the call?" Then, the
user of
the mobile station, whether by action or inaction, carries out the step of
selecting to
either accept the call or reject the call. Referring to FIG. 2E, if the
service provider or
incoming caller is disconnected while the decision to accept or reject the
call is being
made 218, the mobile station disconnects the remaining party 220 and returns
to idle
11
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
v WO 99/23845 PCTNS98/22736
mode 10. Referencing FIG. 2E,. if the user chooses to accept the call, the
user
accepts the call by saying "Yes" or by some other indication of acceptance,
and this
choice is communicated to the service provider by the mobile station 222. If
the user
accepts the call 222, the service provider communicates this acceptance to the
mobile
s station and the mobile station receives such communication 224. This
signalling is
preferably accomplished using USSD. The service provider's steps in screening
and
communicating during this step is described further below and in FIGS. 4C and
4D.
Next, the mobile station attempts to place the service provider in mufti-party
connection 226. Referring to FIG. 2G, if the incoming caller is disconnected
during the
to attempt 270, the mobile station will disconnect the service provider 272
and return to
idle mode 10. If the attempt to place the service provider in mufti-party
connection is
rejected 274. the mobile station disconnects the service provider and the
incoming caller
276 and returns to idle mode 10. If the attempt to place the service provider
in multi-
party connection is accepted 278 and is thus successful, the mobile station
places the
15 service provider in the mufti-party connection and then attempts to
separate the
incoming caller from the mufti-party connection 282.
If, during the attempt to separate the incoming caller from mufti-party 282,
the
mobile station is disconnected from the incoming caller 284, the mobile
station will
disconnect the service provider 286 and return to idle mode 10. If the attempt
to
2o separate the incoming caller is not acknowledged 288, the mobile station
will disconnect
the service provider 290 and will be in Active Mufti-Party state with the
incoming caller
292. Once the mobile station is in a Active Mufti-Party state with the
incoming caller,
the call and connection is no longer proceeding through the process described
herein,
and the call is being handled as a normal GSM call. If the attempt to separate
282 is
25 acknowledged 294, the mobile station disconnects the service provider 296,
and will be
in Active state with the incoming caller 298. As above, once the mobile
station is in a
Active state with the incoming caller, the call and connection is no longer
proceeding
through the process described herein, and the call is being handled as a
normal GSM
call.
12
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCTNS98/22736
Referring to FIG. 2E, if the user chooses to reject the call, the user rejects
the
call by saying "No" or by some other indication of rejection, and this choice
is
communicated to the service provider 234. If the user rejects the call, the
service
provider signals the mobile station that the caller was rejected and the
mobile station
receives this communication 236. This signal is preferably carned out using
USSD.
The service provider's steps in carrying out this screening is described
further below and
in FIGS. 4C and 4D. Once the mobile station receives the signal, the mobile
station
attempts to put the service provider in the multi-party connection 238. If the
connection
between the mobile station and the service provider or the incoming caller is
1 o disconnected 240, the mobile station disconnects the remaining party 242
and returns to
idle mode 10. If the attempt to put the service provider in the multi-party
connection is
rejected 244, the mobile station disconnects both the service provider and the
incoming
caller 246 and returns to idle mode 10.
If the attempt to put the service provider in the multi-party connection is
t 5 acknowledged 248, and is thus successful, the mobile station puts the
service provider in
the multi-party connection. Next, the mobile station attempts to place the
mufti-party
connection on hold 252. If either the service provider or the incoming caller
is
disconnected 254, the mobile station disconnects the remaining party 256 and
returns to
idle mode 10. If the hold attempt is not acknowledged 258, the mobile station
2o disconnects the service provider and the incoming caller 260 and returns to
idle mode
10. If the hold attempt is acknowledged 262, and is thus successful, the
mobile station
puts the mufti-party on hold. Next, the mobile station signals the service
provider that
the service provider should handle the call 266. This signalling is preferably
accomplished using USSD. Then, the service provider performs call handling as
the
25 mobile station waits 184. For example, the service provider records a voice-
mail
message. Referring to FIG. 2F, after the service provider performs its
handling, the
service provider is disconnected from the connection 185 and the mobile
station
disconnects the caller 186 and returns to idle mode 10.
13
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
FIGS. 3A and 3B are flowcharts serving to describe part of an alternative
embodiment of the present invention. The steps shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B
substitute
for steps 100-122 in the embodiment described above and in FIGS. 2A-2G.
Otherwise,
. the embodiment described in FIGS. 3A and 3B and below is the same as the
s embodiment described in FIGS. 2A-2G and described above. While the
embodiment
described above in FIGS. 2A-2G offers many advantages and addresses a need in
the art
of the present invention, the embodiment has two attributes that some may wish
to
avoid. In the embodiment described above, the mobile station answers the
incoming
call very early in the process. Typically, the billing for the incoming caller
begins upon
t o the mobile station's answering the call. In the above-described
embodiment, if the
service provider cannot accept the call, the incoming caller is disconnected.
Thus, the
incoming caller is billed for the call but was never connected to the service
provider and
thus never proceeded through call screening. Moreover, in the embodiment
described
above and in FIGS. 2A-2G, the delay between the incoming caller's call and the
caller's
15 connection to the service provider could be long enough for the caller to
notice the
delay, conclude that the call did not go through, and disconnect. Thus, such
delay
should be avoided if possible. The alternative embodiment described below and
shown
in FIGS. 3A and 3B seeks to alleviate these two attributes of the above-
described
embodiment.
2o In the process shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the mobile station is idle 10. An
incoming caller calls the mobile station 12. In the embodiment shown in FIG.
2A, the
mobile station then answers the call 100 from the incoming caller. In the
present
embodiment, shown in FIG. 3A, after the incoming call is detected, the mobile
station
starts a timer, designated T1 300.
25 Referring to FIG. 3A, the mobile station next calls a service provider 302.
The
timer T1 is used to govern the amount of time that the mobile station will
wait for the
service platform to answer the mobile station's call. If T1 reaches a
predesignated time
or expires 304, the mobile station's call to the service provider fails 306,
or the service
provider is busy 308, the mobile station rejects the incoming caller with a
busy signal or
14
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
another "user busy" indicator 310, stops the timer T1 312, disconnects the
incoming
caller 314, and returns to idle mode 10. If the incoming caller is
disconnected from the
mobile station 316, the mobile station stops the timer Tl 318, releases the
call to the
service provider 320, and returns to idle mode 10.
If the mobile station's call to the service provider connects 322, the mobile
station stops the timer T1 324. Then, the mobile station attempts to place the
service
provider on hold 326. Refernng to FIG. 3B, if the incoming caller is
disconnected 328,
the mobile station disconnects the service provider 330 and returns to idle
mode 10. If
the hold attempt is not acknowledged 332, the mobile station rejects the
caller with a
to busy signal or other "user busy" signal 334, disconnects the caller 336,
and returns to
idle mode 10.
If the hold is acknowledged 338, the mobile station next answers the incoming
call 340. The mobile station then attempts to put both the service provider
and the
incoming caller in a multi-party connection 342. From this point forward, the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B proceeds as the embodiment described above
and described in FIGS. 2A-2G proceeds from attempting to place the calls in
mufti-party
124 in FIG. 2B. After beginning to put both the service provider and the
incoming
caller in a mufti-party connection 342 (FIG 3B}, the mobile station waits to
see if,
referring to FIG. 2B, the mufti-party connection is acknowledged 136, not
2o acknowledged 128, or if the service provider or incoming caller disconnects
132. The
steps of the alternative embodiment continue from this point as shown in FIGS.
2B-2G
and as described above.
FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are flowcharts showing the operation of the service
provider during an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile station and
the
service provider take the steps shown in cooperation with each other to carry
out the
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the service provider is in idle mode 400 and is awaiting
a
call from the mobile station. If the service provider receives USSD signals
while
awaiting a call from the mobile station 406, the service provider responds to
those
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
y WO 99/23845 PCTNS98/22736
signals by sending a rejection signal or otherwise rejecting the signals 408,
and returns
to idle 400. As shown in FIG. 2A and described above, the mobile station calls
the
service provider 104. When the service provider receives a call from the
mobile station
402, the service provider answers the call 404. This answering corresponds to
the
mobile station and the service provider connecting 120 as shown in FIG. 2B and
described above. As shown in FIG. 4A, once the service provider answers the
call 404,
the service provider awaits a command from the mobile station 410.
If the service provider receives a disconnect indicator from the mobile
station or
disconnects for any other reason 4I2, the service provider does so and returns
to idle
mode 400. There are several points in the process at which the mobile station
might
disconnect the service provider. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, if the
mufti-party
connection attempt is not acknowledged 128, the connection between the mobile
station
and the service provider will be broken 130.
If the service provider receives a USSD signal that is not within the scope of
USSD signals it is directed to handle during the process 414, it will send a
rejection
signal or otherwise reject the USSD signal 416. Following this rejection 416,
the
service provider will continue waiting for commands 410 as before.
As described above, and shown at 150 in FIG. 2B, during the carrying out of an
embodiment of the present invention, the mobile station will signal the
service provider
2o to begin screening the incoming call. When the service provider receives a
command
from the mobile station to begin screening 4I4, the service provider will play
a greeting
for the incoming caller 416. For example, the service provider plays the
following
message to the incoming caller: "Please state your name." After playing the
greeting, or
prompt, the service provider initiates recording the incoming caller's
response 418. As
shown in FIG. 4B, if the service provider is disconnected for any reason 420,
the service
provider will return to idle mode 400. The mobile station's reaction to or
initiation of
this disconnection is shown in FIG. 2C at 156. If the recording attempt fails
422, the
service provider will communicate that the name collect failed to the mobile
station 424.
This communication is preferably completed using USSD. The mobile station's
receipt
16
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
of the service provider's communication of name collect failure is shown in
FIG. 2C at
160 and described above. Once this communication is sent 424, the service
provider
disconnects 426 and returns to idle mode 400.
If the service provider successfully completes the recording of the incoming
caller's response 428, the service provider communicates the completion to the
mobile
station 430 preferably using USSD. The mobile station's receipt of this
communication
is shown in FIG. 2C at 164. Once the communication is completed 430, the
service
provider returns to awaiting-commands mode 410.
As described above, during the mobile station's carrying out of the embodiment
of the present invention, the mobile station may signal the service provider
to handle an
unanswered call. This signalling is shown in FIG. 2C at 182 and is described
above.
Referring to FIG. 4A, if, while waiting for commands 410, the service provider
preferably receives a USSD signal to handle an unanswered call 432 from the
mobile
station, the service provider initiates its handling of the unanswered call
434. The call is
then handled by the service provider 436. The service provider may record a
voice
message from the incoming caller. As seen in FIG. 4C, if the service provider
is
disconnected from the incoming caller for some reason 438, the service
provider will
stop handling the call 440 and will return to idle mode 400. Once the service
provider
completes its handling of the call 442 without a premature disconnection, the
service
2o provider disconnects from the incoming caller and the mobile station 444
and returns to
idle mode 400. The disconnection of the service provider by the mobile station
185 is
shown in FIG. 2F.
As described above, during the mobile station's carrying out of the embodiment
of the present invention, the mobile station may signal the service provider
to screen the
incoming caller. This signalling to screen 214 is shown in FIG. 2D and is
described
above. If, while waiting for commands 410, the service provider receives a
USSD
signal to initiating screening 446 from the mobile station, the service
provider will play
the screening message 448 for the mobile station. For example, the service
provider the
service provider plays and the mobile station receives the following message:
"Hello,
17
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
V WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
[information provided by the caller] is holding. Would you like to accept the
call?"
Then, the service provider starts a timer 450 designated herein as T3. Timer
T3 is used
to govern the amount of time the service provider will wait for the mobile
station to
accept or reject the incoming call. Preferably, the timer is set to expire in
approximately
3-6 seconds.
Then, the service provider awaits the mobile station's response to the
screening
message 452. The service provider's receipt of the screening message and
consequent
communication to the service provider of the response is described above and
is shown
in FIGS. 2D and 2E.
to If the service provider is disconnected for any reason while awaiting the
mobile
station's response 458, the service provider will stop the timer T3 460. Then,
the service
provider will return to idle mode 400.
If the timer T3 expires before the mobile station user's response to the
screening
message is received 454, then the service provider initiates handling of the
incoming call
t 5 by the service provider 456. The unanswered incoming call is handled by
the service
provider in the manner described above and shown in FIG. 4C. For example, a
voice
message from the incoming caller to the mobile station user is recorded.
If a negative response, or a rejection, is received by the service provider
from the
mobile station 462, the service provider will stop the timer T3 464 and signal
the mobile
2o station that the call was rejected 466. This signal is preferably
accomplished using
USSD. The mobile station's receipt of such a signal is shown in FIG. 2E at
236. After
signalling the mobile station 466, the service provider will return to
awaiting-command
mode 410. In the normal situation, the subsequent command from the mobile
station
will be that the service provider handle the unanswered call (shown in FIG. 2E
at 266).
25 In such a case, the service provider would carry out the necessary steps,
beginning with
the steps shown as 434 and 436 in FIG. 4A.
If an affirmative response, or an acceptance, is received by the service
provider
from the mobile station 468, the service provider will stop the timer T3 470.
Next, the
service provider signals the mobile station that the call was accepted 472
using USSD.
18
CA 02309501 2000-OS-04
WO 99/23845 PCT/US98/22736
The mobile station's receipt of such a signal is shown in FIG. 2E at 224.
After
signalling the mobile station regarding acceptance 472, the service provider
returns to
awaiting-command mode 410. ,In the normal situation, the subsequent command
from
the mobile station will be a disconnect command (shown at 296 in FIG. 2G)
after the
mobile station and the calling party are connected in a separate connection
(shown in
FIG. 2G at 282, 294 and described above).
The foregoing is provided for purposes of explanation and disclosure of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention. Modifications of and
adaptations to the
described embodiment will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art of
the present
1o invention and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the
invention
and the following claims.
19
