Verizon Services Corporation

Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc.

Susan M Middleswarth

John Herman Wurster

Douglas Reynold Jones

Jeffrey R Evans

James Edward Haley

Henry L Tam

Nashwa F Sidhom

Francis Wayne Peer

Krishna Kodakkattil

Tim Dalrymple

Shafqat Chowdhury

Jennifer Babu

James A Manuel

Adam Barrow

Benyam Chekol

A method is provided for providing customized ring-back tones to callers on a wireline network such as a public switched telephone network having an advanced intelligent network or a VoIP network. When a call request is received from a calling party to connect to a called party through a wireline telephone network it is determined if the calling party is identified in a screening list for the called party. If so, then a customized audible ring-back tone is played to the calling party until the called party is connected to the calling party or until the call request is terminated.

Method for providing custom ring-back tones

A test application includes instructions for configuring a digital cross connect. A first modem and a second modem are each connected to at least one telecommunications network and a digital cross connect. An integrated telephony call management service (ITCMS) client includes computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium included in the test computer.

Test automation for an integrated telephony call management service

A method and system are disclosed for providing a low cost mechanism for remotely re-routing queries in a telecommunications network. A service control point (SCP) executes an application which causes a queries to be launched over a LAN or WAN to a remotely located data center. A primary and secondary data center are defined, in which the secondary data center operations on a 'hot-standby' basis. Based on a manually provided indication, maintenance personnel may telephone and interact with a voice response unit or a web-based interface, which indicates that the SCP or SCP application should route queries to the secondary data center. Similarly, the same mechanism can be used to indicate that queries should be re-routed back to the primary data center. This allows remote management for controlling the queries without having to extensively modify the related infrastructure.

Systems and methods for using the advanced intelligent network to redirect data network traffic

A device receives, from a calling party, a call to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscriber, and generates a request for the calling party to record information. The device also receives information from the calling party based on the request, and provides the information from the calling party and call handling options to the VoIP subscriber. The device further receives a response from the VoIP subscriber to the call handling options, and handles the call based on the VoIP subscriber response.

Call intercept for voice over internet protocol (VoIP)

Systems, methods, and computer program product are disclosed for providing a mechanism for re-routing queries in a telecommunications network. A service control point (SCP) executes an application which causes queries to be launched over a LAN or WAN to a remotely located data center. Primary and secondary data centers are defined, in which the secondary data center operates on a 'hot-standby' basis. Based on an automatically verifying system, the detection (or lack thereof) of a response from a primary data center and comparison of the response against an answer or response from another site indicates whether or not the SCP or SCP application should route queries to the secondary data center. Similarly, the same mechanism can be used to indicate that queries should be re-routed back to the primary data center.

Systems, methods, and computer program product for automatically verifying a standby site

Call screening is provided by a call processing method, involving detecting a first call directed to the premises of a service subscriber requesting call processing instructions from a service control point in response to the first call, operating the service control point to instruct the signal switching point to temporarily park the first call at the signal switching point, and controlling the disposition of the first call as a function of a determination as to whether a second call to the service subscriber was answered by a machine or a human being.

Methods and apparatus for providing call screening and other communication services

An advanced intelligent network (AIN) stores, at time of service provisioning, call processing records (CPRs) associated with select special needs services. The CPR initiates alternative processing or suppresses processing of a CPR associated with a called party to provide special services. For example, public safety and emergency readiness and response organizations are identified at time of initial service provisioning with an appropriate passive user service CPR stored in a service control point thereby invoking special call processing requirements when calling another subscriber. Thus, subscriber AIN services which might block or reroute a call placed by an emergency organization would be suppressed by operation of the CPR associated with the calling telephone line. Other special need calls might also be accommodated. For example, hearing-impaired services may be provided by a called subscriber subject to identification of a calling party requiring such services by a passive user service CPR associated with the calling party.

Special need processing of services provided by an advanced intelligent network

Call screening and other communication services are described. The described methods and apparatus allow a call screening service subscriber to be provided with a caller supplied spoken name when caller ID information is blocked or unavailable. The call screening service subscriber can decide after hearing the spoken identification information how to dispose of the call. A plurality of call disposition options are supported including accept the call, reject the call, transfer to voice mail, etc. A specific salesman reject message is included as one of the call disposition options. In order to support interactive real time subscriber selection of call disposition options and the use of an answering machine by call screening service subscribers, methods and apparatus are used to detect when a human, as opposed to a machine has answered a call. When a call seeking call disposition instructions is answered by an answering machine, the caller is connected to the answering machine without further call screening being performed. Accordingly, the call screening service supports the use of home answering machines to receive messages from calls that would otherwise be blocked or disposed of if the call screening service subscriber answered his or her phone.

Growing community of inventors

Silver Spring, MD, United States of America

Susan M Middleswarth