Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
379142020 | Blocking caller ID transmission | 9 |
20080279356 | SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING ANONYMOUS CALLING - A system of providing anonymous calling, the system comprising: a computer based system accepts a call request from the first user, having a first user ID and a first user plan, containing the second user ID, associated with a second user and destination phone number, and determines the registration status of the second user and the destination phone number; if the destination phone number is registered, system determines whether call is a domestic or international and first user's plan. If a free plan, an advertisement is played to the initiating user prior to placing phone call and if a paid plan the advertisement is not played and the first user is called/billed; the system initiates a call between the first phone number and the destination phone number, thus providing an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the destination phone number. | 11-13-2008 |
20100020952 | PRIVACY PROTECTION AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION IN ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS WITH EXTENSION TO PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORKS - The present invention describes a method and apparatus for protecting the privacy and verifying the identities of both calling and called parties in online social networks, with an extension to the public switched telephone networks. More specifically, this invention relates to the distribution of unique user identities in social networks to be used in public telephone networks providing privacy protection of both calling and called parties, while the calling party's identify can be verified. The user identity of the calling party, which is different from the real phone number of the calling party, can be used as part of the call filtering feature of the called party. None of the real phone numbers are revealed to the other party of a phone call using the public switched telephone networks. | 01-28-2010 |
20100067676 | System and Method of Providing Number Identification in an Intelligent Telephone Network - In a particular embodiment, a method of managing calls to a toll-free telephone number is disclosed. The method includes modifying a calling party identification (ID) privacy indicator associated with a received telephone call directed to a toll-free number. The calling party ID privacy indicator is modified based at least in part on a day that the telephone call is received. | 03-18-2010 |
20110142218 | ENHANCED PRIVACY CALLER IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM - A first telephone number assigned to the first telephone is cryptographically hashed to generate a first message digest, and the first telephone sends a signal to a second telephone over a communication network, wherein the signal includes the first message digest. The second telephone receives the first signal and searches its contact records to determine whether a telephone number in one of the contact records generates a message digest that matches the message digest received. Then, in response to the second telephone determining that a telephone number in one of the contact records generates a message digest that matches the first message digest, the second telephone identifies the contact record that generates the matching message digest and provides audible or visual output of content from the identified contact record. | 06-16-2011 |
20110293082 | Method for Enabling and Blocking Distance and Location Information Between Callers - A method and system are disclosed for enabling and blocking distance and location information between callers. The method includes a subscribing caller's phone identifying the caller by name and location and initiating a request to locate (RTL) signal to a called party's phone. The called party in turn sends an enable to locate (ETL) signal back to the called party to initiate calculations for determining the called party's distance from the caller. The method also includes an ETL bypass for business relations where an employer has a need to locate the employee. The method may also include a blacklisting feature allowing the called party to block RTL from undesired parties. A disclosed computer program product triangulates the distance between callers using the transmission time between them and stationary transmitters, landline relays, and/or internet routers. An alternate embodiment may include trilateration data from GPS satellites in determining the distance between callers. | 12-01-2011 |
20130022187 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR BLOCKING COMMUNICATION SESSIONS - An approach is provided for blocking communication sessions. Attribute information of a user is acquired. A unique identifier is generated based on the acquired attribute information. The unique identifier is associated with a plurality of communication identifiers that are used to activate, respectively, a plurality of communication services, wherein the unique identifier is used to block communication sessions associated with the corresponding communication services. | 01-24-2013 |
20130129064 | Methods, Systems, and Products for Recipient Identification - Methods, systems, and products provide called party identification to a calling party. A communication is processed from a calling communications address to one of a plurality of communications addresses associated with a simultaneous ring. When an answer is detected at one of the plurality of communications addresses, an answering communications address is sent to the calling communications address. | 05-23-2013 |
20140003592 | Network-Based Timed Ring Suppression | 01-02-2014 |
20140079201 | ATTACHING MULTIPLE PHONE LINES TO A SINGLE MOBILE OR LANDLINE PHONE - Agencies issue multiple devices to personnel for maintaining distinct identities over the course of assigned investigations. To provide flexible capabilities to agencies, a phone is converted for use with multiple attached telephone numbers. Accordingly, a single phone may be used to manage multiple identities over the course of one or more investigations. Using a multiple attached number, a given device can place and receive calls over the network to and from contacts. In addition to providing multiple attached numbers, calls using the multiple attached numbers may be monitored live and recorded to establish evidence. | 03-20-2014 |