US5999616A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and system for call tracing
Assignee: Ameritech Services Inc
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Filing: 1998-04-17
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Granted: 1999-12-07
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Expires: 2018-04-17
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is drawn to a call trace system and method that is simple to establish in a short amount of time. The call trace is implemented through a Web browser page which remotely programs central offices to trace calls to particular number. When a trace is established a message is sent back to the Web browser which displays the calling number, the called number and the central office detecting the call. Also, a page is sent to a pager which displays the traced information.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul W. Fellner
- 👤 James F. Langdon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 16:30
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/0016; H04Q3/0062; H04Q3/0087; H04M; H04M15/00; H04M15/04; H04M15/06; H04M3/00; H04M3/22; H04M3/2281; H04M3/42; H04M3/42136; H04M3/42144; H04M7/00; H04M7/12; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S379/00; Y10S379/90
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
A method for tracing a call, the method comprising the steps of: (a) displaying a log-on screen on a display device, the log-on screen having a plurality of fields requiring input data including a telephone number field; (b) inputting a telephone number in the telephone number field wherein the telephone number represents the number to be traced; (c) establishing a call trace in a plurality of central offices; (d) displaying a confirmation screen on the display device, the confirmation screen indicating whether the trace was successfully established or not in each of the plurality of central offices; and (e) indicating that a call has been made to the telephone number input in step (b).
Claim 2
Independent Claim
114 words
A method for tracing a call, the method comprising the steps of: (a) displaying a log-on screen on a display device, the log-on screen having a plurality of fields requiring input data including a telephone number field; (b) inputting a telephone number in the telephone number field wherein the telephone number represents the number to be traced; (c) establishing a call trace in a plurality of central offices; (d) displaying a confirmation screen on the display device, the confirmation screen indicating whether the trace was successfully established or not in each of the plurality of central offices; and (e) indicating that a call has been made to the telephone number input in step (b).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises the steps of paging a paging device when a call has been made to the telephone number input in step (b) and displaying the calling number on the paging device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises the step of displaying the calling number on the display device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of displaying the calling number on the display device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of displaying the called number on the paging device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of indicating which one of the plurality of central offices handled the calling number.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
12 words
A method according to claim I wherein step (c) is simultaneously performed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of (f) canceling the call trace in each of the plurality of central offices.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method according to claim 8 wherein step (c) comprises displaying the log-on screen on the display device and inputting the telephone number previously entered in step (b) prefixed by a predetermined code which indicates the trace is to be canceled.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the log-on screen includes geographic information fields and the method further comprises the step of selecting desired geographic fields in which the tracing should be carried out.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
111 words
A method for tracing a call, the method comprising the steps of: (a) simultaneously designating at least one telephone number to be traced in a plurality of central offices; (b) monitoring incoming calls at said plurality of central offices; (c) determining when a called number of an incoming call at one of said plurality of central offices matches the at least one telephone number designated in step (a); and (d) if it is determined in step (c) that the called number of an incoming call at one of said plurality of central offices matches the at least one telephone number designated in step (a), then indicating that a match has occurred.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
111 words
A method for tracing a call, the method comprising the steps of: (a) simultaneously designating at least one telephone number to be traced in a plurality of central offices; (b) monitoring incoming calls at said plurality of central offices; (c) determining when a called number of an incoming call at one of said plurality of central offices matches the at least one telephone number designated in step (a); and (d) if it is determined in step (c) that the called number of an incoming call at one of said plurality of central offices matches the at least one telephone number designated in step (a), then indicating that a match has occurred.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method according to claim 11 wherein step (a) comprises: (i) display a log-on screen on a display device, the log-on screen having a plurality of fields requiring input including a telephone number field; (ii) inputting a telephone number in the telephone number field wherein the telephone number represents the number to be traced; (iii) transmitting the telephone number input in step (i) to the plurality of central offices.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 11 wherein step (d) comprises paging a pager and displaying a calling number of the incoming call on the pager.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method according to claim 12 wherein step (d) comprises displaying the called number of the incoming call on the display device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 12 wherein step (d) comprises displaying the called number of the incoming call substantially simultaneously on a screen of a pager and on the display device.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 11 further comprising the step displaying a confirmation screen on a display device the confirmation screen indicating whether the trace was successfully established or not in each of the plurality of central offices.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
98 words
A system for tracing calls, said system comprising: a processor; a plurality of central offices coupled to the processor for sending messages to the processor and receiving messages from the processor; wherein the processor is programmed to run the following call tracing routine; receiving a message identifying a telephone number to be traced; transmitting a command to the plurality of central offices to establish a trace on the identified telephone number; transmitting a trace found message to a display device when any one of the plurality of central offices detects that the identified telephone number has been called.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
98 words
A system for tracing calls, said system comprising: a processor; a plurality of central offices coupled to the processor for sending messages to the processor and receiving messages from the processor; wherein the processor is programmed to run the following call tracing routine; receiving a message identifying a telephone number to be traced; transmitting a command to the plurality of central offices to establish a trace on the identified telephone number; transmitting a trace found message to a display device when any one of the plurality of central offices detects that the identified telephone number has been called.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system according to claim 17 wherein the processor is programmed to display a log-on screen on the display, the log-on screen having a plurality of fields requiring input data including a field for specifying the identified telephone number.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system according to claim 17 further comprising a pager coupled to the processor wherein the processor is further programmed to transmit a trace found message to the pager when any one of the plurality of central offices detects that the identified telephone number has been called.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system according to claim 18 wherein the processor is programmed to cause the display to display the trace found message wherein the trace found message includes an identification of a telephone number associated with calling the identified number.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
133 words
A call trace process performed by a computer network, the process comprising the steps of: a first party identifying a telephone number to be traced; the first party sending a call trace activation message to the computer network authorizing the activation of a call trace, the message also including the telephone number to be traced; the computer network sending a call trace activator message to a central office coupled to the computer network; the central office sending a call trace found message to the computer network whenever a called number of an incoming call is matched to the telephone number to be traced; the computer network sending a call trace information message to the first party wherein the call trace information message includes an identification of the telephone number of the incoming call.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
133 words
A call trace process performed by a computer network, the process comprising the steps of: a first party identifying a telephone number to be traced; the first party sending a call trace activation message to the computer network authorizing the activation of a call trace, the message also including the telephone number to be traced; the computer network sending a call trace activator message to a central office coupled to the computer network; the central office sending a call trace found message to the computer network whenever a called number of an incoming call is matched to the telephone number to be traced; the computer network sending a call trace information message to the first party wherein the call trace information message includes an identification of the telephone number of the incoming call.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-12-06 | 2003-06-07 | 2003-12-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-12-06 | 2007-06-07 | 2007-12-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-12-06 | 2011-06-07 | 2011-12-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |