Patent US6243458B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6243458B1
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Method and system for call tracing
Assignee: Ameritech Services Inc
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Filing: 1999-10-28
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Granted: 2001-06-05
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Expires: 2019-10-28
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
2026-10-30 20:20
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: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
63 words
A method for tracing a call, the method comprising steps of: in a telecommunications network, receiving a telephone number to be traced; establishing a call trace at a plurality of central offices of the telecommunications network using the telephone number to be traced; and on a user display device, indicating that a call has been made to the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
63 words
A method for tracing a call, the method comprising steps of: in a telecommunications network, receiving a telephone number to be traced; establishing a call trace at a plurality of central offices of the telecommunications network using the telephone number to be traced; and on a user display device, indicating that a call has been made to the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of: identifying the central office of the plurality of central offices that handled the call made to the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising step of: monitoring incoming calls at each central office of the plurality of central offices; and when a called number associated with an incoming call matches the telephone number to be traced, producing an indication.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the step of producing the indication comprises a step of: transmitting a calling number associated with the incoming call to a control office.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a call trace comprises steps of: determining a type of central office for each central office of the plurality of central offices; creating a message for each type of central office; and transmitting to respective central offices the message of the type created for the respective central office.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the step of transmitting the message comprises a step of: transmitting the telephone number to be traced in the message.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
A call tracing method comprising steps of: in a telecommunications network, receiving a number to be traced; identifying an office type for central offices of the telecommunication network; formatting respective call trace messages in accordance with each respective office type; and transmitting the respective call trace messages to central offices of the telecommunications network according to respective office types to establish a call trace of the number to be traced.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
A call tracing method comprising steps of: in a telecommunications network, receiving a number to be traced; identifying an office type for central offices of the telecommunication network; formatting respective call trace messages in accordance with each respective office type; and transmitting the respective call trace messages to central offices of the telecommunications network according to respective office types to establish a call trace of the number to be traced.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
The call tracing method of claim 7 further comprising a step of: identifying a subset of central offices of the central offices of the telecommunications network for establishing the call trace; and formatting the respective call trace messages according to the office type of only the subset of central offices.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The call tracing method of claim 8 wherein identifying a subset of central offices comprises a step of: receiving a geographic restrictor; and including in the subset of central offices only central offices of the telecommunications network in accordance with the geographic restrictor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The call tracing method of claim 7 further comprising steps of: receiving from the central offices a response message indicating success in establishing the call trace.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The call tracing method of claim 7 further comprising step of: receiving an indication from a central office when an incoming call at the central office corresponds to the number to be traced.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The call tracing method of claim 11 wherein receiving the indication comprises steps of: receiving a message from the central office; and reading a calling number from the message.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The call tracing method of claim 12 further comprising the step of: in response to the indication, producing a user alert.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The call tracing method of claim 13 wherein producing a user alert comprises a step of: communicating a page request to a paging service provider.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The call tracing method of claim 14 wherein communicating a page request comprises steps of: communicating the calling number.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
82 words
Apparatus for initiating a trace of a call, the apparatus comprising: a user interface configured to receive and display information related to a telephone number to be traced wherein the user interface comprises: a web page including a telephone number field for entry of the telephone number to be traced; and a network access system cooperating with the user interface to establish a call trace at a plurality of central offices of the telecommunications network using the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
82 words
Apparatus for initiating a trace of a call, the apparatus comprising: a user interface configured to receive and display information related to a telephone number to be traced wherein the user interface comprises: a web page including a telephone number field for entry of the telephone number to be traced; and a network access system cooperating with the user interface to establish a call trace at a plurality of central offices of the telecommunications network using the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the web page comprises: a telephone number field for entry of information about the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the web page comprises: a geographic location field for entry of information about a geographic area to be monitored for calls made to the telephone number to be traced.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the web page comprises: a login field for entry of information associated with a user of the apparatus.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the web page comprises: a password entry field.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus for initiating a trace of a call, the apparatus comprising: a user interface configured to receive and display information related to a telephone number to be traced; a network access system cooperating with the user interface to establish a call trace at a plurality of central offices of the telecommunications network using the telephone number to be traced; and a processor operable in conjunction with a web browser to define the user interface.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus for initiating a trace of a call, the apparatus comprising: a user interface configured to receive and display information related to a telephone number to be traced; a network access system cooperating with the user interface to establish a call trace at a plurality of central offices of the telecommunications network using the telephone number to be traced; and a processor operable in conjunction with a web browser to define the user interface.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 21 wherein in the user interface comprises: an initial web page for entry of information related to the telephone number to be traced; and a confirmation web page.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the user interface further comprises: a results web page to display results of the trace of the 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) | 2004-06-04 | 2004-12-04 | 2005-06-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-06-04 | 2008-12-04 | 2009-06-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-06-04 | 2012-12-04 | 2013-06-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |