Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station or local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number. A call screening system having answer machine style interfacing is further provided.

Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station of local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number.

Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station or local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number.

Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station or local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number.

Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station or local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number.

Abstract: A call progress monitor and algorithm for placing a telephone call over the telephone lines. The algorithm is hierarchically arranged having three major routines or portions: tone detection, signal recognition and situation recognition. The tone detection portion of the algorithm measures the power at each of a predetermined number of frequencies of interest. In accordance with one improvement, the data is sampled at a fraction of the rate at which it is supplied, for example, on a T1 channel. The signal recognition portion of the algorithm detects the presence of a particular signal and this stage of the algorithm has been modified to more precisely detect voice. Specifically, power within a voice filter band is compared with power at other predetermined frequencies and a decision is made based on this information. Furthermore, another improved aspect is that data for an entire Epoch is accumulated and stored in a buffer prior to processing as a group.

Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station or local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number.

Abstract: A call progress monitor and algorithm for placing a telephone call over the telephone lines. The algorithm is hierarchically arranged having three major routines or portions: tone detection, signal recognition and situation recognition. The tone detection portion of the algorithm measures the power at each of a predetermined number of frequencies of interest. In accordance with one improvement, the data is sampled at a fraction of the rate at which it is supplied, for example, on a T1 channel. The signal recognition portion of the algorithm detects the presence of a particular signal and this stage of the algorithm has been modified to more precisely detect voice. Specifically, power within a voice filter band is compared with power at other predetermined frequencies and a decision is made based on this information. Furthermore, another improved aspect is that data for an entire Epoch is accumulated and stored in a buffer prior to processing as a group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for establishing telephone communications between anonymous service subscribers and responding callers over public telephone lines employing the Direct Inward Dialing (DID) feature to enable complete confidentiality and mutual anonymity between a caller and a subscriber and to effect immediate connecting to a subscriber without touch tone or verbal input. The system also is used as an unpublished telephone number service to enable a caller to place a message that is relayed to a subscriber. The subscriber, based on the caller's message, then can return the call to communicate with the caller. Further, the system may be used to enable a subscribing caller to place calls to persons having caller identification telephone equipment capable of identifying the telephone numbers of callers.

Abstract: A call progress monitor and algorithm for placing a phone call over the phone lines. The algorithm is hierarchically arranged having three major routines or portions: tone detection, signal recognition and situation recognition. Based upon the definitions stored in a memory and the commands, the call progress monitor algorithm is applied to the telephone audio data. The call progress monitor algorithm is controlled by a host computer which sends a Recognize Situation Command and expects to receive some time later, a Recognize Command Termination Report. The tone detection portion of the algorithm measures the power at each of a predetermined number of frequencies of interest. The signal recognition portion of the algorithm detects the presence of a particular signal. A signal is a particular tone or set of tones that are uniquely present (while all other tones are absent).

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for establishing anonymous telephone communications between service subscribers and responding callers over public telephone lines controlled by a public telephone company central switching office having the capability of interlinking select public telephone lines. Communications between the subscribers and responding callers can be performed with complete confidentiality and mutual anonymity. Incoming calls from callers are transferred by a system controller and an additional subsystem to a message recording facility or directly to the desired subscriber. When a call is transferred directly to a subscriber, the static connection is made and maintained by the public telephone company's central switching office, and the system controller is disconnected from both caller and subscriber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for establishing telephone communications between service subscribers and responding callers through a central system while preserving confidentiality and mutual anonymity of the subscribers and callers. Incoming calls from callers intended for subscribers identified by coded entries, are transferred by the system controller and a digital switch either to a message recording facility or directly to the subscriber. If the subscriber is unavailable, a message can be left by the caller, but does not need to include the telephone number of the caller. The subscriber then is able to call the caller, through the central system controller, without breaching anonymity of either the caller or the subscriber.