Selective Ring Silencer for Toll-Free Call Blocking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for preventing interruptions from telemarketers and unwanted calls are cumbersome, requiring recipients to receive calls and manually flag numbers or compile lists, and often fail to completely eliminate the ringing and retries from toll-free and exempt numbers, leading to frequent disruptions in daily life.
Innovation Solution
A selective ring silencer system that intercepts calls with toll-free or unwanted area codes, silencing the telephone ring and optionally forwarding such calls to voicemail, without requiring the recipient to receive the call first, using Caller Identification Data to automatically block or forward calls from designated area codes or numbers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a DO NOT CALL LIST is created to prevent unwanted calls, then telemarketer intrusions are reduced, but calls from exempt entities (not-for-profit agencies, political pollsters, etc.) and automated calling equipment still interrupt the recipient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the call filtering process into multiple stages: pre-ring screening based on area code identification, and post-ring handling. The system divides the blocking mechanism into automatic area code-based filtering and manual number-specific blocking, allowing different filtering strategies to work together to comprehensively reduce unwanted calls while maintaining reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the recipient manually flags numbers or compiles lists to block calls, then some unwanted calls are prevented, but the process is cumbersome and requires the recipient to receive calls first before blocking them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by screening calls before they ring the recipient's telephone. The system proactively identifies and blocks unwanted calls based on area code matching against a predefined list of telemarketing area codes, eliminating the need for recipients to manually flag numbers after receiving calls. This preventive approach automatically filters calls in advance, making the process both easier and more effective.
3Productivity
If automated calling equipment is used by telemarketers, then call volume increases, but the equipment causes additional disruptions by playing recorded messages and retrying calls after disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary filtering system between the telemarketer's automated calling equipment and the recipient's telephone. This intermediary actively monitors incoming calls, identifies telemarketing area codes, and blocks them before they can cause disruptions. The system acts as a mediator that prevents the harmful effects of automated calling equipment (recorded messages, retries) from reaching the recipient, while allowing legitimate calls to through.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the telephone ring is silenced for all calls, then no interruptions occur, but important calls from family, friends, and job responsibilities are also missed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating between different types of calls and applying different handling strategies to each. Instead of uniformly silencing all calls, the system selectively blocks calls from identified telemarketing area codes while allowing calls from other area codes to ring normally. This localized filtering approach ensures that harmful telemarketing calls are silenced while important calls from family, friends, and work remain detectable.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for a selective ring silencer that prevents people from having to listen to the telephone ring on and on with nuisance calls. The ringer silencer can be: (1) discretely constructed from a telephone, (2) part of a telecommunication device, or (3) part of a central telephone network construction. A receiver demodulates an incoming call. Control logic reads at least a portion of the called identification (CID) data and determines an action based on the reading. A switch in communication with the control logic is actuated to a first state that allows the communication data to be output from the ring silencer, and a second state that blocks the communication data from being output from the ring silencer to a user's communication device. The control logic blocks toll-free area codes originated calls from ringing a user's telephone, optionally forwarding the call to a voice mail module.