Wireless Network Call Blocking via Centralized Policy Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems lack an efficient method to block unwanted voice calls, as current solutions require manual updating of blocking lists and can be easily bypassed, leading to inconvenience and cost for users.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that maintain a common policy across subscriber devices to determine call acceptability based on originator identifiers, allowing for automatic updating and override policies to manage permissible calls, ensuring secure access and reducing unwanted communications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a manual blocking list is maintained by each subscriber, then call blocking functionality is provided, but the system complexity and user burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic call blocking by having the mobile switching office automatically update blocking lists based on caller feedback. When a called party responds with a busy signal or no answer to a pre-call notification, the system automatically adds the caller's number to the blocking list without requiring manual user intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile switching office acts as an intermediary that manages the blocking list centrally rather than requiring each subscriber to maintain their own list manually. This intermediary automatically processes call blocking decisions and updates lists across the network, reducing individual device complexity while maintaining ease of operation for users
2Reliability
If only a small number of phone numbers can be blocked per subscriber, then device memory requirements are reduced, but the effectiveness of call blocking is significantly limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual subscriber blocking lists into a centralized network-wide blocking list maintained by the mobile switching office. This allows the system to block a large number of caller IDs across all subscribers simultaneously, effectively resolving the contradiction between blocking effectiveness and the quantity of identifiers that can be managed
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized blocking list serves multiple subscribers simultaneously, making the blocking capability universal across the entire network rather than limited to individual devices. This multi-functional approach allows one blocking list to protect all subscribers from unwanted calls, greatly enhancing overall blocking effectiveness without requiring each device to store extensive blocking lists
3Reliability
If call blocking information is not automatically updated across the network, then network communication overhead is reduced, but unwanted calls cannot be blocked effectively across different network locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system sends pre-call notifications to potential callers before actual call establishment, allowing the mobile switching office to proactively update blocking lists based on recipient responses. This preliminary action enables automatic blocking decisions to be made and communicated across the network before unwanted calls are established, ensuring blocking consistency while managing network overhead efficiently through selective updates rather than continuous synchronization
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a system and method of modifying policy settings in a network having a plurality of subscriber devices. An embodiment includes a plurality of base stations, each capable of wirelessly transmitting across a geographic region. A cell-phone, capable of roaming between regions is operable to establish a wireless link with the base stations. The network contains a communication policy determining from which other communication devices a subscriber device can receive voice calls. A copy of this policy is stored on each subscriber device as a database and periodically updated as the devices make contact with the base stations or other subscriber devices. When receiving a voice call, the device first determines who the originator of the call is and then determines whether it is allowed to receive the call from that originator according to its policy database. The policy database can be updated either by subscriber devices or by base stations.