Systems And Methods For Providing Enhanced Telephone Services

Abstract

A switching platform comprises a first circuit for recognizing tones generated by an originating telephone line, the tones representing a common number of a party and associated with telephone lines of the party, a second circuit for recognizing that the party has answered one of the associated telephone lines, a third circuit for sending a challenge to the answered telephone line, a fourth circuit for awaiting the party to satisfy the challenge, and a fifth circuit for establishing a telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line if the challenge is satisfied.

1 . A method comprising:
 recognizing, at a switch, tones generated by an originating telephone line, the tones representing a common number of a party and associated with telephone lines of the party;   recognizing, at the switch, that the party has answered one of the associated telephone lines;   sending a challenge to the answered telephone line;   awaiting the party to satisfy the challenge; and   establishing a telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line if the challenge is satisfied.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the answered telephone line is a telephone line configured to receive the challenge, and sending the challenge to the answered telephone line upon determining that the answered telephone line is the telephone line configured to receive the challenge. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the telephone line configured to receive the challenge includes the party's primary home telephone line. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the telephone line configured to receive the challenge includes a telephone line shared by multiple individuals. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the telephone line configured to receive the challenge includes a college dormitory line. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting the challenge to send to the answered telephone line based on identifying information associated with one or more of the party, the associated telephone lines, the answered telephone line, the originating telephone line, and a calling party. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the challenge includes a prompt, the prompt including a voice announcement, a text prompt, or any combination thereof. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the challenge includes one or more of a PIN, a password, a name, a number, a character, and any combination thereof. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising repeating the sending and the awaiting a predetermined number of times or until the called party satisfies the challenge, whichever occurs first. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the sending is capable of sending a different challenge between instances. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising determining, upon the party's felling to satisfy the challenge each of the predetermined number of times, that the challenge is not satisfied and therefore not establishing the telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining that the challenge is not satisfied and therefore not establishing the telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line. 
   
   
       13 . A switching platform comprising:
 a first circuit for recognizing tones generated by an originating telephone line, the tones representing a common number of a party and associated with telephone lines of the party;   a second circuit for recognizing that the party has answered one of the associated telephone lines;   a third circuit for sending a challenge to the answered telephone line;   a fourth circuit for awaiting the party to satisfy the challenge; and   a fifth circuit for establishing a telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line if the challenge is satisfied.   
   
   
       14 . The switching platform of  claim 13 , further comprising a sixth circuit for determining whether the answered telephone line is a telephone line configured to receive the challenge, and wherein the third circuit is adapted for sending the challenge to the answered telephone line upon the sixth circuit's determining that the answered telephone line is the telephone line configured to receive the challenge. 
   
   
       15 . The switching platform of  claim 14 , wherein the telephone line configured to receive the challenge includes the party's primary home telephone line. 
   
   
       16 . The switching platform of  claim 14 , wherein the telephone line configured to receive the challenge includes a telephone line shared by multiple individuals. 
   
   
       17 . The switching platform of  claim 14 , wherein the telephone line configured to receive the challenge includes a college dormitory line. 
   
   
       18 . The switching platform of  claim 13 , further comprising a sixth circuit for selecting the challenge to send to the answered telephone line based on identifying information associated with one or more of the party, the associated telephone lines, the answered telephone line, the originating telephone line, and a calling party. 
   
   
       19 . The switching platform of  claim 13 , wherein the challenge includes a prompt, the prompt including a voice announcement, a text prompt, or any combination thereof. 
   
   
       20 . The switching platform of  claim 13 , wherein the challenge includes one or more of a PIN, a password, a name, a number, a character, and any combination thereof. 
   
   
       21 . The switching platform of  claim 13 , further comprising a sixth circuit for repeating the sending and the awaiting a predetermined number of times or until the party satisfies the challenge, whichever occurs first. 
   
   
       22 . The switching platform of  claim 21 , wherein the sixth circuit is adapted for sending a different challenge between instances. 
   
   
       23 . The switching platform of  claim 21 , further comprising a seventh circuit for determining, based on the party's failing to satisfy the challenge each of the predetermined number of times, that the challenge is not satisfied, and wherein the fifth circuit is adapted for not establishing the telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line. 
   
   
       24 . The switching platform of  claim 13 , further comprising a sixth circuit for determining that the challenge is not satisfied, and wherein the fifth circuit is adapted for not establishing the telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line. 
   
   
       25 . A system comprising:
 means for recognizing, at a switch, tones generated by an originating telephone line, the tones representing a common number of a party and associated with telephone lines of the party;   means for recognizing, at the switch, that the party has answered one of the associated telephone lines;   means for sending a challenge to the answered telephone line;   means for awaiting the party to satisfy the challenge; and   means for establishing a telephone connection between the originating telephone line and the answered telephone line if the challenge is satisfied.