Abstract:
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed that provide disposable numbers for a conference service. A disposable number is assigned to a conference bridge that is only activated for a defined period of time, after which the disposable number is disposed and deactivated. A call is received to the disposable number, and the call is routed to the conference bridge. A database is queried that associates the disposable number to a subscriber&#39;s number. Subscriber information is retrieved that describes when a conference bridge subscription is active. If the conference bridge subscription is active, then a caller is connected to the conference bridge. If the conference bridge subscription is inactive, then the caller is prompted to pay for a conference service.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/283,446, filed Sep. 12, 2008 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,085,921, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/741,346, filed Dec. 21, 2000 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,043, with both applications incorporated herein by reference in its entirety their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly, to a system and method for providing a disposable telephone number service to telephone service subscribers. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Privacy is important to most people. Therefore, many individuals try to protect their privacy as much as possible. For example, many people do not want their telephone numbers be known to the public. To that end, they pay their telephone companies to avoid having their telephone numbers published in telephone directories. Unfortunately, having an unpublished telephone number cannot completely prevent unwanted incoming calls once a telephone number is voluntarily disclosed. The following examples illustrate the need for a disposable telephone number service. 
     First, consider a situation in which a host accommodates an out-of-town guest in her home for several days. While staying with the host, the guest has a need to receive telephone calls. The host agrees that the guest may disclose the host&#39;s telephone number to the guest&#39;s callers. The problem arises when the host continues to receive calls intended for the guest after the guest has left. 
     Second, consider a husband who advertises his family telephone number on the newspaper to sell a pick-up truck. The problem arises when he and his wife continue to receive unwanted telephone calls about the pick-up truck after the vehicle is sold. A different problem might exist even if the vehicle has not been sold. For example, the wife might not want to entertain any inquiry about the pick-up truck when the husband is not available. 
     Third, consider a single woman who has developed a friendship with a man over the Internet in a chat room, decides to have a telephone conversation with the man. The woman gives her telephone number to the man, and he calls her. After the telephone conversation, the woman decides that she does not want to continue the relationship, and asks the man not to call her again. The problem arises when the man continues to call her despite her protests. 
     In each of the above examples, the problem could be solved by requesting the telephone company to assign a new, perhaps unpublished, telephone number to replace the disclosed telephone number. However, this solution is inconvenient, because the subscriber must then notify his or her friends and relatives about the new telephone number. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a disposable telephone number service. The service preferably uses a disposable telephone number that can be used for a definite period of time. A caller dialing the disposable telephone number during the definite period of time is connected to the subscriber of the service. The service can preferably be flexible so that the subscriber can deactivate the service during certain part of the day or certain days of the week. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The system of the present invention comprises a database and a routing device. The database can comprise subscriber information of a subscriber of the present invention. The subscriber information may include a true telephone number of the subscriber. The subscriber information may further include specific call routing instructions received from the subscriber. The subscriber information may be retrieved from the database using a disposable telephone number that is assigned to the subscriber. The disposable telephone number preferably has a recognizable NPA (the numbering plan area or more commonly known as the area code) that is dedicated for all disposable telephone numbers. 
     The routing device is adapted to receive a call that comprises the disposable telephone number as the called number. When the routing device receives the call, it consults the database. The routing device can then process the call in accordance with the subscriber information. For example, if the subscriber information indicates that the subscriber does not want to receive the call at that time, the routing device may play an announcement to the caller that the subscriber does not receive calls at that time. On the other hand, if the subscriber information indicates that the subscriber does receive calls at that time, the routing device forwards the call to the true telephone number of the subscriber. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable telephone number service to help subscribers protect their privacy. 
     It is another object of the present invention to allow subscribers to define when telephone calls may be routed to their telephones. 
     These and other objects of the present invention are described in greater detail in the detailed description of the invention, the appended drawings, and the attached claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing the system architecture of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing a second preferred embodiment of the system architecture of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing a third preferred embodiment of the system architecture of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the third preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram showing a fourth preferred embodiment of the system architecture of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram showing the system architecture of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the architecture of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a first preferred embodiment of the system architecture of the present invention. In this embodiment, a switch may be dedicated to implement the present invention. For example, dedicated switch  130  shown in  FIG. 1  may be used in conjunction with other components of telephone network  100  to implement the present invention. Dedicated switch  130  may be any of several types of suitable telecommunications switches. For example, dedicated switch  130  may be a tandem switch, a local switch, or other switches with similar capabilities. 
     Telephone network  100  may further comprise, for example, SSP  114  and SSP  124 . SSP  114  and SSP  124  can be any of several types of suitable switches that are commonly used in central offices to route calls. In the context of an advanced intelligent network (AIN), SSP  114  and SSP  124  may be two service switching points. 
     SSP  114  may be connected to customer premises equipment (CPE)  112  of subscriber  110 . Similarly, SSP  124  may be connected to CPE  122  of caller  120 . Although it is shown in  FIG. 1  that subscriber  110  and caller  120  are connected to two different SSPs, it is possible that the two parties may share one common SSP. CPE  112  and CPE  122  may be any suitable equipment. For example, CPE  112  and CPE  122  may be telephone sets. As it would be apparent to one skilled in the art, the present invention may be adapted for use in a wireless telephone network. 
     Dedicated switch  130  may be a delayed recent change switch. Dedicated switch  130  may comprise an internal clock. The internal clock may be set to activate dedicated switch  130  during specific time periods. For example, the clock may be set to activate dedicated switch  130  from February 1 to February 28, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Preferably, a database is used to perform the timing function that activates or deactivates the disposable telephone number capability. Examples of a suitable dedicated switch  130  include model 5ESS manufactured by Lucent Technologies and model DMS-100 manufactured by Nortel Networks. 
     The system preferably comprises a database. For example, dedicated switch  130  may be connected to database  132 . Database  132  can comprise a look up table. The look up table preferably relates disposable telephone numbers to true telephone numbers. In the preferred embodiment, when a disposable telephone number is received by dedicated switch  130 , a true telephone number that is related to or associated with the disposable telephone number can be retrieved from database  132 . 
     For example, assume that subscriber  110  has a true telephone number (123) 456-7890. Subscriber  110  may obtain a disposable telephone number from a service provider of the present invention. The disposable telephone number may be, for example, (999) 332-2323. The service provider may then associate the disposable telephone number with the true telephone number in a look up table. The look up table may be stored in database  132 . The look up table may be, for example, as shown in Table 1 below. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 An Example of a Look Up Table 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Disposable telephone 
                   
                   
               
               
                 number 
                 Subscriber 
                 True Telephone Number 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 999-332-2323 
                 Subscriber 110 
                 123-456-7890 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the first preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In step  202 , subscriber  110  can be assigned or provided with a disposable telephone number. The disposable telephone number preferably has a prefix or an NPA that is dedicated for all disposable telephone numbers. For example, a telephone number having the 10-digit format of NPA-NXX-XXXX with the NPA being “999” may be recognized as a disposable telephone number of the present invention. In a specific example, subscriber  110  may be provided with the disposable telephone number 999-332-2323. Alternatively, a seven-digit format may be used for disposable numbers on a regional basis. For example, within one or more area codes, the NXX part of the NXX-XXXX may be an exchange such as “999.” 
     In step  204 , the disposable telephone number can be related to or associated with a true telephone number of subscriber  110 . For example, the 999-332-2323 disposable telephone number can be associated with the 123-456-7890 true telephone number of subscriber  110 . 
     In step  206 , the relationship between the disposable telephone number and the true telephone number may be stored. Preferably, the relationship is stored in a database. The database may be database  132  shown in  FIG. 1 . Database  132  may comprises a look up table that relates the disposable telephone number to the true telephone number. Again, Table 1 above is an example of the look up table. 
     In step  208 , the disposable telephone number may be given to a caller from whom subscriber  110  wishes to receive a telephone call, but to whom subscriber  110  does not want to disclose the true telephone number. For example, subscriber  110  may provide the 999-332-2323 disposable telephone number to caller  120  without giving caller  120  the 123-456-7890 true telephone number. 
     In step  210 , when caller  120  uses CPE  122  to dial 999-332-2323, SSP  124  recognizes that the call is intended for a disposable telephone number service subscriber because of the 999 NPA. In step  212 , SSP  124  routes the call to a dedicated switch specifically provided for routing disposable telephone number calls. The dedicated switch may be dedicated switch  130 . 
     In step  214 , dedicated switch  130  consults database  132 . For example, dedicated switch  130  may be programmed to access the look up table (e.g., Table 1) that contains the relationship between the disposable telephone number and the true telephone number. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the look up table may further comprise additional subscriber information. For example, the look up table may further comprise subscriber information shown in Table 2 below. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Additional Subscriber Information 
               
             
          
           
               
                 True Telephone Number 
                 Connect Call During 
                 Play Announcement 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 123-456-7890 
                 9 am to 5 pm 
                 At other times 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     In step  216 , Table 2 may be consulted by dedicated switch  130 . In a first example, assume that caller  120  dials the disposable telephone number at 10 am. In this example, the applicable subscriber information retrieved from Table 2 would be to connect the call to the true telephone number. Routing of the call to the true telephone number may be performed in step  218 . 
     Otherwise, in a second example in which caller  120  dials the disposable telephone number between 5 pm and 9 am, the applicable subscriber information retrieved from Table 2 would be to play an announcement. The announcement may be played in step  220 . The announcement may be, for example: “The subscriber of the disposable telephone number 999-332-2323 does not receive calls at this time. Please try to call again between 9 am and 5 pm.” 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the system architecture of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a service provider of the present invention may assign a disposable telephone number to a conference bridge. All calls dialing the disposable telephone number can be routed to the conference bridge. The conference bridge may be provided in the system architecture as conference bridge  330  in  FIG. 3 . Preferably, a meet-me conference bridge is used as conference bridge  330 . An example of suitable meet-me conference bridge is that which is provided in the Nortel Networks DMS-100 switching system and populated in table “MMCONF” in the DMS system. Suitable hardware may include NT1X81AA and NT3X6AA of the DMS-100 system. 
     Telephone network  300  may comprise, for example, SSP  314 , SSP  324 , and SSP  344 . SSP  314 , SSP  324 , and SSP  344  can be any suitable switches that are commonly used in central offices to route calls. SSP  314  may be connected to CPE  312  of subscriber  310 . Similarly, SSP  324  may be connected to CPE  322  of first caller  320 , and SSP  344  may be connected to CPE  342  of second caller  340 . Although it is shown in  FIG. 3  that subscriber  310 , first caller  320 , and second caller  340  are connected to three different SSPs, it is possible that fewer than three SSPs may be used. CPE  312 , CPE  322 , and CPE  342  may be any suitable equipment. For example, CPE  312 , CPE  322 , and CPE  242  may be telephone sets. As it would be apparent to one skilled in the art, the present invention may be adapted for use in a wireless telephone network. 
     The system preferably comprises a database. For example, database  332  may be provided so that it is accessible by conference bridge  330 . Database  332  can comprise a look up table. The look up table preferably contains subscriber information. The subscriber information may include the status of the subscription account. For example, the subscription information may indicate when a call should be processed by conference bridge  330 . 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. In step  402 , service provider  300  can assign a disposable telephone number to conference bridge  330 . In step  404 , the disposable telephone number can be provided to subscriber  310 . 
     In step  406 , subscriber information is obtained from subscriber  310 . The subscriber information may include the time periods during which conference bridge  330  should be made available to process calls. For example, the subscriber information may specifically provide that conference bridge  310  must be available on a specific day during a specific time period. The subscriber information may further comprise information related to payment for the service. For example, the subscriber information may provide that each caller of conference bridge  330  must pay for the service before the caller will be allowed to use conference bridge  330 . 
     In step  408 , subscriber  310  provides the disposable telephone number to a number of callers. For example, the disposable telephone number may be provided to caller  320  and caller  340 . 
     In step  410 , when a person dials the disposable telephone number, the call is received at a switch. The person may be subscriber  310 , first caller  320 , and/or second caller  340 . In the specific embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , a call from subscriber  310 , first caller  320 , and second caller  340  would be received by SSP  314 , SSP  324 , and SSP  344 , respectively. Each of SSP  314 , SSP  324 , and SSP  344  can recognize the disposable telephone number. Each of these SSPs can then route the call to conference bridge  330  in step  412 . 
     In step  414 , database  332  may be consulted. For example, conference bridge  330  may be preprogrammed to check the subscriber information related to the disposable telephone number. 
     In step  416 , the call is processed depending on whether the subscription is active. If the subscription is active, then the caller dialing the disposable telephone number may be connected to an available channel of conference bridge  330  in step  422 . If the subscription is not active, the process may be routed to step  418 . In step  418 , the caller may be asked if he or she would like to pay for the service. If the caller wishes to continue by making a payment, the payment is received in step  420 . The payment may be received, for example, by accepting the caller&#39;s credit card number. In step  422 , the caller may be connected to an available channel of conference bridge  330 . 
     If in step  418  the caller does not want to pay for the service, the process goes to step  424  in which an announcement may be played. The announcement may be, for example, “You have decided to abandon this call. Good Bye.” 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing the system architecture of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. Telephone network  500  can be an advanced intelligent network (AIN). Telephone network  500  may comprise, among other components, SSP  514 , SSP  524 , and SCP  530 . SCP  530  may be a typical service control point in the MN. Signaling between SCP  530  with SSP  514  and SSP  524  may be channeled through signaling system  540 . Signaling system  540  may be any suitable signaling system. In the preferred embodiment, signaling system  540  may be Signaling System Seven, which is commonly known as SS7. 
     SCP  530  can access database  532 . Database  532  preferably comprises subscriber information. For example, subscriber information related to or associated with subscriber  510  may be stored in database  532 . The subscriber information may contain a relationship linking the true telephone number of subscriber  510  and a disposable telephone number of the present invention. A query from a service switching point that carries the disposable telephone number as the called number may be responded by SCP  530  with the true telephone number as the called number in the response. 
     SSP  514  preferably has communication with CPE  512  of subscriber  510 . Similarly SSP  524  may have communication with CPE  522  of caller  520 . CPE  512  and CPE  522  may be telephone sets that can be used to make and receive telephone calls. As it is understood, the present invention may be adapted for a wireless telephone network. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the third preferred embodiment of the present invention. In step  602 , telephone network  500  assigns a block of telephone numbers as disposable telephone numbers. The disposable telephone number preferably has a common prefix or NPA. For example, the NPA  999  may be used so that all disposable telephone numbers may have the 999-NXX-XXXX 10-digit format. 
     In step  604 , telephone network  500  creates database  532  that is dedicated for the disposable telephone numbers. Database  532  may also be known as the disposable telephone number database. Database  532  is preferably accessible by SCP  530 . 
     In step  606 , telephone network  500  may establish a subscription account with subscriber  510 . As part of the subscription account, subscriber  510  may be provided with a disposable telephone number. The account may be maintained by subscriber  510  based on any of several suitable payment schemes. For example, subscriber  510  may pay telephone network  500  a monthly fee for as many disposable telephone numbers as subscriber  510  wishes to have in a month. Subscriber  510  may also pay telephone network  500  a fixed fee for each disposable telephone number. In addition, subscriber  510  may pay telephone network  500  based on the number of calls received using the disposable telephone number service. 
     In step  608 , telephone network  500  updates database  532 . For example, the disposable telephone number assigned to subscriber  510  may be related to the true telephone number of subscriber  510  in a look up table. The look up table may be stored in database  532 . An example of the look up table may be similar to Table 1 described above. 
     In step  610 , when caller  520  dials the disposable telephone number, SSP  524  recognizes that the dialed number is a disposable telephone number. SSP  524  then launches a query to SCP  530 . The query is preferably a TCAP message. The query may comprise, among other information, a called number field that contains the disposable telephone number as the called number. 
     In step  614 , SCP  530  uses the called number in the query to look up the true telephone number in database  532 . In step  616 , SCP  530  further determines whether subscriber  510  has specific subscriber information in database  532 . 
     In step  618 , if the subscriber information in database  532  indicates that subscriber  510  does not want to receive calls at that time, the process goes to step  620 . In step  620 , an announcement may be played for caller  520 . The message may be, for example, “The subscriber of the disposable telephone number you dialed does not receive calls at this time.” 
     If in step  618  it was determined that the subscriber information in database  532  indicates that subscriber  510  wishes to receive calls at the time caller  520  dials the disposable telephone number, the process goes to step  622 . In step  622 , SCP  530  substitutes the true telephone number of subscriber  510  in the called number field for the disposable telephone number. 
     In step  624 , SCP  530  returns a response to SSP  524 . The response is preferably a TCAP message. The response comprises the true telephone number of subscriber  510  in the called number field. 
     In step  626 , SSP  524  routes the call to the true telephone number. In this example, a call is established between caller  520  and subscriber  510  via SSP  524  and SSP  514 . As a result, subscriber  510  can receive a call from caller  520  without caller  520  ever knowing the true telephone number of subscriber  510 . In a preferred embodiment, subscriber  510  may be alerted of an incoming call that uses the disposable telephone number by a distinctive ringing on CPE  512 . 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram showing the system architecture of a fourth preferred embodiment the present invention. In this embodiment, telephone network  500  further comprises gateway  760  in addition to SSP  514 , SSP  524 , SCP  530 , and signaling system  540 . Gateway  760  enables SCP  530  to interact with non-MN systems. For example, gateway  760  can enable SCP  530  to interact with computer network  770 . In the preferred embodiment, computer network  770  is the Internet. Through gateway  760 , SCP  530  and computer network  770  may communicate or interact with each other using known protocols. One example of suitable protocols is the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol that is more commonly known as TCP/IP. 
     In addition to CPE  512 , subscriber  510  can have computer  714  and modem  716 . Using computer  714  and modem  716 , subscriber  510  can access computer network  770 . Through computer network  770 , subscriber  510  can have access to database  772 . In the preferred embodiment, subscriber  510  can edit his or her subscriber information that is contained in database  772 . SCP  530  may access database  772  as well. For example, SCP  530  may access database  772  via gateway  760  and computer network  770 , 
     Subscriber  510  can also communicate with caller  520  over computer network  770 . For example, caller  520  can access computer network  770  using computer  524  and modem  526 . One example of communication between subscriber  510  and caller  520  over computer network  770  may be through an Internet chat room. In addition to communication over computer network  770 , caller  520  may contact subscriber  510  using CPE  522  through telephone network  500  as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the fourth preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. Considering a situation in which subscriber  510  and caller  520  are two participants in an Internet chat room during a communication session. Subscriber  510  and caller  520  decide to have a live telephone voice conversation. 
     In step  802 , subscriber  510  may contact a service provider of the present invention. The service provider may be any business entity. Preferably, the service provider is a telephone company. The contact may be made using a number of different methods. For example, subscriber  510  may call the business office of the service provider. Preferably, subscriber  510  may go to a website of the service provider by entering a uniform resource locator, e.g., www.chatonthephone.com, and be connected to the website over computer network  770 . An alternative might be a conventional interactive, menu-driven system that is accessible via the telephone. 
     In step  804 , subscriber  510  arranges for the payment of the disposable telephone number service. Preferably, subscriber  510  can provide his or her credit number to the service provider. Other payment methods may include charging the fees for the disposable telephone number as part of subscriber  510 &#39;s telephone bill. In step  806 , subscriber  510  provides his or her true telephone number to which calls dialing an associated disposable telephone number will be routed. The true telephone number may be, for example, 123-391-3333. 
     In step  808 , the service provider provides the disposable telephone number to subscriber  510 . The disposable telephone number may have 10 digits in the format of NPA-NXX-XXXX. The disposable telephone number may be, for example, 999-444-1212. Preferably, the three digit 999 is a dedicated NPA for disposable telephone number services. In the preferred embodiment, the service provider advertises the service of the present invention and the public is educated that all 999 telephone numbers are disposable telephone numbers, just like all 800 telephone numbers are dedicated as toll free numbers. 
     In step  810 , the service provider relates the disposable telephone number to the true telephone number of subscriber  510 . The relationship between the disposable telephone number and the true telephone number may be established, for example, in a table or a database. For example, database  772  may be used to store the relationship between the disposable telephone number and true telephone number. In database  772 , the true telephone number 123-391-3333 is associated with the disposable telephone number 999-444-1212. 
     Database  772  may be hereinafter referred to as the disposable number database. Database  772  may further comprise additional subscriber information. The additional subscriber information may comprise call routing instructions. For example, the disposable number database may comprise a specific time of day during which an announcement is played to the caller when the call is received. The announcement may be, for example, “You have reached the disposable telephone number service. The disposable telephone number you have dialed is effective from January 1 to January 14. The subscriber of the disposable telephone number service does not receive calls between 11 pm and 7 am.” 
     In step  812 , subscriber  510  provides the disposable telephone number to caller  520 . If subscriber  510  and caller  520  were still online in the Internet chat room, subscriber  510  may provide the disposable telephone number to caller  520  during the Internet chat session. 
     In step  814 , caller  520  dials the disposable telephone number 999-444-1212 using CPE  522 . In step  816 , SSP  524  recognizes the 999-444-1212 dial string as a disposable telephone number. SSP  524  can therefore know that it has received a call intended for a subscriber of the service of the present invention. SSP  524  can then launch a query to SCP  530 . The query may contain the disposable telephone number 999-444-1212 in the called number field of the query. 
     In step  818 , when SCP  530  receives the query, SCP  530  uses the disposable telephone number or the called number to retrieve the true telephone number from database  772 . Through gateway  760 , SCP  530  may obtain the true telephone number from database  772  over computer network  770  using TCP/IP. 
     In step  820 , SCP  530  can generate or formulate a response to the query. The response may comprise the true telephone number in the called number field, replacing the disposable telephone number. In other words, SCP  530  can replace 999-444-1212 in the called number field with 123-391-3333. In step  822 , SCP  530  provides the response to SSP  524 . In step  824 , SSP  524  routes the call from caller  520  to subscriber  510  via SSP  514 . 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of a system architecture of the present invention. The present invention comprises routing device  930  and database  932 . Routing device  930  may be any suitable devices, including those mentioned in the specific embodiments described above. For examples, dedicated switch  130 , conference bridge  330 , and SCP  530  may be used as routing device  930 . In addition, telecommunications equipment suppliers such as Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks may be provided with appropriate requirements to make new packetized switching devices suitable for use as routing device  930 . 
     Database  932  can be any suitable memory devices that can associate disposable telephone numbers with true telephone numbers. Furthermore, database  932  may be used to store subscriber information as described above. Database  132 ,  332 ,  532 , and  772  shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  5 , and  7 , respectively, are specific examples of database  932 . Routing device  930  and database  932  are preferably owned and operated by service provider  900 . As discussed above, service provider  900  may be a telephone company. 
     Subscriber  910  may have CPE  912 . Subscriber  910  may use CPE  912  to obtain a disposable telephone number from service provider  900 . When caller  920  dials the disposable telephone number using CPE  922 , the call is routed to routing device  930 . Routing device  930  can consult database  932  for call routing instructions. 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in using the present invention. In step  1002 , service provider  900  creates a disposable telephone number database. The database created may be database  932  that is connected to routing device  930 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     In step  1004 , service provider  900  accepts an application from subscriber  910  who wishes to have a disposable telephone number. In step  1006 , service provider  900  stores subscriber information in database  932 . The subscriber information includes the true telephone number of subscriber  910 . Preferably, the true telephone number is associated with a disposable telephone number that subscriber  910  can disclose to caller  920 . In addition, the subscriber information may include subscriber rules. An example of a subscriber rule is a specific time period within which subscriber  910  may not want to receive calls. 
     In step  1008 , when caller  920  dials the disposable telephone number that has been assigned to subscriber  910 , service provider  900  detects the call. Detection of the call may be done using any known methods. For example, the disposable telephone number may have a dedicated NPA as part of the 10-digit telephone number. The call may be recognized by a switch that is connected to the telephone line of caller  920 . 
     In step  1010 , the call is routed to routing device  930 . In step  1012 , database  932  is consulted. Using the disposable telephone number, subscriber information and/or subscriber rules for subscriber  910  may be retrieved from database  932 . In step  1014 , it may be determined whether subscriber  910  wishes to accept the call. If the subscriber rules or subscriber information indicates that subscriber  910  would accept the call, the call is then processed in step  1016  in accordance with the subscriber information. Otherwise, an announcement may be played to caller  920  in step  1018 . The announcement may be, for example, “The subscriber of this disposable telephone number does not accept calls at this time. Please try again later.” 
     The foregoing disclosure of embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents.