Patent ID: 7627105

Claim:
A method for protecting against undesired telephone advertising comprising: providing a first list for storing an identification of a caller expected of telephone advertising, the first list accessible to a switch device; providing a second list for storing an identification of a caller not expected of telephone advertising, the second list accessible to the switch device; the switch device comparing an identification of a caller of an incoming call with the identification stored in the first list; the switch device comparing the incoming call identification with the identification stored in the second list; the switch device directing the incoming call to a terminal of a called party in response to the incoming call identification matching the stored identification in the second list; the switch device directing the incoming call to a call handler mechanism connected to the switch device in response to the incoming call identification not matching the stored identification in the first list and not matching the stored identification in the second list; the switch device directing the incoming call to the call handler mechanism in response to the incoming call not having an identification; the call handler mechanism examining the incoming call to determine whether telephone advertising is being received in response to the call being directed to the call handler mechanism; in response to the examination by the call handler mechanism determining that telephone advertising is being received: updating the first list to include the incoming call identification in response to the presence of the incoming call identification, and the switch device rejecting the incoming call; and in response to the examination by the call handler mechanism determining that advertising is not being received: updating the second list to include the incoming call identification in response to the presence of the incoming call identification and the switch device directing the incoming call to the terminal of the called party.