Patent ID: 7231029

Claim:
In a telecommunication system via an advanced intelligent network (AIN), a method for blocking future calls from two or more callers to a callee, the method comprising: controlling a service switching point (SSP) and communicating with a terminal associated with the one or more callers and the callee; receiving a first instruction from the callee to access a service to block future calls from a telephone number associated with a first caller to the callee, wherein the callee dials a special sequence comprising a combination of numerals, letters, and symbols; providing at least one callee selection via a voice prompt responsive to the first instruction; receiving a second instruction from the callee prior to an expiration of a predetermined time period, wherein the time period may be determined based on parameters for blocking future calls; receiving and identifying the telephone number to block associated with the first caller, wherein identifying the telephone number comprises at least one of a reverse caller-ID technology or a reverse white pages look-up technology; storing the telephone number to block associated with the first caller in a caller block table in a service data point (SDP); playing a voice announcement to the callee that blocking future calls from the telephone associated with the first caller has been activated; preventing, via the service switching point (SSP), one or more phone calls from the telephone number associated with the first caller from being forwarded to a second telephone number associated with the callee; playing a callee-selected message to the first caller of the telephone number to block when the first caller attempts to call the callee; continuing with the service to block future calls, receiving a third instruction from the callee block future calls from a telephone number associated with a second caller; providing at least one callee selection via the voice prompt responsive to the third instruction; receiving a fourth instruction from the callee prior to the expiration of the predetermined time period, wherein the time period may be determined based on parameters for blocking future calls; receiving and identifying the telephone number to block associated with the second caller, wherein identifying the telephone number associated with the second caller is provided by the callee; storing the telephone number to block associated with the second caller in the caller block table; playing a voice announcement to the callee that blocking future calls from the telephone number associated with the second caller has been activated; and preventing, via the service switching point (SSP), one or more phone calls from the telephone number associated with the second caller from being forwarded to a second telephone number associated with the callee.