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Local SEO Spam Tactics Are Working: How You Can Fight Back
The author's views are entirely their own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
For years, I've been saying that if you have a problem with spammers in local results, you can just wait it out. I mean, if Google cared about removing spam and punishing those who are regular spammers we'd see them removed fast and often, right?
While there are instances where spam has been removed, it seems these are not fast fixes, permanent fixes, or even very common. In fact, they seem few and far between. So today I'm changing my tune a bit to call more attention to the spam issues people employ that violate Google My Business terms and yet continue to win in the SERPs.
The problems are rampant and blatant. I've heard and seen many instances of legitimate businesses changing their names just to rank better and faster for their keywords.
Another problem is that Google is shutting down MapMaker at the end of March. Edits will still be allowed, but they'll need to be made through Google Maps.
If Google is serious about rewarding brands in local search, they need to encourage it through their local search algorithms.
For some people, it's gotten so bad that they're actually suing Google. On January 13, 2017, for instance, a group of fourteen locksmiths sued Google, Yahoo, and Bing over fake spam listings, as reported by Joy Hawkins.
While some changes — like the Possum update — seemed to have a positive impact overall, root problems (such as multiple business listings) and many other issues still exist in the local search ecosystem.
And there are other technically non-spammy ways that users are also manipulating Google results. Let's look at a couple of these examples.
It's not all spam. Businesses are going to great lengths to stay within the GMB guidelines & manipulate results.
Let's look at an example of a personal injury attorney in the Denver market. Recently, I came across these results when doing a search for trial attorneys:
Look at the #2 result listing, entitled "Denver Trial Lawyers." I originally thought this was spam and wanted to report it, but I had to do my due diligence first.
To start, I needed to verify that the listing was actually spam by looking at the official business name. I pulled up their website and, to my surprise, the business name in the logo is actually "Denver Trial Lawyers."
This intrigued me, so I decided to see if they were using a deceptive logo to advertise the business name or if this was the actual business name.
I checked out the Colorado Secretary of State's website and did a little digging around. After a few minutes I found the legally registered trade name through their online search portal. The formation date of this entity was 7/31/2008, so they appear to have been planning on using the name for some time.
I also reviewed their MapMaker listing history to see when this change was made and whether it reflected the trade name registration. I saw that on October 10, 2016 the business updated their MapMaker listing to reflect the new business name.
After all of this, I decided to take this one step further and called the business. When I did, the auto-attendant answered with "Thank you for calling Denver Trial Lawyers," indicating that this is their legitimate business name.
I guess that, according to the Google My Business Guidelines, this can be considered OK. They state:
"Your name should reflect your business' real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers. Accurately representing your business name helps customers find your business online."
But what does that mean for everyone else?
Recently, Gyi Tsakalakis also shared this beautiful screenshot on Twitter of a SERP with three businesses using their keywords in the business name:
It seems they're becoming more and more prominent because people see they're working.
To play devil's advocate, there are also businesses that legitimately sport less-than-creative names, so where do you draw the line? (Note: I've been following some of above businesses for years; I can confirm they've changed their business names to include keywords).
Here's another example
If you look closely, you'll find more keyword- and location-stuffed business names popping up every day.
Here's an interesting case of a business (also located in Denver) that might have been trying to take advantage of Near Me searches, as pointed out by Matt Lacuesta:
Do you think this business wanted to rank for Near Me searches in Denver? Maybe it's just a coincidence. It's funny, nonetheless.
How are people actively manipulating local results?
While there are many ways to manipulate a Google My Business result, today we're going to focus on several tactics and identify the steps you can take to help fight back.
Tactic #1: Spammy business names
Probably the biggest problem in Google's algorithm is the amount of weight they put into a business name. At a high level, it makes sense that they would treat this with a lot of authority. After all, if I'm looking for a brand name, I want to find that specific brand when I'm doing a search.
The problem is that people quickly figured out that Google gives a massive priority to businesses with keywords or locations in their business names.
In the example below, I did a search for "Fresno Personal Injury Lawyers" and was given an exact match result, as you can see in the #2 position:
However, when I clicked through to the website, I found it was for a firm with a different name. In this case, they blatantly spammed their listing and have been floating by with nice rankings for quite some time.
I reported their listing a couple of times and nothing was done until I was able to escalate this. It's important to note that the account I used to edit this listing didn't have a lot of authority. Once an authoritative account approved my edit, it went live.
The spam listing below has the keyword and location in the business name.
We reported this listing using the process outlined below, but sadly the business owner noticed and changed it back within hours.
How can you fight back against spammy business names?
Figuring out how to fight back against people manipulating results is now your job as an SEO. In the past, some in the industry have given the acronym "SEO" a bad name due to the manipulative practices they performed. Now it's our job to give us a better name by helping to police these issues.
Since Google MapMaker is now disappearing, you'll need to make edits in Google Maps directly. This is also a bit of a problem, as there's no room to leave comments for evidence.
Here are the steps you should take to report a listing with incorrect information:
- Make sure you're signed into Google
- Locate the business on maps.google.com
- Once the business is located, open it up and look for the "Suggest an edit" option:
- Once you select it, you'll be able to choose the field you want to change:
- Make the necessary change and then hit submit! (Don't worry — I didn't make the change above.)
Now, don't expect anything to happen right away. It can take time for changes to take place. Also, the trust level of your profile seems to play a big role in how Google evaluates these changes. Getting the approval by someone with a high level of trust can make your edits go live quickly.
Make sure you check out all of these great tips from Joy Hawkins on The Ultimate Guide to Fighting Spam on Google Maps, as well.
Tactic #2: Fake business listings
Another issue that we see commonly with maps spam is fake business listings. These listings are completely false businesses that black-hat SEOs build just to rank and get more leads.
Typically we see a lot of these in the locksmith niche — it's full of people creating fake listings. This is one of the reasons Google started doing advanced verification for locksmiths and plumbers. You can read more about that on Mike Blumenthal's blog.
Joy Hawkins pointed out a handy tip for identifying these listings on her blog, saying:
"Many spammers who create tons of fake listings answer their phone with something generic like 'Hello, locksmith' or 'Hello, service.'"
I did a quick search in Denver for a plumber and it wasn't long before I found a listing with an exact match name. Using Joy's tips, I called the number and it was disconnected. This seemed like an illegitimate listing to me.
Thankfully, in this case, the business wasn't ranking highly in the search results:
When you run into these types of listings, you'll want to take a similar approach as we did above and report the issue.
Tactic #3: Review spam
Review spam can come in many different forms. It's clear that Google's putting a lot of attention into reviews by adding sorting features and making stars more prominent. I think Google knows they can do a better job with their reviews overall, and I hope we see them take it a little bit more seriously.
Let's look at a few different ways that review spam appears in search results.
Self-reviews & competitor shaming
Pretty much every business knows they need reviews, but they have trouble getting them. One way people get them is to leave them on their own business.
Recently, we saw a pretty blatant example where someone left a positive five-star review for a law firm and then five other one-star reviews for all of their competitors. You can see this below:
Although it's very unethical for these types of reviews to show up, it happens everyday. According to Google's review and photo policies, they want to:
"Make sure that the reviews and photos on your business listing, or those that you leave at a business you've visited, are honest representations of the customer experience. Those that aren't may be removed."
While I'd say that this does violate the policies, figuring out which rule applies best is a little tricky. It appears to be a conflict of interest, as defined by Google's review guidelines below:
In this particular case, a member of our staff, Dillon Brickhouse, reached out to Google to see what they would say.
Unfortunately, Google told Dillon that since there was no text in the review, nothing could be done. They refused to edit the review.
And, of course, this is not an isolated case. Tim Capper recently wrote an article — "Are Google My Business Guidelines & Spam Algos Working?" — in which he identified similar situations and nothing had been done.
How can you fight against review stars?
Although there will still be cases where spammy reviews are ignored until Google steps up their game, there is something you can try to remove bad reviews. In fact, Google published the exact steps on their review guidelines page here.
You can view the steps and flag a review for removal using the method below:
What can you do if the basics don't work?
There are a ton of different ways to spam local listings. What can you do if you've reported the issue and nothing changes?
While edits may take up to six weeks to go live, the next step involves you getting more public about the issue. The key to the success of this approach is documentation. Take screenshots, record dates, and keep a file for each issue you're fighting. That way you can address it head-on when you finally get the appropriate exposure.
Depending on whether or not the listing is verified, you'll want to try posting in different forums:
Verified listings
If the listing you're having trouble with is a verified listing, you'll want to make a public post about it in the Google My Business Community forum. When posting, make sure to provide all corresponding evidence, screenshots, etc. to make the case very clear to the moderators. There's a Spam and Policy section on the forum where you can do this.
Unverified listings
However, some spam listings are not verified listings. In these cases ,Joy Hawkins recommends that you engage with the Local Guides Connect Forum here.
Key takeaways
Sadly, there's not a lot we can do outside of the basics of reporting results, but hopefully being more proactive about it and making some noise will encourage Google to take steps in the right direction.
- Start being more proactive about reporting listings and reviews that are ignoring the guidelines. Be sure to record the screenshots and take evidence.
- If the listings still aren't being fixed after some time, escalate them to the Google My Business Community forum.
- Read Joy Hawkins' post from start to finish on The Ultimate Guide to Fighting Spam in Google Maps
- Don't spam local results. Seriously. It's annoying. Continually follow and stay up-to-date on the Google My Business guidelines.
- Lastly, don't think the edit you made is the final say or that it'll stay around forever. The reality is that they could come back. During testing for this post, the listing for "Doug Allen Personal Injury Attorney Colorado Springs" came back within hours based on an owner edit.
In the future, I'm personally looking forward to seeing some major changes from Google with regards to how they rank local results and how they monitor reviews. I would love to see local penalties become as serious as manual penalties.
How do you think Google can fight this better? What are your suggestions? Let me know in the comments below.


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Image Description: Lower Park of Peterhof; Russia, St. Petersburg
Photographer: Dmitrij Karmanov
Digital Camera
Posted on the site: 6 February, 2006
www.travel-guide.veselo.info: St. Petersburg / Environs / Peterhof / Lower Park / Hermitage Avenue
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All rights reserved.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Some of my favorite Christmas or holiday moments in fandom. I'm utterly indecisive (why did I think that weekly top ten lists was a good idea?). So here's my top ten… and a couple others thrown in. I expect this post will contain possibly a spoiler or ten.
Tag-Archive for » friends «
Dec 2013
Category: book, holiday, movies, top ten, tv show Tags: bones, buffy, chronicles of narnia, doctor who, dr. quinn medicine woman, er, eureka, friends, futurama, harry potter, highlander, m*a*s*h, my so-called life, ncis, perfect strangers, roseanne, seinfeld, supernatural, the big bang theory, the closer, the o.c., the simpsons, top ten, x-files Leave a Comment


text:
When Space Makes You Dizzy
Researchers have learned that the sensation is caused, in part, by orthostatic hypotension -- "in other words, a temporary drop in blood pressure," explains NASA Chief Medical Officer Rich Williams. On Earth you can feel it by standing or sitting up too fast. Gravity has much the same effect on astronauts returning from a long spell in space: Blood rushes down and the space travelers become, literally, lightheaded.
Above: Space Shuttle Endeavour returns to Earth. [more]
"Cosmonauts who spent a long time onboard Mir commonly had to be carried away in stretchers when they came home," recalls Williams. Fortunately, their Soyuz return capsules did not require a pilot to land, so it didn't matter much. Shuttle pilots, on the other hand, must perform complex re-entry procedures. To them it matters a great deal.
Orthostatic hypotension can strike Earth-dwellers for many reasons: Weak hearts might not pump enough blood, for example. Certain medications or even a hot shower can dilate blood vessels and cause blood pressure to drop. Women -- especially pregnant women -- are more likely to suffer from it than men. "Some patients with this condition are afraid to leave home or even get out of bed," writes neurologist Phillip Low of the Mayo Clinic.
Above: Fluid shifts caused by space flight. From "The Bone"(Vol. 11 No.2 1997.6) Medical View Co., Ltd. [more]
Astronauts don't feel orthostatic hypotension while they're traveling through space, but they do begin to feel it during re-entry (when g-forces mimic gravity) and after landing. Blood returns to the lower body and blood pressure to the head is suddenly reduced. Hence the dizziness. (The sensation can continue for a while after landing, too.)
During re-entry those muscles are needed again, but they have temporarily "forgotten" how to contract. They fail to push blood back toward the heart and brain. "This effect is more severe after prolonged space flights," notes Cohen.
Right: Muscles in the veins of the legs help force back uphill toward the heart. From Grey's Anatomy.
For many years astronauts have tried to counteract orthostatic hypotension by drinking lots of salt water, which increases the volume of bodily fluids.(There is a general loss of body fluids during space missions.) Astronauts also wear "G-suits" -- rubberized full-body suits that can be inflated with air. This action squeezes the extremities and raises blood pressure.
Such countermeasures are only partially effective. "Almost all returning astronauts experience changes in gait and balance," continues Williams. Nevertheless, "most are able to walk around just fine. A small number experience orthostatic changes that render them quite dizzy."
An anti-dizzy pill would be helpful, but until recently there was no such thing.
Enter Midodrine: Midodrine is the first drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat orthostatic hypotension. It constricts blood vessels and so increases blood pressure. "By increasing blood pressure when patients need it, Midodrine can help people lead a more normal life," writes Low.
Cohen thinks it might help astronauts, too.
Below: ISS crewmembers will soon participate in tests of Midodrine. Pictured here is the crew of the ISS Expedition Four.
An important advantage to Midodrine, says Cohen, is that it can be administered just before re-entry or even after landing. The benefits are immediate. Astronauts wouldn't have to take it throughout their mission when it might interfere with their body's own (and welcome) adaptations to zero-g.
"A flight study protocol has recently been approved to test the drug's effects on space shuttle astronauts and ISS crewmembers," says Cohen.
Perhaps soon astronauts returning home from space will feel lightheaded -- but only due to elation. Orthostatic hypotension will have nothing to do with it.
NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research supports studies of the human body in space.
Drug Reduces Severity Of Sudden Drops In Blood Pressure (DocGuide.com) -- a study of Midodrine by Phillip Low, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN
Test of Midodrine as a countermeasure against postflight orthostatic hypotension -- Janice M. Meck and colleagues will test Midodrine on shuttle astronauts and ISS crewmembers.
National Space Biomedical Research Institute
Orthostatic hypotension: definition (JSC); What Causes Orthostatic Hypotension? (Timothy C. Hain, MD;) Evaluation and Treatment of Orthostatic Hypotension (American Family Physician); Women Are More Susceptible to Orthostatic Hypotension than Men (NewsWise);
G-suits: a picture and more information.
Join our growing list of subscribers - sign up for our express news delivery and you will receive a mail message every time we post a new story!!!


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In April, Firefly Distillery is launching a Sweet Tea Bourbon to complement its flavored vodka sweet-tea line. The Firefly website currently has this to say about their new product:
Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon Whiskey starts with handcrafted Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from the world renowned Buffalo Trace Distillery. It is then infused with South Carolina tea and real sugar cane. The experience is a perfect blend of sweet tea and bourbon, two southern traditions. Try it with spring water over ice.
Firefly Distillery is a distillery located on Wadmalaw Island, thirty miles south of Charleston, South Carolina that manufactures a line of vodka products using muscadine grapes local to South Carolina. According to Wikipedia, In October 2008, Firefly Distillery and Sazerac Company formed a joint venture to manufacture and distribute Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka at Sazerac's Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky in order to meet the growing market demand. Through this joint venture Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka was able to be distributed to all states by March 2009.
Will this be a perfect sipping drink on a hot summer day? We look forward to getting a taste of this new concoction very soon. If you taste it first, be sure to leave us a comment and let us know how you like it.


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(Redirected from Charette)
|A to Z of
Creativity Techniques
| Previous
Causal Mapping
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Cherry Split
This technique originated in the US in the 1960s.
Charrette involves an intensive on-site consultation process with a community, usually preceded by a massive public relations campaign.
The goal is to develop social, economic and physical plans combining the resources of a number of local groups, integrated as a prioritized action program.
The resource people (consultants, experts, professionals), usually out-of-towners, bring fresh minds to the problems. The Charrette building must accommodate large evening forums and small group discussions during the day as well as secretarial services, the press, television, child care, lunch and light meals. It becomes a 'live-in, work-in, 24-hour facility'.
A charrette typically proceeds in stages:
- A large public relations campaign (often including a questionnaire and several pre-Charrette workshops to give the community a chance to discuss the problem and to introduce it to the dynamics of Charrette.
- Introductory speeches
- Split into sub-groups
- Sub-group brainstorms, to help build key relationships and to identify community objectives and goals.
- Sub-groups explored possible solutions to agreed issues, with public and private officials being available to discuss the impact of resource limitations and political climate, and to establish responsibility and accountability.
- A detailed implementation strategy and action plan was then produced, with models, drawings, reports, graphics, etc.
- The final proposals were presented before top-ranking officials, the media and the whole community, in a climate of strong community commitment.
- A report was produced so that anyone could discover what happened. Local newspapers, TV and radio were usually closely involved.


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Friday, 7 October 2011
Everyday is a day to smile
106 comments:
What great projects, TFS!!!ReplyDelete
These are absolutely wonderful!!!ReplyDelete
New to your blog and art. You have got anew follower as of today! I ADORE the shoe envelop and covet the necklace. Fantastic.ReplyDelete
I've missed your creations, thanks for being a part of this hop.ReplyDelete
Fabulous creations. Love the shoe.ReplyDelete
Thanks for being so generous and loving of your friend. Enjoyed having a look around your art!ReplyDelete
Jean Cross
Love your beautiful art! I appreciate this since I had my first go at it not to long ago! It was so fun!ReplyDelete
Loved reading about your wonderful friendship! What a blessing!
Really pretty, you make me want to try collage art!ReplyDelete
great project.. :) I "heart" Julie.. and donated! off to the next blog on the hop :) HUGSReplyDelete
your projects are amazing, but the shoe just has me drooling! glorious! :)ReplyDelete
What a unique and lovely creation!ReplyDelete
hollyshobbie at gmail dot com
Awesome work!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFriday, October 07, 2011
Lovely necklace Sarah! And I love the high heel too!ReplyDelete
such unique projects, very nice!ReplyDelete
Awesome creations. great new form of art for me to investigate further. Linda HarrisReplyDelete
So much personal detail in all of your projects! Love that felt necklace!ReplyDelete
I love it... such beautiful altered art... thank you so much for participating and being so great all around! We're so thankful! Hugs, N. RixonReplyDelete
LOVELY altered art!! Sooo wonderful to see such a vast array of goodies in the creative world like your beautiful art!ReplyDelete
This is the most fabulous creation! Some lucky person is going to be thrilled :o)ReplyDelete
Neat projects!ReplyDelete
This is beautiful! I love your style!ReplyDelete
~Vanessa W
Ooh! I love the shoe!ReplyDelete
love the necklace - both projects so creative and different!ReplyDelete
Wow Great projects :)ReplyDelete
Love the projects I am a new follower. TFSReplyDelete
Very creative....ReplyDelete
Wow, that necklace is so cool.ReplyDelete
great project inspirationReplyDelete
Great gift idea!!ReplyDelete
Very nice project!!ReplyDelete
Wow, that necklace is beautiful, thanks for sharing your talent.ReplyDelete
This is a fabulous piece of art! Gorgeous use of "snippets" as you call them. :)ReplyDelete
(Total aside from your sidebar: David Tennant -- best Dr. Who EVER! :D)
As always, amazing projects Sarah! And huge congrats to that awesome pub!!!ReplyDelete
I'm checking out your blog, your projects are so cool!ReplyDelete
What marvelous projects...pretty work!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFriday, October 07, 2011
What great projects, thanks for creating and sharing them.ReplyDelete
Awesome projects! The necklace is really cool!ReplyDelete
owlbecraftin at gmail dot com
Fabulous projects, so creative! Take care!!:-))ReplyDelete
Congrats on being published! I always love seeing what fun and creative things you are crafting on your blog. The necklace is so neat.ReplyDelete
Lovely artwork!ReplyDelete
your necklace is gorgeous, sarah! and i love the corrugated shoe--just fabulous! congrats to you on your pub, too:)ReplyDelete
Amazingly creative! :D Have a lovely weekend!ReplyDelete
Hey Sarah - love your creativeness shining through in your felted piece! So glad to be participating alongside you for Julie :) FionaReplyDelete
SO much creativity!ReplyDelete
Love the corrugated shoe.ReplyDelete
What wonderful projects!ReplyDelete
How fun and creative!ReplyDelete
Great card!ReplyDelete
It's a good life!
Terri E.
Awesome projects! ;o)ReplyDelete
What a talent you have! Your creations today are fabulous!ReplyDelete
Your felted necklace is beautiful. I love the added shells. Love the card too.ReplyDelete
These are quite the projects. I especially like the high heel shoe.ReplyDelete
Fabulous creations!ReplyDelete
Oh I love your necklace with all the textures and goodies.ReplyDelete
Wonderful projects!ReplyDelete
Congrats on the spread in the magazine~ Your work is stunning!ReplyDelete
Wonderful projects!!ReplyDelete
WOW! Love your necklace and envelope! You are SO talented. Thanks for sharing. :DReplyDelete
I wish I had time to learn the felting technique! Amazing card!ReplyDelete
Ah this is just lovely Julie, I know what you mean about the British reserve thing lol. LOVE this. Btw can I get one of those owls from you for my friend for Christmas, we never quite get there, do we?!!! xxReplyDelete
So so cool and congrats Miss Lady!!!ReplyDelete
Very cool and unique projects!ReplyDelete
Oh, wow - what an amazing necklace! I love the tiny shells and beads! So creative! Wonderful envelope too -congratulations on the publication! Thank you for sharing your talent, Sarah! :)ReplyDelete
the shoe made of the torn cardboard is really a unique and crafty idea. Thank you.ReplyDelete
This is amazing!! Wow!!!ReplyDelete
What a fun opportunity to visit blogs that are new to me. Wonderful creations!ReplyDelete
Stunning necklace!ReplyDelete
Very pretty.ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing your wonderful talent with the rest of us!ReplyDelete
wow! amazing projects!ReplyDelete
Terrific projects, very unique!!!ReplyDelete
Wonderful creations!ReplyDelete
Wow, what lovely creations! Love the mix of materials you used.ReplyDelete
You are so creative Love it!ReplyDelete
Very cool art and fun!ReplyDelete
I just love this necklace - I want to touch it! The envelope is beautiful and it's wonderful that it will be featured in the magazine. Congrats!ReplyDelete
scrapacat at yahoo dot com
Julie has touched so many people! Great projects!ReplyDelete
Thank you for being apart of such a great hop and cause! Love your creations!ReplyDelete
sweetheartcopper at msn dot com
Amazing projects.ReplyDelete
indyowens at yahoo dot com
Very sweet of you to join this great operation....hope it is successful. I am doing my part by participating in the blog hop.ReplyDelete
LOVE IT!!!!!! HUGS AND PRAYERS HER WAY!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
very artsy and nice.ReplyDelete
Eva :0)
I have a giveaway on my blog
- AnonymousSunday, October 09, 2011
Wow - what a unique project! Fantastic!ReplyDelete
Oh, these are so pretty Sarah. Fabulous textures! :o)ReplyDelete
What awesome projects. I will be pack to see your future creations.ReplyDelete
what amazing projects you are very gifted! congrats on the great magazine spread! It is truely inspiring to see so many people giving of themselves to help a friend! God bless!ReplyDelete
Have a scrap-happy day
Lisa G
Love your creations! I am new to your blog and am bookmarking it so I can come back!ReplyDelete
Feeling the love for Julie on this hop!
Really cute necklace and nice card!ReplyDelete
you are so creative!!!! thanks for sharing! :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing your creativity. It's so cute. Here's to Julie's new smile.ReplyDelete
Wendy K
These are gorgeous, Sarah! I soooo miss your artsy takes on the color challenges! And a HUGE congratulations to you! Go, Sarah!ReplyDelete
What a work of art... love. it.ReplyDelete
GREAT projects! for a Great cause!ReplyDelete
GORGEOUS projects and CONGRATULATIONS on your feature in Stampers' Sampler!!!!ReplyDelete
Such creative projects! I too enjoy fabric so I"m happy to see your blog along this amazing hop!ReplyDelete
OHHH! Your projects are super amazing--LOOOOOVE that shoe!!! So glad you were a part of this hop! You are a blessing and a great friend:)ReplyDelete
Those are stunning!ReplyDelete
AWESOME projectsReplyDelete
that is one gorgeous necklace!! I too love fabric, wool, paper, etc, so I think this is just fabby"-)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMonday, October 10, 2011
beautiful cards! TFS!!!ReplyDelete
My dear bestie...thank you for your love and support with this blog hop. It was so wonderful to have your name on the list...I miss you so much and can't wait to share a NEW SMILE with you when I finally come to see you. xxReplyDelete
Oh so classy and fab!!ReplyDelete


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Personal communication service with mobility manager
A system for providing personal communication services (PCS) is described, wherein a subscriber can tailor the telephone service to provide communication mobility and incoming call management. Calls to a personal number assigned to the subscriber are routed to a PCS service node which will re-route the call according to the subscriber's service profile stored in a database. The service node insures that attempts to communicate with the subscriber are handled with appropriate consideration for who is calling, when the call is made, and the urgency of the call. In addition, the subscriber is given control over how the system will work for them in routing incoming calls.
Latest Northern Telecom Limited Patents:
- Method and system for interfacing systems unified messaging with legacy systems located behind corporate firewalls
- Method and system for interfacing systems unified messaging with legacy systems located behind corporate firewalls
- Method and system for interfacing systems unified messaging with legacy systems located behind corporate firewalls
- Method and system for interfacing systems unified messaging with legacy systems located behind corporate firewalls
This invention relates to personal communication services (PCS), but more particularly, to systems for providing a mobility/management service wherein the subscriber can tailor the telephone service to provide communication mobility and incoming call management.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Increasingly, there is a demand for telephone services that provide easier access to a called party. For example, a new type of service is being introduced in which subscribers are provided with a single, personal telephone number used to access those subscribers regardless of their physical location. For example, callers to a personal number may automatically be connected to a business, residence, cellular or other phone, or voice messaging system, depending on where the individual they are trying to reach happens to be at the time of the call. The problem with some existing systems is that they are usually adapted to be connected externally of the telephone exchange and are therefore ill-adapted to provide efficient use of network wide features. For example, these systems cannot make use of Calling Line Identification (CLID) network features for the routing or treatment of incoming calls.
Accordingly, there is a need for a personal communication system which can be easily integrated with a network and able to offer incoming call management and communication mobility while making use of network based features.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the personal communication service (PCS) of the present invention, calls to a personal number are routed to a PCS service node, which manages the communications services for all subscribers. The portion of the system providing PCS to an individual subscriber is hereinafter referred to as Personal Agent (PA). The Personal Agent ensures that attempts to communicate with an individual are handled with appropriate consideration for who is calling, when the call is made, and the urgency of the call. In addition, the PCS provides the subscriber personal control over the way in which the resulting system will work for them.
In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the personal communication system supports subscribers by providing communication mobility and incoming call management.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, mobility support is provided by "Hunting", that is, attempting to contact the subscriber at a sequence of likely locations until the subscriber is reached.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, mobility support is provided by allowing subscribers to store the ringing time allowed at each location or device when the system is attempting to reach the subscriber.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, mobility support is provided by "Subscriber Scheduling", which allows scheduled location changes with the ability to override them when necessary by means of a "Schedule Override".
In accordance with another feature of the invention, mobility support is provided to subscribers located outside of their normal toll area by enabling calls to be forwarded to the remote location with long distance charges automatically directed to the subscriber's calling card account.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, mobility support is provided by a "Shared Phone Call Announcing" service which allows the subscriber to send calls to locations which are not exclusively used by the subscriber.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the personal communication system supports subscribers by providing incoming call management.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with a "Special Callers List" feature to identify those callers who should receive forced urgency, call announcing, or call blocking treatment.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with use of Calling Line Identification (CLID) feature for routing or providing special treatment of incoming calls, according to their CLID in conjunction with "Special Callers List" features.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with a "Subscriber Interruptability" feature which allows the subscriber to establish the urgency of calls they are willing to accept, that is, normal, priority or emergency calls.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with a "Call Completion Query" feature, which, if desired by the subscriber, allows callers to determine how their call is to be routed if the subscriber can't be reached.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with an "Operator Service" feature which, if desired by the subscriber and permitted by the system provider, allows callers to be connected to a system or private operator, (e.g. secretary).
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with a "Subscriber's Schedule" feature which can be used by the subscriber to automate regular changes in the urgency of calls they wish to accept.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with a "Schedule Override" feature which allows the subscriber to easily depart from their normally scheduled call management service.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with a "Call Completion Treatment Schedule" feature which can be used by the subscriber to indicate the treatment provided to the caller at various times when the subscriber cannot be reached.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with an Internal or External "Messaging Service" which provides voice messaging functionality when the subscriber cannot be reached or does not wish to be disturbed.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, incoming call management is provided with an "Announcement of Caller Identification" which allows subscribers to make the decision to take a call once they know who is calling.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a is a block diagram showing the interaction of the PCS service node within the Public Switched Telephone Network;
FIG. 1b is a block diagram of an embodiment of the service node for providing the personal communication services of the present invention;
FIG. 1c is a more detailed block diagram of the service node according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2a is a general flowchart of the main caller interface;
FIG. 2b is a general caller interface flowchart showing the system greeting/announcement service;
FIG. 2c is a general caller interface flowchart showing the call urgency/completion query service;
FIG. 2d is a general caller interface flowchart showing the caller attempt connection;
FIG. 2e is a general caller interface flowchart showing how a call is directed to a pager;
FIG. 2f is a general caller interface flowchart showing how a call is directed to an external messaging system;
FIG. 2g is a general caller interface flowchart showing how a caller's name is recorded;
FIG. 3a is a general subscriber service interface flowchart showing how the main menu is accessed;
FIG. 3b is a general subscriber service interface flowchart showing how to specify a new location;
FIG. 3c is a general subscriber service interface flowchart showing how to modify the subscriber schedule;
FIG. 3d is a general subscriber service interface flowchart showing how to set the interruption level for incoming calls;
FIG. 3e is a general subscriber service interface flowchart showing how to access other options of the service;
FIG. 4 is a general interface flowchart for providing shared phone call announcement; and
FIG. 5 is a general interface flowchart of the caller identification announcement service.DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the present specification, Personal Number (PN), is the term used for the single number used to access someone regardless of their physical location. The portion of the system providing PCS to an individual subscriber is referred to as that subscriber's Personal Agent (PA).
A number of network functions or configurations are required for PCS features to work properly or most efficiently. It will be evident from those knowledgeable in the art that additional network functions and enhancements can be made with the proper modifications of the network configuration. The following are network functions or configurations and the PCS features that they enable or enhance:
Calling Line Identification (CLID), when a subscriber is calling allows the subscriber service control interface to more efficiently identify the subscriber and/or the subscriber location. Also, when someone is calling the subscriber, CLID allows the PCS to manage calls based on the calling number and the special callers list. Without CLID, callers will require passwords to identify themselves to the system, which will require the callers to have DTMF signalling. Failing this, the subscriber's PA will have to act as if the caller is unidentified.
PN setup. When an existing number is reconfigured to be the subscriber's PN, a new number will be required for the location previously addressed by the PN. If this is not provided, PCS will not be able to terminate calls to the subscriber at that location due to destination looping.
Location configuration. When a subscribers identify themselves at a location, PCS expects calls to that location to ring unanswered, ring busy, or be answered by a human.
PCS Bypass. When PCS Bypass is enabled for a location/device mn the subscriber s list, care must be taken to configure that location/device so that unanswered and/or busy calls are returned to PCS.
As is shown in FIG. 1a, a service node 10 for providing PCS services is connected to a host node 11 forming part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 12. The host node 11 can, for example, be comprised of a central office switch, such as a DMS-100 (Trademark) digital telephone switch, available from Northern Telecom. When a caller 14 dials the personal number (PN) of a PCS subscriber 15, the call is intercepted by the host node 11 as being a call directed to a PCS service subscriber. From this point on, the service node 10 will interact with the host node 11 to attempt call completion according to the subscriber's profile contained at the service node 10. This can be, but is not limited to, either one of the subscriber's base location 15, remote location 16, subscriber's mobile telephone 17, subscriber's voice messaging service (not shown) or operator 18.
As shown in FIG. 1b, the service node 10 interacts with the host node 11, by making use of a voice/server mail processor 21 and a personal agent/application processor 22 used for accessing service profiles 24 of one or more subscribers. These components are currently available from Northern Telecom, as Meridian Mail Voice Processor (MMVP), and dual processor Meridian Application Equipment Module (AEM). Meridian is a Registered Trademark of Northern Telecom.
Network connectivity and switching functions can be carried out by a voice switch (not shown), or host node 11. The service node 10 is connected to host node 11 and the network 12 via an ISDN Primary Rate Access (PRA) link 23, or an equivalent link able to carry voice and signalling information. This link transports call information between the service node 10 and the host node 11. Call information includes the original dialled number, calling line identification, call redirection information, called number, etc.
The personal agent/application processor 22 makes use of databases 24 which contain the service profiles of the PCS subscribers, for providing the subscriber with communication mobility and incoming call management. Database 24, can either form an integral part of the application processor 22, voice processor 21 or be part of a separate storage facility. One of the files making up the subscriber's profile is the voice messaging file 25. This file contains information about the subscriber's voice messaging service, such as what types of message will be played, access codes required for accessing voice mail from a remote location, etc.
Another file which makes up the subscriber's profile is the Callers List 26. This list stores the identities of callers requiring special treatment, and the special treatment that is provided to them. Callers can be identified by CLID, or by an Identification Password entered through DTMF. An Identification Password can be given by the subscriber to a group of callers, allowing all of them access to the same special treatment, without the subscriber having to individually identify them all on the Caller List 26. A special treatment can be a System Announcement, in situations where the subscriber does not wish to communicate with the caller, or Messaging if the subscriber is willing to take messages from the caller but does not want to have the caller directly connected. Also, a special treatment can give a call a Normal, Priority, or Emergency status, if the call is to be forced to a specific status level. CLIDs can be specified by range, allowing the subscriber to give special treatment to a group of callers, e.g. all callers in local area code are routed to Messaging. A name can be associated with each entry in the list. This name is used to help in any list validation and simplify communication of subscriber requirements to the service administrator.
An example of a typical Caller List is shown below in Table 1.0
In table 1.0, "Numbers" show the CLID(s) associated with the caller. If a call from this CLID is directed to the subscriber, the special treatment will automatically be provided. If a caller enters a password associated with an entry in the Callers List, that caller will be identified to the subscriber, in a Shared Phone Announcement, by the CLID associated with that password and entry.
"Name" is a text string associated with an entry, for use by the system operator or service representative. It is also provided to the subscribers when a printed copy of the profile is sent to them for verification purposes.
"Password" is a numeric string that can be entered by a caller, and when entered, will provide the caller with the special treatment associated with that entry.
"Special Treatment" is the special handling that callers identified as being associated with this entry will receive. Important callers may receive "Priority" or "Emergency" call status, other callers may be designated to receive only a Messaging treatment, or just one of a set of pre-recorded system announcements.
Referring again to FIG. 1b, another file which also makes up the subscriber's profile is the Subscriber Number List 27. This list stores the network addresses and types of the devices and usual destinations to be used when communicating with the subscriber or leaving a message for the subscriber. The Subscriber Number List can also store the ringing time allowed at each device when attempting to connect a call. This flexibility allows calls to be progressed at the optimal speed. For example, slowly past devices which the subscriber needs time to answer, and quickly past devices which would be answered almost immediately if the subscriber was there to take the call.
An example of a Subscriber Number List is shown below in Table 2.0.
As shown in Table 2.0, "IDs" are numbers used to refer to specific devices by the subscriber when changing locations, e.g. only "1#" is needed to identify the subscriber's home location.
"Name" is the pre-determined system name for locations. This can be Home, Car, Portable, Office, Cottage, Boat, etc.
"Number" is the network address of the device.
"Type" indicates whether the Shared Phone Call Announcement should occur when calls are extended to that device/location, or if all calls to that device/location should have the caller announced, or if the device can be "by-passed" (this indicates whether PCS can bypass itself when a call is directed to this location when filtering or call announcing is not required).
"Rings" indicates how long a device should be rung before "no-answer" is assumed.
"Other Devices" include the possible destinations for completing calls when a subscriber can't be reached. These can be a pager, a messaging system, or a private operator. Sufficient information is provided to allow PCS to complete the call to these destinations.
Also part of the subscriber's profile is the Subscriber's Schedule 28. Some subscribers may wish to change, at regular intervals, the way their calls are managed, e.g. only emergency calls after 11 p.m. weekdays and after midnight on weekends. Further, they may have a pattern of movement from device to device which can also be described in a schedule. The Subscriber's Schedule allows, for example, the elimination of subscriber and/or operator interaction to support regularly occurring changes. Multiple time slots can be specified, e.g. Monday-Friday 0900-1700 hours, Saturday 1030-2330 hours, and "other" which defines what happens for non-specified time slots. For each of these predefined time slots, the Schedule can list the default devices to use in contacting the subscriber during that time, e.g. Monday-Friday 0730-0800 hours use car or home number, Monday-Friday 0800-0830 hours use car or office number. This schedule could be set for the subscriber who spends half an hour commuting each morning, leaving sometime between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.. Similarly, the Schedule allows each slot to have an urgency of calls which the subscriber will accept, e.g. only urgent calls after 5 p.m. on weeknights and on weekends. Those subscribers who do not use scheduled changes can have a single, all-inclusive entry in their schedule, indicating their default location and interruptability.
An example of the Subscriber Schedule is shown below in Table 3.0.
"Day" and "Time" are used to determine which time period(s) and entry in the schedule applies to.
"Interruptability" indicates the urgency of calls that the subscriber will accept during the time period(s) specified by the entry.
"Devices" indicates which device(s)/location(s) are to normally be used when attempting to connect to the subscriber during the time period(s). Names refer to entries in the Subscriber Number List.
In addition to the Subscriber Schedule, a Call Completion Schedule is used to determine what action the system should take with a call when the caller is normally allowed to reach the subscriber, but the subscriber couldn't be reached, or was not interruptible. Table 4.0 shown below provides an example of a Call Completion Schedule.
"Day" and "Time" indicates which days and over which time ranges a particular treatment will be provided to a caller. "Other" is used to refer to all times not otherwise specified.
"Treatment" indicates what should be done with a call that could not be terminated by connecting it to the subscriber. Options are "Message", "Pager", "Operator", and "Query". "Query" treatment results in the caller being asked for his choice of 2 or more of the 3 available treatments.
"Urgency" indicates that only calls of at least the specified urgency are to receive that treatment. This allows calls of different urgencies to be terminated differently, e.g. to an operator (secretary) or to messaging.
Also part of the subscriber's profile are other Data files which store other subscriber information necessary to operate PCS or provide the subscriber with prompt and courteous operator service. An example of this data is shown below in Table 5.0.
"Personal Number" is the PN of the subscriber.
"Bypass Access" and "Bypass Password" are used to directly route the Personal Number to an allowed subscriber location, using a network based forwarding feature.
"Other Personal #(s):", "Name", and "Notes:" are examples of textual comment fields which can be associated with the subscriber profile to facilitate service.
"Password" is the identification number for the subscriber, which can be used for operator verification of subscriber identity, or when the subscriber is calling the Subscriber Service Interface.
"Calling Card #" is used to charge PCS placed calls when the subscriber has directed calls to a location not local to the host node 11.
"Language" is the language to be used for the playing prompts to Subscriber's callers.
"Allowed Features" indicates which features this subscriber has access to. The options listed in Table 5.0 are for example only, and may vary according to what is specified by the PCS service provider.
"Call Announce Name Recording" indicates whether unknown callers should be prompted to record their names when Call Announcing is required.
"Call Urgency Query" can be "none", "priority", or "emergency". If "none", calls which are not assigned an urgency in the caller list will always be assumed "normal".
A Schedule Override feature has been provided since many subscriber's schedules are subject to variations. This override allows the subscriber to adjust the schedule for current circumstances without having to permanently change the schedule. For example, the subscriber can shift the next or previous scheduled change so that they occur earlier or later, or for all scheduled changes to be suspended until a future date/time. This, for example, can be useful when the subscriber is off sick, on vacation or just running a little late. Similarly, while a subscriber may normally desire that only urgent calls be connected after 5 p.m., he may wish to extend that when waiting for calls which the system will not be able to identify as urgent.
When a subscriber overrides his scheduled location to a location not in the device/location list, the new location will be assumed to be "shared", with PCS confirming that the subscriber is at the location before connecting the call. In this example, if three calls to the location are made, and no DTMF response is received by PCS to the confirmation request, or if the response indicates that the relocation is to be cancelled, PCS will cancel the location override and resume with the location specified in the schedule.
As is shown in FIG. 1a, incoming calls can be directed to standard permanently installed telephones 15, mobile telephones 17, a messaging service (reference numerals 21 and 29 of FIG. 1b), a system or private operator 18, numeric/digital pager or voice pager (not shown). If an incoming call is directed to a telephone which may be answered by someone other than the subscriber, then the telephone is specially indicated as being shared. Calls to this destination are provided with a Caller Announcing feature. Of course, calls to any other telephone devices may also be provided with the Call Announcing feature. Call completion at these devices requires DTMF verification at the destination that the subscriber is on the line and wishes to take the call before a caller is connected.
The PCS can transfer a call directed to a subscriber to a pre-determined external messaging system 29. If necessary, the PCS can enter the subscriber's mailbox code to prevent the caller from having to do this. Callers to a PCS subscriber whose call is to be sent to messaging will be automatically transferred to that subscriber's mailbox on the internal or external system. The target messaging system should of course be configured to operate this way. To handle caller identification overrides and emergency calls, the PCS will warn the caller to hold while their call is transferred to an external messaging system. The period of warning can be used as the "window" in which a caller can enter an identification password, or "0" for emergency/operator treatment. Subscribers to PCS can log in to their external messaging system by selecting an option in the Subscriber Service Interface. This option will result in PCS placing the subscriber on hold and a call made to the external messaging system. The PCS will then outpulse the subscriber's mailbox number and password and then drop out of the loop.
When a subscriber uses the internal, integrated voice messaging 50, the person-system interface is optimized. No PCS command "window" is required prior to transferring a caller, as the message system's "greeting" is sensitive to the PCS commands and responds appropriately, returning the caller to the PCS application if necessary. Mailbox numbers, passwords, and other information, such as the caller's number and the call's urgency, can be passed between the Personal Agent and Voice Messaging Application processors via the data processor 48 without the delays involved in waiting for an external system to answer and in outpulsing this data via DTMF. The integrated system can allow the subscriber to switch from messaging to PCS, allowing them to change PCS configurations after listening to their messages. The integration and data sharing between the PCS and messaging applications also allows for integrated statistics and billing data to be easily connected.
The PCS can also transfer a call to a PCS system operator, who can access the subscriber's Personal Agent data to determine why the subscriber can't be reached, or provide any other service offered by the operator. Similarly, the PCS can transfer the call to a subscriber defined Private Operator. This could be the subscriber's secretary, an external answering service, or other appropriate destination.
When the call is directed to a Numeric/Digital pager, the pager receives and displays a numeric message entered by the caller. If the caller does not enter a digital code for transmission to the pager, the PCS can provide the pager with the CLID of the caller, if it is known.
The voice pager receives a voice message recorded by the paging system. The PCS can transfer the caller directly to the paging system and leave the rest of the interaction under the control of the paging system.
Another feature disclosed with the present invention is the Hunting feature. There are times when the subscriber may be moving fairly often between a fixed set of locations (e.g. a construction manager who is away from his desk on and off all day, and carries a portable cellular phone with him when he is away). Hunting allows contact to be made with subscribers without the subscribers having to constantly update their locations manually. This feature allows the subscriber to list up to three locations by which the system is to attempt to contact him. The system will normally "hunt" to the next location if the subscriber doesn't answer, or a call to a shared telephone is answered and it is indicated that the subscriber is not there. The system is designed to stop hunting to the next location in the list if a location is busy.
Referring now to FIG. 1c, we have shown a more detailed block diagram of the voice/server mail processor 21 of the service node 10. The voice/server mail processor 21 is adapted to receive/send voice information on a voice channel 40 and data or signalling information on a data channel 41. The processor 21 is comprised of a signalling generator 42 adapted to initiate, establish and transfer calls when connected to the data channel 41 and generate DTMF signalling to external devices via the voice channel 40. The external devices can be a pager, or external voice messaging system. A prompt playback unit 43 stores various prompts which are sent to the calling party or the subscriber, when either is communicating with the system. The prompt playback unit 43 sends this information along voice channel 40. These prompts are usually the ones provided by the service provider, such as "The person you are calling does not wish to take calls at this time." or "Welcome to PCS; please hold while we try to connect you to --John Doe--". The voice recording/playback unit 44 is used for the recording and playback of the voice of an incoming caller, when the caller is asked to leave a message, or of the subscriber, when the subscriber wants to modify the welcoming message of his or her voice mail.
The DTMF recognition unit 45 is used to detect and recognize DTMF tones sent by the calling party or subscriber, when either is connected to PCS. The call progress tone detection unit 46 allows the system to detect busy, fast busy, re-order, ringing, etc., when PCS is attempting to place a call. The signalling receiver 47 is used to detect Calling Line Identification (CLID), called number, incoming calls, end of call, reason for call forwarding, etc. The type of information received will of course be dependent on the connection technology used.
The data processor 48 routes information to and from a functional block serving a call, i.e. elements 42 to 47, to the correct application processor. For example, during a PCS call, information is routed to and from the personal agent application processor 49, whereas, during the use of the system's internal voice mail, information is directed to and from the voice messaging application processor 50. The data processor 48 is also used for communicating between the two processors allowing the switching of application and for each application to use data accumulated by the other.
The following description of FIGS. 2a-2g is directed at describing the flow of information at the caller interface. That is, when an individual attempts to contact a PCS subscriber. The precise interface that the caller has with the PCS will depend on the subscriber's requirements and the specific PCS features in use for the subscriber. In some cases, it is possible that the caller will not have any obvious interaction with the PCS, and in others, will respond to Call Completion or Call Urgency Queries and be provided with status information. The caller will normally have available four single-digit DTMF commands. These can, for example, be:
enter password (e.g. the numeral 4 key to prefix the password);
operator assistance request (zero key);
skip over welcome message (#key);
skip directly to messaging (numeral 6 key); and
login - subscriber's calling (key)
Additionally, callers may be requested to make a Call Completion or Call Urgency determination via DTMF signals.
In conjunction with FIGS. 1a to 1c, we can now refer to FIG. 2a, where we have shown a flowchart diagram illustrating the general caller interface options that may be available to a caller attempting to reach a PCS subscriber. Once the call has been identified as described above as being directed to a PCS subscriber, block 101, the personal agent 22 of the service node determines which subscriber profile to use, by checking the called number against the personal numbers of all PCS subscribers, block 102. In FIG. 1c, the signalling receiver 47 detects the called number and passes this to PA 22 via data processor 48, allowing the personal agent 22 to access the subscriber profile corresponding to the number called. Then, as described at block 103, the signalling receiver 47 and data processor 48 of service node 21 determines if the incoming call included the CLID. If there is a CLID, the personal agent 22 would access the profile 24 of the subscriber to determine whether the CLID matches that of a caller on the subscriber's Caller List 26. If so, then as shown at block 103, any special treatment is determined from the Caller List (see Table 1.0). If not, the default treatment is assumed, i.e. a non-urgent call.
Referring now to FIG. 2b, if the appropriate treatment is a System Greeting/Announcement 201, the caller will be connected to PCS and a voice channel 40 will become available. The personal agent 22 will instruct the data processor 48 to activate the prompt playback 43 to play the appropriate message 202. The message played to the caller again will depend on the CLID, or default treatment. Whenever a caller is hearing a PCS prompt 202, including a Call Completion Query or Call Urgency Query, they can enter an Identification Password 203 (assuming they have knowledge of one). This associates the caller with a CLID in the Special Caller List, and gives the caller the same Priority or Emergency call service associated with that CLID. This identification mechanism allows callers to receive this Priority or Emergency treatment when calling from another number or when CLID is not provided, or to override the default treatment when circumstances warrant. If the caller does enter an ID password 203, it will be detected by the DTMF detection circuit 45. The information would be passed via data processor 48 to the personal agent 22 allowing it to determine or confirm the identity of the caller 204 and the treatment to be provided. Also, the caller can enter other single digit commands 205, for introducing a password, skipping greetings, and immediate messaging. Again, depending on the digits, the DTMF recognition circuit 45 and data processor 48 would alert the personal agent 22 of the caller's input for the necessary treatment. If nothing is entered, the call would be processed as per the default treatment, i.e. messaging or prompt.
Callers can be queried by the system, as shown in FIG. 2c, if desired by the subscriber. For example, as shown at block 301, the caller can be asked their choice of leaving a message for the subscriber or paging the subscriber. Caller responds by keying a digit. A query can also indicate that the subscriber has requested that only "priority or emergency" calls be accepted, and ask the caller to use DTMF to signal if their call is of that level of importance. The query allows for appropriate defaults so that callers incapable of responding can be handled.
Some subscribers may have a requirement for their callers to be given a choice of routing when the subscriber cannot be reached, i.e. Call Completion Query. If a subscriber has requested this feature, the system will automatically query the caller as to which routing they desire. For example, calls can be routed to messaging, a pager (either voice or digital) or an operator.
Callers are not given any progress indication once the system has welcomed them and is handling their call, unless the system cannot connect the call to the subscriber, in which case, a prompt informing the caller is issued, and the completion treatment is performed. During this period, the system can be set-up so that the callers hear a non-synchronous audio source, as shown at block 401 of FIG. 2d. This could be music, or a custom recording.
When a connection with the subscriber is attempted, the personal agent 22, will provide the necessary signalling information to the data processor 48 so that the signalling generator 42 can initiate a call according to the subscriber's profile. This information, will be the result of the subscriber's schedule 28, subscriber's number list 27, the treatment provided to the caller and other appropriate data. As shown at block 402, the system will listen for a busy tone or wait for an answer or no answer. This is accomplished by the call progress tone detection 46. The call attempt will be made using one of the data or signalling channels 41 and a voice channel 40. If the call is made to a shared phone or callers announcement is required, the proper prompts will be played to the person answering the call. The calling party will only be connected to the far end if it is answered and, when necessary, the subscriber accepts the call by DTMF signals.
Calls directed to voice or digital pagers and external messaging systems are processed as shown at 501 and 502 of FIG. 2e and at blocks 601 and 602 of FIG. 2f, respectively. In either one of these cases, the signalling generator 42, would be directed by the personal agent to call the pagers or external messaging number and a call completion attempt will be made as described above.
When a Caller Identification Announcement is required with caller name recording, the call will be processed as shown at block 701-703 in FIG. 2g. In this case, the voice recording/playback unit 44 will be activated to record the caller's voice. Once the subscriber answers the call, the voice recording/playback unit will play the caller's voice to announce the caller to the subscriber.
The following description of FIGS. 3a-3e is directed at describing the flow of information for the Subscriber Service Interface when a subscriber attempts to access his or her PCS subscriber profile. The Subscriber Service Interface is directly accessed by the subscriber calling a special number, or by calling his own personal number and pressing *. This interface shows the possible mechanisms for the subscriber to control some of his most dynamic data. The interface would change depending on which features were provided to the subscriber(s). Of course, the system data and profile changes can also be done by a system operator, at the subscriber's request.
When a subscriber places a call into the PCS system, block 810, the subscriber's CLID, if known, allows the subscriber service interface to more efficiently identify the subscriber and/or the subscriber's location. If the calling number is not known, e.g. in a situation where the subscriber calls from, say a pay phone, a warning tone is heard to indicate the CLID is not known and the subscriber has to enter his or her subscriber number, see block 811-813. Subsequently, the subscriber is prompted for a password, see block 814-815. With reference to FIG. 1c, when the subscriber dials the special number, the signalling receiver will connect the subscriber to the personal agent 22. The subscriber will then be able to "communicate" with the personal agent via the prompt playback unit 43, voice recording/playback unit 44 and the DTMF recognition unit 45. Thus, the subscriber and the personal agent 22 will interact using interactive voice response. That is, depending on the DTMF entered, a system prompt or voice response will be heard by the subscriber, leading the subscriber through the various options available. This is shown in FIG. 3a, at block 816.
If the subscriber has access to a messaging system, then a notification of messages waiting (or not) will be made available to the personal agent and subscriber via a Message Waiting Indicator link 51 from an extension system 29 or via the data processor 48 from the voice messaging application processor 50.
FIGS. 3b to 3e show a number of possible parameters that the subscriber can change from his or her profile. In FIG. 3b, the location where the subscriber can be reached is changed. In FIG. 3c, the subscriber scheduling is temporarily changed. In FIG. 3d, the Interruption Level is changed, and in FIG. 3e, other options are provided to the subscriber, such as, call announcing, status change, change of password, etc. As is shown, all of these are done using Interactive Voice Response technology. The subscriber is lead through all options by simply pressing the correct digits on his or her keypad.
FIG. 4 shows the flow of information for the Shared Phone Call Announcement Interface. When the system attempts to reach a subscriber at a telephone that has been indicated as "Shared", the system will announce that there is a call for the subscriber, using the spoken name of the subscriber, as recorded by the subscriber on the voice recording/playback unit 44. The call can be rejected because the subscriber is not there, or it can be accepted by the subscriber, or information about the call can be requested (e.g. CLID and urgency), and the call can then be accepted or rejected. The caller will not know if his call is being announced. He will receive the usual message indicating that an attempt is being made to contact the subscriber, and will either reach the subscriber (the call was accepted), continue to the next hunt location, or have the call completed elsewhere (e.g. the messaging service). This is shown in blocks 900-902 of FIG. 4.
In addition to the subscriber-verification provided by the Shared Phone Call Announcing, the system will allow for calls to be announced even when the subscriber is the only user of a telephone. This service is shown in FIG. 5. The subscriber is given a number of options on how to answer the incoming call.
1. A communication system for routing a call to a subscriber of a telephone mobility management service, wherein the subscriber of the service is assigned a unique personal telephone number, such that an incoming call made to the subscriber's unique telephone number is routed to the subscriber according to a call routing schedule tailored by the subscriber, comprising:
- a) database means for storing:
- i) a list of network addresses associated with telephone devices for use by the service subscriber;
- ii) a list of calling line identification numbers (CLIDs) of callers identified by the subscriber as requiring special routing treatment; and
- iii) a subscriber schedule indicative of which one of said telephone devices an incoming call should be routed to, on the time and day the incoming call is received;
- b) signalling receiver means for detecting the CLID of a caller when a call is received at said subscriber's unique telephone number;
- c) data processing means for receiving the detected CLID and for accessing said list of CLIDs of callers, said list of network addresses and said subscriber schedule stored in said database means; and
- d) application server means for routing the call according to the special routing treatment associated with the caller's CLID and subscriber schedule and wherein said subscriber can access said database means via said application server means and said data processor means to modify each list stored therein.
2. A communication system as defined in claim 1, wherein a call is routed by said application server means to a second telephone device provided in the subscriber schedule, if the subscriber cannot be reached at a first selected telephone device.
3. A communication system as defined in claim 2, wherein said list of network addresses associated with telephone devices for use by the service subscriber further provides the number of times a telephone device is to ring before said call is routed to said second telephone device.
4. A communication system as defined in claim 1, wherein the special routing treatment is stored with said list of CLIDs.
5. A communication system as defined in claim 4, wherein the special routing treatment is provided to incoming calls according to the area code contained with the CLID.
6. A method of routing a call to a subscriber of a telephone mobility management service, wherein the subscriber of the service is assigned a unique personal telephone number, such that an incoming call made to the subscriber's unique telephone number is routed to the subscriber according to a call routing schedule tailored by the subscriber, comprising the steps of:
- a) storing in database means:
- i) a list of network addresses associated with telephone devices for use by the service subscriber;
- ii) a list of Calling Line Identification numbers (CLIDs) of callers identified by the subscriber as requiring special routing treatment; and
- iii) a subscriber schedule indicative of which one of said telephone devices an incoming call should be routed to, on the time and day the incoming call is received;
- b) accessing, when an incoming call is received, said list of CLIDs to determine whether the incoming call requires a special routing treatment;
- c) routing the incoming call, according to said special routing treatment and said subscriber schedule if a CLID is detected and contained on said list of CLIDs; and
- d) if a CLID is not detected, routing the incoming call according to said special routing treatment in response to predetermined DTMF tones.
7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the special routing treatment is provided to incoming calls according to the area code contained with the CLID.
8. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the incoming call is routed to a second telephone device provided in the subscriber schedule if the subscriber cannot be reached at a first telephone device.
9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said list of network addresses associated with telephone devices for use by the service subscriber further provides the number of times a telephone device is to ring before said call is routed to said second telephone device.
10. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein if an incoming call is routed to a telephone device which is shared between said service subscriber and another answering party, a prerecorded message will be sent to said shared telephone device such that the answering party is informed that the incoming call is directed to the service subscriber.
11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the subscriber can acknowledge his presence upon answering the incoming call on the shared telephone device, by dialling a predetermined DTMF code.
|January 26, 1982
|Jordan et al.
|July 18, 1989
|Metita et al.
|January 9, 1990
|Fuller et al.
|July 17, 1990
|June 11, 1991
|Davidson et al.
|June 22, 1993
|Creswell et al.
|August 24, 1993
|Bates et al.
- PCT Publication #WO 91/07838-Published May 30, 1991.
Type: Grant
Filed: May 26, 1992
Date of Patent: Jul 12, 1994
Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Montreal)
Inventors: Paul M. Brennan (Toronto), Raymond M. Mark (Mississauga)
Primary Examiner: James L. Dwyer
Assistant Examiner: Fan Tsang
Attorney: Jean-Pierre Fortin
Application Number: 7/887,758
International Classification: H04M 164; H04M 342;


text:
Fight the Death
Penalty in USA
Queer on Death Row
In Murder Cases, Being Gay Can Seal a Defendant's Fate
The Village Voice, March 13, 20001
You may never have heard of Calvin Burdine, but his case should be familiar.
Burdine is the Texas death-row inmate whose lawyer allegedly fell asleep during his trial. (The lawyer claimed he was merely concentrating.) The story surfaced during last year's presidential campaign as a stunning reminder of why Texas is known as the execution capital of the free world.
The fact that Burdine's trial took only 13 hours did not seem unusual.
But a federal court found the evidence of his attorney's naps disturbing enough to grant Burdine a stay of execution so his case could be reviewed. It is still pending.
Yet, another aspect of Burdine's appeal has gone unaddressed. His gayness was used by the state in ways that may have marked him for death.
Jurors - several of whom admitted animus toward gays-heard the prosecutor say during closing arguments that "sending a homosexual to the penitentiary certainly isn't a very bad punishment for a homosexual."
Burdine's lawyer did not object, but then, he had no problem calling the codefendant in the case a "tush hog." He didn't object when the prosecutor described Burdine's "homosexual life" as "voluntary." Making that point was an effective way to counter any sympathy that might arise from testimony that Burdine had been raped as a child by his father, a truck driver who took him along on runs.
Burdine's victim, too, had been a dark father figure. He took Burdine in only on the condition that he turn over his salary. Burdine testified that when his earnings didn't cover his rent, the benefactor insisted he hustle.
When he refused, Burdine contends, he was beaten by the victim's friends.
The result was murder in the commission of a robbery-a capital crime in many states, but one that doesn't necessarily lead to death row. Indeed, only 1.2 % of murder cases end in death sentences. Executing someone requires a separate proceeding in which aggravating factors are weighed against mitigating ones. When the defendant is gay, sexuality can become one of those aggravating factors-with fatal consequences.
In Burdine's case, the jurors were urged to order his execution by a prosecutor who told them that sending this man to prison would be like setting a kid loose in a candy store.
Calvin Burdine is not the only queer on death row. In the past few years, 5 capital cases involving gay or lesbian defendants have raised charges that homophobia played a role in sentencing. But no one knows how many queers await execution in America. Though extensive data exist on the race, age, and gender of such inmates, there are few statistics about their sexuality. No one knows how often gayness is raised by prosecutors as a snide implication, an unfounded assertion, or a fact that may or may not be relevant to the case. But it comes up with such frequency and in such predictable ways that the allegations of antigay bias cannot be dismissed.
There are high barriers against injecting race into a trial, and rape- shield laws that prohibit introducing a victim's prior sexual history.
But no such restrictions exist when it comes to homosexuality. "The courts are not there yet, especially in capital cases," says Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. As Burdine's trial illustrates, the rules against statements that might inflame a jury are not necessarily enforced when the defendant is gay.
Ambitious prosecutors are often free to play to stereotypical beliefs about homosexuals. And they have reason to single out gay defendants when deciding which cases might convince a jury toopt for execution.
After all, a death sentence is never mandatory. No matter how heinous the crime, a jury can choose to spare the murderer's life. "It's all about emotion," says Dieter. "There's no legal formula for who gets the death penalty. And anyone who seems outside the bounds of what's acceptable is more likely to end up being executed." Race, class, and reduced mental capacity all play a major role in capital punishment. The queer defendants in the following cases also fit into one or more of those categories.
Their sexuality was hardly the only factor in their fate. But in each case, it was used in ways that played to the most negative assumptions about gay people. And in the God-fearing counties where these trials took place, their gayness may have sealed their fate.
Sometimes, the mere mention of homosexuality is enough to spell death.
That's what activists say happened to Stanley Lingar, who was executed in Missouri last month for the murder of a young man he and a friend had picked up. According to the friend, who pled guilty to second degree murder (and served 6 years), they forced their victim to undress and demanded that he masturbate. When he failed to perform, Lingar shot him, beat him, and ran him over twice. The friend was the only witness to the crime, but the jury bought his testimony, and in the penalty phase, they sentenced Lingar to die.
This second verdict followed a startling piece of evidence that the prosecutor had abruptly introduced. It was something even the defense was unaware of. Lingar and his friend had been lovers. But what did that have to do with the case? The prosecutor maintained it would help explain Lingar's motive - though he never made that point to the jury. No matter.
The prosecutor had convinced the judge that Lingar's sexuality spoke to his character-and in Missouri a "depraved mind" is an aggravating factor.
Lingar's appeal was partly successful. The court ruled that discussing his homosexuality would have been unconstitutional if it had influenced the jury. But the court also concluded that it had not. Missouri's attorney general called the charge of bias "absurd."
In fact, 12 % of jurors say they could not be fair to a gay defendant, according to a survey by the National Law Journal. This suggests that homophobia will likely be present on any jury, not to mention one in rural Missouri. Yet because the prosecution chose to keep Lingar's sexuality a secret until the last minute, the defense had no way to deal with it, or even to poll the jury about homophobia. Situations like this are why activists urge defense lawyers to be proactive when their clients are gay.
Yet in places like Missouri, attorneys will often pretend the issue isn't there-until it's too late.
Wanda Jean Allen's sexuality was never far from the surface of her case.
She had killed her female lover in front of a police station; there was no disputing that. The issue was motive, and the defense demonstrated that Allen and her lover had a tumultuous, violent relationship requiring frequent interventions by the police. At her arrest, Allen bore scratches on her face, allegedly from being assaulted by her lover with a rake. This was a crime of passion, the defense argued, and in such cases the death penalty is rarely invoked.
But Allen had several strikes against her. For one thing, she was black and poor. (Her lawyer was paid only $800.) For another, she had killed before, albeit in a case so ambiguous that she was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter and received the minimum sentence of four years. A prior homicide can be grounds for death. But according to the Death Penalty Information Center, only 8.4 % of inmates awaiting execution have previous murder convictions. What made Allen's crime so shocking that she became the first woman put to death in the state of Oklahoma?
Possibly it was the prosecution's assertion that Allen "wore the pants in the family." Spurred on by testimony from the victim's mother, the state claimed that Allen was the man in the relationship, noting that she even liked to spell her middle name G-E-N-E, in the masculine way. The implication that Allen dominated her lover overwhelmed the evidence that both women had abused each other. And it raised the specter of the killer dyke that often haunts female defendants in murder cases. In the documentary Perverted Justice, CUNY law professor Ruthann Robson estimates that 40 % of women accused of murder must contend with "some implication of lesbianism."
In capital cases, the prosecution aims to convince the jury that the defendant is inhuman. It's harder to do that when a woman is in the dock.
"Before we can dehumanize her, we have to defeminize her," says Victor Streib, who has studied lesbians on death row. It's easier to kill a masculine woman, especially if she is what Streib calls "a tough customer."
Ana Cardona was hardly that. She was frail and feminine, according to her defense. Cardona claimed it was her domineering female lover who had killed her child. But the strategy backfired: Her lover got 40 years while Cardona got sentenced to death. After all, she was the child's mother - or "lesbian mother," as the prosecution called her. She was also accused of being sadistic enough to have beaten and starved the child.
But the image of the killer dyke gave her culpability added weight. As Streib notes: "The death penalty is fairly rare for mothers who kill their children." Susan Smith's life was spared, though she had watched her children drown in the car she rolled into a lake. But Smith was not a "lesbian mother."
Gay defendants, too, must deal with the image of the predatory queer, especially when the accomplice is a younger man. Even Calvin Burdine's dozing lawyer knew enough to base his defense on allegations that the victim was a "middle aged, king homosexual" who had victimized young boys.
Gregory Scott Dickens was 26 when he was charged with killing a couple outside Yuma, Arizona. He had been traveling with a 16-year-old who, according to Dickens's current attorney, was the most important person in his life. The youth admitted to firing the gun, but he testified that Dickens had given him the weapon and put him up to the crime. When the defense moved to present evidence that this teen fit the profile of a violent and impulsive liar, Judge Tom Cole intervened. If the defense took that route, said the judge, he might allow the prosecutor to raise an issue that had been kept from the jury: Dickens and his young friend were lovers.
Then the nature of Dickens's 2 previous convictions-for fondling minors-might also come out. "The state could say that in this homosexual relationship, the older partner had control over the kid," says Dickens's current attorney. So the defense backed down.
This time it wasn't the prosecutor's tactics but the judge's behavior that figured in the appeal. Court papers filed on Dickens's behalf claim that Judge Cole had reacted with rage to his own son's homosexuality. He had written a letter expressing the hope that his son would "die in prison like all the rest of your faggot friends." Cole denies writing the letter, but he would not comment on the allegation that he believes his son was turned gay by unscrupulous friends. "It's insignificant," Cole says.
But the defense contends that such an attitude could have induced Cole to allow homosexuality into the trial-especially when the accused might appear to be a sexual predator. In Arizona, the judge decides when a killer should be sentenced to death, and though Dickens was acquitted of premeditated murder, Cole found other grounds to condemn him. Dickens had committed a multiple murder that resulted in pecuniary gain. But so had his young friend, whose life was spared.
Assume that all these defendants are guilty. Grant that their sexuality may have some relevance to the case. The question, then, is not whether the subject should have come up but how it was used. Homosexuality was seen as a marker of perversion or pathology, the sign of a murderous bent. In these cases, the pretense of tolerance is ripped away, and one can see monsters from the homophobic id. But one can also recognize the biases that underlie ordinary life.
"Anyone can end up in court," notes Ruth E. Harlow, legal director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. "And any time a gay man or lesbian goes into court, they have to be afraid that sexual orientation may play a role in their case." It might come up in family court, when the judge assumes a gay parent would expose a child to sexual activity. It could influence a prosecutor's decision about who gets to plea bargain and who must stand trial. It could even determine who is charged with a crime in the 1st place. "We tend to think of gay people as crime victims, not prisoners," says Bill Dobbs of Queer Watch. "But in fact, the criminal justice system touches us in many ways."
In New York, court clerks are required for monitoring purposes to list the sexual orientation of each defendant in a capital case. But the law does not address the way homosexuality can be used at trial.
"I don't think there is any particular protection," says Pauline Toole, spokesperson for New York's Capital Defender Office. But at least homosexuality is not a crime in this state. In the South and West, where sodomy laws are common, the presumption of innocence for gay people is compromised to begin with.
And when they are charged with murder, their sexuality is "like a powder keg," says Dobbs. "It can easily cause a jury to light the match."
Calvin Burdine knows how homophobia was used against him: from the jurors' pretrial comments to the prosecutor's closing remarks. "I did hear it," Burdine told the Voice from his cell on death row. "But it just kind of went over my head. I was scared to death."


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