The field of the invention is providing information received from a calling party to a called party, and in particular providing call subject information received from a calling party to a called party.
When a calling party desires to communicate with a called party, the called party must often decide whether to communicate with the calling party based upon insufficient information. For example, one known system only provides the called party with a ring when the calling party desires to communicate with the called party. The ring reveals nothing about the identity of the calling party; nothing about the purpose of the communication desired by the calling party; and nothing about the urgency of the communication.
Another known system provides some additional information about a calling party by identifying the name and/or telephone number of the calling party on a display visible to the called party (e.g., xe2x80x9ccaller IDxe2x80x9d). Although this provides more information than only a ring, it still fails to inform the called party as to the purpose of the calling party""s intended communication or its urgency. Further, the added information provided by caller ID is worthless in practice when the called party is unfamiliar with the calling party""s telephone number and/or name.
With such limited information about the calling party and virtually no information about the topic, contents or urgency of the calling party""s communication, a called party may have to communicate with a calling party with which it would rather not. For example, when the calling party is a telemarketer desiring to communicate the advantages of a product it wishes to sell to a called party at the called party""s dinner time, the called party may prefer not to communicate with the telemarketer. On the other hand, if the calling party is a hospital official desiring to communicate information pertaining to the medical condition of a member of the called party""s family, then the called party may desire to communicate with the official, even at a time that would otherwise be considered inconvenient.
If the called party is only provided with a simple ring as in one known system, the called party does not know whether the calling party is a telemarketer or a hospital official. Thus, the called party feels compelled to communicate with the calling party at least until the calling party can be identified and/or the subject of the call can be ascertained by the called party. If the called party is apprised of the calling party""s telephone number and/or name as in another known system, the called party may not be able to distinguish the number or name of the telemarketer from that of the hospital official, and thus may still feel compelled to communicate with the calling party.
A called party needs more information than that provided by known systems to make an informed decision as to whether to communicate with the calling party.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a system and method provide call subject information from a calling party to a called party. A call subject platform receives a call from a calling party. The call subject platform prompts the calling party to provide call subject information. If call subject information is received at the call subject platform from the calling party, then the call subject platform sends at least part of the call subject information to the called party. The call subject platform then determines if the called party desires to communicate with the calling party.
The present invention advantageously provides more information to a called party about a prospective communication than do known systems. This advantageously provides a more substantial basis upon which the called party can make an informed decision as to whether to communicate with the calling party. In accordance with the present invention, the called party advantageously need not communicate with a calling party to determine if communication with the calling party is desirable. The present invention thus allows the called party to advantageously avoid an unwanted communication with a calling party.