Systems and methods for screening communications based on receiver programmable pins

Abstract

A method for connecting a communication session may include storing first user communication acceptance criteria that is associated with a first user. A method may further include receiving a request from a second user to initiate a communication session with the first user and determining whether the first user permits such communication sessions with the second user based on the first user communication acceptance criteria. A method may include initiating the communication session between the first user and the second user upon determining that the first user permits the communication session to be initiated based on the first user communication acceptance criteria.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for connecting a communication session comprising:
 storing first user communication acceptance criteria associated with a first user;   receiving a request from a second user to initiate a communication session with the first user; and   responsive to determining, based at least in part on the first user communication acceptance criteria, that the first user permits the communication session with the first user to be initiated by the second user, initiating the communication session between the first user and the second user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication session is a telephone call. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the second user does not have access to a telephone number associated with the first user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication session is a computer-implemented audio call. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication session is a computer-implemented video call. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second user does not have access to contact information associated with the first user. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication acceptance criteria comprise a time range when telephone calls are acceptable. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication acceptance criteria comprise a list of accepted users. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the accepted users are members of a predefined class of users. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication acceptance criteria comprise a list of unaccepted users. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication acceptance criteria comprise a schedule defining when a communication session with the second user should be accepted. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication acceptance criteria define who may leave a voicemail message. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication acceptance criteria comprise a PIN, and the communication session is initiated between the first user and the second user if the second user enters the PIN. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 requesting a first communication link to a first communication device associated with the first user;   requesting a second communication link to a second communication device associated with the second user; and   connecting the first communication device to the second communication device if the request for the first communication link and the request for the second communication link are both accepted.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein requesting the first communication link to the first communication device comprises placing a telephone call to the first communication device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second user receives a secondary voicemail greeting if the request for the first communication link is denied, the secondary voicemail greeting being different from a primary voicemail greeting that would play if the first communication device were contacted directly. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request from a second user to initiate the communication session with the first user is received via a network connection. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request from a second user to initiate the communication session with the first user is received via a telephone call from the second user to a service center. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending caller identification data associated with a service center to the first user. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending caller identification data to the first user, wherein the caller identification data comprises an alias of the second user.