Telecommunication call management and monitoring system with voiceprint verification

• US 10,069,967 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US14/865,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 370259-271, 370351-357, 379 37- 52, 379 671- 8828, 379189, 37920101, 709201-207, 709217-248, 348 1401- 1416, 704270-278
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/435 having six-membered rings with one nitrogen as the only ring hetero atom
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/44 Non condensed pyridines; Hydrogenated derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/505 Pyrimidines; Hydrogenated pyrimidines, e.g. trimethoprim
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10396 the interrogation device being wearable, e.g. as a glove, bracelet, or ring wearable aerials in general H01Q1/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/41 using speaker recognition speaker recognition per se G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 : Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/305 : Recording playback features, e.g. increased speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 : Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 : Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/20 : with means for interrupting existing connections; with means for breaking-in on conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 : Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 : Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 : Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 : using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 : using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42025 : Calling or Called party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 : Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

Disclosed is a secure telephone call management system for authenticating users of a telephone system in an institutional facility. Authentication of the users is accomplished by using a personal identification number, preferably in conjunction with speaker independent voice recognition and speaker dependent voice identification. When a user first enters the system, the user speaks his or her name which is used as a sample voice print. During each subsequent use of the system, the user is required to speak his or her name. Voice identification software is used to verify that the provided speech matches the sample voice print. The secure system includes accounting software to limit access based on funds in a user'"'"'s account or other related limitations. Management software implements widespread or local changes to the system and can modify or set any number of user account parameters.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for restricting access to a call management system, the method comprising the steps of:

during a registration process by a user of the call management system;

receiving a first image from the user via a biometric sensing device;

verifying the first image is indicative of a face using image recognition; and

associating the verified first image with a user profile and storing the verified first image in a database; and

during each subsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system to place a call;

prompting the user to utilize the biometric sensing device to provide a second image;

determining that a visual characteristic of the second image matches a visual characteristic of the verified first image;

determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of the verified first image; and

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristics of the verified first image;

retrieving voice prompt menu information associated with the user profile;

selecting a voice prompt menu from a plurality of voice prompt menus based on the retrieved voice prompt menu information;

playing the selected voice prompt menu for a called party that the user is attempting to contact, wherein the voice prompt menu prompts the called party to supply biometric authentication information; and

allowing the call in response to receiving and authenticating supplied biometric authentication information from the called party.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

during the each subsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system to place a call;

after the allowing the call to be completed, sampling image data from the call to detect if an unauthorized person is party to the call based on the visual characteristic of the verified first image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the camera is an infrared camera and the first image, the first verified image, and the second image are infrared images.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

during the registration process by the user of the call management system;

assigning an identification to the user; and

associating the identification with the first image in the database; and

during the each subsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system to place the call;

receiving the identification from the user; and

locating the first image in the database using the identification.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of the verified first image;

querying the database with the identification;

determining whether the user is authorized to place the call based on the querying; and

allowing or rejecting the call based on the determination.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

taking a control action in response to detecting that an unauthorized person is party to the call.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the access to the call management system by updating the database.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the user to position his/her face within a field of view of the camera,

wherein the prompting is implemented with a graphical user interface.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the visual characteristic of the first image, the visual characteristic of the verified first image, and the visual characteristic of the second image are measures of face architecture.

10. An apparatus for restricting access to a call management system, the apparatus comprising:

a database; and

one or more processors and/or circuits configured to;

register a user, the registering including;

receiving a first image from the user via a biometric sensing device; and

storing the first image in the database; and

authorize or reject-a subsequent call attempt by the user by;

receiving a second image from the user;

verifying that the first image is indicative of a face;

determining that a visual characteristic of the second image matches a visual characteristic of the first image;

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image matches a visual characteristic of the first image,

retrieving voice prompt menu information from the database;

selecting a voice prompt menu from a plurality of voice prompt menus based on the retrieved voice prompt menu information;

playing the selected voice prompt menu for a called party that the user is attempting to contact, wherein the voice prompt menu prompts the called party to supply biometric authentication information; and

authorizing the subsequent call attempt in response to receiving and authenticating supplied biometric authentication information from the called party.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to:

after authorizing the subsequent call attempt, obtain image data of the user during the call;

compare a visual characteristic of the image data of the user during the call to the visual characteristic of the verified first image; and

detect if an unauthorized person is party to the call based on the comparison.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the database further includes an identification provided by the caller, the identification being associated with the caller and the first image in the database;

and

wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to locate the first image using the identification.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to take a control action in response to detecting that an unauthorized person has spoken.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the camera is an infrared camera and the first and second images are infrared images.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the visual characteristic of the first image and the visual characteristic of the second image are measures of face architecture.

16. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

during a registration process by a user of a call management system;

receiving a first image from the user via a biometric sensing device;

verifying the first image is indicative of a face using image recognition; and

associating the verified first image with a user profile and storing the verified first image in a database; and

during each subsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system to place a call;

prompting the user to utilize the biometric sensing device to provide a second image;

determining that a visual characteristic of the second image matches a visual characteristic of the verified first image;

determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of the verified first image; and

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristics of the verified first image;

retrieving voice prompt menu information associated with the user profile;

selecting a voice prompt menu from a plurality of voice prompt menus based on the retrieved voice prompt menu information;

playing the selected voice prompt menu for a called party that the user is attempting to contact, wherein the voice prompt menu prompts the called party to supply biometric authentication information; and

allowing the call in response to receiving and authenticating supplied biometric authentication information from the called party.

17. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

during the each subsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system to place a call;

after the allowing the call to be completed, sampling image data from the call to detect if an unauthorized person is party to the call based on the visual characteristic of the verified first image.

18. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

during the registration process by the user of the call management system;

assigning an identification to the user; and

associating the identification with the first image in the database; and

during the each subsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system to place the call;

receiving the identification from the user; and

locating the first image in the database using the identification.

19. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the second image is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of the verified first image;

querying the database with the identification;

determining whether the user is authorized to place the call based on the querying; and

allowing or rejecting the call based on the determination.

20. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

taking a control action in response to detecting that an unauthorized person is party to the call.