Single interface for provisioning collected data to requesting systems

• US 10,084,922 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Soini, Jonathan, Shelton, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Bataille, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US15/474,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20170324871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4217 Managing service interactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for providing multiple, different types of information for mobile devices and associated users to requesting systems, such as customer service systems provided by telecommunications carriers. The systems and methods may generate a single API that, when called by a requesting system (e.g., via a request transmitted by the requesting system that includes subscriber or device information), provides data collected from multiple, disparate data sources back to the requesting system via the single API.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning data to requesting systems, where the data is associated with a mobile device associated with a user that communicates over a telecommunications network provided by a telecommunications carrier, the system comprising:

at least one hardware computer, wherein the computer is configured to execute software modules, including;

an information request module that receives a request from a requesting system associated with a customer service center of the telecommunications carrier to provide multiple, disparate types of information associated with a mobile device to the requesting system via a single application programming interface (API) that receives API calls from requesting systems for the multiple, disparate types of information;

wherein the request includes a code that is temporarily generated to represent the mobile device and obscure an identity of a user associated with the mobile device;

a user identification module that extracts an identity of the mobile device from the code;

a data collection module that collects data associated with the extracted identity of the mobile device by accessing multiple, disparate, sources of data associated with the telecommunications network in order to obtain the requested multiple, disparate types of information, including;

an internal source of data provided by the telecommunications carrier; and

an external source of data provided by a third party unassociated with the telecommunications carrier; and

,

an information provision module that provides the collected data associated with the mobile device to the requesting system via the single API.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module collects facts type data and features type data from the internal source of data, and collects capabilities type data from the external source of data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module collects data associated with characteristics of the mobile device, data associated with a wireless network provided by the telecommunications carrier to the mobile device, and data associated with a customer account for the user of the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information request module, upon receiving the request via the single API, identifies certain data sources of the multiple, disparate, sources of data from which to obtain the requested information, and instructs the data collection module to obtain the requested information from the identified data sources.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the code that represents the mobile device and obscures an identity of a user associated with the mobile device is a three digit alphanumeric code generated using a hashing algorithm applied to an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the code that represents the mobile device and obscures an identity of a user associated with the mobile device is a three digit alphanumeric code generated using a hashing algorithm applied to a mobile station international subscriber directory number (MSISDN) associated with the user of the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the requesting system is an automated customer service system internal to the telecommunications carrier that manages information associated with the mobile device, the user associated with the mobile device, and the telecommunications network provided by the telecommunications carrier.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the requesting system is an automated diagnostic system operated by the telecommunications carrier and configured to trouble-shoot issues associated with the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module collects first data from a first source of data, and collects second data from a second source of data that provides context information for the first data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module caches data collected from the external source of data provided by the third party unassociated with the telecommunications carrier.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection module collects data from a network subscriber database of the telecommunications carrier and data from a device database associated with a manufacturer of the mobile device.

12. A method for provisioning data to requesting systems, where the data is associated with a mobile device associated with a user that communicates over a telecommunications network provided by a telecommunications carrier, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting system associated with a customer service center of the telecommunications carrier to provide multiple, disparate types of information associated with a mobile device to the requesting system via a single application programming interface (API) that receives API calls from requesting systems for the multiple, disparate types of information;

wherein the request includes a code that is temporarily generated to represent the mobile device and obscure an identity of a user associated with the mobile device;

extracting an identity of the mobile device from the code;

collecting data associated with the extracted identity of the mobile device by accessing multiple, disparate, sources of data associated with the telecommunications network in order to obtain the requested multiple, disparate types of information, including;

an internal source of data provided by the telecommunications carrier; and

an external source of data provided by a third party unassociated with the telecommunications carrier; and

,

providing the collected data associated with the mobile device to the requesting system via the single API.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein collecting data associated with the extracted identity of the mobile device includes collecting facts type data and features type data from the internal source of data, and collects capabilities type data from the external source of data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein collecting data associated with the extracted identity of the mobile device includes collecting data associated with characteristics of the mobile device, data associated with a wireless network provided by the telecommunications carrier to the mobile device, and data associated with a customer account for the user of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

upon receiving the request via the single API, identifying certain data sources of the multiple, disparate, sources of data from which to obtain the requested information; and

obtaining the requested information from the identified data sources.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the code that represents the mobile device is generated from an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the code that represents the mobile device is generated from a mobile station international subscriber directory number (MSISDN) associated with the user of the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the requesting system is an automated customer service system internal to the telecommunications carrier that manages information associated with the mobile device, the user associated with the mobile device, and the telecommunications network provided by the telecommunications carrier.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the requesting system is an automated diagnostic system operating within the telecommunications network and configured to trouble shoot issues associated with the mobile device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting system associated with a customer service center of a telecommunications carrier to provide multiple, disparate types of information associated with a mobile device operating on a wireless network provided by the telecommunications carrier to the requesting system,

wherein the request is received via a single application programming interface (API) that receives API calls from requesting systems for the multiple, disparate types of information; and

wherein the request includes a code that is generated to accompany the request and obscures an identity of a user associated with the mobile device;

extracting an identity of the mobile device from the code;

collecting data associated with the extracted identity of the mobile device by accessing multiple, disparate, sources of data in order to obtain the requested multiple, disparate types of information, including;

an internal source of data provided by the telecommunications carrier; and

an external source of data provided by a third party unassociated with the telecommunications carrier; and

,

providing the collected data associated with the mobile device to the requesting system via the single API.