Toll-tree numbers metadata tagging, analysis and reporting

• US 10,165,128 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somos, Inc. (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Somos, Inc. (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Thjuan K
• Application Number:
  US15/720,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20180027129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 37911209, 37911204, 37911424, 37920112, 37911201, 37911202, 379111, 37911206, 37911401, 370352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/72 by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/755 Account identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8061 Selecting least cost route depending on origin or type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/555 Statistics, e.g. about subscribers but not being call statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2263 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/367 Traffic or load control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 : by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42306 : Number translation services, e.g. premium-rate, freephone or vanity number services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 : where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 : Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0087 : Network testing or monitoring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0091 : Congestion or overload control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

A toll-free tagging service is provided that includes a subscription-based service that is made available to responsible organizations, consumers and businesses. The toll-free tagging service may provide the ability to tag a toll-free number (or group of numbers), and once a number is tagged, to track updates to that number that may then be distributed to customers through emails/text messages or other means. Subscribers of the toll-free tagging service may also have the ability to create, view, update and delete tags through a web application, mobile application, or some other user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving first data relating to at least one of a dip rate or dip volume that is associated with a toll-free telecommunications number;

receiving identity data relating to usage of the toll-free telecommunications number;

analyzing the first data and identity data to create a fraud rating metadata tag that is associated with the toll-free telecommunications number, wherein the fraud rating metadata tag is a quantitative summary of suspicious call activity associated with the toll-free telecommunications number; and

distributing a communication to an entity regarding the suspicious call activity associated with the toll-free telecommunications number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity data is CNAM data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag includes data related to a category of toll-free number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the category related to an industry segment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag includes data relating to popularity as derived at least in part from a search history associated with the toll-free number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag includes location information associated with the toll-free number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag includes financial information associated with the toll-free number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag includes data relating to a plurality of social media user profiles.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of social media user profiles includes demographic data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of social media user profiles includes financial data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of social media user profiles includes geographic data.

12. A method comprising:

analyzing identity data relating to a first toll-free number and location data to create a stored mapping tag that is associated with the first toll-free number, wherein the stored mapping tag is a quantitative geographic summary datum of a location of call activity associated with the first toll-free number;

analyzing performance data of a plurality of call routes, by stored mapping tag, that is associated with the first toll-free number to create a ranking of the plurality of call routes according to at least one performance criterion;

identifying a location of a call placed to a second toll-free number based at least in part on identity data relating to the placed call;

associating the location with a stored mapping tag; and

transmitting the call placed to the second toll-free number over a call route, wherein the call route is selected based at least in part on a similarity of the location of the call placed to at least one stored mapping tag having a high ranking.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identity data is CNAM data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the ranking is presented to a user in a user interface upon the user submitting a toll-free number query.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the ranking is used to order the second toll-free number within a plurality of toll-free numbers presented to a user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein an ordered listing is presented to the user and includes presenting the ranking that is associated with each of the plurality of toll-free numbers.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the ranking generates an alert to a user if it exceeds a given ranking value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the alert is sent to the user sharing the attribute.

19. A method comprising:

analyzing identity data relating to a first toll-free number and location data to create a stored mapping tag that is associated with the first toll-free number, wherein the stored mapping tag is a quantitative geographic summary datum of a location of call activity associated with the first toll-free number;

analyzing performance data of a plurality of call routes, by stored mapping tag, that is associated with the first toll-free number to create a ranking of the plurality of call routes, by stored mapping tag, according to at least one performance criterion;

scoring each of the plurality of call routes according to at least one financial metric; and

creating a call path score for each of the plurality of call routes, wherein the call path score is based at least in part on the ranking and the scoring.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identity data is CNAM data.