One number, intelligent call processing system

• US 20020136381A1
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NeuStar Information Services, Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Murex Securities Limited (Wallsgrove Ltd.)
• Inventors: Moore, George G., Shaffer, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,661,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• 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: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A one number, multi-application, intelligent call processing system provides service benefits to a caller, a servicing location and/or a vanity number advertiser during a call, parallel to the call and/or post call in an integrated common architecture. The system utilizes VRU technology in conjunction with the national telecommunications network connected via Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) to a virtual telephone number database containing a nationwide master list of telephone numbers with attribute data items associated by Spatial Key linkage to each telephone number. The process of the invention is initiated by a caller dialing a selected telephone number to request information and/or services. Based on the number dialed, a caller or network provided ten-digit telephone number and VRU prompted for and received caller input, the system retrieves the application requested data from the virtual telephone number database and provides it to the network.

Claims

1. A method of using an identifier received during communication over a network and at least one publicly available database to link to and retrieve information related to an entity selected from a plurality of entities, wherein the entity is selected via a linkage key determined from the received identifier, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier during communication over a network;

associating the received identifier with a linkage key, wherein the linkage key is based on information obtained at least in part from one of;

a United States Postal Service (USPS) National Address database, a USPS ZIP Code database, a USPS City State database, a USPS Delivery Sequence database, a United States Census Bureau Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system (TIGER) database, a database containing latitude and longitude coordinates for a plurality of street links, a North American Datum (NAD) database, a national Telephone Number Plan Area database, and a national Local Exchange Routing Guide (LERG) database;

selecting, via the linkage key, at least one entity from a plurality of entities;

retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity; and

providing the retrieved information to the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity is based at least in part on information derived from at least one publicly available database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one publicly available database includes one of:

a USPS National Address database, a USPS ZIP Code database, USPS City State database, a USPS Delivery Sequence database, a United States Census Bureau TIGER database, a NAD database, a national Telephone Number Plan Area database, and a national LERG database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity is stored in database records indexed by the linkage key, and the database records do not contain the received identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the linkage key is a spatial key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the linkage key is selected from one of:

a ZIP code, a telephone number, a Census Block Code, a geographic coordinate, a latitude and longitude pair, an interleaved latitude and longitude coordinate pair, and a number derived from latitude and longitude.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the linkage key is selected from one of a social security number, a drivers license number, and a DUNS number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key is performed at a first location and the information associated with the at least one selected entity is retrieved from a remote database at a second location remote from the first location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected entity is a store location and retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a database located at a remote location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein retrieving information from the database located at the remote location comprises retrieving information using a second linkage key different from the linkage key used to select the store location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second linkage key is a telephone number.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises associating the selected entity with first and second linkage keys, and wherein selecting at least one entity from a plurality of entities comprises selecting at least one entity via the first linkage key.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first linkage key and the second linkage key are the same key.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first linkage key and the second linkage key are different keys.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first linkage key and the second linkage key are spatial keys.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first linkage key is a spatial key and the second linkage key is a non-spatial key.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information via the second linkage key.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key is performed at a first location and the information associated with the at least one selected entity is retrieved from a remote database at a second location remote from the first location.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from one of:

a credit bureau database, a property database, a business financial database, a business location database, and a government location database.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a census geography database.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a client location database.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a USPS address database.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a geodemographic database.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a spatial database.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from a phone number database.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises performing a computation.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises performing a table lookup.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a CTI network.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a telephony network.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a wireless network

32. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the retrieved information to the network comprises sending information to an electronic-mail address.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the retrieved information to the network comprises sending information to an Internet address.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises a physical address.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises a street address.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises a latitude and longitude coordinate pair.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises a telephone number.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises a ZIP code.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises an Internet address.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises an electronic mail address.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises capturing information provided by the network.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises capturing key entry data.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises capturing handwritten information.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises capturing information from a voice recognition unit.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises prompting a user to provide an address.

46. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises validating a user-provided address.

47. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises standardizing a user-provided address.

48. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises ZIP+4 coding an address.

49. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises coding an address with a delivery point code (DPC).

50. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises coordinate coding an address.

51. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key comprises latitude and longitude coding an address.

52. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises a business telephone number.

53. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises a business address.

54. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises a business Internet address.

55. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises a business electronic mail address.

56. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an identifier during communication over a network comprises transferring to an operator.

57. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises distance information related to the entity based on the received identifier.

58. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises a distance-ordered list of information related to a group of entities based on the received identifier.

59. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises a map related to the entity location.

60. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises driving directions related to the entity location.

61. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information from one of:

a USPS address database, a credit bureau database, a property database, a geodemographic database, a business financial database, a business location database, and a government location database.

62. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the linkage key with a second linkage key, and wherein retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity comprises retrieving information based on the second linkage key.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the linkage key and the second linkage key are spatial keys.

64. A method of using an identifier received during communication over a network and at least one publicly available database to link to and retrieve information related to an entity selected from a plurality of entities, wherein the entity is selected via a linkage key determined from the received identifier, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier during communication over a network;

associating the received identifier with a linkage key;

selecting, via the linkage key, at least one entity from a plurality of entities;

retrieving information associated with the at least one selected entity including information derived at least in part from a publicly available database selected from one of;

a United States Postal Service (USPS) National Address database, a USPS ZIP Code database, a USPS City State database, a USPS Delivery Sequence database, a United States Census Bureau Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system (TIGER) database, a database containing latitude and longitude coordinates for a plurality of street links, a North American Datum (NAD) database, a national Telephone Number Plan Area database, and a national Local Exchange Routing Guide (LERG) database; and

providing the retrieved information to the network.

65. A method of ordering products or services from an entity selected from a plurality of entities based on an identifier received during communication over a network, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier during communication over a network;

associating the received identifier with a linkage key, wherein the linkage key is based on information obtained at least in part from one of;

a United States Postal Service (USPS) National Address database, a USPS ZIP Code database, a USPS City State database, a USPS Delivery Sequence database, a United States Census Bureau Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system (TIGER) database, a database containing latitude and longitude coordinates for a plurality of street links, a North American Datum (NAD) database, a national Telephone Number Plan Area database, and a national Local Exchange Routing Guide (LERG) database;

selecting, via the linkage key, an order-accepting entity from a plurality of entities;

retrieving information associated with the selected order-accepting entity; and

providing the retrieved information to the network to enable placing an order with the selected order-accepting entity.

66. The method of claim 65, further comprising selecting additional order-accepting entities.

67. The method of claim 65, wherein the order is for a service.

68. The method of claim 65, wherein the order is for a product.

69. The method of claim 65, wherein the order is for food.

70. The method of claim 65, wherein the order is for pizza.

71. The method of claim 65, wherein the order is for delivery.

72. The method of claim 65, wherein the information associated with the selected order-accepting entity is stored in database records indexed by the linkage key, and wherein the database records do not contain the received identifier.

73. The method of claim 65, wherein the linkage key is a spatial key.

74. The method of claim 65, wherein the linkage key is selected from one of:

a ZIP code, a telephone number, a Census Block Code, a geographic coordinate, a latitude and longitude pair, an interleaved latitude and longitude coordinate pair, and a number derived from latitude and longitude.

75. The method of claim 65, wherein associating the received identifier with a linkage key is performed at a first location and the information associated with the order-accepting entity is retrieved from a remote database at a second location remote from the first location.

76. The method of claim 65, wherein retrieving information associated with the order-accepting entity comprises retrieving information from a database located at a remote location.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein retrieving information from the database located at the remote location comprises retrieving information using a second linkage key different from the linkage key used to select the order-accepting entity.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein the second linkage key is a telephone number.

79. The method of claim 65, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

80. The method of claim 65, wherein the network comprises a Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) network.

81. The method of claim 65, wherein the network comprises a telephony network.

82. The method of claim 65, wherein the network comprises a wireless network

83. The method of claim 65, wherein providing the retrieved information to the network comprises sending information to an electronic-mail address.

84. The method of claim 65, wherein providing the retrieved information to the network comprises sending information to an Internet address.