Credit report retrieval system including voice-based interface

• US 20030154162A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Transunion Interactive, Inc. (TransUnion Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Transunion Interactive, Inc. (TransUnion Corporation)
• Inventors: Meizger, Scott, Danaher, John Thomas, Depow, Justin, Maxwell, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/364,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154162A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and systems providing a voice-based interface to credit report retrieval systems allowing users to order credit report data using a telephone or similar device. The present invention provides novel functionality and process flows directed to handling a request from a caller for a credit report, while providing a secure and easy-to-use voice interface. In one embodiment, the functionality associated with the present invention allows a customer to access his/her credit score via a telephone or other suitable voice-based device, and have a credit report mailed to his/her address. The use of a voice interface, instead of a traditional graphical user interface associated with web-based services accessible over a client computer, marks a departure from traditional credit reporting product channels and provides an opportunity to access a large market of consumers who do not regularly access the Internet. In one embodiment, the present invention further provides a novel authentication methodology, especially adapted to telephone network devices and other interfaces having limited text entry capabilities, that minimizes the opportunity for malicious users to glean authenticating information; i.e. personal information presumably known to an individual that may be used to authenticate identity.

Claims

1. A credit data retrieval and reporting system allowing telephone-based access to credit report retrieval functionality, comprising

a credit data repository maintaining credit history data associated with at least one entity;

a credit scoring engine operative to receive credit report data relating to an individual or other entity and process the data against a credit scoring model to yield a credit score;

a voice interface server operably connected to a telecommunications network to transmit voice signals to and receive voice signals from voice-based telephone network devices;

wherein the voice interface server includes call process flow functionality operative to interact with users and generate orders for credit reports;

a credit data retrieval system operative to;

interact with the voice interface server to receive a request for credit report data associated with a user;

access the credit data repository to retrieve credit report data associated with the user;

access the credit scoring engine to retrieve a credit score based on the credit report data associated with the user;

transmit the credit score to the voice interface server in response to the request from the user;

wherein the voice interface server comprises a speech recognition engine operative to convert speech received from voice-based telephone network devices to text, a text-to-speech engine operative to convert text data received from the credit data retrieval system to speech;

and wherein the voice interface server is operative to;

in response to a command from a user, transmit requests for credit report data to the credit data retrieval system;

receive a credit score associated with the user; and

communicate the credit score to the user.

2. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the interface server comprises call process flow functionality operative to:

prompt for and receive information identifying an individual user;

transmit the information to the credit data retrieval system in a message requesting authentication information;

authenticate the user based on the authentication information provided by the credit data retrieval system.

3. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 2 wherein the call process flow functionality is further operative to:

notify the credit data retrieval system of successful and failed authentication attempts; and

provide credit report scores returned from the credit data retrieval system to authenticated users.

4. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 2 further comprising an address verification system operative to return an address associated with an individual user;

and wherein the credit data retrieval system, in response to a request including information identifying a user, is operative to retrieve, from the address verification system, an address associated with the user and transmit the address to the voice interface server; and

wherein the voice interface server authenticates the user based on the transmitted address.

5. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 3 wherein the credit data retrieval system is further operative to begin processing retrieval of credit report data associated with the user from the credit data repository in response to the request for authentication information;

and wherein the credit data retrieval system is operative to terminate the processing in response to a notification that the user has failed authentication.

6. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the interface server comprises call process flow functionality including pre-recorded voice-based scripts associated with the stages of operation of the credit data retrieval and reporting system;

and wherein the voice interface server is operative to combine data gathered during interaction with the credit data retrieval system with the voice-based scripts and transmit them to the network telephone device associated with the user.

7. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the voice interface server further comprises a DTMF interface operative to recognize DTMF signals transmitted from a voice-based telephone network device, and wherein the voice interface server is operative to associate DTMF signals with command options.

8. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the voice-based telephone network device is a POTS telephone.

9. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the voice-based telephone network device is a wireless cell phone.

10. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 further comprising an off-line mail distribution facility operative to print credit reports and mail the credit reports to users;

and wherein the credit data retrieval system, in response from a notification associated with an individual user transmitted by the voice interface server, is operative to trigger the off-line mail distribution facility to print out and mail hard copies of credit reports to the individual user.

11. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the credit scoring engine is incorporated into the functionality of the credit data repository.

12. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 1 wherein the credit data retrieval system further comprising a network services gateway implementing web services network functionality to process and route service requests transmitted by the credit data retrieval system and route responses returned by end systems associated with the service requests.

13. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 12 wherein the credit data repository includes a web services network interface, and wherein the server obtains credit reporting data by accessing the web services network interface by transmitting requests thereto via the network services gateway.

14. The credit data retrieval and reporting system wherein data transmitted between the credit data retrieval system and the voice interface server are formatted as XML messages.

15. A credit data retrieval and reporting system allowing telephone-based access to credit report retrieval functionality, comprising

a credit data repository maintaining credit history data associated with at least one entity;

a credit scoring engine operative to receive credit report data relating to an individual or other entity and process the data against a credit scoring model to yield a credit score;

an off-line mail distribution facility operative to print credit reports and mail the credit reports to users;

a voice interface server operably connected to a telecommunications network to transmit voice signals to and receive voice signals from voice-based telephone network devices;

wherein the voice interface server includes call process flow functionality operative to interact with users and generate orders for credit reports;

a credit data retrieval system operative to;

interact with the voice interface server to receive a request for credit report data associated with a user;

access the credit data repository to retrieve credit report data associated with the user;

access the credit scoring engine to retrieve a credit score based on the credit report data associated with the user;

transmit the credit score to the voice interface server in response to the request from the user;

trigger, in response from a request associated with an individual user transmitted by the voice interface server, the off-line mail distribution facility to print out and mail hard copies of credit reports to the individual user;

wherein the voice interface server comprises a speech recognition engine operative to convert speech received from voice-based telephone network devices to text, a text-to-speech engine operative to convert text data received from the credit data retrieval system to speech;

and wherein the voice interface server is operative to;

in response to a command from a user, transmit requests for credit report data to the credit data retrieval system; and

communicate verification that the credit report data has been ordered to the user.

16. The credit data retrieval and reporting system of claim 15 wherein the credit data retrieval system is operative to access information allowing for authentication of individual users, and wherein the interface server comprises call process flow functionality operative to:

prompt for and receive information identifying an individual user;

transmit the information to the credit data retrieval system in a message requesting authentication information;

authenticate the user based on the authentication information provided by the credit data retrieval system; and

transmit a request for credit report data to the credit data retrieval system if the user is authenticated.

17. A method facilitating authentication of users over telephone network devices, comprising

receiving authentication information associated with a user, wherein authentication information includes a plurality of elements, and wherein the plurality of elements includes elements ranging from a most general element to a most specific element;

authenticating the user by

prompting the user for information corresponding to the most general element type;

terminating the authentication, if the information provided by the user does not match the authentication information;

otherwise, repeating the prompting and conditional terminating steps for the next most general element type until the most specific element type is reached or the authentication is terminated.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the prompting step comprises

formulating a multiple choice authentication challenge, wherein the information corresponding to the element type is one choice in the authentication challenge.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the authentication information is an address including street address, city, and state elements;

and wherein the most general element type is the state element and the most specific is the street address element.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the address further includes a zip code element.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the authentication information is an address including street address, city, and state elements;

and wherein the most general element type is the state element and the most specific is the street address element.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the address further includes a zip code element.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the user is allowed a predetermined number of unsuccessful attempts before the authentication is terminated.