Personal address updates using directory assistance data

• US 20030179866A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Decker, John Jeffrey, Stillman, Scott T.
• Granted Patent: US 6,870,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for storing directory assistance information in a subscriber'"'"'s electronic address book for future use. If a directory number associated with the desired called party is not in the subscriber'"'"'s address book, a voice services node initiates a call to a directory assistance service to obtain a directory number for the called party. If the subscriber would like to have the obtained number added to the subscriber'"'"'s address book, the directory number, name and address associated with the requested directory assistance may be added to the subscriber'"'"'s address book for future use by the subscriber when the subscriber needs the directory number associated with the called party.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining directory assistance information and for storing the obtained directory assistance information in a subscriber address book, comprising:

placing a call at a calling party switch for voice interactive services;

routing the call to a network component for voice interactive services;

receiving a request at the network component to connect the call to a called party;

querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the called party;

if a directory number associated with the called party is located is located in the calling party address book, returning the directory number to the network component; and

if a directory number associated with the called party is not located in the calling party address book, connecting the calling party to a directory assistance services for obtaining a directory number for the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby placing a call at a calling party switch for voice interactive services includes placing the call at a calling party switch for voice activated dialing services.

3. The method of claim 1, prior to the step of routing the call to a network component for voice interactive services, triggering a query from the calling party switch to a service control point for call routing instructions.

4. The method of claim 3, after the step of triggering a query from the calling party switch to a service control point for call routing instructions, further comprising determining at the service control point that the call requires voice interactive services.

5. The method of claim 4, whereby the step of determining at the service control point that the call requires voice activated services includes determining at the service control point that the call requires voice activated dialing services.

6. The method of claim 1, whereby the step of placing a call at a calling party switch for voice interactive services includes entering a dialing code at the calling party switch associated with voice interactive services.

7. The method of claim 6, whereby the step of entering a dialing at the calling party switch associated with voice interactive services include entering a dialing code at the calling party switch associated activated dialing services.

8. The method of claim 6, whereby receiving the dialing code at the calling party switch causes triggering the query to the service control point.

9. The method of claim 1, prior to the step of triggering a query from the calling party switch to a service control point for call routing services, provisioning an off-hook delay trigger at the calling party switch associated with voice interactive services.

10. The method of claim 9, whereby the step of provisioning an off-hook delay trigger at the calling party switch associated with voice interactive services included provisioning an off-hook delay trigger at the calling party switch associated with voice activated dialing services.

11. The method of claim 9, whereby the step of triggering a query from the calling party switch to a service control point for call routing instructions includes firing the off-hook delay trigger at the calling party switch in response to receiving the call at the calling party switch.

12. The method of claim 1, whereby the step of routing the call to a network component for voice interactive services includes routing the call to a network component for voice activated dialing services.

13. The method of claim 12, whereby the step of routing the call to a network component for voice interactive services includes routing the call to a voice services node for voice interactive services.

14. The method of claim 13, whereby the step of routing the call to a voice services node for voice interactive services includes routing the call to a voice services node for voice activated dialing services.

15. The method of claim 1, whereby the step of receiving a request at the network component to connect the call to a called party includes receiving a request from the calling party at the network component to connect the call to a called party.

16. The method of claim 15, prior to receiving the request at the network component to connect the call to a called party, prompting the calling party via the calling party switch for a name of the called party;

and receiving a name of the called party from the calling party at the network component.

17. The method of claim 16, at the network component, converting the name of the called party received from the calling party from an audio format to a digital format.

18. The method of claim 17, whereby converting the name from an audio format to a digital format includes using a speech recognition application at the network component for converting the name received from the calling party from an audio format to a digital format.

19. The method of claim 16, whereby the step of querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the called party includes querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the name of the called party received from the calling party.

20. The method of claim 19, whereby the step of querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the name of the called party received from the calling party includes:

passing the name of the called party from the network component to a calling party address book database via a database query; and

parsing a list of called party names in the calling party address book database to locate the name of the called party provided by the calling party and to locate a directory number associated with the called party name.

21. The method of claim 1, after the step of returning the directory number to the network component, further comprising connecting the call from the calling party to the called party via the directory number located in the calling party address book database.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising locating the calling party address book database using a calling line identification for the calling party.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising locating the calling party address book database via a user identification for the calling party.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising locating the calling party address book database using a personal identification number provided by the calling party.

25. The method of claim 1, prior to connecting the calling party to a directory assistance services, notifying the calling party that a directory number for the called party name is not in the calling party address book database.

26. The method of claim 1, after the step of connecting the calling party to a directory assistance service, requesting by the directory assistance service from the calling party the name and address of the called party;

recording by the network component the name and address provided by the calling party to the directory assistance service;

recording by the network component a directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to the calling party; and

at the network component, performing a digit recognition on the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to determine whether the directory number provided by the directory assistance service is a valid directory number.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising converting the name an address provided by the calling party from an audio format to a digital format;

and

converting the recorded directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to the calling party from an audio format to a digital format; and

storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database for subsequent use.

28. The method of claim 27, prior to storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database, prompting the calling party from the network component to determine whether the calling party desires that the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service be stored in the calling party address book database for subsequent use.

29. The method of claim 27, after storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database, connecting the calling party to the called party via the directory number provided for the called party by the directory assistance service.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising;

connecting the calling party to the called party includes passing from the network component the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to the service control point for call routing instructions;

at the service control point instructing the calling party switch to route the call from the calling party to the called party via the directory number provided for the called party by the directory assistance service; and

receiving instructions at the calling party switch from the service control point to forward the call from the calling party to the called party via the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service and passed to the service control point from the network component.

31. A system for obtaining directory assistance information and for storing the obtained directory assistance information in a subscriber address book, comprising:

a voice interactive services node operative;

to receive a request to connect the call to a called party;

to query a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the called party;

to receive the directory number from the calling party address book if a directory number associated with the called party is located in the calling party address book; and

to connect the calling party to a directory assistance service for obtaining a directory number for the called party if a directory number associated with the called party is not located in the calling party address book.

32. The system of claim 31, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative to prompt a calling party via a calling party switch for a name of the called party prior to receiving the request at the voice interactive services node to connect the call to a called party.

33. The system of claim 32, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative to convert the name of the called party received from the calling party from an audio format to a digital format.

34. The system of claim 33, whereby the voice interactive services node includes a speech recognition application for converting the name received from the calling party from an audio format to a digital format.

35. The system of claim 31, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative to pass the name of the called party to a calling party address book database via a database query.

36. The system of claim 31, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative to connect the call from the calling party to the called party via the directory number located in the calling party address book database.

37. The system of claim 31, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative to notify the calling party that a directory number for the called party name is not in the calling party address book database prior to connecting the calling party to a directory assistance service.

38. The system of claim 31, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative

to record a name and address provided by the calling party to the directory assistance service;

to record a directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to the calling party; and

to perform a digit recognition on the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to determine whether the directory number provided by the directory assistance service is a valid directory number.

39. The system of claim 38, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative

to convert a name and address provided by the calling party to the directory assistance service from an audio format to a digital format;

and

to convert the recorded directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to the calling party from an audio format to a digital format; and

to store the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database for subsequent use.

40. The system of claim 39, whereby the voice interactive services node is further operative to connect the calling party to the called party via the directory number provided for the called party by the directory assistance service after storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database.

41. A method for obtaining directory assistance information and for storing the obtained directory assistance information in a subscriber address book, comprising:

receiving a call at a voice services node of a telecommunications system for voice activated dialing services;

receiving a request at the voice services node to connect the call to a called party;

querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the called party;

if a directory number associated with the called party is located in the calling party address book, returning the directory number to the voice services node; and

if a directory number associated with the called party is not located in the calling party address book, connecting the calling party to a directory assistance service for obtaining a directory number for the called party.

42. The method of claim 41, prior to receiving a request at the voice services node to connect the call to a called party, prompting a calling party from the voice services node for a name of the called party.

43. The method of claim 42, whereby the step of querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the called party includes querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the name of the called party received from the calling party.

44. The method of claim 41, whereby the step of querying a calling party address book for a directory number associated with the name of the called party received from the calling party includes:

passing the name of the called party from the second network component to a calling party address book database via a database query; and

parsing a list of called party names in the calling party address book database to locate the name of the called party provided by the calling party and to locate a directory number associated with the called party name.

45. The method of claim 41, after the step of connecting the calling party to a directory assistance service, further comprising:

recording by the voice services node a name and address provided by the calling party to the directory assistance service;

recording by the voice services node a directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to the calling party; and

at the voice services node, performing a digit recognition on the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service to determine whether the directory number provided by the directory assistance service is a valid directory number.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database for subsequent use.

47. The method of claim 46, prior to storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database, prompting the calling party from the voice services node to determine whether the calling party desires that the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service is to be stored in the calling party address book database for subsequent use.

48. The method of claim 46, after storing the name of the called party provided by the calling party and the directory number for the called party provided by the directory assistance service in the calling party address book database, connecting the calling party to the called party via the directory number provided for the called party by the directory assistance service.