Outbound notification using customer profile information

• US 20040003048A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• 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 7,996,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

Methods and systems provide for automatic outbound information notification to a subscriber based on a subscriber'"'"'s communications customer profile. A subscriber may select one or more events for which the subscriber desires notification from an outbound notification events options list. When an event is triggered for which the subscriber has requested notification, for example a traffic information report at a selected notification time, a voice services node queries a customer profile database to determine what information must be obtained and transmitted to the subscriber based on the subscriber'"'"'s selected notification options and frequencies. The voice services node calls the subscriber at the subscriber'"'"'s telephone directory number and plays the prescribed event information to the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of providing outbound information notification to a telecommunications system subscriber, comprising:

at a first telecommunications network component, tracking one or more selected outbound information event occurrences for outbound information notification to a subscriber;

at the occurrence of a selected event, determining what information is to be provided to the subscriber at the selected event occurrence;

returning to the first network component an identification for the information that is to be provided to the subscriber at the selected event occurrence;

at the first network element, retrieving the identified information that is to be provided to the subscriber;

placing a call from the first network component to the subscriber at a designated subscriber telephone directory number; and

playing the retrieved information as and audio-formatted message to the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, after playing the retrieved information to the subscriber, terminating the call to the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1, after the step of determining what information is to be provided to the subscriber at the selected event occurrence, querying the customer profile database for a customer profile for the subscriber.

4. The method of claim 3, after the step of querying the customer profile database, parsing the customer profile of the subscriber to determine what information is to be provided to the subscriber at the occurrence at the selected event occurrence.

5. The method of claim 1, prior to placing the call to the subscriber, converting the retrieved information from text to speech for playing to the subscriber as an audio-formatted message.

6. The method of claim 1, whereby the step of retrieving the identified information that is to be provided to the subscriber includes retrieving the identified information as a pre-recorded audio file.

7. The method of claim 1, whereby the step of retrieving the identified information includes parsing a memory storage medium populated with the identified information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

sending a database query to a remote memory storage medium from the first network component; and

at the remote storage medium, retrieving the identified information.

9. The method of claim 5, whereby the step of sending a database query to the remote memory storage medium includes sending the database query from the first network component to a remote information clearinghouse via a distributed computing network.

10. The method of claim 9, whereby the step of sending a database query from the first network component to a remote information clearinghouse includes sending the database query via the Internet.

11. The method of claim 10, whereby sending the database query via a TCP/IP communications protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, prior to the step of tracking one or more selected outbound information event occurrences for outbound information notification to a subscriber, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a call from a subscriber at the first network component for voice interactive services;

at the first network component, receiving from the subscriber a request for options for outbound information notification;

providing the subscriber a list of outbound information notification options;

receiving at the first network component a selection of one or more outbound information notification options from the list of outbound information notification options for providing outbound information to the subscriber; and

saving the selected one or more outbound information notification options to a customer profile for the subscriber.

13. The method of claim 12, whereby providing the subscriber a list of outbound information notification options includes providing the subscriber a list of information types that may be provided to the subscriber at prescribed event occurrences.

14. The method of claim 12, prior to the step of providing the subscriber a list of outbound information notification options, converting the list of outbound information notification options from text to speech for playing to the subscriber as an audio message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising playing the audio message to the subscriber to provide the subscriber the list of outbound information notification options.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising playing a pre-recorded audio message including the list of outbound information notification options to the subscriber.

17. The method of claim 12, whereby receiving a selection of one or more outbound information notification options from the list of outbound information notification options includes receiving a selection of one or more event occurrences at which information associated with the event occurrence is to be provided to the subscriber.

18. The method of claim 17, whereby the event occurrence includes a date for outbound notification of an information associated with the selected event occurrence.

19. The method of claim 18, whereby the event occurrence includes a time at which an information associated with the selected even occurrence is to be provided to the subscriber.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving from the subscriber a frequency with which the outbound information notification is to be provided to the subscriber for a given information associated with a given event occurrence.

21. The method of claim 12, whereby the step of saving the selected one or more outbound information notification options to a customer profile of the subscriber includes saving the selected one or more outbound information notification options to a customer profile for the subscriber in a customer profile database.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising saving an identification for the information that is to be provided to the subscriber at the occurrence of a selected event occurrence in the customer profile.

23. The method of claim 12, whereby receiving from the subscriber a request for options for outbound information notification includes receiving the request from the subscriber via a distributed computing network.

24. The method of claim 23, whereby receiving from the subscriber via a distributed computing network a request for options for outbound information notification includes receiving the request form the subscriber via the Internet.

25. The method of claim 24, whereby the step of receiving from the subscriber via a distributed computing network a request for options for outbound information notification includes receiving the request form the subscriber via the Internet includes receiving the request from the subscriber via a TCP/IP protocol connection from a subscriber computing device to the first network component.

26. The method of claim 1 whereby the retrieved information includes traffic information for the subscriber'"'"'s local driving area.

27. The method of claim 1 whereby the retrieved information includes weather information of the subscriber'"'"'s local driving area.

28. The method of claim 1 whereby the retrieved information includes financial information designated by the subscriber.

29. The method of claim 1 whereby the retrieved information includes news information designated by the subscriber.

30. A system for providing outbound information notification to a telecommunications system subscriber, comprising:

a telecommunications system voice services node operative

to track one or more selected outbound information event occurrences for outbound information notification to a subscriber;

to identify an information that is to be provided to the subscriber upon the occurrence of a selected event;

to retrieve the information that is to be provided to the subscriber upon the occurrence of the selected event;

to place a call to the subscriber at a designated subscriber telephone directory number; and

to provide the retrieved information to the subscriber.

31. The system of claim 30, whereby the voice services node is further operative to terminate the call to the subscriber after providing the retrieved information to the subscriber.

32. The system of claim 30, whereby the voice services node is further operative to query a customer profile database for a customer profile for the subscriber for determining what information is to be provided to the subscriber at the selected event occurrence.

33. The system of claim 30, whereby the voice services node is further operative to convert the retrieved information from text-to-speech for providing to the subscriber as an audio-formatted message.

34. The system of claim 30, whereby the voice services node is further operative to parse a memory storage medium populated with the identified information.

35. The system of claim 34, whereby the voice services node is further operative

to send a database query to the remote memory storage medium;

and

to retrieve the identified information from the remote storage medium.

36. The system of claim 35, whereby the voice services node is further operative to send the database query to a remote information resource provider via a distributed computing network.

37. The system of claim 36, whereby the voice services node is further operative to send the database query to the remote information resource provider via the Internet.

38. The system of claim 30, whereby, prior to tracking one or more selected outbound information event occurrences for outbound information notification to a subscriber, the voice services node is further operative

to receive a call from a subscriber for voice interactive services;

to receive from the subscriber a request for options for outbound information notification;

to provide the subscriber a list of outbound information notification options;

to receive a selection of one or more outbound information notification options from the list of outbound information notification options for providing outbound information to the subscriber; and

to save the selected one or more outbound information notification options to a customer profile for the subscriber.

39. The system of claim 30, whereby the event occurrence includes a date for outbound notification of an information associated with the selected event occurrence.

40. The system of claim 30, whereby the event occurrence includes a time at which an information associated with the selected even occurrence is to be provided to the subscriber.

41. The system of claim 30, whereby the retrieved information includes traffic information for the subscriber'"'"'s local driving area.

42. The system of claim 30, whereby the retrieved information includes weather information of the subscriber'"'"'s local driving area.

43. The system of claim 30, whereby the retrieved information includes financial information designated by the subscriber.

44. The system of claim 30, whereby the retrieved information includes news information designated by the subscriber.

45. A method of providing outbound information notification to a telecommunications system subscriber, comprising:

at a voice services node, tracking one or more selected outbound information event occurrences for outbound information notification to a subscriber;

at the occurrence of a selected event, querying a customer profile database for a customer profile for the subscriber for determining what information is to be provided to the subscriber at the selected event occurrence;

returning to the voice services node from the customer profile database an identification for the information that is to be provided to the subscriber at the selected event occurrence;

at voice services node, retrieving the identified information that is to be provided to the subscriber;

placing a call from voice services node to the subscriber at a designated subscriber telephone directory number;

providing the retrieved information to the subscriber telephonically; and

terminating the call to the subscriber.

46. The method of claim 45, whereby the step of retrieving the identified information includes parsing a memory storage medium populated with the identified information.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

sending a database query to the remote memory storage medium from the voice services node; and

at the remote storage medium, retrieving the identified information.

48. The method of claim 47, whereby the step of sending a database query to the remote memory storage medium includes sending the database query from the voice services node to a remote information resource provider at a remote server via the Internet.