Method of identifying a caller with a telephone service operator

• US 20040022374A1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Grimault, Jean-Luc, Charlet, Delphine, Morel, Thierry, Feuillet, Thibaut
• Granted Patent: US 6,973,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords

Abstract

A method of identifying a caller with a telephone service operator. Of the invention, said method comprises the following steps: for the operator, drawing up a list of literal expressions and allocating the caller an identifier consisting of a combination of consecutive literal expressions taken from each of said lists, for the caller, connecting to said telephone service and speaking, in order, each literal expression of said combination, and for the operator, identifying the caller by using voice recognition to search for the combination of literal expressions allocated to the caller. Application to secure access to telephone services.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a caller with a telephone service operator, which method is characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

for the operator, drawing up at least one list of literal expressions and allocating the caller an identifier consisting of a combination of consecutive literal expressions taken from each of said lists,

for the caller, connecting to said telephone service and speaking, in order, each literal expression of said combination, and

for the operator, identifying the caller by searching a database for the identity of the caller allocated the combination of literal expressions spoken by the caller and recognized by the operator.

2. An identification method according to claim 1, characterized in that an authentication key is associated with said identifier and the caller supplies said authentication key after speaking the combination of literal expressions allocated to him.

3. An identification method according to claim 2, characterized in that said authentication key is a plurality of digits entered in DTMF code.

4. An identification method according to claim 2, characterized in that said authentication key is another literal expression recorded by the caller the first time he connects to the telephone service.

5. An identification method according to claim 2, characterized in that said authentication key is a voiceprint of the caller established when said combination of literal expressions is spoken.

6. An identification method according to claims 3 and 5, characterized in that a double authentication key is associated with said identifier and comprises a main key consisting of a voiceprint and a back-up key consisting of a plurality of digits entered in DTMF code.

7. An identification method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a list of literal expressions is established by associating a category with each literal expression of a given list and associating with each category a list of literal expressions from which the next literal expression is taken.

8. A prepaid telephone card characterized in that it includes an identifier consisting of one or more literal expressions to be spoken by a caller to identify himself with a telephone service operator by an identification method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A prepaid telephone card according to claim 8, characterized in that it also contains an authentication key.