Personal dial tone

• US 5,978,450 A
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: McAllister, Alexander I., Strauss, Michael J., Farris, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/828,959
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/201, 379/207, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/216, 379/229, 379/230
• US Class Current: 379/88.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A telephone network provides personalized communication services based on a voice identification of the subscriber. When a person requests a service, the network executes a speaker identification/verification procedure to identify the person as a subscriber. A switching office utilizes profile data associated with the identified subscriber to control services over a predetermined communication link. For example, on an outgoing call over a telephone line, the speaker identification/verification process provides a virtual office equipment number corresponding the identified subscriber. The central office switch servicing the outgoing call receives the virtual office equipment number and uses that number to retrieve a service profile associated with the subscriber. The switch provides a personalized form of "dial tone" like service to the subscriber by processing the outgoing call using the profile. The personalized services to several subscribers sharing a common line. The network may monitor ongoing speech during a call, to ensure use of the service only by the identified subscriber, for example in a prison application. The network also can provide the personalized services in response to dial-up access and activation.

Claims

1. A telecommunication network comprising:

a central office for processing calls originated over a plurality of communication links, said central office including mass storage containing subscriber profiles for a plurality of subscribers each having an individually assigned office equipment number; and

a peripheral coupled to the central office, said peripheral including a voice authentication module for analyzing speech of a caller from one communication link to identify the caller as one of the subscribers and provide an office equipment number assigned to the identified subscriber to the central office,

wherein the central office retrieves one of the subscriber profiles, which corresponds to the office equipment number assigned to the identified subscriber. and processes at least one call over a communication link using the retrieved profile.

2. A network as in claim 1, further comprising:

a service control point, remote from the central office, said service control point containing a database of call processing records for controlling at least some services provided through the central office; and

a first signaling network separate from the communication links for carrying signaling messages between the service control point and the central office.

3. A network as in claim 2, wherein the peripheral includes a communication server facilitating signaling communication between the peripheral and the service control point.

4. A network as in claim 3, further comprising a second signaling network, separate from the communication links and the first signaling network coupled between the communication server and the service control point.

5. A network as in claim 4, wherein the peripheral stores characteristic voice feature data relating to the plurality of subscribers for comparison to characteristic data extracted from the speech of the caller.

7. A network as in claim 1, wherein the peripheral stores characteristic voice feature data relating to the plurality of subscribers for comparison to characteristic data extracted from the speech of the caller.

6. A network as in 5, further comprising a remote peripheral storing characteristic voice feature data relating to another plurality of subscribers, wherein the remote peripheral is coupled to the second signaling network for communication of stored characteristic voice feature data.

8. A telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of central office switching systems interconnected by trunk circuits, for processing calls originated over a plurality of communication links, each of said central office switching systems including mass storage containing subscriber profiles for a plurality of subscribers each having an individually assigned office equipment number; and

a peripheral coupled to at least one of the central office switching systems for interacting with a caller to identify the caller as one of the subscribers, said peripheral providing an office equipment number assigned to the identified subscriber to one or more of the central office switching systems,

wherein in response to receipt of the office equipment number, a central office switching system retrieves a corresponding profile and processes at least one call over a communication link using the retrieved profile.

9. A network as in claim 8, wherein the central office switching systems comprise telephone switches.

10. A network as in claim 9, wherein at least some of the communication links comprise telephone lines.

11. A network as in claim 9, further comprising:

a service control point, remote from the telephone switches, said service control point containing a database of call processing records; and

a first signaling network separate from the communication links and trunk circuits for carrying signaling messages between the service control point and the telephone switches.

12. A network as in claim 11, wherein the peripheral includes a communication server facilitating signaling communication between the peripheral and the service control point.

13. A network as in claim 12, further comprising a second signaling network, separate from the communication links, the trunk circuits and the first signaling network coupled between the communication server and the service control point.

14. A network as in claim 13, wherein the peripheral stores characteristic voice feature data relating to the plurality of subscribers, and the peripheral comprises a voice authentication module for comparing characteristic data extracted from speech of the caller to the stored characteristic voice feature data.

15. A network as in claim 14, further comprising a remote peripheral storing characteristic voice feature data relating to another plurality of subscribers, wherein the remote peripheral is coupled to the second signaling network for communication of stored characteristic voice feature data.

16. A network as in claim 13, wherein:

the first signaling network comprises a common channel interoffice signaling network coupled to the telephone switches; and

the second signaling network comprises a packet switched data network.

17. A network as in claim 16, wherein:

the common channel interoffice signaling network utilizes signaling system 7 (SS7) protocol; and

the packet switched data network utilizes transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP).

18. A network as in claim 8, wherein the peripheral comprises a voice authentication module for analyzing speech received from the caller to identify the caller as an authentic subscriber.

19. A telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of central office switching systems interconnected by trunk circuits, for processing calls originated over a plurality of communication links, each of said central office switching systems including mass storage containing subscriber profiles for a plurality of subscribers; and

a peripheral coupled to at least one of the central office switching systems during processing of a call, said peripheral including a voice authentication module for analyzing speech of a caller from one communication link to identify the caller as one of the subscribers and provide an instruction to one or more of the central office switching systems based on the identity of the one subscriber,

wherein in response to receipt of the instruction, a central office switching system processes the call using one of the subscriber profiles corresponding to the identity of the one subscriber.

20. A telephone central office switching system comprising:

interface units for coupling to a plurality of communication links;

a switch fabric for providing selective communication connections between the interface units; and

an administrative module for controlling connections provided by the switch fabric, wherein the administrative module comprises;

mass storage containing subscriber profiles,

a processor for providing control instructions to the switch fabric, and

a signaling interface for coupling the processor to a signaling link, for communication with an external network node, wherein;

in response to a virtual office equipment number received via the signaling interface, the processor retrieves a subscriber profile corresponding to the virtual office equipment number from the mass storage and uses the retrieved profile to process a selective connection through the switch between two of the interface units.

21. A method, comprising:

detecting a service request during processing of a call in a multiple link communication network;

receiving and processing speech signals from a person involved in the call via the communication network to identify the person as one of a plurality of subscribers;

instructing a switching office of the communication network to select one subscriber service profile corresponding to the identified subscriber, from a plurality of subscriber service profiles, for processing of communication service over a predetermined link; and

providing the requested communication service for the call, over the predetermined link, based at least in part on the selected subscriber service profile.

22. A method as in claim 21, wherein the step of instructing a switching office comprises providing a virtual office equipment number to the switching office for use in retrieving the one subscriber service profile.

23. A method as in claim 21, wherein:

the step of detecting a service request comprises detecting a condition representing commencement of an outgoing call over the predetermined link;

the step of receiving and processing speech signals comprises receiving signals from the person over the predetermined link and comparing information characteristic of the received speech signals to stored speech data corresponding to a plurality of subscribers associated with the predetermined link.

24. A method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of:

during the provision of the communication service over the predetermined link, receiving and processing speech signals from a person using the predetermined link to determine whether or not the person currently using the predetermined link is the identified subscriber.

25. A method as in claim 24, further comprising interrupting the provision of the communication service over the predetermined link if the person currently using the predetermined link is not the identified subscriber.

26. A method as in claim 21, wherein the communication network comprises a telephone network having a plurality of central offices each of which serves a plurality of communication links.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein the plurality of communication links comprise telephone lines.

28. A call processing method, comprising:

detecting a call to a telephone number associated with a communication link servicing a plurality of subscribers;

interacting with a caller to identify one of the subscribers intended as the recipient of the call;

obtaining a virtual office equipment number assigned to the subscriber;

retrieving a subscriber service profile corresponding to the identified subscriber based on the virtual office equipment number; and

processing the call in accord with the retrieved profile data.

29. A method as in claim 28, wherein the step of processing the call comprises applying a distinctive ringing signal associated with the identified subscriber to the communication link.

30. A method as in claim 28, wherein the step of processing the call comprises routing the call to a voice mail service associated with the identified subscriber.

31. A method as in claim 28, wherein the communication link is a telephone line.

32. A method, comprising:

identifying one party to a requested communication service as one of a plurality of subscribers;

using a virtual office equipment number, assigned to the identified one subscriber, to retrieve corresponding profile data from stored profile data for the plurality of subscribers; and

providing the communication service over a link of a communication network based at least in part on the retrieved profile data.

33. A method as in claim 32, wherein the communication service is a call from the one identified subscriber through the communication network.

34. A method as in claim 33, wherein the step of identifying one party comprises analyzing speech information from the one party.

35. A method as in claim 32, wherein the communication service is a call through the communication network intended for the one identified subscriber.

36. A method as in claim 35, wherein the step of identifying one party comprises recognizing an identification of the one subscriber as a called party from a caller'"'"'s speech.

37. A method as in claim 32, wherein:

the communication network comprises a telephone network having a telephone switching system; and

the step of using the virtual office equipment number comprises supplying the virtual office equipment number to the telephone switching system and retrieving the corresponding profile data from storage in the telephone switching system.