One number, intelligent call processing system

• US 6,185,290 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2000
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NeuStar Information Services, Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Murex Securities Limited (Wallsgrove Ltd.)
• Inventors: Moore, George G., Shaffer, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/477,181
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 379/211, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/67, 379/90.01, 379/93.24, 379/142, 379/265, 379/113, 379/112, 379/88.01, 379/88.13, 379/223
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A one number, multi-application, intelligent call processing system provides service benefits to a caller, a servicing location and/or a vanity number advertiser during a call, parallel to the call and/or post call in an integrated common architecture. To provide these benefits, the system utilizes Voice Response Unit (VRU) technology in conjunction with the national telecommunications network connected via Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) to a virtal telephone number database containing a nation-wide master list of telephone numbers with thousands of attribute data items associated by Spatial Key linkage to each telephone number. The process of the invention is initiated by a caller dialing a selected telephone number to request information and/or services. Based on the number dialed, a caller or network provided 10 digit telephone number and VRU prompted for and received caller input, the system retrieves the application requested data from the virtual telephone number database. The application uses the retrieved information to direct the VRU to speak selected retrieved information to the caller that is desired by the caller or needs to be verified by the caller, to automatically connect the caller with a servicing location whose service area can be geographically defined as any size or shape and encompasses the caller provided telephone number'"'"'s location, and/or to store portions of the received and retrieved information for later use.

Claims

1. In a communication network, a method of retrieving information associated with a first party during communication processing, the method comprising:

capturing a first party identifier of a first communicating party;

determining a linkage key associated with the first party identifier;

indexing the determined linkage key into at least one linkage key indexed database;

retrieving, via linkage key linkage, information associated with the first communicating party; and

communicating the retrieved information associated with the first communicating party to at least one recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a linkage key comprises accessing a master table having a plurality of party identifiers and associated linkage keys.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving information associated with the first communicating party includes accessing a second database using data obtained from the linkage key indexed database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a linkage key comprises performing a mathematical operation on the first party identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the mathematical operation comprises latitude and longitude interleaving.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the first communicating party comprises performing a computation on the information retrieved from the linkage key indexed database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computation comprises performing a distance determination using the information retrieved from the linkage key indexed database.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the distance determination is a function of a first set of coordinates related to a first party location and a second set of coordinates determined by accessing the linkage key indexed database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the first party location are provided by the communication network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the first party location comprise latitude and longitude coordinates.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the first party location comprise one of the following:

a current location of the first party or a location of a second location provided by the first party.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the first communicating party includes accessing a second database using information obtained from the linkage key indexed database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the linkage key associated with the first party identifier comprises:

accessing a database containing components of the first party identifier; and

performing a computation on at least one of the components to determine the best first party identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the computation comprises standardizing the first party identifier.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the computation comprises translating the first party identifier into a delivery point code.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the first party identifier further comprises:

capturing information provided by the communication network;

retrieving data generated by key entry of the first party;

key entry by an operator in response to a communication from the first party;

or recognizing an identifier obtained by a voice recognition unit.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said retrieved information associated with the first communicating party comprises consumption propensity information.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said first communicating party is communicating with said at least one recipient and said retrieved information associated with the first communicating party is communicated during communication processing.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved information associated with the first communicating party is a first party provided identifier;

a first party provided telephone number;

a DNJS number;

an ANI number;

a caller ID number;

a spatial key of a first party/network provided identifier;

a list of one or more locations servicing the first party with a name and address of the servicing location and a distance to the location;

days and hours of operation for one or more servicing locations;

USPS CASS certified address of the first party/network provided identifier;

latitude and longitude associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

latitude and longitude associated with the servicing location address;

driveable directions from a location of the first party/network provided identifier to a servicing location;

driveable directions from a servicing location to a location of the first party/network provided identifier;

a map showing the location of the first party/network provided identifier, the servicing location and a street network between the location of the first party/network provided identifier and the servicing location;

micro directions for the servicing location;

servicing location daily specials;

servicing location product availability, information and pricing;

servicing location special events and start times;

household information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

individual information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

business location information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

government location information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

business financial information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

geographic information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

property information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

or vanity advertiser product announcements and promotions.

20. In a communication network, an automated communication processing system, comprising:

a spatial key indexed database; and

a processor coupled to a communication network and configured to

capture a first location address,

determine a spatial key associated with the first location address,

index the determined spatial key into said spatial key indexed database to retrieve information associated with the first location address, and

communicate the retrieved information associated with the first location address to at least one recipient.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve said information associated with the first location address including performing a distance determination using said retrieved information.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a master table comprising spatial keys associated with location addresses, wherein said processor is configured to access said master table data to determine the spatial key associated with the first location address.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising a second database comprising said information associated with the first location address and wherein said processor is further configured to retrieve said information associated with the first location address using information obtained from said spatial key indexed database to access said second database.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is additionally configured to standardize the first location address.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to determine the spatial key associated with the first location address by translating the first location address into a delivery point code.

26. The system of claim 20, further comprising a second database comprising said information associated with the first location address and wherein said processor is further configured to retrieve said information associated with the first location address using information obtained from said spatial key indexed database to access said second database.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the second database is associated with a second computer that is at a different geographic location than the processor indexing the spatial key indexed database.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the second computer, using data from the second database, accesses a third computer that is at a different geographic location than the processor and the second computer so as to provide information to the processor.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the third computer is associated with at least one of the following:

the first location address, a service location, a processing center for a vanity advertiser, or a third party database processing center.

30. The system of claim 20, further comprising a voice recognition system coupled to said processor and configured to recognize an address.

31. In a communication network, an automated communication processing system, comprising:

a spatial key indexed database; and

a processor coupled to a communication network and configured to capture a first party identifier,

determine a spatial key associated with the first party identifier,

index the determined spatial key into said spatial key indexed database to retrieve, by spatial key, information associated with the first party identifier, and

communicate the retrieved information associated with the first party identifier to at least one recipient.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve said information associated with the first party identifier including performing a distance determination using said retrieved information.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the distance determination is a function of a first set of coordinates related to a first party location associated with the first party identifier and a second set of coordinates determined by accessing the spatial key indexed database.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the first party location are provided by the communication network.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the first party location comprise latitude and longitude coordinates.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the first party location comprise one of the following:

a current location of a first party or a location of a second location provided by the first party.

37. The system of claim 31, further comprising a master table including first party identifiers and associated spatial keys.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising a second database comprising said retrieved information and wherein said processor is further configured to retrieve said retrieved information using information obtained from said spatial key indexed database to access said second database.

39. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is additionally configured to standardize the first party identifier.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is configured to determine the spatial key associated with the first party identifier by translating the first party identifier into a delivery point code.

41. The system of claim 31, further comprising a second database comprising said retrieved information and wherein said processor is further configured to retrieve said retrieved information using information obtained from said spatial key indexed database to access said second database.

42. The system of claim 31, further comprising a voice recognition system coupled to said processor.

43. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is configured to capture the first party identifier from one of the following:

information provided by the communication network;

data generated by key entry of a first party;

key entry data by an operator in response to a communication from the first party;

or

information obtained by a voice recognition unit.

44. The system of claim 31, wherein said retrieved information associated with the first party identifier comprises consumption propensity information.

45. The system of claim 31, wherein a first party corresponding to the first party identifier communicates with said at least one recipient and said retrieved information associated with the first party identifier is communicated during communication processing.

46. The system of claim 31, wherein the retrieved information associated with the first party identifier is information selected from the group consisting of a first party provided identifier;

a first party provided telephone number;

a DNIS number;

an ANI number;

a caller ID number;

a spatial key of a first party/network provided identifier;

a list of one or more locations servicing the first party with a name and address of the servicing location and a distance to the location;

days and hours of operation for one or more servicing locations;

USPS CASS certified address of the first party/network provided identifier;

latitude and longitude associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

latitude and longitude associated with the servicing location address;

driveable directions from a location of the first party/network provided identifier to a servicing location;

driveable directions from a servicing location to a location of the first party/network provided identifier;

a map showing the location of the first party/network provided identifier, the servicing location and a street network between the location of the first party/network provided identifier and the servicing location;

micro directions for the servicing location;

servicing location daily specials;

servicing location product availability, information and pricing;

servicing location special events and start times;

household information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

individual information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

business location information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

government location information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

business financial information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

geographic information associated with the first party/network provided identifier;

property information associated with the first party/network provided identifier; and

vanity advertiser product announcements and promotions.

47. A method of creating a database for use with a communications network, the method comprising:

providing a master table comprising a first plurality of records, wherein each of said first plurality of records comprises an identifier and an associated key of a potential first party;

providing a key indexed database comprising a second plurality of records, wherein each of said second plurality of records comprises a key and information associated with a potential first party; and

performing a computerized linking of the master table with the key indexed database according to at least a computerized analysis of the keys of the first plurality of records and the keys of the second plurality of records.

48. The method defined in claim 47, wherein the identifier comprises a physical address.

49. The method defined in claim 47, wherein the identifier comprises a telephone number.

50. The method defined in claim 47, wherein the identifier comprises an Internet address.

51. The method defined in claim 47, wherein the identifier comprises an electronic-mail address.

52. The method defined in claim 47, wherein the computerized analysis includes a distance determination.

53. The method defined in claim 52, wherein the distance determination is a function of a first set of coordinates related to a location associated with a potential first party and a second set of coordinates determined by accessing the key indexed database.

54. The method defined in claim 53, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the location associated with the potential first party are provided by the potential first party.

55. The method defined in claim 53, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the location associated with the potential first party are provided by the communications network.

56. The method defined in claim 53, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the location associated with the potential first party comprise latitude and longitude coordinates.

57. The method defined in claim 53, wherein the first set of coordinates related to the location associated with the potential first party comprise one of the following:

a current location of the potential first party or a location of a second location provided by the potential first party.

58. In a Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) network, a method of call processing, the method comprising:

capturing a first party identifier during a call;

validating the captured first party identifier;

capturing an address associated with the first party identifier;

assigning a spatial key to the captured address via an automated process; and

storing the validated first party identifier and the spatial key pair.

59. The method defined in claim 58, wherein the captured address is standardized.

60. The method defined in claim 59, wherein standardizing the address includes assigning a Delivery Point Code to the address.

61. The method defined in claim 58, wherein the validated first party identifier and the spatial key pair are stored in a master table.

62. The method defined in claim 58, wherein capturing the first party address includes obtaining the address through a voice recognition unit.

63. The method of claim 58, wherein capturing the first party identifier further comprises:

capturing information provided by a communication network handling the call;

retrieving data generated by key entry of a first party;

key entry by an operator in response to a communication from the first party;

or recognizing an identifier obtained by a voice recognition unit.