Automated third party verification system

• US 6,401,066 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: West Teleservices Holding Company
• Inventors: McIntosh, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks-Harold, Marsha D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US09/437,591
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/273, 704/275, 379/88.17, 379/67.1, 382/115
• US Class Current: 704/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/305 using wired telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

A verification system for obtaining, storing and providing access to information regarding a commitment or position of an individual or entity. In one embodiment the verification system comprises an interactive voice response system or computer program interface capable of obtaining and recording information regarding any of a number of commitments from an individual or entity, such as a commitment to change long distance telephone service providers. The verification system comprises a voice response unit configured to query pertinent information from an individual and record the responses to the queries in a digital format. Upon completion of a successful session, the voice response unit forwards the recorded responses confirming consent, to a storage device, such as a computer server. As desired, the recorded responses can be retrieved from the server by telephone or computer for verification of the consent, commitment, or position of the individual or entity.

Claims

1. A third party verification system comparing:

at least one voice response unit connected to a computer network, said voice response unit being in communication with at least a first party, said voice response unit configured to automatically elicit information in the form of a vocal response from the at least first party providing evidence of consent granted by the at least first party to enter into at least one transaction with at least a second party and to store said information;

at least one voice print server in communication with said voice response unit via said computer network to receive said information, said voice print server configured to catalog and store said information to provide a record for third party verification that the at least first party consented to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least one second party; and

an Internet server configured to facilitate download of said information from said voice print server via an Internet by a party at a remote location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of said information comprises digitized voice recording of said individual.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said information comprises consent to change long distance telephone service providers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said voice print server includes an array of data storage devices.

5. The system of claim 1, further including means for speech recognition in said voice response unit.

6. The system of claim 1, further including at least one speech pattern verification system included in or in communication with said at least one voice response unit, said speech pattern verification system configured to analyze the speech patterns of said information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said at least one speech pattern verification system comprises software running on said at least one voice response unit.

8. A computer system configured to record, store, retrieve and transmit data supporting third party verification, the computer system comprising:

a voice response unit connected to communicate with at least a first party over a public switched telephone network, said voice response unit configured to record responses from the at least first party to questions as audio files providing a record of consent given by the at least first party to enter into at least one transaction with at least a second party;

a data storage device connected to said voice response unit, said data storage device configured to permanently store data files that correspond to the responses and that provide a record for third party verification that the at least first party consented to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least second party; and

a server configured to selectively retrieve said data files from said data storage device and upload said data file via a computer network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said computer network comprises the Internet.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said data file comprises video information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said computer network comprises a local area network.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising an interface for connecting said data file when said data file is an audio file to a telephone call.

13. A third party verification system comprising:

means for recording a vocal response by at least a first party made in response to questions presented by an automated unit, the vocal response providing evidence of consent given by the at least first party to enter into at least one specific transaction with at least a specific second party;

means for electronically storing and cataloging said vocal response by the at least first party, said means for electronically storing and cataloging in communication with said means for recording to receive said vocal response to provide a record for third party verification that the at least first party consented to enter into the at least one specific transaction with the at least specific second party;

means for identifying said electronically stored response;

means for retrieving said electronically stored response, said means for retrieving in communication with said means for identifying; and

means for presenting said retrieved electronically stored response in audible form to a listener.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for presenting comprises a digital to analog converter, an amplifier, a speaker, and a hard disk drive working in conjunction with a data base software program.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for recording comprises a voice response unit.

14. The system of claim 31, wherein said means for electronically storing and cataloging comprises a hard disk drive working in conjunction with a data base software program.

17. A system for verifying consent given by at least a first party to enter into at least one transaction with at least a second party, the system comprising:

at least one voice response unit being configured to interact with the at least first party and to capture a voice record of the at least first party expressing consent to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least second party; and

at least one server communicating with the at least one voice response unit to receive the voice record, being adapted to catalog and store the voice record to provide third party verification of consent expressed by the at least first party to enter into the at least one transaction with the at least second party, and being responsive to at least one query for the voice record to retrieve the voice record.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to interact with the at least one individual after the at least one individual, has interacted with a live agent.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to interact with the at least one individual after the at least one individual has been disconnected from the live agent.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to interact with the at least one individual while the live agent remains online with the at least one individual and the at least one voice response unit.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to interact with the at least one individual before the at least one individual has interacted with a live agent.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to capture a voice record of the at least one individual expressing consent to change a provider for telephone service.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to capture a voice record of the at least one individual expressing consent to obtain at least one of goods and services.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to capture a voice record of the at least one individual expressing consent to participate in at least one of a petition drive, a survey, and a poll.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one voice response unit is adapted to capture a voice record of the at least one individual expressing consent to enter into a specific transaction with a specific second party.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the server and the voice response unit is adapted to employ at least one speech recognition algorithm to determine whether the at least one individual created both the voice record and at least a further voice record.