Method and system for ensuring the security of telephone call management centers

• US 6,445,780 B1
• Filed: 05/03/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fintel SA
• Original Assignee: Fintel SA
• Inventors: Rosset, Franck, Moulin, Jean, Gayet, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/269,312
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.15, 379/93.17, 379/93.02, 379/114.01, 379/114.15, 379/114.17, 379/114.19, 379/114.2, 379/144.04, 379/444, 902/25, 902/26
• US Class Current: 379/114.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords

Abstract

The invention concerns a method an a system enabling a centre managing telephone calls (30) to different suppliers of services (40), to identify safely and rapidly the customers (11) of the service suppliers calling the management centre by means of a telephone equipment (16) connected to a communication network (15). The method comprises the following steps: the services (41) of the service suppliers (40) and/or the call management centre (30) provide each customer (11) with a personalised card (10), formatted like a credit card; said card (10) emits brief identifying sound signals, of the DMTF type, at least partly encrypted, varying with each operation, when it is actuated (14) by the customer; said identifying sound signals are received by the microphone(17) of the telephone equipment (16) and converted into electronic signals, before being transmitted by the communication network (15) to the computer service (18) of the call management centre (30); the transmitted signals and the identification data of the customer and the card in the possession of the computer service are electronically processed (24) and compared (25) by the computer service (18) of the call management centre (30), such that in the event of coincidence, the customer is immediately put through to the services of the service supplier affiliated to the call management centre.

Claims

1. Method enabling a telephone call control center to which services offered by separate service providers are related, to securely and quickly identify the service provider'"'"'s customers calling the call control center through telephone equipment connected to a communications network, the method comprising the following steps:

providing customers with a card the same size as a credit card, said card being customized by identifiers specific to each customer, and to each card, wherein said card counts a number of times C(p,n) that said card has emitted said acoustic signals at a time of a current operation, and

emitting from said card acoustic DTMF identification signals representing C(p,n), said acoustic identification signals being at least partly encrypted into a function S(p,n) as a function of C(p,n) and varying for each operation, when the customer uses said card,

receiving said acoustic identification signals with a microphone of the telephone equipment and transmitting said acoustic identification signals through the communications network to computer,

processing and electronically comparing said transmitted signals and the customer and card identifiers with the computer, and

if after processing, said transmitted signals conform with said identifiers, connecting the customer to the service provider,

wherein said computer

stores a number of times C(p,m) that said card has been used at a time of a last validated operation,

compares said number of times C(p,n) that said card has been used at the time of the current operation with said number of times C(p,m) that said card has been used at the time of the last validated operation,

refuses the current operation if C(p,n) is less than or equal to C(p,m) and continues verifying the current operation if C(p,n) is greater than C(p,m),

calculates electronic signals S′

(p,n) as a function of said identifiers and the number of times C(p,n) that said card has been used at the time of the current operation, and compares said signals S′

(p,n) with said signals S(p,n), and

if said signals S′

(p,n) conform with said signals S(p,n), connects the customer to the services.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps:

transmitting a pin code sent by the customer through said communications network to said computer, processing and comparing said transmitted pin code in said computer with a stored pin code.

3. The method according to claim 1, also comprising the following steps:

emitting from said card an encrypted acoustic validation signal, and

recording said validation signal in said computer.

4. The method according to claim 3, also comprising the following step:

transmitting an acknowledgment of said validation signal to the customer.

5. System enabling a call control center to which services offered by separate service providers are related to identify the service provider'"'"'s customers calling the call control center through telephone equipment connected to a communications network, the system comprising:

a card the same size as a credit card, said card being customized by identifiers specific to each card and to each customer, and provided to customers;

said card comprising;

emission means for emitting acoustic DTMF identification signals, said emission means being activatable by the customer with an activation element accessible from an outside of said card,

encryption means for at least partly encrypting said acoustic signals and varying said acoustic signals each time said signals are emitted,

an incremental counter interconnected to said emission means and said encryption means such that said acoustic identification signals are encrypted as a function of a state of said incremental counter, said incremental counter being incremented by at least one unit whenever said card emits said acoustic signals,

a microphone in said telephone equipment for receiving said acoustic signals and transforming said acoustic signals into electronic signals that can be transmitted through the communications network,

computer means connected to said communications network, said computer means comprising;

a database containing said identifiers specific to each said card and each said customer,

means for storing a state C(p,m) of said incremental counter at a time of a last validated operation,

means for comparing a state C(p,n) of said incremental counter emitted during a current operation with said state C(p,m) of said incremental counter, such that said computer means refuses the current operation if C(p,n) is less than or equal to C(p,m), and continues the current operation of C(p,n) is greater than C(p,m),

said processing means and said comparison means including means for calculating expected electronic signals S′

(p,n) as a function of said state C(p,n) of said incremental counter and said identifiers, and comparing said expected electronic signals with said transmitted electronic signals,

wherein said acoustic signals are at least partly encrypted into a function S(p,n) as a function of C(p,n), and wherein if said transmitted electronic signals S(p,n) conform with said expected electronic signals S′

(p,n), the customers may then be connected to the service provider.

6. The system according to claim 5, said computer means also comprising means for comparing a customer'"'"'s pin code contained in said database with a pin code sent by the customer and transmitted to said computer means through said communications network.

7. The system according to claim 5, said card also emitting an encrypted acoustic validation signal, said computer means also comprising:

means for detecting and recording said validation signal.

8. The system according to claim 7, said means for detecting and recording said validation signal comprise means for printing an acknowledgment.