Automated event ordering system and method

• US 7,502,453 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2000
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rosenwasser, Michael Alan, Hasmanis, Steven Paul, Stephenson, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US09/631,076
• Time in Patent Office: 3,142 Days
• Field of Search: 725/98, 725/104, 1 9/9, 379/88.04, 379/204.14, 379/142.06, 379/102.03, 379/114.19, 379/91.02, 379/93.12
• US Class Current: 379/102.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/105 Financial transactions and auctions, e.g. bidding auctioneering devices in packet switching networks H04L12/1804
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system for ordering events comprising a switch for receiving calls, the switch adapted to receive the caller'"'"'s calling number and the called number; an interactive voice response unit for providing recorded voice response, the interactive voice response unit configured with multiple applications; a data storage component configured with customer information and event information, said customer information including account number and calling number data and the event information including event title; a temporary data container for storing customer data received from the data storage component for use in call processing; and wherein the system is configured to retrieve the customer data from the data storage component based on the calling number and to store the customer data in the temporary data container for use in subsequent call processing applications.

Claims

1. A system for ordering a cable television pay-per-view event, said system comprising:

a switch for receiving calls, said switch adapted to receive a caller'"'"'s calling number and a called number;

a data storage component configured with customer information and event information, said customer information including customer account number and calling number data and said event information including a cable television event title;

a called number table in communication with said switch such that when said calling number is received by said switch, said switch retrieves a customer account number associated with said calling number;

a temporary data container for storing customer data for use in call processing, said customer data including said customer account number, said temporary data container in communication with said switch and said data storage component; and

an automatic voice response unit in communication with said switch and said temporary data container, said automatic voice response unit for providing recorded voice response to said caller subsequent to said retrieval of said customer account number, said automatic voice response unit configured with multiple applications, said multiple applications including a called number based pay-per-view application, a menu based PPV application including an alternate transfer flag indicating whether to use standard call control table (CCT) or to lookup alternate transfer CCT based on flag type, and a call routing application wherein said call routing application performs the function of retrieving customer data from said data storage component, wherein said automatic voice response unit receives said customer account number and said called number for use in call processing, wherein said automatic voice response unit requests customer information other than said customer account number and event information from said data storage component; and

wherein a called number based application retrieves said event from said data storage component using said called number, wherein each event is associated with its own called number, and wherein said customer account number obtained from said calling number is automatically associated with said ordering of said event.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said system is configured with called number parameter tables that dictate predetermined call processing based on said called number.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said calling number and called number data and caller account number is stored in said temporary data container.

4. A system according to claim 1 further comprising multiple data variables used to hold predetermined data and wherein said data variables are used to transmit data between said switch and said automatic voice response unit.

5. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a live agent station in communication with said switch.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said customer information includes credit data.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said customer is transferred to a live agent if said customer'"'"'s credit data represents a bad credit rating.

8. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a PPV parameter table configurable to customize said PPV applications, and wherein said PPV applications reference said PPV parameter table to determine how to process the call.

9. A method for ordering programming events, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a call at a switch;

obtaining a calling number and a called number;

obtaining an alternate transfer flag indicating whether to use standard call control table (CCT) or to lookup alternate transfer CCT based on flag type;

retrieving customer data from a database based on said calling number;

storing said retrieved customer data in a temporary storage location for use during said call; and

running an automatic voice response application for cable television event ordering wherein said automatic voice response application for ordering is further comprised of the step of retrieving a cable television event from said database based on said called number, wherein said automatic voice response application retrieves additional customer data from said database, wherein each cable television event is associated with its own called number and wherein said customer data includes an account number obtained using said calling number and wherein said automatic voice response application for ordering uses said account number and said called number to retrieve said cable television event and automatically associates said caller'"'"'s account number with said ordered event.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

receiving a PIN number from a customer and receiving event data including an event rating for an ordered program event;

obtaining a customer rating based on said PIN; and

comparing said customer rating with said event rating to determine whether said customer is allowed to order the event.