Multiple authentication mechanisms for accessing service center supporting a variety of products

• US 8,572,707 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teletech Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Tuchman, Kenneth D., Sharpe, Bruce A., Truong, Henry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEDIN, SHANTO
• Application Number:
  US13/213,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 7, 713/168, 713/182, 713/186, 705/44, 705/64, 705/67, 705/76, 705/304
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• 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

Abstract

A service center receives first media data from a mobile device over a network, the first media data including at least one of an image and a voice stream presenting an identity of a user associated with the mobile device. The first media data was captured via at least one of a camera and a voice recorder of the mobile device. The user is authenticated by matching the first media data against second media data stored in the service center. The second media data has been previously registered with the service center, where the service center provides support services for a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers. Upon having successfully authenticated the user, support services are provided to the user for a product that has been registered with the service center by the user on behalf of a vendor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing support services to users of products, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of login options for logging into a computer server representing a service center to a mobile device to be presented by a mobile application running within the mobile device, wherein the login options include a media login option using an image or a voice stream and a regular login option using a username and a password;

in response to the login options, receiving, at the computer server, first media data from a mobile device over a network, the first media data including at least one of an image and a voice stream representing an identity of a user associated with the mobile device, wherein the first media data was captured via at least one of a camera and a voice recorder of the mobile device;

authenticating the user by matching the first media data against second media data stored in the service center, wherein the second media data has been previously registered with the service center, wherein the service center provides support services for a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers, wherein a product provider is one of a retailer, a manufacturer, a distributor, and a service provider associated with the products;

upon having successfully authenticated the user, retrieving from a user account associated with the user one or more products that have been registered with the service center;

determining a list of support options available to the user for each of the registered products, wherein the availability of the support options are determined based on a support preference of a client of the corresponding registered product; and

providing support services to the user for a product that has been purchased by the user and registered with the service center by the user, wherein providing support services to the user comprises establishing a communication session between the user via the mobile device and a support agent of the service center using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and is available to the agent, such that the support agent can provide a live support service to the user concerning the registered product.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the mobile device to prompt the user for entering a password; and

in response to the password received from the mobile device, authenticating the user based on the password.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication based on the password is performed only if the authentication based on the first media data fails.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication based on the password is performed only if the authentication based on the first media data is successful.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an instruction to the mobile device to prompt the user speaking one or more predetermined phrases to a microphone of the mobile device;

receiving a first voice stream captured by a voice recorder of the mobile device, the first voice stream representing the one or more predetermined phrases; and

authenticating the user by matching the first voice stream with a second voice stream that has been previously registered with the service center by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the product was registered by transmitting a machine readable code uniquely identifying the product from the mobile device to the service center, wherein the machine-readable code was obtained by scanning the product using a scanner of the mobile device, and wherein the service center is configured to compile the detailed information of the product without the user specifically providing detailed information of the product.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more articles associated with the products that have been published in an online publication forum, wherein the articles have been extracted from a knowledgebase (KB) based on a support history of the products maintained by the service center; and

transmitting a personalized page to the mobile device to be displayed at a display of the mobile device, the personalized page listing the one or more registered products associated with the user, wherein each of the registered products is associated with one or more graphical representations, which when activated, transmits a support request to the service center for support services for the associated product.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing support services to users of products, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of login options for logging into a computer server representing a service center to a mobile device to be presented by a mobile application running within the mobile device, wherein the login options include a media login option using an image or a voice stream and a regular login option using a username and a password;

in response to the login options, receiving first media data from a mobile device over a network, the first media data including at least one of an image and a voice stream representing an identity of a user associated with the mobile device, wherein the first media data was captured via at least one of a camera and a voice recorder of the mobile device;

authenticating the user by matching the first media data against second media data stored in the service center, wherein the second media data has been previously registered with the service center, wherein the service center provides support services for a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers, wherein a product provider is one of a retailer, a manufacturer, a distributor, and a service provider associated with the products; and

upon having successfully authenticated the user, retrieving from a user account associated with the user one or more products that have been registered with the service center;

determining a list of support options available to the user for each of the registered products, wherein the availability of the support options are determined based on a support preference of a client of the corresponding registered product; and

providing support services to the user for a product that has been purchased by the user and registered with the service center by the user, wherein providing support services to the user comprises establishing a communication session between the user via the mobile device and a support agent of the service center using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and is available to the agent, such that the support agent can provide a live support service to the user concerning the registered product.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

causing the mobile device to prompt the user for entering a password; and

in response to the password received from the mobile device, authenticating the user based on the password.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the authentication based on the password is performed only if the authentication based on the first media data fails.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the authentication based on the password is performed only if the authentication based on the first media data is successful.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting an instruction to the mobile device to prompt the user speaking one or more predetermined phrases to a microphone of the mobile device;

receiving a first voice stream captured by a voice recorder of the mobile device, the first voice stream representing the one or more predetermined phrases; and

authenticating the user by matching the first voice stream with a second voice stream that has been previously registered with the service center by the user.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the product was registered by transmitting a machine readable code uniquely identifying the product from the mobile device to the service center, wherein the machine-readable code was obtained by scanning the product using a scanner of the mobile device, and wherein the service center is configured to compile the detailed information of the product without the user specifically providing detailed information of the product.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying one or more articles associated with the products that have been published in an online publication forum, wherein the articles have been extracted from a knowledgebase (KB) based on a support history of the products maintained by the service center; and

transmitting a personalized page to the mobile device to be displayed at a display of the mobile device, the personalized page listing the one or more registered products associated with the user, wherein each of the registered products is associated with one or more graphical representations, which when activated, transmits a support request to the service center for support services for the associated product.

15. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

an application programming interface (API), executed from the memory by the processor, to transmit a plurality of login options for logging into a computer server representing a service center to a mobile device to be resented by a mobile application running within the mobile device, wherein the login options include a media login option using an image or a voice stream and a regular login option using a username and a password, in response to the login options, to receive first media data from a mobile device over a network, the first media data including at least one of an image and a voice stream representing an identity of a user associated with the mobile device, wherein the first media data was captured via at least one of a camera and a voice recorder of the mobile device;

a security system, executed from the memory by the processor, to authenticate the user by matching the first media data against second media data stored in the service center, wherein the second media data has been previously registered with the service center, wherein the service center provides support services for a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers, wherein a product provider is one of a retailer, a manufacturer, a distributor, and a service provider associated with the products; and

a support service system, upon having successfully authenticated the user, to retrieve from a user account associated with the user one or more products that have been registered with the service center, to determine a list of support options available to the user for each of the registered products, wherein the availability of the support options are determined based on a support preference of a client of the corresponding registered product, and to provide support services to the user for a product that has been purchased by the user and registered with the service center by the user, wherein providing support services to the user comprises establishing a communication session between the user via the mobile device and a support agent of the service center using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and is available to the agent, such that the support agent can provide a live support service to the user concerning the registered product.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the security system is configured to

cause the mobile device to prompt the user for entering a password;

and

in response to the password received from the mobile device, authenticate the user based on the password.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the authentication based on the password is performed only if the authentication based on the first media data fails.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the authentication based on the password is performed only if the authentication based on the first media data is successful.