Toll-tree numbers metadata tagging, analysis and reporting

• US 9,800,742 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somos, Inc. (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Somos, Inc. (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US14/984,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20160127548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 37911209, 37911204, 37911424, 37920112, 37911201, 37911202, 379111, 37911206, 37911401, 370352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/72 by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/755 Account identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8061 Selecting least cost route depending on origin or type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/555 Statistics, e.g. about subscribers but not being call statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2263 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/367 Traffic or load control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 : by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42306 : Number translation services, e.g. premium-rate, freephone or vanity number services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 : where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 : Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0087 : Network testing or monitoring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0091 : Congestion or overload control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

A toll-free tagging service is provided that includes a subscription-based service that is made available to responsible organizations, consumers and businesses. The toll-free tagging service may provide the ability to tag a toll-free number (or group of numbers), and once a number is tagged, to track updates to that number that may then be distributed to customers through emails/text messages or other means. Subscribers of the toll-free tagging service may also have the ability to create, view, update and delete tags through a web application, mobile application, or some other user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data relating to usage of a toll-free telecommunications number, including routing data that comprises criteria upon which the toll-free telecommunications number may routed;

analyzing the received data to create a metadata tag that is associated with the toll-free telecommunications number, wherein the metadata tag is a quantitative summary associated with the toll-free telecommunications number; and

distributing a communication to an entity regarding the toll-free telecommunications number in response to the quantitative summary.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging a specific toll-free telecommunications number to facilitate tracking of updates to the specific toll-free telecommunications number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tagging step facilitates the tracking of updates to the specific toll-free telecommunications number and includes monitoring at least one of a change in ownership, a change in availability, and an increase in search statistics.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the metadata tag through at least one of a web application, a mobile application, or some other user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata tag includes data relating to popularity as derived at least in part from a user'"'"'s search history associated with the toll-free number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata tag includes location information associated with the toll-free number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata tag includes financial information associated with the toll-free number.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data relating to at least one of a dip rate or dip volume that is associated with the toll-free telecommunications number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing the communication to an entity is performed via at least one of a text message and an email.

10. A method comprising:

receiving data relating to usage of a toll-free telecommunications number, including routing data that comprises criteria upon which the toll-free telecommunications number may be routed;

receiving data associated with the toll-free telecommunications number;

creating a custom metadata tag based on keywords;

analyzing the received data to create a metadata tag that is associated with the toll-free telecommunications number, wherein the metadata tag is a quantitative summary associated with the toll-free telecommunications number; and

distributing a communication to an entity regarding the toll-free telecommunications number in response to the quantitative summary.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the metadata tag includes utilizing one or more keywords.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the metadata tag includes utilizing category based tagging.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the metadata tag includes location based tagging.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the metadata tag is related to popularity.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the metadata tag is related to social media mentions.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the metadata tag is related to suggestive tags.

17. A method comprising:

receiving data relating to at least one of a dip rate or dip volume that is associated with a toll-free telecommunications number;

ingesting data from a plurality of sources relating to usage of the toll-free telecommunications number;

analyzing the received and ingested data to create a valuation metadata tag that is associated with the toll-free telecommunications number, wherein the valuation metadata is a quantitative summary of the demand associated with the toll-free telecommunications number; and

initiating a toll-free number reservation based on the current valuation of the toll-free telecommunications number.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein initiating the toll-free number reservation is segregated into tiers.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the metadata tag provides for alerting based on a specified latency.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein initiating the toll-free number reservation provides for low latency alerting.