Systems and methods for authenticating a caller at a call center

• US 9,961,194 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Wiechman, Lucas, Burgund, Matthew, Biersdorf, Mark, Hlavac, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh Kien
• Application Number:
  US15/474,631
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 37914201, 37914205, 37914206, 37914204, 37914217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• 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 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/60 related to security aspects in telephonic communication systems network architectures or network communication protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys

Abstract

A system for authenticating the identity of a caller (i) receives a phone call from a caller, where the phone call is initiated through an application on a remote computer device associated with the caller, and where the phone call includes one or more phone authentication credentials; (ii) determines a preliminary identity of the caller based upon the one or more phone authentication credentials; (iii) receives online authentication credentials from the application on the remote computer device; (iv) determines a confirmed identity of the caller based, at least in part, upon the one or more online credentials and the preliminary identity of the caller; and (v) displays the confirmed identity of the caller to a user answering the phone call. As a result, the user and/or the system do not need to perform additional authentication before providing service to the caller.

Claims

1. A computer system for authenticating the identity of a caller, the computer system including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the at least one processor is programmed to:

receive a phone call from a caller, wherein the phone call is initiated through an application on a remote computer device associated with the caller, wherein the phone call includes one or more phone authentication credentials;

determine a preliminary identity of the caller based upon the one or more phone authentication credentials;

receive online authentication credentials from the application on the remote computer device;

determine a confirmed identity of the caller based, at least in part, upon the one or more online credentials and the preliminary identity of the caller; and

transfer the confirmed identity of the caller to a computer device associated with a user answering the phone call to facilitate caller identity authentication, wherein the computer device is configured to display the confirmed identity of the caller to the user.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

place the received phone call in a queue; and

release the phone call from the queue based upon determining a confirmed identity of the caller.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to;

compare the one or more phone authentication credentials with a stored database of identities; and

determine the preliminary identity of the caller based upon the comparison.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the one or more online credentials with the preliminary identity of the caller; and

determine a confirmed identity of the caller based upon the comparison.

5. The computer system of claim 4 wherein the processor is further configured to compare the one or more online credentials with the preliminary identity and a database of identities.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the remote computer device is a mobile phone associated with the caller, and wherein the application initiates the phone call using a dialing application on the mobile phone.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the application initiates the phone call using a voice over IP application on the remote computer device.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the phone authentication credentials include at least one of a phone authentication system, data verification system, automatic number identification, dialed number identification service, and a root check system result.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the online authentication credentials include at least one of a mobile device print, geolocation data, a user fingerprint, facial recognition information, public key infrastructure token, QR code, pincode, and usemame+password.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to store a database that includes a plurality of identities, wherein the database is configured to be searched based upon phone number.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the application is configured to receive login information from the caller to access the application, and wherein the application is further configured to transmit at least one of the login information and an acknowledgement of the login information in the online authentication credentials.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the application is further configured to receive a caller fingerprint as login information.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the acknowledgement is a verification code.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to transmit at least one of the online authentication credentials and the phone authentication credentials to a third-party server for verification.

15. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the user receiving the phone call is associated with a call center.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the preliminary identity of the caller is associated with a first level of assurance, and wherein the confirmed identity of the caller is associated with a second level of assurance, wherein the second level of assurance is higher than the first level of assurance.

17. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the displayed confirmed identity of caller includes a caller name and a phone number associated with the phone call.

18. A computer-based method for authenticating the identity of a caller, the method implemented on a call authenticating (“

CA”

) server including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the method comprising;

receiving, at the CA server, a phone call from a caller, wherein the phone call is initiated through an application on a remote computer device associated with the caller, wherein the phone call includes one or more phone authentication credentials;

determining, by the CA server, a preliminary identity of the caller based upon the one or more phone authentication credentials;

receiving, at the CA server, online authentication credentials from the application on the remote computer device;

determining, by the CA server, a confirmed identity of the caller based, at least in part, upon the one or more online credentials and the preliminary identity of the caller; and

transferring the confirmed identity of the caller to a computer device associated with a user answering the phone call to facilitate caller identity authentication, wherein the computer device is configured to display the confirmed identity of the caller to the user.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

placing the received phone call in a queue; and

releasing the phone call from the queue based upon determining a confirmed identity of the caller.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

comparing the one or more phone authentication credentials with a stored database of identities; and

determining the preliminary identity of the caller based upon the comparison.