SYSTEM AND METHOD OF RETRIEVING AND CONVEYING SENSITIVE INFORMATION WHEN USING VOICE COMMAND DEVICES

• US 20190258787A1
• Filed: 02/21/2018
• Published: 08/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Jaafar, Ali, Randhawa, Jaskirat Singh, Mahmood, Abdul
• Granted Patent: US 10,733,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A method and system of providing private data privately when such data is requested from a VCD utilizes a communications network to communicate with a service containing the private data to determine if the data is private. Once the data is determined as being private, instead of being sent to the VCD to be broadcasted audibly, the data may be transmitted to a user'"'"'s preferred device to be presented privately to the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a user, a request from a voice command device (VCD) to provide data to the user, the request including information that identifies the user;

locating the user in a database based on the information that identifies the user;

locating the requested data in a storage unit;

determining if the located data is private data based on one or more rules in a privacy policy database; and

upon determining that the located data is private data, identifying a preferred device associated with the user;

transmitting the located private data to the preferred device associated with the user;

wherein the preferred device associated with the user is a device selected by the user for receiving private data requested from the VCD.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing authentication to determine if a user of the device is authorized to gain access to the private data before transmitting the private data to the preferred device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing authentication comprises:

sending a message to the preferred device to confirm that the user of the VCD requested the private data,

receiving a response back from the preferred device, and

verifying the response to determine if the user of the VCD device requested the private data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the response back includes a unique identifying response to verify that the user of the device is authorized to gain access to the private data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises at least one of voice, facial features or other biometric information of the user obtained by the VCD.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising using an authentication technique to identify the user based on the at least one of voice, facial features or other biometric information of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises a unique ID associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises information identifying voice, facial features or other biometric information of the user.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored instructions that when executed cause a programmable device to:

receive a request from a voice command device (VCD) to provide data requested by a user of the VCD to the user, the request including information that identifies the user;

locate the user in a database based on the information that identifies the user;

locate the requested data in a storage unit;

determine if the located data is private based on one or more rules in a privacy policy database;

upon determining that the located data is private, identify a device associated with the user; and

transmit the located private data to the device associated with the user;

wherein the device associated with the user has been selected by the user as a preferred device for receiving private data requested from the VCD.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises a unique ID associated with the user.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises a unique ID associated with the VCD.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises information identifying voice, facial features or other biometric information of the user.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the programmable device to using an authentication technique to identify the user based on the at least one of voice, facial features, or other biometric information of the user.

14. A system comprising:

a processor;

and

a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor on which are stored instructions that when executed configure the processor to;

receive a request from a voice command device (VCD) over a communication network to provide data, requested by a user of the VCD, to the user, the request including information that identifies the user;

locate the user in a database based on the information that identifies the user;

locate the requested data;

determine if the located data is private data based on one or more rules in a privacy policy database; and

upon determining that the located information is private data, identify a device associated with the user; and

transmit the located private data to the device associated with the user via the communication network;

wherein the device associated with the user has been selected by the user as a preferred device for receiving private data requested from the VCD.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to perform authentication to determine if a user of the device is authorized to gain access to the private data before transmitting the private data to the preferred device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises a unique ID associated with the user.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises a unique ID associated with the VCD.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the information that identifies the user comprises information identifying voice, facial features or other biometric information of the user.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to use an authentication technique to identify the user based on the at least one of voice, facial features or other biometric information of the user.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the privacy policy database includes one or more rules set up by the user.