Statistical analysis system for use with public communication facility

• US 4,792,968 A
• Filed: 02/24/1987
• Issued: 12/20/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ronald A Katz Technology Licensing LP
• Original Assignee: FDR Interactive Technologies
• Inventors: Katz, Ronald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lev, Robert
• Application Number:
  US07/018,244
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91, 379/67, 379/92, 379/110, 235/377, 235/375
• US Class Current: 379/92.03
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/086 played via telephone, e.g. using a modem
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/005 with dispensing of lottery tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/006 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• 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: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1309 Apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 : PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 : Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 : Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13107 : Control equipment for a part of the connection, distributed control, co-processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1316 : Service observation, testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13173 : Busy signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13178 : Control signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13256 : Call screening
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1328 : Call transfer, e.g. in PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 : Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 : Operator, emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13375 : Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 : Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/002 : Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54533 : Configuration data, translation, passwords, databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/5455 : Multi-processor, parallelism, distributed systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54591 : Supervision, e.g. fault localisation, traffic measurements, avoiding errors, failure recovery, monitoring, statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/665 : Circuit arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/74 : Identification of subscriber calling from a party-line

Abstract

For use with a public communication facility C incorporating terminals T1-TN, e.g. a telephone system, a statistical analysis system D interfaces with individual stations where a caller is prompted by voice instructions to provide digital data that is identified for positive association with the caller and is stored for processing. Caller data is confirmed by a look-up table and by a signal-commanded voice generator. Files are created in the analysis system wherein callers are assigned designations which are stored along with statistical and identification data. In one embodiment, callers are identified by calling sequence and assigned designations are provided in the form of an acknowledgment. A break-off circuit enables a caller to terminate the computer interface aborting to a terminal for direct communication with an operator. The stored data is statistically processed and correlated as with established data to isolate a select group or subset of the callers or caller data that can be readily identified and confirmed.

Claims

1. A statistical analysis process for data from remote sources and for use with a communication facility including remote terminal apparatus for individual callers, wherein said remote terminal apparatus may comprise a conventional telephone instrument including voice communication means and digital input means in the form of an array of alphabetic numeric buttons for providing data, said process including the steps of:

interfacing said communication facility to provide voice signals and recive digital identification and answer signals representative respectively of identification data and answer data developed by said terminal apparatus under control of a caller;

generating voice signals and supplying said voice signals to actuate said terminal apparatus, as to provide vocal operating instructions to a caller;

providing sequence signals representative of sequence data indicating the time sequence of a call with reference to each of the calls from other callers;

initiating files and storing, (1) answer data for specific callers as indicated by said digital answer signals, (2) sequence data as indicated by said sequence signals and (3) identification data as indicated by identification signals identifying callers;

providing external data signals representative of external data distinct from answer data provided from said callers; and

comparing said answer data from said callers and analyzing said answer data with said external data in combination to isolate a select subset of said callers.

2. A process according to claim 1 including the further step of generating acknowledgement data for a call and storing said acknowledgement data as further identification data.

3. A process according to claim 2 including the further step of encrypting at lest part of said achknowledgement data prior to storing.

4. A process according to claim 2 including the further step of communicating at lest part of said acknowledgement data to a caller.

5. A process according to claim 1 including the further step of receiving a caller'"'"'s telephone number as identification data.

6. A process according to claim 1 including the further step of generating further identification data to provide a plurality of distinct data elements for identifying a caller.

7. A process according to claim 1 including the further step of testing identification data of a caller as a condition to storing answer data.

8. A process according to claim 7 including the further step of maintaining a record of callers to restrict the extent of answer data stored for a caller.

9. A process according to claim 8 including the further step of limiting the answer data stored from a caller to a one-time entry from a single call.

10. A process according to claim 7 including the further step of limiting the use of the process to store data from individual callers during a specific interval of time.

11. A process according to claim 1 including the further step of storing a billilng indentification number as at least part of said identification data for a caller.

12. A process according to claim 1 including the further step of aborting the interfacing step on command of a caller by a specific answer signla to provide person-to-person communication.