Method and system for personalized directory assistance services

• US 5,943,417 A
• Filed: 04/29/1998
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Grape Technology Group Incorporated (KGB)
• Original Assignee: Metro One Telecommunications, Inc.
• Inventors: Cox, Patrick M., Kepler, Michael A., Filliger, Paul W., Timmons, Timothy A., Powell, Adrian P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US09/070,521
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 379/222, 379/223, 379/265, 379/266, 379/267, 379/309, 379/218, 379/224, 379/225
• US Class Current: 379/266.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• 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 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4933 with operator assistance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/60 Semi-automatic systems, i.e. in which the numerical selection of the outgoing line is under the control of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A mobile telephone, or personal communication services subscriber who wishes directory assistance services is connected in the conventional manner to an operator who identifies a destination telephone number desired by the subscriber. The operator then initiates a call connecting the subscriber to the destination telephone number. In a preferred embodiment, the operator locates a desired destination telephone number in a computer database, and can select automatic dialing of the located number. Further, rather than dropping all further involvement with the call, the preferred embodiment of the present invention continually monitors the connection thereby established for a predetermined DTMF signal issued by the customer, such as that obtained by pressing the "*" button. If such a signal is detected, the customer is transferred to a directory assistance operator, who can then provide whatever further assistance is needed (e.g., providing further directory assistance). If a busy signal or non-answering party is detected, a customer is given a plurality of options including leaving a recorded message or page, or a predetermined alphanumeric message or page for the called party. In this case, the system automatically tries, repeatedly, to deliver the recorded message or page and, optionally, confirms successful or failed message delivery to the calling party.

Claims

1. A directory assistance system for providing personalized directory assistance services to a customer caller, comprising:

a plurality of inbound channels for receiving calls from customers using telephones having customer telephone numbers;

a plurality of outbound channels for attempting to establish connections to destination telephones;

a switch for receiving calls and identifying customer telephone numbers associated with received calls;

a plurality of directory assistance service providers;

a database of customer telephone numbers, each customer telephone number in said database being associated with a priority code;

a server for searching said database for a priority code associated with a specified customer telephone number; and

a router for routing a call received at the switch, from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a first priority code, to a directory assistance service provider sooner than a call received previously from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a second priority code.

2. A directory assistance system of claim 1, further comprising one or more call queues.

3. A directory assistance system of claim 2, wherein a call from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a first priority code is inserted into one of the one or more queues ahead of a call from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a second priority code.

4. A directory assistance system of claim 1, further comprising a voice server providing a greeting personalized to a customer calling from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a priority code.

5. A directory assistance system of claim 1, further comprising a voice server providing a voiced closing message personalized to a customer calling from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a priority code.

6. A directory assistance system of claim 1, further comprising a voice server providing a menu of directory assistance options personalized to a customer calling from a telephone having a customer telephone number associated with a priority code.

7. A directory assistance system of claim 1, wherein the database further associates the customer to a designated language.

8. A directory assistance system of claim 7, wherein the directory assistance service provider is capable of communicating in the designated language.

9. A directory assistance system of claim 1, wherein the customer telephone number is determined from a data string received from a telephone network.