Index of suspicion determination for communications request

• US 8,983,047 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Ehrlich, Robert, Mitchell, Donald L., Marshall, Roger S., Hines, Gordon John
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US14/220,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140286484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.02, 379/142.04, 379/142.05, 379/142.06, 379/142.1
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/556 Statistical analysis and interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6027 Fraud preventions
• 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 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• 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 3/436 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 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

The risk that an incoming emergency call is a prank call is presented in real-time to the called party, in the form of, e.g., an index of suspicion. An index of suspicion aggregation server quantifies, qualifies, and aggregates risks, suspicions, and/or threats relevant to a call center to formulate a scale of suspicion. Metrics are acquired (e.g., calling device location information, device configuration information, caller information, etc.) relevant to each communications request made to a call center and uses acquired metrics to rate communications requests based on a known scale of suspicion. Once a suspicion rating is determined for a communications request, the communications request is routed to a relevant call-taker terminal, as is the index of suspicion for that incoming call. Real time presentation of the index of suspicion enables call-takers to make better call-handling decisions based on risk analysis and historical call data associated with a given caller.

Claims

1. A method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call, comprising:

requesting a current location of a wireless calling device to an incoming call, from a network positioning server;

comparing said obtained current location of said wireless calling device to locations of known active emergency events;

determining a first level of confidence that said incoming call relates to a known emergency event based on said comparison of said current location of said wireless calling device to locations of known active emergency events;

accessing a call history database to determine a second level of confidence from a call history relating to said wireless calling device;

accessing a call forensic database to determine a third level of confidence relating to a pattern of known prank calls;

aggregating said first level of confidence, said second level of confidence, and said third level of confidence, into an index of suspicion; and

providing said index of suspicion rating in real-time to a called device during said incoming call.

2. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, wherein:

said pattern of known prank calls relates to known locations of prank calls.

3. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, wherein:

said pattern of known prank calls relates to peak times of prank calls.

4. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, wherein:

said pattern of known prank calls relates to a caller identity linked to said wireless calling device.

5. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating said call forensic database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from a location of said wireless calling device.

6. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating said call history database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from said wireless calling device.

7. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating said call history database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from a caller identity linked to said wireless calling device.

8. The method of providing a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1, wherein:

said index of suspicion rating is provided to said called device upon request of said called device.

9. An index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call, comprising:

means for requesting a current location of a wireless calling device to an incoming call, from a network positioning server;

means for comparing said obtained current location of said wireless calling device to locations of known active emergency events based on said comparison of said current location of said wireless calling device to locations of known active emergency events to determine a first level of confidence that said incoming call relates to a known emergency event;

means for accessing a call history database to determine a second level of confidence from a call history relating to said wireless calling device;

means for accessing a call forensic database to determine a third level of confidence relating to a pattern of known prank calls;

means for aggregating said first level of confidence, said second level of confidence, and said third level of confidence, into an index of suspicion; and

means for providing said index of suspicion rating in real-time to a called device during said incoming call.

10. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, wherein:

said pattern of known prank calls relates to known locations of prank calls.

11. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, wherein:

said pattern of known prank calls relates to peak times of prank calls.

12. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, wherein:

said pattern of known prank calls relates to a caller identity linked to said wireless calling device.

13. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for updating said call forensic database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from a location of said wireless calling device.

14. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for updating said call history database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from said wireless calling device.

15. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for updating said call history database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from a caller identity linked to said wireless calling device.

16. The index of suspicion aggregation server to provide a real-time index rating of suspicion that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9, wherein:

said index of suspicion rating is provided to said called device upon request of said called device.