U.S. patent application number 10/889410 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-03 for secure valet telephone system.
Invention is credited to Fox, James, Parker, Stephen.
Application Number | 20050047575 10/889410 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34221736 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050047575 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Parker, Stephen ; et
al. |
March 3, 2005 |
Secure valet telephone system
Abstract
A secure valet telephone system is provided having a computer
accessible by a live operator, a private encrypted database
containing a plurality of contact numbers for one or more parties,
with the contact numbers accessible by the computer, a telephone
number through which a caller may contact the live operator and be
connected by the live operator to a preferred contact number of a
party chosen by the computer based upon data in said database,
wherein the preferred contact number is hidden from the live
operator. This system facilitates more efficient calling by
connecting the calling party with the call location at which the
contact party is most likely to be reached. The actual number
dialed is concealed from the operator in the interests of privacy
and security.
Inventors: |
Parker, Stephen; (Devon,
PA) ; Fox, James; (Newtown, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Gregory J. Lavorgna
Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP
One Logan Square
18th and Cherry Streets
Philadelphia
PA
19103-6996
US
|
Family ID: |
34221736 |
Appl. No.: |
10/889410 |
Filed: |
July 12, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60499257 |
Aug 29, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
379/211.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 3/5108 20130101;
H04M 3/60 20130101; H04M 3/54 20130101; H04M 3/4931 20130101; H04M
2203/2072 20130101; H04M 2203/6009 20130101; H04M 3/42102
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/211.02 |
International
Class: |
H04M 003/42 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A secure valet telephone system comprising: a computer
accessible by a live operator; a private encrypted database
containing a plurality of contact numbers for one or more parties,
said contact numbers being accessible by said computer; a telephone
number through which a caller may contact said live operator and be
connected by said live operator to a preferred contact number of a
party chosen by said computer based upon data in said database,
wherein said preferred contact number is hidden from said live
operator.
2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said private
encrypted database is updated to include a record of said call from
said caller to said party via said operator.
3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said preferred
contact number comprises a number at which a previous connection
was made if said previous connection occurred within a
predetermined time period.
4. A secure valet telephone system comprising: a computer
accessible by a live operator; a private encrypted database
containing a plurality of contact numbers for subscribers to said
system and being accessible by the computer; a telephone number
through which a user may contact said live operator and be
connected by said live operator to a preferred contact number of a
selected subscriber to said system chosen by said computer based
upon data in said database, wherein said preferred contact number
is hidden from said live operator.
5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said user contacts
said operator by placing a call to a phone number associated with
said subscriber and wherein said call is forwarded via a call
forwarding feature to said operator.
6. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said private
encrypted database is updated to include a record of said call from
said user to said subscriber via said operator.
7. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said preferred
contact number comprises a number at which a previous connection
was made if said previous connection occurred within a
predetermined time period.
8. A secure valet telephone system comprising: a private encrypted
database containing one or more contact numbers for a party; a
telephone access number through which a subscriber can obtain
access to the system; means accessible by a live operator to
connect the subscriber to the live operator and operable by the
live operator to connect the subscriber to a preferred contact
number for said party based upon data contained in said database,
wherein said preferred contact number is hidden from said live
operator.
9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said subscriber
contacts said operator via an autodialer feature.
10. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said subscriber
contacts said operator via a phone having one-touch feature for
connecting to said operator.
11. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said subscriber
contacts said operator via a voice activated command.
12. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said private
encrypted database is updated to include a record of said call from
said subscriber to said party via said operator.
13. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said preferred
contact number comprises a number at which a previous connection
was made if said previous connection occurred within a
predetermined time period.
14. A method for connecting a caller with of a secure valet
telephone system to a user comprising the steps of: placing a call
to said system by said caller; connecting said caller to said
system, said system comprising a computer accessible by a live
operator; searching a private encrypted database accessible by said
computer in response to a request by said caller to contact a
party; retrieving from said database a preferred contact location
for said party; and connecting said caller to said party at said
preferred contact location.
15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said preferred
contact location is determined in accordance with the time of the
call.
16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said preferred
contact location comprises a location at which a previous
connection was made if said previous connection occurred within a
predetermined time period.
17. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein a phone number
associated with said preferred contact location is hidden from said
operator.
18. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said placing step
further comprises the step of: placing a call to a phone number
associated with a subscriber to the system; and forwarding said
call to said system via a call forwarding feature.
19. A secure valet telephone system for connecting a caller to a
party comprising: means for connecting a caller to a computer
system accessible by a live operator; means for determining a
preferred contact location for said party; and means for directing
a call from said caller to said party at said preferred contact
location.
20. The method as set forth in claim 19, further comprising means
for hiding a phone number associated with said preferred contact
location from said operator.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present invention claims priority to provisional
application No. 60/499,257 filed on Aug. 29, 2003.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to the field of telephone
communications and, more particularly, to a secure valet telephone
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Today telephone networks have become increasing complex. In
the not so distant past, contacting an individual normally meant
calling a phone number for the individual's home or business. All
of the residents of a household typically shared one telephone
number, and often all individuals at a place of business shared one
or a few telephone numbers. Today, this is rarely the case. Nearly
every individual now has a plurality of numbers through which they
can be contacted. For example, an individual may have at least one
home number, a cell number, a pager number, an office direct dial
number, an office main number, etc. As a result of today's changing
world, it has become necessary to maintain a much more extensive
catalog of phone numbers than was previously needed.
[0004] Additionally, because of the numerous contact numbers at
which a particular individual might be reached, making productive
call connections can be difficult. In order to reach a particular
individual, several potential contact numbers might need to be
called before the correct contact number (i.e., the number at which
the individual can be reached at that particular moment) is
found.
[0005] In order to help maintain extensive catalogs of contact
numbers, electronic devices have been developed to store many phone
numbers for a given person. For example, most cellular phones now
have an address book capability that allows storage of numerous
contact numbers. However, those devices require a substantial
investment of time to enter all of the data into them, and an
amount of technical savvy and manual dexterity to retrieve the
information. Often, entering and retrieving information can be
difficult. For example, it can be difficult to page through an
electronic phonebook while one is driving. Some individuals have
additional difficulties in accessing information stored in this
manner (e.g., visually impaired individuals). Additionally, such a
device containing a substantial amount of private contact
information may be lost or stolen, resulting in the loss of all the
sensitive personal information stored within the device.
[0006] Directory assistance has long been available to individuals
seeking assistance in obtaining telephone numbers. However, current
directory assistance techniques have several shortcomings. First,
they do not aid in increasing call productivity as they do not
distinguish between an individual's various numbers and normally do
not include cellular numbers. Moreover, current directory
assistance techniques contain a security concern because the
operator has access to telephone numbers of the individuals on the
system. In today's security conscious environment, this may be
undesirable to many people.
SUMMARY
[0007] A secure valet telephone system is provided for enabling
system subscribers to achieve improved call connection efficiency.
The system comprises a live operator who can access upon request
contact information for contact parties contained within a private
encrypted database. The operator accesses the database via a
computer. The computer uses the information stored within the
database to determine a preferred contact number for the desired
contact party. This facilitates more efficient calling by
connecting the calling party with the call location at which the
contact party is most likely to be reached. The actual number
dialed is concealed from the operator in the interests of privacy
and security.
[0008] The system may further include a method to update the
database after each call to include information about the call
attempt or call completion. Additionally, the system may further
include a method to quickly and easily put a subscriber in touch
with the operator such as via an autodialer, a one button
connection, or a voice activated connection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is
shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being
understood, that this invention is not limited to the precise
arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the steps involved in an
outbound call by a subscriber using a system in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is an exemplary record for a subscriber contained
within a private encrypted database in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the steps involved in an
inbound call to a subscriber using a system in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The figures show an exemplary embodiment of a secure valet
telephone system in accordance with the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows an example of a telephone network 100 that
incorporates a system in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. A standard telephone network comprises numerous
telephones, both wireless and wire lines, interconnected to each
other via a network of wire lines and wireless communication
channels managed by numerous telephone companies. The exemplary
network 100 shown in FIG. 1 comprises wire line telephones (101,
102) and wireless telephones (103, 104) that communicate with the
network via transmission towers (105,106). In the illustrated
embodiment, the network 100 is in communication with a secure valet
system 110. This communication may be achieved using various
standard telephone network connections, for example, trunked
telephone lines, although alternative connections including
wireless connections could also be employed.
[0016] The system 110 employs a live operator 112, who is in
communication with transmissions to and from the network 100 via
standard telephone switching equipment 116. The system also
contains a computer 118 capable of accessing a database 114. The
term "computer" is used herein to describe a processing unit, such
as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) with a graphical user interface
(GUI). However, any number of alternatives may also be employed,
such as a server residing on a distributed network. Using computer
118, the live operator can access selected information stored
within the private encrypted database 114. In the illustrated
embodiment, the database 114 is a private encrypted database that
contains phone number information that is secure and may only be
accessed by authorized personnel. The private encrypted database
114 contains contact information on various parties as provided by
subscribers to the system, as further discussed below.
[0017] There are two types of callers who may access the system,
"subscribers" and "users." The term "subscribers" is used herein to
refer to individuals who are part of the community of people
belonging to the system 110 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. The term "users" is used herein to refer to
individuals who may access the system 110 as part of a
communication with a subscriber, but are not subscribers of the
system (for example, a "user" may be directed to the system when
calling a "subscriber"). Subscribers provide contact information on
various parties, which is stored in the database 114. A party about
whom information is stored comprises the target of the call. A
party may or may not also be a subscriber to the system.
[0018] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate calling methods in accordance with
the illustrated embodiment of the invention. The process by which a
subscriber places an outbound call is discussed with reference to
FIG. 2. When a subscriber desires to place an outbound call (step
201), he or she accesses the system via a telephone. In one
embodiment, access is facilitated by using an auto-dialer or
auto-router installed in the wireline phone in the subscriber's
home or place of business. When the subscriber initiates a call by
lifting the handset, the appropriate connection to an operator is
made automatically. Alternatively, the subscriber may access the
system via a wireless phone. In one embodiment, access via a
wireless phone is achieved by pressing a soft-programmable key on
the phone. This "one-touch" access removes the need for the
subscriber to memorize or store a number to dial in order to access
the system, and also removes the need to enter a plurality of
keystrokes into the phone. This one-touch access can also allow
subscribers who may have difficulty operating a conventional phone
(e.g., small children, visually impaired individuals, etc.) to gain
access to the secure valet system quickly and easily.
[0019] Once access is initiated by a subscriber, the subscriber is
placed in contact with a live operator (step 203). By using a live
operator, the secure valet system avoids requesting a series of
prompts or entries from the subscriber, which may be difficult for
some individuals to enter into the phone, as discussed above.
Additionally, by providing a live operator instead of a series of
prompts the system assures a rapid response in an emergency. After
accessing the system, the subscriber places a request with the
operator to contact a party. The operator is then provided with the
requested party's contact information as contained in the private
encrypted database (step 205). The private encrypted database
comprises a compilation of data provided by each subscriber. The
data includes the various contact locations and associated numbers
for parties that are included in the subscriber's database. Such
information has been previously provided by the subscriber for
individuals that he or she specified, such as individuals that the
subscriber calls most frequently.
[0020] A preferred contact location is retrieved from the private
encrypted database (step 207), as further described below, and
provided to the operator in order to allow the operator to complete
the call (step 209). In a preferred embodiment, the actual phone
numbers associated with a contact location are never seen by the
operator. This alleviates the main concerns with live operator
systems, which are compromising privacy and security. In the prior
art, live operator systems necessitated providing information to
the operator. In today's security conscious environment, this is
not desirable. In the secure valet system in accordance with the
invention, the operator is given selections for completing the
call, normally displayed on a GUI provided via the computer. The
display lists only the order of contact options, without displaying
any actual phone numbers. For example, when attempting to contact
John Smith, the information retrieved from the private encrypted
database might be displayed as "John Smith cell--#1 option," "John
Smith work--#2 option," etc.
[0021] The operator can now complete the call by choosing a
location to which to direct the subscriber's call, normally to the
preferred contact location for the user (Step 211) unless otherwise
instructed by the subscriber. This may be accomplished using
conventional telephone switching equipment to route the call over
the outbound trunked phone lines into an existing telephone
network. After the call has been completed, the private encrypted
database may be updated to include a record of the current call
(step 213) as further described below.
[0022] In order to improve call efficiency, the operator is
provided with a contact selection that is most likely to result in
a successful call completion (i.e., most likely to allow the
subscriber to reach the called party). The preferred contact number
is selected by the system from the private encrypted database in
accordance with a number of predetermined criteria. Additionally,
the predetermined criteria can be edited/updated both periodically
by a request from a subscriber and automatically in response to
system use. For example, initially a subscriber provides a series
of preferred contact locations for parties he or she desires to be
included in his or her information within the database. Referring
to FIG. 3, an exemplary record from the private encrypted database
for a particular subscriber is illustrated. In the illustrated
example, the subscriber is referred to as "Jane Doe" and the
individual she is attempting to contact is referred to as "John
Smith." A record within the private encrypted database has
previously been created from information provided by Jane Doe
containing a schedule of preferred contact numbers for John Smith
corresponding to various times during the week. For example, if
Jane Doe is attempting to contact John Smith at 10:00 am on a
Monday morning, the operator is given a first choice option
corresponding to John Smith's work number, which has been
previously stored in the private encrypted database. The system may
also be programmed to provide a default backup number. For example,
a second choice number may be John Smith's cell number for Monday
at 10:00 am.
[0023] In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the system may also be programmed to override the
scheduled numbers in certain situations to improve call efficiency.
The information in the private encrypted database is dynamically
updated to include a record of the history of calls from Jane Doe
to John Smith. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a call was placed
from Jane Doe to John Smith at 9:45 am on Monday, which in this
example is 15 minutes prior to the Monday 10:00 a.m. attempt. The
call was completed via John Smith's cell phone number. The system
evaluates the prior call record to determine if any calls were
placed within a predetermined time period. For example, the
predetermined time period may be 30 minutes. The system evaluates
the prior call record and determines that a call was completed 15
minutes earlier, which is within the predetermined 30 minute
period. Since it is logical to believe that contact with John Smith
can be made at the same number used in the prior call, because only
a short time has elapsed since the prior call, the prior contact
number is provided to the operator as the primary contact choice,
overriding the date/time schedule.
[0024] Each time a call is placed the private encrypted database is
updated to reflect a history of such a call. This information can
be used for the next call attempt (e.g., to determine the time
elapsed since the last successful connection as discussed above) or
to later determine the success/failure rate of contact attempts at
particular numbers. This can be used to identify errors in the
system (e.g., a wrong number programmed into the private encrypted
database) or to identify times and locations that have a poor
connection rate and may need adjustment (e.g., 9:00 am on Monday is
programmed to use a party's work number, but the completion rate of
calls between 9:00 am and 9:15 am at the work number is low and the
completion rate during the same period is higher for the cell
number; thus, this information indicates to the subscriber that
updating the database to use the cell number during this time
period would improve call completion efficiency).
[0025] Referring to FIG. 4, the process by which a subscriber
receives an inbound call is illustrated. When a user (i.e., someone
accessing the system for the purpose of contacting a subscriber),
for example, John Smith, desires to contact a subscriber (step
401), for example, Jane Doe, he does so by placing a call via his
telephone to one of Jane Doe's phone numbers (step 403). Using a
call forwarding feature, the incoming call is routed to the system
including a live operator and a computer (step 405). The computer
receives the inbound call information and extracts the preferred
contact location from the private encrypted database and displays
the information to the operator (step 407). For example, the
contact information may be displayed to the operator via a GUI
interface. The operator can then complete the call by selecting a
connection from the prioritized choices provided (step 409).
[0026] Similar to the process involved with outbound calls, the
primary designated location to reach a subscriber for an inbound
call at a particular day/time may be checked against the
dynamically updated record of recent call activity to determine if
a higher call completion rate may be achieved at an alternate
number. For example, as previously described, if Jane Doe was
contacted by a caller within a previously predetermined time period
(e.g., 15 minutes), the operator is provided with the contact
information of the number at which the previous call reached Jane
Doe as the primary choice, overriding any day/time number
designation.
[0027] Once the call has been completed, the private encrypted
database is updated to reflect the instant call (step 411). The
instant call information is now available to be used in evaluating
subsequent requests to contact the subscriber.
[0028] The system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention provides several advantageous features.
Subscribers communicate with a live operator, which is the
preferred method of communication for many individuals. A live
operator provides a level of service and customer satisfaction
above that which can be achieved from an automated system.
Additionally, call efficiency (i.e., the success rate at which call
completions are achieved) is improved using the preferred contact
locations provided by the system as described herein. Finally, the
ability of the system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention to dynamically update the database containing
the information regarding the preferred contact location further
improves the call efficiency rate.
[0029] A variety of modifications to the embodiments described will
be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure
provided herein. Thus, the present invention may be embodied in
other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential
attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to
the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as
indicating the scope of the invention.
* * * * *