ISN call interrupt

Details ISN call interrupt ISN call interrupt

2001-06-06

2004-08-24

Kuntz, Curtis (Department: 2643)

Telephonic communications

With usage measurement

Call charge metering or monitoring

C379S114290

Reexamination Certificate

active

06782083

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
1. Technological Field
The present application relates generally to telecommunications and, in particular, to a method for tearing down in progress special service calls which have been validated and authorized, but have been subsequently found to be fraudulent.
2. Description of the Related Art
The telecommunications industry has experienced significant changes in the way that customers are billed for their telephone calls. From the once simple method of billing the originating caller, many methods have been developed, allowing greater flexibility for the telecommunications customer. A predominant method for making telephone calls away from home or the office is by utilizing the telephone calling card to charge the call.
Calling card customers may use any telephone facility, including public facilities, to make a call that will be charged to their account. The process of making calls using a calling card typically includes dialing an “800” number, waiting for an audio prompt, and then entering an account number and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) into a telephone key pad device. The “800” (and now “888”) number phone calls are one type of a category of phone calls called “special service” calls. These special service calls, which include “700”, “800/888”, and “900” number calls, allow contemporary telecommunications networks to provide many services beyond direct distance dialing. It is the long distance carriers that provide this special service call processing, which allows for toll-free calls, calling card calls, special rate calls, etc.
Following the example of a calling card call, once the account number and PIN have been entered, the calling card customer can make one or more calls from whatever location the customer is dialing in from. These calls are subsequently charged to the customer's calling card account. Calling cards can also be used to avoid having to pay additional surcharges when making calls from certain public facilities such as hotels and telephone booths.
As with many new technologies, the ease and flexibility of the use of calling cards has led to abuse, and has consequently brought about new types of fraud. Calling card fraud costs businesses (and consumers) millions of dollars annually. Current security mechanisms, while effective, are not fail-safe, and protection mechanisms for consumers and businesses require improvement to stem these fraud-related losses.
There is a virtual underground industry in stolen calling cards and authorization codes. The multitude of ways that calling cards and authorization numbers find their way into unscrupulous hands need not be discussed here, but suffice it to say there is no end to the ingenuity of the criminal mind. One example of calling card fraud is the technique of “surfing” banks of public telephones, such as are at airports. Criminals “surf” by looking over the shoulders of legitimate card users as they key in the account number and PIN. Then they sell or distribute these numbers and rampant fraud results. In some cases, a single account may incur charges in excess of $100,000 in a single weekend. Calling card fraud and other forms of fraudulent use present pervasive problems for telephone carriers, particularly long distance carriers.
One method of fraud control is to simply remove calling card numbers against which it is suspected that fraudulent calls are being charged. In order to recognize fraudulent calls, a “billing number”—a billing product and an account number, such as a calling card, pre-paid phone card, etc.—is monitored over time. For example, where the number of domestic calls placed within a certain amount of time using the same billing number exceeds a certain threshold, an alert is generated. International calls may have a lower threshold so that fewer calls within the time period generate an alert. In addition, the threshold may be further adjusted for calls to countries where a high percentage of fraudulent calls are directed.
When a threshold alert is generated, it is typically sent to a fraud analyst. A fraud analyst would be stationed at a fraud control console
158
, as shown in FIG.
1
. The fraud analyst analyzes the alert and the history of that billing number in order to determine whether or not to deactivate that billing number. The fraud analyst may attempt to contact the calling card user in order to resolve the issue. If the fraud analyst decides that the calling card is being used fraudulently, he sets a “fraud flag” which indicates that subsequent calls using this billing number should be blocked or intercepted. When the fraud flag is set, the billing number is flagged in the Billing Number Screening (BNS) server
160
in FIG.
1
. This whole process may be automated so that a fraud analyst is not needed to actually flag a billing number. Because of this, the term “fraud control console” or “fraud control” will be used herein to signify either a console operated by a fraud analyst or an automated process.
An example of a conventional calling card call is shown with reference to FIG.
1
. The caller, using telephone
111
, makes a calling card call by dialing a number in the format of 1-800-NXX-XXXX. The call is routed through Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)
110
. LEC refers to local telephone companies, such as the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), which provide local transmission services for their customers. Because of the 1-800 format of the dialed number, the routers in the LEC will forward the call to the network of the appropriate long distance carrier (or Inter-Exchange Carrier IXC)
100
. Special service telephone calls, such as “800” number calls, are provided by IXCs, such as MCI-Worldcom. After switching through LEC switches
112
and
114
, the “800” number is routed into the IXC
100
to a bridge switch
102
. The purpose of the bridge switch
102
is to receive calls from the IXC network and bridge them to the Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
106
and, ultimately, into the Intelligent Services Network platform (ISN)
150
. There are a number of ISNs within the IXC, but, for the purpose of understanding the present invention, one ISN will suffice.
The ACD
106
is under the direct control of the Application Processor APP
156
, which is a general purpose computer that functions as the central point for call routing control in the ISN
150
. When the “800” number call arrives at the ACD
106
, the ACD
106
makes a request to the APP
156
for directions as to how the call should be handled. Such a request would usually be accompanied by information concerning the call; i.e. the Automatic Number Identification (ANI) of the caller and the destination number of the call. The APP
156
would recognize by the “800” prefix of the destination number that the call is a special services call and, consequently, the APP
156
would instruct the ACD
106
to deliver the call to the appropriate queue. In this case, assuming that the call is to a calling card “800” number, the call would queue up to the Automatic Response Unit (ARU)
152
. The ARU
152
comprises two components, one to process the call, the other to prompt the caller with a voice response system. It is the ARU
152
that will ask the caller for the required final destination number, calling card number, and PIN. When a live operator is required, the call is routed to the Manual Telecommunications Operator Console (MTOC)
154
. Whether the call is routed to the ARU
152
or the MTOC
154
, the same informational decisions will have to be made. In other words, regardless of whether it is entered by the operator at the MTOC
154
or by the caller at her telephone
111
to the ARU
152
, the calling card account number will have to be entered.
During the course of servicing a call, the need often arises to “park” a call on the ACD
106
. When a call is parked on the ACD
106
, the call is active, i.e., there is a party on the call with an established voice channel connected to the ACD
106
. The call is monitored and maintained at the ACD. Once a call is parked at the ACD, it is no

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

ISN call interrupt does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with ISN call interrupt, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and ISN call interrupt will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3344919