IP Library Granted Patent US 8,983,047
Granted Patent B2
US 8,983,047 · App. 14/220,543 · Granted Mar 17, 2015

Index of suspicion determination for communications request

Inventors: Robert Ehrlich (Windham, NH); Donald L. Mitchell (Bellevue, WA); Roger S. Marshall (Auburn, WA); Gordon John Hines (Kirkland, WA)
Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
H04M3/436H04M3/42042
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,983,047
App. No.
14/220,543
Granted
Mar 17, 2015
Kind
B2
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 (43)

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.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 3, 2016
From: COMTECH EF DATA CORP.; COMTECH XICOM TECHNOLOGY, INC.; COMTECH MOBILE DATACOM CORPORATION; TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.
To: CITIBANK N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 037993/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 12, 2015
From: EHRLICH, ROBERT; MITCHELL, DONALD L.; MARSHALL, ROGER S; HINES, GORDON JOHN
To: TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 034679/0915 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61803662 · Mar 20, 2013
Related Publication 20140286484A1 · Sep 25, 2014