Index of suspicion determination for communications request

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9307078-B2
Application number	US-201514618460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Mar 20, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating 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 suspicion rating 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; and
providing said suspicion rating to a called device during said incoming call.

2. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1 , wherein:
said suspicion rating is provided to said called device in real time during said incoming call.

3. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1 , further comprising:
accessing a call history database to determine a level of confidence in said suspicion rating from a call history relating to said wireless calling device.

4. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 1 , further comprising:
accessing a call forensic database to determine a level of confidence in said suspicion rating by comparison to a pattern of known prank calls.

5. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 4 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to known locations of confirmed prank calls.

6. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 4 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to peak times of confirmed prank calls.

7. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 4 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to prior confirmed prank calls linked to a caller identity of said wireless calling device.

8. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 4 , further comprising:
accessing a call forensic database to determine a level of confidence in said suspicion rating by comparison to a pattern of known prank calls.

9. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 8 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to known locations of confirmed prank calls.

10. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 9 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to peak times for confirmed prank calls.

11. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 8 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to a caller identity linked to said wireless calling device.

12. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 4 , further comprising:
updating said call forensic database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from a location of said wireless calling device.

13. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 3 , further comprising:
updating said call history database to include an entry of a confirmed prank call from said wireless calling device.

14. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 3 , 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.

15. The method of providing a rating of suspicion indicating 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.

16. Apparatus for providing a rating of suspicion indicating 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;
means for determining a suspicion rating 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; and
means for transmitting said suspicion rating to a called device during said incoming call.

17. The apparatus for providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 16 , wherein:
said means for transmitting said suspicion rating transmits said suspicion rating in real time during said incoming call.

18. The apparatus for providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 16 , further comprising:
means for accessing a call history database to determine a level of confidence in said suspicion rating from a call history relating to said wireless calling device.

19. The apparatus for providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 16 , further comprising:
means for accessing a call forensic database to determine a level of confidence in said suspicion rating by comparison to a pattern of known prank calls.

20. The apparatus for providing a rating of suspicion indicating that an incoming call may be a prank call according to claim 16 , wherein:
said pattern of known prank calls relates to known locations of confirmed prank calls.

Assignees

• Telecomm Systems Inc

Inventors

• Ehrlich Robert
• Mitchell Donald L
• Marshall Roger S
• Hines Gordon John

Classifications

• H04M3/42042

  Notifying the called party of information on the calling party (details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72) · CPC title

• H04M3/42348

  Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target · CPC title

• H04M3/51

  Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention {, e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing} · CPC title

• H04M3/5116

  for emergency applications · CPC title

• H04M3/436 Primary

  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 title