HK1190843B - Phone number verification - Google Patents

Description

Telephone number verification

Background

When a telephone user makes a telephone call, the receiving end's telephone equipment will display the identity of the calling equipment. In some cases, the calling user may choose to refrain from displaying the calling user identification.

Currently, there are many traditional and voice over IP (VoIP) providers that provide telephone services to users, and it is not surprising that users have multiple telephone numbers. For example, the user may obtain Skype^TMTelephone number, google voice^TMTelephone numbers, mobile telephone numbers, home telephone numbers, etc. However, the user may not want to disclose all of her/his numbers to the outside. Further, a user may use some telephony services to simply call others, and may not wish to receive a return call on the same number. For example, a user may call others with their Skype number, but hope that others will always return the phone to the user's home phone number. As such, others need to remember and store only one calling party's number. Furthermore, if a calling user makes a call from a new telephone number having a specific telephone number configured as a Calling Line Identification (CLI), the user receiving the call will know who is calling before answering the call. In order not to disclose the number from which the user is calling, the CLI needs to be changed to the desired telephone number.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one embodiment, a method of changing caller line identification in a telephony service is disclosed. The method includes receiving a telephone number from a user of the telephone number via a user interface. Then, a telephone number to be called is selected from the telephone number pool. The telephone number to be called is temporarily associated with the telephone service for a selected time period. The telephone number to be called is displayed on the user interface. Via a user interface, the user is asked to return the call to the displayed telephone number to be called within the selected time period.

In another embodiment, a method of changing caller line identification in a telephony service is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a telephone number from a user of the telephone number via a user interface, outputting a second telephone number on the user interface, receiving a telephone call from the telephone number on the second telephone number, and verifying that a caller identification of the received call has been verified by a telephone network carrying the received telephone call.

In yet another embodiment, a method of changing caller line identification in a telephony service is disclosed. The method includes receiving a telephone number from a user of the telephone number via a user interface. Then, a type of one of the plurality of previously entered information items is randomly selected and associated with the telephone service for the selected time period. Then, a telephone call is placed to the telephone number. The method also includes reciting to the user, via the telephone call, the type of the selected one of the plurality of previously entered information items and receiving, via the user interface, information related to the recited type of the one of the plurality of previously entered information items and comparing it to the one of the plurality of previously entered information items.

Other embodiments include, without limitation, non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that enable a processing unit to implement one or more aspects of the disclosed methods, and systems configured to implement one or more aspects of the disclosed methods.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the described embodiments can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope.

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary user interface for configuring a CLI in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method of configuring a CLI in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of various embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the various embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the description.

Reference throughout this disclosure to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

To allow a user to change the CLI, the service provider must ensure that the number configured as the CLI is owned or at the disposal of the user. While it may be relatively easier to make such a determination by sending a text message to the mobile phone, the same process cannot be used for phone numbers that do not accept text messages if the mobile phone is being configured for CLI. The following description discloses verifying a telephone number to be configured as a caller line identification and configuring a telephone service with a new caller line identification.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary user interface 100 for changing or adding a CLI to an existing telephone number. In one embodiment, the user interface 100 is part of a user's account maintenance user interface, which may be password protected (or may be secured by using other well-known user authentication methods). The user then enters the desired phone number the user wants to use as a CLI using the UI controls 102, 104 and selects the verify number button 106. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many other ways of entering the desired number are possible, such as different types of user interface designs, so long as the user is enabled to enter a telephone number.

As shown in fig. 2, in one embodiment, when a desired telephone number is entered and the verify number button 106 is selected, a random-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) code 108 is generated and displayed on the user interface 100. Although generated DTMF codes 108 may be configured to be any length, in practice, the generated DTMF codes may be limited in length to 4 to 6 characters. Longer numbers will provide better security but will be difficult for the user to remember. Thus, the fixed length may be configured based on the availability analysis and the degree of security. In another embodiment, the random number may be configured to be of variable length. That is, the generated DTMF number may sometimes be 3 characters long, sometimes 5 characters, and so on.

After generating the DTMF number, the generated number is temporarily stored in the user's account. The duration of this temporary storage may be configurable, anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 200 of configuring a CLI in accordance with one or more embodiments. Accordingly, in step 204, the user enters in a user interface associated with the user's account maintenance user interface (which is associated with the user's alternate or second phone number) that is displayed as when calling other phones from the user's phoneThe identified desired telephone number is called. The inputted phone number may be a landline phone number or a mobile phone number or an online phone number (e.g., google voice)^TMNumber, etc.). In step 206, the user interface generates a random code, such as a DTMF code, and displays the generated code to the user. The code is temporarily stored in the user's account. In step 208, the telephone authentication system associated with the user's account in which the CLI is being configured places a telephone call to the entered number. The telephone call is placed to verify user ownership (owership) of the entered telephone number. In step 210, the user receives the call. During the call, the user is asked to enter the code, e.g. a DTMF code, via a telephone prompt and the entered data is received by the telephone authentication system. In step 212, the telephone authentication system receives user input. In step 214, the authentication system retrieves the temporarily stored code from the user's account and compares it to the user input for verification. After successful authentication, the entered telephone number is permanently stored in the user's account and used as caller identification when the user places a call from the user's replacement or second telephone.

In another embodiment, rather than generating and displaying random DTMF codes on the user interface 100, a telephone call is placed to a desired telephone number entered by the user in the user interface 100. When the user picks up a call placed on the entered telephone number, the user will hear a recitation of the security code. The security code may be a number, a group of letters, a word, or a combination thereof. The security code may also include special characters that are commonly found on computer keyboards. The recited security code is temporarily stored in the user's account. The duration of this temporary storage may vary from a few minutes to a few hours. Within a predetermined time interval after receiving the telephone call, the user is asked to access an account maintenance user interface and enter the recited code. If the entered code matches the temporarily stored security code, the entered telephone number is considered verified.

In yet another embodiment, rather than reciting the code via a telephone call, the user is asked to enter selected previously entered data via a telephone call to the entered telephone number. For example, the user may have previously set up a security code to access the user's account maintenance user interface. Alternatively, the user may have provided his own zip code, date of birth, house number, random information, etc. The telephone call randomly picks up the previously entered information and requires the user to enter the randomly picked information in the user account maintenance user interface. For example, the phone call may recite "please enter your zip code via the account user interface. The call may also specify a time period for which the required information must be entered. If the required information is not entered within the specified time, the authentication process is repeated from the beginning. If the user accesses the user's account for a selected period of time, maintains the user interface and enters a zip code (in this example) to verify the entered telephone number, and if the entered zip code matches a previously stored zip code, the entered telephone number is confirmed as the user's caller identification. In another embodiment, instead of selecting a type of information (e.g., zip code) or in the event that the user has not provided any demographic information (or additionally), a random type is generated and the user is asked to provide an answer or related information to the randomly generated type of information. For example, the system may recite via a telephone call to ask the user to enter the name of the american president. The randomly generated information types may be collected from a database that includes general knowledge questions. In one embodiment, the selected time period is between 1 second and 10 minutes. In other embodiments, this range may be different and may include a longer duration. In another embodiment, the time period range may be configurable by a user of the telephone service.

Upon successful verification of the entered telephone number, the entered telephone number is stored in the user's telephone service profile and used by the telephony subsystem as a caller line identification when the user places an outgoing call using the telephony service, wherein the caller line identification is configured to show the entered number. In one embodiment, after successful verification, an email or text message is sent to the user to inform the user that the entered telephone number has been successfully verified.

In yet another embodiment, after the user enters a telephone number in the user's telephone service profile (and desires to use the entered telephone number as a Calling Line Identification (CLI)), the user is provided with a telephone number to place a call from the entered telephone number (i.e., from the telephone line associated with the entered telephone number) for a selected period of time (in one example, within 5 minutes of entering the telephone number from the user's telephone service profile). Upon receiving the telephone call, it is determined whether the caller identification has been verified by the telephone network, which routes the telephone call to a telephone authentication System ("System") associated with the user's telephone service profile. In one embodiment, caller identification can be verified using presentation and screening indicator data (presentational screening indicator data) provided by the telephone network carrying the telephone call to the System associated with the user's telephone service profile. The screening indicator data provides bits to identify whether the caller identification is provided by the telephone network or by the user. If it is determined that the caller identification is provided by the telephone network, or that the caller identification is provided by the user but the telephone network has verified the caller identification, the System determines whether the telephone number in the caller identification was recently added to any of the user's telephone profiles. In one embodiment, the term "most recent" means within a preselected period of time before receiving a telephone call. When the user enters a telephone number in the user's telephone service profile, it is informed of this selected time period. In one embodiment, this time period may be configured to be the same for all users. In another embodiment, the time period is randomly generated (typically in minutes) when the user enters a telephone number in the user's telephone service profile and is temporarily stored in the user's telephone service profile.

If it is determined that the caller identification of the telephone call is provided by the telephone network or that the telephone call has been validated by the telephone network, the System searches for a user profile to which the telephone number in the caller identification is added. If a user profile is found, the System determines if a telephone call was placed within the preselected time period. When these conditions are satisfied, the System adds the input telephone number to the user's telephone service profile, and then, when the user places any telephone call using the telephone service (associated with the user's telephone service profile), instead of the user's telephone service telephone number, the System uses the input telephone number as the CLI.

However, if it is determined from the representation and/or screening indicator data that the caller identification was provided by the user and that the caller identification failed the telephone network screening or validation, the System may inform the caller that the telephone number cannot be added as a CLI. The System may be configured not to allow the inputted telephone number to be used as the CLI if the authentication fails.

In another embodiment, if authentication according to the foregoing method fails, the System can ask an authentication question to ensure that the identity of the caller is authenticated and that the actual caller is in fact the same person as the user of the user's telephone service profile. If the user successfully enters a correct answer to the verification question (e.g., birthday, last number to make a call using the telephone service associated with the user's telephone service profile, and other similar questions that may be derived from the user's use of the telephone service associated with the user's telephone service profile), the System may be configured to allow the addition of an unverified telephone number as the CLI.

In yet another embodiment, after the user has entered a telephone number, the System provides the user with the telephone number with an extension to place a call from the entered telephone number (e.g., from a telephone line associated with the entered telephone number). The extension number is randomly generated and temporarily associated with the user's telephone service profile at least for a selected period of time. If a call is received to verify the entered telephone number, the extension number dialed by the user is used to look up the user's telephone service profile. In this embodiment, the System does not need to look up the user's telephone service profile in millions of records. In addition, the extension number also provides some degree of authentication, since this extension number is only known to the user who entered the phone number in the user's phone service profile.

In another embodiment, as an additional verification step, after receiving a telephone call from the user to verify the entered telephone number, the System places a telephone call to the entered telephone number for a selected time interval and informs the recipient that someone has just attempted to add the entered telephone number as a CLI in the telephone service and asks the recipient of the call to confirm by pressing a select key on the telephone device. This step will prevent unauthorized use of the entered telephone number if the user is temporarily physically in possession of the telephone device with which the entered telephone number is associated (e.g., house guests attempt to add their owner's telephone number and place a telephone call from the entered telephone number to verify the entered telephone number without knowledge of the owner.

In yet another embodiment, after the user enters the telephone number in step 204, the System internally generates a numeric code in step 206. In step 208, the telephone authentication system places a telephone call to the entered telephone number. When a telephone call is placed, the outgoing caller id is fraudulent and instead of the telephone number of the calling telephone line, an internally generated code is displayed on the handheld device associated with the called number. In one embodiment, after a user enters a telephone call and before placing the telephone call to the entered telephone number, the user is notified of such a call with a fraudulent caller id, and the user is asked to simply record the code in the caller id and ignore the call. In one embodiment, the caller-id may also include some random prefix and/or suffix. The user is informed of the structure of the number in the caller-id so that the user can extract the code to be entered from the number in the caller-id.

In another embodiment, instead of caller id spoofing, the System uses one of a number of telephone numbers to place a telephone call to the entered number. For example, the System may have a pool of five hundred telephone numbers, and one of the numbers may be picked from the pool to call the entered telephone number. The user is informed to pick a number of randomly selected digits from the numbers shown. For example, the user may be asked to pick the last two or three or four or five digits. In step 206, the System selects a telephone number from a pool of numbers and randomly picks the last two or the last three or the last four or the last five digits. These randomly picked numbers are temporarily stored in the user's account. The same random pick algorithm is used to provide instructions to the user.

In another embodiment, the System may also require the user to add (or subtract) a randomly chosen number to the selected number from the caller-id display, as described in the paragraph above. For example, if the caller is "6502097867" and the user is asked to pick out the last four digits "7867", the System also asks the user to add, for example, the number "3" to the four digit code. This mechanism is particularly useful when the pool of telephone numbers is small as described above.

In an alternative embodiment, two or more of the verification methods of the preceding paragraphs may be combined to verify the entered telephone number. Furthermore, selected features of the verification embodiments described above may be combined to verify an entered telephone number.

While the foregoing is directed to various embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. For example, aspects of the described embodiments may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. One embodiment may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system. The program(s) of the program product defines functions of the embodiments (including the methods described herein) and can be contained on a variety of computer-readable storage media. Illustrative computer readable storage media include, but are not limited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive, flash memory, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatile semiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and (ii) writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive or any type of solid-state random-access semiconductor memory) on which alterable information is stored. Such computer-readable storage media, when carrying computer-readable instructions that direct the functions described herein, are included as embodiments.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims (8)

1. A method of changing caller line identification in a telephony service, the method comprising:

receiving, via a user interface, a telephone number input by a user of the telephone number;

selecting a telephone number to be called from a pool of telephone numbers and temporarily associating the telephone number to be called with the telephony service for a selected time period;

displaying the telephone number to be called on the user interface, wherein the user is required to return to the displayed telephone number to be called within the selected time period via the user interface;

receiving a telephone call made using the input telephone number from the user;

determining, based on the received telephone call, that the input telephone number has been verified by a telephone network that routes the telephone call, wherein the telephone call is placed to the displayed telephone number to be called; and

based on the determination, the entered telephone number is configured as a caller line identification for use by the user in making any telephone call using the telephony service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone number is different from a caller line identification associated with the telephony service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed telephone number to be called comprises an extension number, wherein the extension number is automatically generated and temporarily associated with the telephony service for the selected time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises determining that the telephone call was placed within the selected time period.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving a telephone call from a user over the displayed number to be called and the extension number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying comprises: data bits provided by the telephone network are examined to determine whether a caller identification of a received telephone call is provided by the telephone network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises: data bits provided by the telephone network are examined to determine whether the caller identification of the received telephone call was provided by the user but successfully verified by the telephone network.

8. An apparatus for changing caller line identification in a telephony service, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, via a user interface, a telephone number entered by a user of the telephone number;

means for selecting a telephone number to be called from a pool of telephone numbers and temporarily associating the telephone number to be called with the telephony service for a selected time period;

means for displaying the telephone number to be called on the user interface, wherein via the user interface the user is required to return to the displayed telephone number to be called within the selected time period;

means for receiving a telephone call from the user made using the input telephone number;

means for determining, based on the received telephone call, that the input telephone number has been verified by a telephone network that routes the telephone call, wherein the telephone call is placed to the displayed telephone number to be called; and

means for configuring the entered telephone number as a caller line identification for use by the user in making any telephone call using the telephony service based on the determination.