Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090110178 | Technique for effectively providing a personalized information assistance service - A user may utilize a communication device, e.g., a wireless phone, mobile device or personal digital assistant (PDA), to contact an information/call center where an operator provides personalized information and communications services to the user in accordance with the invention. Such services include, e.g., providing individual listing information items on a restrictive basis, caller identification service, etc. To personalize the services, at least one profile record associated with the user is used which specifies the subscribed services and the preferred ways of receiving information. For example, the profile may specify use of a special skilled operator, personal interests, methods of delivery of targeted information to the user, etc. | 04-30-2009 |
20090110179 | Technique for providing personalized information and communication services - A system for use by a user to protect the privacy of selected telephone numbers in a directory includes a memory for storing a plurality of directories, each of which is associated with a single respective party and includes one or more telephone numbers at least one of which is to be used to contact selected parties associated with and different from the respective party. At least one directory further includes at least one indicator indicating that a telephone number, stored in the directory is to be disclosed only to a first predetermined group of persons associated with the single respective party. The system also includes a processor for allowing access to the at least one directory only to a second predetermined group that includes the first predetermined group of persons; and for providing the telephone number only to the first predetermined group of persons. | 04-30-2009 |
20090156178 | Technique for providing personalized information and communications services - A user may utilize a communication device, e.g., a wireless phone, mobile device or personal digital assistant (PDA), to contact an information/call center where an operator provides personalized information and communications services to the user in accordance with the invention. Such services include, e.g., providing listing information, contacts information, appointments information, etc. To provide effective connectivity, for example, when a user locates a phone number in his/her private directory using a web browser, the user may utilize a direct connect feature of the invention to initiate a phone call to the desired number over the Internet. In addition, the invention allows for delivery of the appointments information to the user not only via voice connection, but also SMS, email, facsimile, PDA, etc. It also allows for rendering a calendaring service in combination with such services as a TeleConcierge® service which helps the user to plan a future event, e.g., making a restaurant reservation. An appointment record concerning the future event is automatically incorporated into the user's calendar once it is successfully planned. To personalize the services, at least one profile associated with the user is used which specifies the subscribed services and the preferred ways of receiving them. For example, the profile may specify use of a special skilled operator, methods of delivery of information to the user, etc. | 06-18-2009 |
20090252304 | Communications methods and systems using voiceprints - In communications systems where multiple users may be associated with the same account, the voiceprint of a user is used to identify a profile of the user, facilitating identification of the user's preferences without requesting additional information from the user. The system may also monitor messages played to individual users, to control the playing of the messages to users. Calls made by users associated with the same account may be allocated to the caller initiating the call in bills, based on voiceprints. Voiceprints may be collected for use in deriving voiceprint samples during registration of a user with the system and during conversations between the user and the system. A voiceprint comparison threshold may be set based on the type of phone calling the system, to compensate for noise. Changes in phone numbers and/or addresses of users are monitored and the threshold is adjusted if changes are found. | 10-08-2009 |
20090323909 | Technique for communicating concierge-type information to users of an information assistance service - Telephone users desiring concierge-type services may connect via standard telephone procedures to a directory assistance provider, such as an operator or voice server. For example, the users may communicate to the provider a concierge-type service request for making a restaurant reservation. The provider may process the request in real time through an on-line reservation system (ORS) or off-line. In processing the request off-line, a pool of fulfillment agents may engage in such action as necessary to fulfill the request. Information concerning fulfillment of the request, e.g., a reservation confirmation, may be provided to a user offline, even sometimes in the case of real time request processing. Such information may be recorded in the form of a voice mail, transmitted through a virtual network to a voice mail system, which may be maintained by the telephone carrier to which the user subscribes. The user in a conventional manner is prompted by the voice mail system to access the voice mail to learn the recorded information. | 12-31-2009 |
20120059715 | TECHNIQUE FOR CALL CONTEXT BASED ADVERTISING THROUGH AN INFORMATION ASSISTANCE SERVICE - In providing an information assistance service in a call by a user, the context of the call is ascertained. Context information is derived from information exchanges during the call. Inferences as to types of advertisement pertinent to the user location, event, etc. are drawn based on the context information. Pertinent advertisements, which may be further individualized based on personal preferences, are provided to the user at the conclusion of the call, or otherwise transmitted to the user via voicemail, SMS, email, WAP, paging, facsimile, instant messaging, text messaging, picture phone, video phone, etc. | 03-08-2012 |
20120077472 | TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING A PERSONALIZED INFORMATION ASSISTANCE SERVICE - A user may utilize a communication device, e.g., a wireless phone, mobile device or personal digital assistant (PDA), to contact an information/call center where an operator provides personalized information and communications services to the user in accordance with the invention. Such services include, e.g., providing individual listing information items on a restrictive basis, caller identification service, etc. To personalize the services, at least one profile record associated with the user is used which specifies the subscribed services and the preferred ways of receiving information. For example, the profile may specify use of a special skilled operator, personal interests, methods of delivery of targeted information to the user, etc. | 03-29-2012 |
20120281824 | TECHNIQUE FOR PROVIDING PERSONALIZED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - A communications system for providing a service includes an interface configured to receive a directory assistance communication from a requester seeking a desired listing from among a plurality of available desired listings. A processor is configured to obtain a stored profile associated with the requester, the profile including at least one delivery preference set by the requester relating to the format in which said requester desires to have the desired listing delivered to them. A device configured to provide a communication listing associated with the desired listing to the requester, in response to the directory assistance request, in accordance with the preference proscribed by the requester in the profile and then connecting the requester to a second communication listing associated with the desired listing. | 11-08-2012 |
20130003941 | TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVELY COLLECTING AND ANALYZING DATA IN PROVIDING INFORMATION ASSISTANCE SERVICES - A system for evaluating performance of an information assistance service includes a mechanism for processing communication calls which involve a call activity; one or more devices for generating data in processing the communication calls, and a processor for deriving information from the data, the information being used to evaluate a performance of the call activity. | 01-03-2013 |
20130117311 | TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVELY COLLECTING AND ANALYZING DATA IN PROVIDING INFORMATION ASSISTANCE SERVICES - A system for providing an information assistance service includes a communication interface for receiving a request for information. A search facility conducts a search using a first search criterion in response to the request, a second search criterion being provided in lieu of the first search criterion in conducting the search based on a correlation between the first search criterion and the second search criterion. The correlation is a function of the number of searches prior to the search where use of the first search criterion is followed by use of the second search criterion. The use of the second search criterion, but not the first search criterion, produces the desired results. | 05-09-2013 |