GB2506663A

GB2506663A - Verifying the status of communication devices over a mobile telephone network

Info

Publication number: GB2506663A
Application number: GB201217901A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles Nicholas Gash; Joyce Zandor; Sadam Iqbal
Original assignee: Magnetic North Software Ltd
Current assignee: Magnetic North Software Ltd
Priority date: 2012-10-05
Filing date: 2012-10-05
Publication date: 2014-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 2032-10-05
Also published as: GB2506663B; GB201217901D0

Abstract

A method for verifying the status of communication devices e.g. cellular telephones over a mobile telephone network, the method comprising the steps of: i) maintaining a list of telephone numbers; ii) selecting one or more of the telephone numbers for verification; iii) sending a request to the mobile telephone network for verification of the selected telephone numbers; iv) receiving an acknowledgement of the request together with an identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; v) storing the identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; vi) receiving a status indication from the mobile telephone network together with an identification code; and vii) updating the list using the received status indication for the telephone number corresponding to the identification code. Aspects of the invention include the status indication is transmitted to a verification server in a message that indicates whether the telephone number is valid or invalid, whether the telephone associated with the number is on or off or is roaming, any GSM error code, the home site of the telephone and current site of the telephone. Other information relevant to the current status of the telephone may also be included. It may be used as part of an Automated dialling system.

Description

TELEPHONE VERIFICATION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to methods and systems for verifying the status of communication devices, such as cellular telephones, over a mobile telephone network.

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Background

Automated telephone dialling systems are well known for use with call centres, for example for use with outbound marketing activities. A typical automated dialling system will contain a database of telephone numbers and will be configured to automatically dial selected numbers from the database at a rate depending on the availability of operatives in the call centre. Once a number has been dialled, it is important that an operative is immediately available to take the resulting call once it has been comiected. If an operative is not immediately available, the called party may hang up before the operative is able to begin a conversation. Such silent calls' are highly undesirable for both parties, as they causc additional annoyancc to the callcd party together with wasted time for the calling party, as well as being contrary to regulations governiiig telephoiie marketing Balancing the rate at which automated dialling takes place with the actual availability of operatives is difficult, since this depends on a number of unknown factors including how long a called party takes to answer and whethcr the called party is available at all.

A further problem with known automated dialling systems is that the database of telephone numbers may not necessarily be up to date or accurate at the time a call is placed. This is much more problematic for mobile telephones than for fixed (landline) telephones, since mobile telephones and their numbers change much more frequently, and any given mobile Ielcphone may or may not be availablc depending on wheiher the telephone is active (i.e. operational), within range of a cellular network or where the user is "roaming", or connected outside the home cellular network of the called party. Automatically calling mobile telephones can therefore result in a higher failure rate. For sales marketing activities in particular, leaving a message on a called party's mobile telephone, which would usually be the only option when a telephonc is not available, is not generally worthwhile because the chances of receiving a call back from the called pny are low. Many users also regard such unsolicited messages as an annoyance, resulting in reduced goodwill for the calling party.

On average, around 20% of mobile telephone numbers in customer databases may be wrong for one reason or another. This can result in large aniounts of wasted time by a call centre as well as inefficient use of bandwidth, much of which may be taken up at any one time by attempting to connect to numbers that are unavailable. A further 20- 30% of numbers can be unreachable due to being switched off or out of coverage.

A further problen-i with the use of automated dialling systems is that if a called mobile telephone is outside of a given geographical area covered by a mobile cellular network, for example if the mobile is in roaming' mode when being used abroad, the called party typically incurs the cost of receiving incoming calls. This is clearly disadvantageous when making marketing calls, as there is a strong incentive for the called party to hang up.

It is an object of the invention to address one or more of the above mentioned pro b 1cm s.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a computer-implemented method for verifying the status of communication devices over a mobile telephone network, the method comprising the steps of: i) maintaining a list of telephone numbers; ii) selecting one or more of the telephone numbers for verification; iii) sending a request to the mobile telephone network for verification of the selected telephone numbers; iv) receiving an acknowledgement of the request together with an identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; v) storing the identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; vi) receiving a status indication from the mobile telephone network together with an identification code; and vii) updating the list using the received status indication for the telephone number corresponding to the identification code.

An advantage of the method according to the invention is that by requesting and receiving verification of selected telephone numbers using an identification code for cach request, the list can be updated to more accurately reflect only those numbers corresponding to dcvices that are currently available, and without the need to call any of the numbers. The method also enables the available bandwidth to be used more efficiently, because individual requests to the mobile telephone network are made asynchronously with rcspcct to status indications received, through the use of an identification code for each request that is uniquely identified with each telephone number. The n-iethod is not therefore held up while waiting for a status indication to be received from the mobile telephone network, but can continue with making requests for further telephone numbers while waiting for the telephone network to It) respond without losing track of what requests have been made and which telephone number each request is associated with. This is because the steps of sending a request and receiving an acknowledgement can be carried out independently of the status of the telephone number being verified.

The communication devices may be cellular telephones or other devices configured for wireless communication, and preferably configured for at least telephony, via a cellular mobile telephone network. Such communication devices are typically uniquely identified by means of a subscriber identity module (SIM).

The list may be stored and maintained as a database on a computer system. The database may for example be a structured database or may be in the form of one or more files containing the list of telephone numbers together with the identification code and status indication for each telephone number.

Steps ii) to vii) of thc method are preferably carried out without calling any of the selected telephone numbers, because this is not necessary in order to verify the status of each number.

The status indication may include one or more of: whether a telephone number is valid; whether a communication device associated with a telephone number is active, i.e. whether the device is switched on and operational, and is within range of a base station of the mobile telephone network; whether a communication device associated with a telephone number is currently within a geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network. These status indications allow the database to be updated to reflect only those numbers that are worth calling, thereby reducing the rate of missed calls.

Telephone numbers from the updated list may be provided or made available to an automated telephone dialling system. The automated telephone dialling system may for example dial one of the selected telephone numbers from the updated list only if the status indication for that telephone number indicates that the telephone number is valid and that the telephone associated with the telephone number is active. An automated dialling system using a list of such telephone numbers can as a result It) operate more efficiently, using less bandwidth, because the proportion of failed calls will be reduced compared to one using a list that has not been verified before any calls are made.

The automated telephone dialling system optionally only dials one of the selected telephone numbers if the status indication for that telephone number also indicates that the telephone is currently within a geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network. This avoids the possibility of calling mobile telephones that are in roaming' mode outside of their normal geographical area, where additional charges to receive any calls may apply. The geographic area may typically be a country or state that is covered by the mobile telephone network.

The automated telephone dialling system optionally only dials one of the selected telephone numbers if the step of updating the list for that number has been carried out within a set time period. As the status of mobile telephones may change frequently, for example whether a particular telephone is active or inactive, it is advantageous to periodically update the recorded status on the list. If a particular number has not been updated within a set time period, there is an increased possibility that the status may have changed. Over time therefore, the updated list will become stale', and will need to be refreshed. Steps iii) to vii) of the method may therefore be repeated for a telephone number if the list has not been updated for that telephone number for a set time period.

A telephone number may be removed from the list if the status indication indicates that telephone number is invalid. In such cases there is typically no point in maintaining such numbers on the list, since their status will not subsequently change.

Removing such numbers thercby prevents them from being re-checked in future.

Alternatively, such numbers may be flagged in the list as being invalid so that they are not selected in any subsequent verification process.

Steps iii) to vii) may be repealed for a telephone number after a first set time period if the device associated with that telephone number is active, after a second time period if the device associated with that telephone number is inactive, after a third time period if the device associated with that telephone number is within a geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network and after a fourth time period if the device It) associated with that telephone number is currently outside of the geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network. Such time periods may be selected independently because the likelihood of the status changing over any subsequent time period may be different. For example, if the status of a particular device is roaming', i.e. outside of the geographical area covered by the network, this status is not likely to change within minutes or hours, but may change in subsequent days. In such cases, the fourth time period may be set to be one day or longer. This may also apply to the third time period. Whether a particular device is active or inactive, however, may change over a much shorter time period, such as minutes or hours, and the first and second time periods may therefore be set accordingly. In general therefore, the third and fourth time periods will typically be longer than the first and second time periods.

Each time period may be set according to how quickly the numbers from the updated list are likely to be called. In a first specific embodiment, the first and/or second time periods are between 1 and 120 hours. In a second specific embodiments, the third and/or fourth time periods are between 6 and 360 hours.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided a computer system for verifying the status of communication devices over a mobile telephone network, the computer system being configured to: i) maintain a list of telephone numbers; ii) select one or more of the telephone numbers for verification; iii) send a request to the mobile telephone network for verification of the selected telephone numbers; iv) receive an acknowledgement of the request together with an identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; v) stoic the identification code in the list for each of the selected telephone numbers; vi) receive a status indication from the mobile telephone network together with an identification code; and vii) update the list for the telephone number corresponding to the identification code with the status indication.

The computer system may be configured to perform the method according to any of the optional or preferable features according to the first aspect of the invention, as indicated above.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer system to perform the method according to the first aspect. The computer program may be embodied on a tangible computer-readable medium such as a RUM disc or other storage medium such as a magnetic hard drive or non-volatile memory.

Detailed Description

The invention is described in further detail below by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 is a schematic representation of a telephone system in connection with verification and automated dialling systems; figure 2 is a schematic representation of interchanges between a database and verification server and between the verification server and a cellular mobile telephone network; and figure 3 is an exemplary screenshot of a user interface for a computer system configured to verify the status of cellular mobile telephones.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a telephone system iii connection with verification and automated dialling systems, which illustrates some of the key features according to aspects of the invention. A cellular mobile telephone network 100 is connected to multiple base stations lOla-c within corresponding cells 102a-c of a geographical region 103. The geographical region 103 may for example represent a country or state that is covered by the telephone network 100. A mobile telephone 104a-e is indicated within each ccli 102a-c, representing one or more such telephones that may be present in each cell 102a-e.

A second mobile telephone network 110 is also indicated in figure 1, which is connectcd to the first network 100, for example via a landline connection 105. The second network 110 is connected to further base stations lila, ilib in corresponding cells 11 2a, 11 2b. The second mobile telephone network 110 covers a second geographical region 113, which may for example be a different country or state.

Telephones 1 14a, 1 14b within cells 1 12a, 1 12b that are normally connected to the first network 100 may be able to operate with the second network 110 by being in a roaming' configuration, the result of which is typically that higher call charges apply (to cover the additional cost of diverting calls through the second network 110) as well as the telephone user incurring charges for receiving calls, since these also need to be diverted through the second network 110.

Connected to the first cellular mobile telephone network 100 is a computer system 120 according to the invention, and an automated dialling system 130, all of which are connected to each other, for example via high bandwidth connections 106, 107, 108 so that the computer system 120 and the automated dialling system 130 can connect independently to the telephone network 100 as well as to each other.

Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary sequence of communications between a computer system in the form of a verification server 120 and a cellular mobile network server 100, together with the communications between the verification server 120 and a database 200 connected to the server 120. The database 200 may form part of, or at least be accessible from, the verification server 120. The verification server 120 may be an additional feature of an existing system for managing telephone marketing activities, such as for example the Maximise system (version 3.0), available from Magnetic North Software Limited, Leicester, UK (www.macneticnorth.com). Such a system may incorporate automated dialling capabilities to support a call centre, or may alternatively be provided as a remote server accessible from an automated dialling system.

Prior to the verification server 120 requesting numbers for verification, all telephone numbers in the database are analysed to determine whether they are mobile telephone numbers. This may involve a simple analysis of the prefix of each telephone number against a recognised list of mobile telephone number prefixes stored in the database or elsewhere. Any telephone numbers not recognised as mobile telephone numbers are excluded from the verification process.

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The following verification process may be carried out as part of a procedure of establishing a database of verified mobile telephone numbers, so that any bad' numbers, i.e. those relating to invalid numbers, can be removed. The process may alternatively be carried out as part of a process that involves calling numbers that have It) just been verified, i.e. updating the database on demand as an automated dialling system uses verified numbers.

As a first step 201, batches of telephone numbers that have been recognised as mobile telephone numbers are retrieved from the database 200 for submission to a screening or verification process. For each telephone number, a message is sent (step 202) from the verification server 120 to the cellular mobile network server 100 requesting the status of that number. The mobile network server then typically responds immediately (step 203) with an acknowledgement that the request has been received, together with a sequence number, the sequence number being a unique identification code for that particular request. The verification server 120 uses this sequence number to update the database (step 204) for the corresponding telephone number, thereby allowing the screening status for that number to be matched when the request is responded to by the mobile network server 100.

Once the mobile network server 100 has obtained a status indication of a telephone nuniber in a request, this is transmitted (step 205) to the verification server 120 in a message that indicates whether the telephone number is valid or invalid, whether the telephone associated with the number is on or off or is roaming (i.e. is outside of the geographical area covered by the mobile network server 100), any GSM error code, the home site of the telephone and the current site of the telephone. Other information relevant to the current status of the telephone may also be included in the niessage.

This information is used to update the database (step 206) with the current status of the telephone number, using the sequence number associated with the request to match the telephone number in the database with the received status indication. The database 200 is updated to indicate whether the telephone number is valid, whether the telephone is currently active and whether the telephone is currently roaming. A OSM crror code retry frequency or interval may also be recorded.

If the status message data (step 205) indicates that the telephone is not currently available, for example due to being switched off or out of range, a further message may be sent (step 207) when the mobile network server 100 detects that the telephone is active and available again. The database is then updated (step 208) with these (let ails.

Each of the steps of receiving status messages (steps 205, 207) may be received asynchronously, i.e. not under the control of the verification server 120 and at a time that depends on when the mobile network server 100 is able to obtain the relevant status information and transmit it to the verification server 120. This allows the verification server to continue to update the database without waiting for all responses to be received from the niobile network server 100.

If, after a set time period, it becomes necessary to update the database 200, the process begins again (step 212) for any numbers in the database that have not already been flagged as invalid and which have been indicated as being on, off or roaming.

Different time periods may apply to each of these status indications. A status of roaming, for example, is likely to remain unchanged for a period of days, whereas a status of on or off may change within minutes or hours. The update frequency may therefore be adjusted accordingly.

Once a batch of telephone numbers has been processcd and verified, the verification server retrieves another batch from the database (step 209), and carries out the sequence again (steps 210, 211). The process may be repeated until all numbers in the database have been verified, for example in a one-off verification process for a database of newly acquired numbers, or may proceed according to the demand placed on the verification server by an automated dialling system.

Figure 3 is a screenshot of an exemplary user interface 300 for operating a verification system according to an embodiment of the invention, the user interface 300 in this case being based on that of the Maximise 3.0 web-based proactive outbound and inbound contact management system, available from Magnetic North Limited (see above). The additional feature of the verification system is controllable via the additional features 301 outlined in figure 3. A first selection box 302 indicates whether mobile number verification is required, i.e. whether the verification system is to be used at all. A second selection box 303 indicates whether the system should be set up to call roaming mobiles, i.e. to call telephone numbers where a status indication is provided that indicates the tclephone is outside the geographic area covered by the mobile nctwork. Further selections may be made including tinic periods 304, 305, 306 after which numbers with status indications of off' (inactive), on' (active) or roaming' (i.e. outside the geographical area covered by the mobile network) should be rechecked. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in figure 3, a minimum value of 60 minutes is given for rechecking on' and off' numbers and a maximum of 7200 minutes (120 hours / 5 days), while a longer minimum time period of 360 minutes (6 hours) and maximum period of 21600 minutes (15 days) is available for rechecking numbers with a status of roaming'. Whether a rechecking process is carried out for cach of the status indications is also selectable, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is done by indicating a value of 0 for the relevant time period.

Other embodiments are intentionally within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for verifying the status of communication devices over a mobile telephone network, the method comprising the steps of: S i) maintaining a list of telephone numbers; ii) selecting one or more of the telephone numbers for verification; iii) sending a request to the mobile telephone network for verification of the selected telephone numbers; iv) receiving an acknowledgement of the request together with an identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; v) storing the identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; vi) receiving a status indication from the mobile telephone network together with an identification code; and vii) updating the list using the received status indication for the telephone number corresponding to the identification code.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein steps ii) to vii) are carried out without calling any of the selected telephone numbers.
3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the status indication includes one or more of: whether a telephone number is valid; whether a communication device associated with a telephone number is active; whether a communication dcvice associated with a telephone numbcr is currently within a geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network.
4. The method of any preceding claim comprising providing telephone numbers from the updated list to an automated telephone dialling system.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the automated telephone dialling system dials one of the selected telephone numbers from the updated list only if the status indication for that telephone number indicates that the telephone number is valid and that the communication device associated with the telephone number is active.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the automated telcphonc dialling system oniy dials one of the selected telephone numbers if the status indication for that telcphonc number also indicates that the communication device is currently within a geographic area covered by the mobile teiephone network.
7. The method of claim 4 or claim 6 wherein the geographic area is a country covered by the mobile telephone network.
8. The method of ciaim 5 or claim 6 wherein the automated telephone dialling system only dials one of the selected telephone numbers if the step of updating the list for that number has been carried out within a set time period.
9. The method of any preceding claim wherein steps iii) to vii) are repeated for a telephone number if the list has not been updated for that telephone number for a set time period.
10. The method of claim 3 wherein a telephone number is removed from the list if the status indication indicates that telephone number is invalid.
11. The method of claim 3 wherein steps iii) to vii) are repeated for a telephone number after a first set time period if the communication device associated with that telephone number is active, after a second time period if the communication device associated with that telephone number is inactive, after a third time period if the communication device associated with that telephone number is within a geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network and after a fourth time period if the communication device associated with that telephone number is currently outside of the geographic area covered by the mobile telephone network.
12. A computer system for verifying the status of communication devices over a mobile telephone network, the computer system being configured to: i) maintain a list of telephone numbers; ii) select one or more of the telephone numbers for verification; iii) send a request to the mobile telephone network for verification of the selected telephone numbers; iv) receive an acknowledgement of the request together with an identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; v) store the identification code for each of the selected telephone numbers; vi) receive a status indication from the mobile telephone network together with an identification code; and vii) update the list using the received status indication for the telephone number corresponding to the identification code.
13. The computer system of claim 12 configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 11.
14. A computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.