Abstract:
In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving call information to record a complaint from a called party against a calling party relating to receipt of a call and adding the call information to a complaint database. The call information may be retrieved from the complaint database and a check made for a match between called party information in a regulatory database and the call information. The call information may be updated in the complaint database based on results of the match checking. Reverse lookup information in a third party database may be requested with the call information updated in the complaint database based on results of the request. An entity may request complaint information from the complaint database. In response to the request, an application server may retrieve the requested complaint information from the complaint database and deliver the retrieved complaint information to the entity.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Complaints regarding unsolicited and unwanted telephonic communications such as telemarketing phone calls, faxes and pre-recorded messages have led to significant new federal and state laws and regulations to protect consumers and businesses from these abusive marketing practices. Similar laws and regulations exist or have been proposed in other countries, including Canada, Australia and every country in the European Union. 
         [0002]    Certain regulations, such as the United States Federal Trade Commission&#39;s (FTC) Telemarketing Sales Rules, require that a business maintain a list of telephone numbers for consumers who express a desire not to be solicited by telephone, known as a “Do-Not-Call” (DNC) list, and take appropriate measures to ensure that outgoing calls to telephone numbers on DNC lists are blocked. The DNC lists may include one or more lists specific to a particular business, as well as state-wide, national and industry-imposed lists such as the Direct Marketing Association Telephone Preference Service list. Other DNC regulations may define how, when, to whom and under what conditions consumers and businesses may be contacted. A single violation of a federal or state DNC regulation can result in a substantial fine. 
         [0003]    Despite the existence of such laws and regulations, many violations occur and go unreported on a daily basis due to the often complicated effort required to file a complaint with the appropriate regulatory authority. In most cases the complaining party must file the complaint through a website by identifying the offending party, the complaining party, and the date and time of the violation. In practice, the process of having to know where to file the complaint, efficiently collecting the required information and taking the time to actually file the complaint, eliminates all but a very small percentage of viable and enforceable complaints. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving call information to record a complaint from a called party against a calling party relating to receipt of a call and adding the call information to a complaint database. The call information may be retrieved from the complaint database and a check made for a match between called party information in a regulatory database and the call information. The call information may be updated in the complaint database based on results of the match checking. Reverse lookup information in a third party database may be requested with the call information updated in the complaint database based on results of the request. An entity, such as a telemarketing company, consumer, consumer advocacy group and regulatory body, may request complaint information from the complaint database. In response to the request, an application server may retrieve the requested complaint information from the complaint database and deliver the retrieved complaint information to the entity. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a communication system. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example call flow for the communication system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates an example record of a DNC complaint database that stores and manages DNC complaint data. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates a first process for the communication system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates a second process for the communication system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates a third process for the communication system of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example communication system that illustrates principles of the present approach. Calling device  102  and called device  104  connect to telecommunication network  110  through respective switch nodes  106 ,  108 . In the example shown, the network  110  is the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and may be understood to include the switch nodes  106 ,  108 . It is also understood that the present approach may be applied to any network capable of providing a communication connection between an origin and destination. In other embodiments, the network  110  may comprise wireless, wireline, private or public network elements a virtual private network within the Internet, a wide area network, local area network, Voice over Internet Protocol network, or the like, or any combination thereof. The network  110  may be implemented using any appropriate transmission, switching and routing technologies, including but not limited to Internet Protocol (IP), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Signaling System 7 (SS7). 
         [0013]    The communication system further includes database server  112 , complaint database  114 , web/application server  136 , regulatory databases  138 , third party databases  140 , personal computers  116  and Internet  118 . 
         [0014]    Calling device  102  and called device  104  are communication devices such as wireline telephones, wireless telephones, facsimile machines and answering machines. For purposes of example, the device  102  is referred to as “calling device,” indicating that it is the device that originates a telemarketing call. Likewise, device  104  is referred to as “called device,” indicating that it is the device that receives the telemarketing call. 
         [0015]    Calling device  102  and called device  104  connect via links  120 ,  122  to the switch nodes  106 ,  108 , respectively. The switch nodes may be private branch exchanges or local processing switches often referred to as central office switches. The switch nodes  106 ,  108  are connected via links  124 ,  126 , respectively, to PSTN  110 . A central office switch may comprise any class 5 switch, for example, that includes memory and processor elements for storing and executing software routines for call processing, including providing access to the network  110  and various call features. In an embodiment, the central office switch includes a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) receiver for receiving and processing DTMF signals sent from devices  102 ,  104 . 
         [0016]    In the example communication system shown in  FIG. 1 , the switch nodes  106 ,  108  are shown as single entities. However, it is understood that such switch nodes may include multiple physical switches. It is also understood that, depending on the relative locations of the calling party and the called party, the switch nodes  106 ,  108  may be one and the same switch node. 
         [0017]    The links  124 ,  126  may be one or more links that transport payload information and signaling information on the same link or on separate links. The payload information may include voice information and additional information such as video, data, commands and text. 
         [0018]    In an embodiment, data links  128  connect network  110  to database server  112 . The database server  112  connects to a complaint database  114  over data links  130 . As described further herein with respect to  FIGS. 2-6 , the database server  112  and web/application server  136  manage storage and retrieval of information relating to complaints concerning violations of telephonic communication regulations, such as violation of do-not-call regulations. 
         [0019]    In an embodiment, data links  132  connect the complaint database  114 , regulatory databases  138 , third party databases  140  to web/application server  136 . As described with respect to  FIG. 6 , the web/application server  136  manages access to the complaint database  114  by entities such as telemarketing companies, consumers, consumer advocacy groups and regulatory bodies. Such entities may access the database  114  over a global data network (e.g., Internet  118 ) using PCs  116 A,  116 B,  116 C configured with appropriate browser (e.g., secure web portal) or other application software. 
         [0020]    A secure web portal provides regulatory bodies, businesses and consumers with access to review any complaint logs associated with their marketing and other telephonic activity or individual complaints. Access to the information may be provided after a registration process (e.g., as described with the example flow of  FIG. 6  below) to ensure that access is limited to appropriate information and that security is maintained to avoid any unauthorized access. This capability can provide tremendous value to regulatory bodies, consumers and businesses alike. Businesses receive the benefit of a tremendous self regulation tool to assist them in managing their risk and identifying weaknesses in their systems and processes throughout their entire organization. Consumers benefit by having the ability to track and access their filed complaints to provide additional information to regulatory bodies in support of any potential violations. Regulatory bodies may also benefit with access to the complaint information to monitor compliance by companies to various telephonic communications regulations. In addition, call statistics and thresholds may be generated for repeat telemarketers or called directory numbers. 
         [0021]    The regulatory databases  138  may include prohibited directory numbers derived from any one or a combination of a Federal do-not-call list, a state do-not-call list, an industry-specific do-not-call list, a client internal list and other defined lists. These lists may be periodically synchronized with other lists that are remotely located at another facility such as a local administration facility, local exchange carrier, central administration facility, or another facility. The regulatory databases  138  may be associated with an automated call compliance management system, such as the Call Advisor product available from Gryphon Networks Corp., Norwood, Mass. 
         [0022]    The third party databases  140  may be any commercially available or custom database or database service that includes reverse-number lookup data, such as business or personal name and address information. 
         [0023]    As will be appreciated, the servers  112 ,  136  and databases  114 ,  138 ,  140  may reside on the premises of a client, a local exchange carrier, local administration facility, central administration facility, or other remote facility. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example call flow relating to a method that may be implemented in the communication system of  FIG. 1  to provide for automatic registration of complaints for violations of telephonic communication regulations. The call flow illustrates interactions among a consumer associated with called device  104  ( FIG. 1 ), PSTN network  110 , a telemarketer associated with calling device  102  and the database server  112 . The consumer in this example call flow is also referred to as the called party and the telemarketer is referred to as the calling party. 
         [0025]    In the first interaction, the telemarketer (calling party) places a call to the consumer (called party) over the PSTN network by dialing the called party&#39;s directory number, e.g., 617-555-XXXX. Next, the PSTN delivers the call to the consumer, optionally with calling number delivery or caller-ID information. Caller-ID allows the called device to receive a calling party&#39;s directory number and the date and time of the call during the first four second silent interval in the ringing cycle. In this example, the calling party directory number is 508-555-XXXX. In the third interaction, one of the following three actions may occur: the consumer may answer the call; the call may ring with no answer; or the call may be directed to an answering machine or voicemail service. Next, at the termination of the call, the PSTN releases any call resources associated with the consumer. Additionally, the PSTN returns control such that the telemarketer is free to place another call into the network. 
         [0026]    In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , the consumer dials a * code, e.g., *38, to effect registration of a complaint after the call is ended. In other embodiments, the consumer may elect to register a complaint concerning the calling party during the call, after reviewing a recorded message of the call or after reviewing captured Caller-ID information at the called device. The complaint may be based upon the consumer having determined that the call was received from a telemarketer to whom the consumer had previously requested do-not-call treatment. Another basis for the complaint may be that the consumer may have previously entered the consumer&#39;s directory number in a do-not-call registry such as through a do-not-call registry website run by the FTC. 
         [0027]    In an embodiment, the PSTN receives the entered * code as a DTMF signal. Upon processing the DTMF signal, the PSTN delivers the directory number of the last calling party (e.g., 508-555-XXXX) to the database server  112 . In addition, the PSTN may deliver the directory number of the called party (e.g., 617-555-XXXX) as well as the time and date of the call. The database server receives the call information and stores the information in complaint database  114 . 
         [0028]    While the call example described in connection with  FIGS. 1-2  shows a consumer as the called party, it should be understood that the called party can also be another business or other entity. Likewise, the calling party, depicted herein as a telemarketer for illustrative purposes, can also be some other entity such as a non-telemarketer. 
         [0029]    An example data record  300  for storing the complaint information is shown in  FIG. 3 . The record  300  includes fields for calling party directory number  302 , called party directory number  304 , date of call  306 , time of call  308 , reverse lookup information for the calling party  310 , reverse lookup information for the called party  312 , called party complaint notes  314 , regulatory database number violated  316  and other information  318 . The reverse lookup information  310 ,  312  may include the name and address associated with the respective directory numbers of the calling and called parties based on, for example, entries  144  found in third party databases  140  ( FIG. 1 ). The called party complaint notes  314  may include notes entered by the called party through a secure web portal for accessing the complaint database  114  ( FIG. 1 ). The regulatory database number violated  316  may indicate a particular regulatory database entry or index (e.g., entry  142  in regulatory databases  138 ,  FIG. 1 ) associated with the type of violation, e.g., federal, state or other do-not-call list. The other information field  318  may include other identifying information associated with the call, such as PSTN trunk and line equipment information. 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a process is shown corresponding to the call flow of  FIG. 3 . At  402 , an originating office (e.g., switch node  106 ,  FIG. 1 ) receives a call from calling party associated with device  102  directed to called party associated with device  104 . The call is routed to a terminating office (e.g., switch node  108 ) at  404 . At  406 , the called party may answer the call, not answer the call or allow the call to proceed to an answering machine or voicemail service. The called party may determine that the call is unwanted and that the calling party has violated a regulation such as do-not-call regulations. To automatically register a complaint for such violation, the called party at  408  enters a particular * code to indicate that the calling party directory number is to be added to a complaint database  114 . At  410 , the network  110  forwards the calling party directory number and optionally other related call information to the database server  112 . The database server stores the call information in the complaint database at  412 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  illustrates a process for the application server  136  ( FIG. 1 ) to manage updating the complaint information stored on database  114 . At  502 , the application server polls the complaint database  114  for new entries. If the server determines at  504  that the complaint database has a new entry, then the server checks the regulatory databases  138  ( FIG. 1 ) for a match based on the directory number of the called party at  506 . This may include prohibited directory numbers derived from any one or a combination of a federal do-not-call list, a state do-not-call list, an industry-specific do-not-call list, a client internal list specific to the calling party and other defined lists. If the server determines at  508  that there is not a hit in the regulatory databases, the server updates the complaint record entry at  510  with a status indicating that no regulatory hit was found. If there is a hit in the regulatory databases, the server updates the complaint record entry at  512  with a status indicating that a regulatory hit was found. The status may include an indication of the type of violation, e.g., entry on a federal do-not-call list. 
         [0032]    At  514 , the process continues with the application server requesting reverse lookup information from one or more third party databases  140  based on the respective directory numbers of the calling and called party. If the server determines at  516  that valid reverse lookup information is not available, the server updates the complaint record entry at  518  with a status indicating that no information was found. If there is valid information available, the server updates the complaint record entry at  520  with the reverse lookup information retrieved from the third party databases  140 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 6  illustrates a process for the application server  136  ( FIG. 1 ) to manage access to complaint information stored on database  114 . At  602 , the application server receives a login request from an entity such as a telemarketing company, consumer, consumer advocacy group or a regulatory body through PCs  116 A,  116 B,  116 C ( FIG. 1 ). As noted above, the application server may include a web service that provides web access, e.g., a secure web portal as known in the art. If the entity is not authorized to access the database at  604 , then the application server denies the request at  606 . Otherwise, the process continues at  608  with receipt of a request for complaint information from the entity. The request for complaint information may be in the form of a database query using conventional database software. The entity may be restricted to particular portions of the stored complaint data records based on various levels of user access. For example, the data may be restricted based on the name of the business entity associated with each individual complaint. If the query is authorized, then at  610  the application server retrieves the requested information and delivers the information to the entity at  612 . 
         [0034]    The process illustrated in  FIG. 6  relates to delivery of complaint information based on requests made by entities. In other embodiments, complaint information may be forwarded to an entity on a periodic basis (e.g., instantly, daily or monthly) or based on the occurrence of a type of violation event, without requiring a request for the information. 
         [0035]    It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that methods involved in the present invention may be embodied in a computer program product that includes a computer usable medium. For example, such a computer usable medium may consist of a read only memory device, such as a CD ROM disk or conventional ROM devices, or a random access memory, such as a hard drive device or a computer diskette, having a computer readable program code stored thereon. 
         [0036]    While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.