Abstract:
Method for changing a previously assigned personal identification number using a voice response unit. The method includes receiving a new personal identification number input by a user interacting with the voice response unit, determining whether the new personal identification number is valid, and changing the previously assigned personal identification number to the new personal identification number without requiring the user to input the previously assigned personal identification number if the new personal identification number is valid.

Description:
FIELD  
         [0001]    The present application relates to a system and method for changing a personal identification number and, more particularly, to a system and method that enables a user to change a previously assigned personal identification number using a voice response unit without having to disclose the previously assigned personal identification number.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Voice response units (“VRUs”) enable users to access information using a conventional touch tone telephone. The interaction between the users and the voice response unit includes various voice prompts output by the voice response unit and responses thereto, for example, via the telephone keypad, by the user. Voice response units are used by service providers, such as banks and credit card companies, to fully or partially automate telephone call answering or responding to queries. Typically a voice response unit provides the capability to play voice prompts including recorded voice segments or speech synthesized from text and to receive responses thereto. The voice prompts are generally organized in the form of voice menus invoked by state tables. A state table can access and play a voice segment or synthesize speech from given text. The prompts are usually part of a voice application that is designed to, for example, allow a user to query information associated with their various accounts.  
           [0003]    Further, voice response units are used in a variety of applications today to resolve customer problems and questions in conjunction with customer service representatives. In a financial service industry, such voice response units often provide users general information via one or more automated messages. Usually, the user is also given the option to either bypass an automated message or after the automated message has concluded to interact with a customer service representative in order to receive more detailed information tailored to an account of the user.  
           [0004]    For example, a user may call a financial service institution regarding a personal identification number (“PIN”). A PIN is a series of numbers, a series of letters or a combination of one or more numbers and one or more letters that are associated with a card of a user and allows a user, for example, to use the card to withdraw money from an automated teller machine (“ATM”). Specifically, the user may call the financial service institution in order to assign a PIN to a new card, such as a credit card, or to change a PIN already assigned to a card, for example, because the user forgets the previously assigned PIN or the previously assigned PIN is too difficult for the user to remember. In order to assign/change a PIN, a user must often speak with a customer service representative. A user can interact, however, with a VRU to change a PIN, but the user is prompted to first enter the old PIN. Since many users forget a previously assigned PIN and therefore call the financial service institution to change the PIN, such users cannot change the PIN using the VRU and must resort to speaking with a customer service representative or write in to request a copy of your PIN and to change the PIN. Consequently, financial service institutions, such as credit card companies, incur tremendous expenses in having to handle these calls with customer service representatives, as opposed to having the calls handled solely through the voice response unit.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method that enables a user to change a previously assigned PIN to a new PIN by interacting with a VRU and without having to disclose the previously assigned PIN.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    An aspect of the present application provides for a method for changing a previously assigned personal identification number using a voice response unit. The method includes receiving a new personal identification number input by a user interacting with the voice response unit, determining whether the new personal identification number is valid, and changing the previously assigned personal identification number to the new personal identification number without requiring the user to input the previously assigned personal identification number if the new personal identification number is valid.  
           [0007]    An additional aspect of the present application provides for a method for changing a previously assigned personal identification number using a voice response unit. The method includes prompting a user interacting with the voice response unit to input verification data, receiving the verification data input by the user, authenticating the user according to the verification data, receiving a request from the user to change the previously assigned personal identification number after the user is verified, prompting the user to input additional verification data after receiving the request, receiving the additional verification data input by the user, authenticating the additional verification data, prompting the user to input a new personal identification number, receiving the new personal identification number input by the user, determining whether the new personal identification number is valid, and changing the previously assigned personal identification number to the new personal identification number without requiring the user to input the previously assigned personal identification number if it is determined that the new personal identification number is valid.  
           [0008]    A further aspect of the present application provides for a system for changing a previously assigned personal identification number, including a voice response unit for prompting a user to input a new personal identification number, and a processor coupled to the voice response unit and operable for determining whether the new personal identification number input by the user is valid and for changing the previously assigned personal identification number to the new personal identification number without requiring the user to input the previously assigned personal identification number if it is determined that the new personal identification number is valid. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary self-select PIN system of the present application; and  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for changing a PIN of the present application. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]    The exemplary embodiments of the present application are explained with reference to a user interacting with a voice response unit (“VRU”) in order to change a previously assigned PIN associated with a credit card. The present application, however, is not limited to PINS associated with credit cards and credit card companies. Rather, PINs can be associated with other types of cards, such as debit cards and smart cards, and various accounts of a user that may be unrelated to the finances of the user. Moreover, the term PIN is used in the present application to mean any series of numbers, any series of letters or a combination of one or more numbers and one or more letters that act as security for a respective card or account.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary self-select PIN system  100  of the present application. As can be seen in FIG. 1, self-select PIN system  100  includes VRU  110 , a plurality of users  105   a  . . .  105   n  that can interact with VRU  110 , memory unit  135 , processing unit  120  coupled to VRU  110  and memory unit  135 , customer service representatives  140 , merchants  145  and ATMs  150 , each coupled to processing unit  120 . Processing unit  120  includes PIN validation unit  125  and PIN assignment unit  130 . In an exemplary embodiment, users  105   a  . . .  105   n  are individuals using communication devices, such as wired or wireless telephones and/or network connections, for example, Internet connections, via a wired or wireless transmission link to interact with VRU  110 . Other communication devices can be used by users  105   a  . . .  105   n  as well. Further, memory unit  135  can include various types of memory storage devices, for example, one or more databases. Memory unit  135  can store, for example, data associated with users  105   a  . . .  105   n  and their respective credit card accounts, including PINs associated with credit cards of the users  105   a  . . .  105   n . The components of FIG. 1 may be implemented through hardware, software, and/or firmware. Further, the number of components in self select PIN system  100  is not limited to what is illustrated.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for changing a previously assigned PIN of the present application. One of the users  105   a  . . .  105   n , for example, user  105   a , may want to change a previously assigned PIN because user  105   a  forgot the PIN associated with a credit card. In addition, user  105   a  may desire to change a PIN generated by the credit card company and automatically associated with the credit card. User  105   a  may or may not be aware that a PIN was automatically associated with the credit card. For example, user  105   a  may call the credit card company regarding a new credit card to assign a PIN thereto, not knowing that the credit card company automatically associated a PIN with the credit card. In any event, user  105   a  contacts the credit card company and interacts with VRU  110  to change the previously assigned PIN. User  105   a  perceives this process as creating a new PIN.  
         [0014]    Specifically, user  105   a  calls the credit card company and is presented with a menu of options by VRU  110 . User  105   a  selects an entry in the menu of options, for example, by pressing a predetermined key on a telephone key pad. One of the entries in the menu informs user  105   a  that by selecting that particular entry user  105   a  can change a PIN. Alternatively, user  105   a  may be presented with one or more sub-menus of options including the entry for changing a PIN.  
         [0015]    Before or after the menu of options is presented to user  105   a , user  105   a  is identified and verified by processing unit  120 . User  105   a  can be identified by processing unit  120 , for example, based on an account number input by user  105   a . In addition, processing unit  120  performs verification by matching one or more inputs by user  105   a , such as a social security or insurance number or a portion of a social security or insurance number, a unique identifier assigned to user  105   a , a date of birth, a zip code, a telephone number or a portion of a telephone number, a maiden name and any other unique identifier, or any combination thereof, with information stored in memory unit  135  regarding user  105   a.    
         [0016]    Once user  105   a  has been identified and verified and has selected the entry enabling a PIN change, user  105   a  is prompted by VRU  110  to input additional verification data, in  205 . The verification data provides processing unit  120  an additional way to verify that user  105   a  is the appropriate person associated with the respective credit card and is thus authorized to change the PIN. The verification data can include a social security or insurance number or a portion of the social security or insurance number, a unique identifier assigned to user  105   a , a date of birth, a zip code, a telephone number or a portion of a telephone number, a maiden name and any other unique identifier, or any combination thereof. In an alternative embodiment, user  105   a  is not prompted to input additional verification data. Rather, the initial data input by user  105   a  and used to identify and verify user  105   a  is utilized by processing unit  120 . The additional verification data, or the initial data, input by user  105   a  is received by processing unit  120  via VRU  110 , in  210 , and is authenticated by processing unit  120 , in  215 . Processing unit  120  authenticates the verification data by comparing the verification data to information stored in memory unit  135  that is associated with user  105   a.    
         [0017]    If processing unit  120  confirms that the verification data input by user  105   a  is valid, VRU  110  prompts user  105   a  to input a new PIN in order to change the previously assigned PIN, in  220 . User  105   a  is not prompted by VRU  110  to input the previously assigned PIN in order to change the previously assigned PIN. User  105   a  inputs a PIN by either pressing or saying the appropriate numbers and/or letters. The PIN can be a series of numbers, a series of letters or a combination of one or more numbers and one or more letters. For example, the new PIN can be four digits, such as 1234. The new PIN input by user  105   a  is read back to user  105   a  by VRU  110  in order for user  105   a  to confirm, in  225 . User  105   a  is prompted, for example, to press a predetermined key to indicate approval or to press another predetermined key to indicate that user  105   a  does not approve the read back PIN. If user  105   a  indicates disapproval with the read back PIN, user  105   a  is again prompted by VRU  110  to input a new PIN in order to change the previously assigned PIN, in  220 .  
         [0018]    Alternatively, user  105   a  can be prompted to again input the new PIN to confirm that user  105   a  inputted the correct PIN the first time. Processing unit  120  compares the two inputted PINs to verify that the PINs are the same. If the PINs are not the same, user  105   a  is prompted to input the new PIN until two subsequent PINs match.  
         [0019]    If processing unit  120  determines that the validation data input by user  105   a  is not valid, for example, does not match information stored in memory unit  135  associated with user  105   a , user  105   a  can be prompted to again input the verification data or can be transferred to customer service representative  140 .  
         [0020]    The new PIN input by user  105   a  is received by processing unit  120  via VRU  110 , in  230 . PIN validation unit  125  of processing unit  120  determines whether the new PIN is valid, in  235 . For example, the new PIN is valid if the new PIN does not begin with a predetermined number or letter, does not contain a predetermined sign, such as the # sign or * sign, is a predetermined length or the length is within a predetermined range, is not associated with a PIN previously associated with user  105   a  and/or is not the same PIN of other users  105   b  . . .  105   n . As will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art, the validity of a PIN input by one of the users  105   a  . . .  105   n  can be determined according to various other criteria.  
         [0021]    If PIN validation unit  125  determines that the new PIN is not valid, user  105   a  is prompted via VRU  110  to input a different PIN. The new PIN is confirmed as described above, in  220 . In an alternative embodiment, user  105   a  is transferred to customer service representative  140  by processor  120  when a predetermined number of unsuccessful attempts have been made by user  105   a  to select a new PIN. It should be noted that user  105   a  can press a predetermined key on a key pad or say a predetermined word or phrase to be connected to customer service representative  140  while interacting with VRU  110  at any point shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0022]    Upon PIN validation unit  125  determining that the new PIN is valid, PIN assignment unit  130  of processing unit  120  associates the new PIN with the respective credit card and credit card account, in  240 . More particularly, PIN assignment unit  130  changes the previously assigned PIN stored in memory unit  135  to the new PIN, in  240 . The new PIN is stored in memory unit  135  in association with the respective credit card and the credit card account of user  105   a . The previously assigned PIN is changed to the new PIN in real-time and, as a result, user  105   a  can immediately utilize the new PIN after interacting with VRU  110 .  
         [0023]    Accordingly, user  105   a  can, for example, use the credit card at merchant  145  to make a purchase or at ATM  150  to withdraw money if a PIN is required by merchant  145  or ATM  150  to use the credit card. After user  105   a  inputs the new PIN at merchant  145  or ATM  150 , merchant  145  or ATM  150  verifies the PIN by transmitting data including the inputted PIN to processor  120 . Processor  120  compares the PIN input at merchant  145  or ATM  150  to the new PIN associated with the respective credit card stored in memory unit  135 . If the PIN input by user  105   a  matches the new PIN, user  105   a  is authorized to proceed with making the purchase at merchant  145  or withdrawing money from ATM  150 . On the other hand, if the PIN does not match, user  105   a  can be notified that the inputted PIN is incorrect and/or prompted to re-input the PIN.  
         [0024]    Cards, such as credit cards, having a PIN associated therewith can obviously be used by users  105   a  . . .  105   n  at places other than merchants and ATMs, as shown in FIG. 1. Further, the implementation for using cards, for example, to credit or debit an account, to withdraw money and to access account information is well known in the art, as well as the process of assigning PINs to such cards, and is therefore not explained in detail herein.  
         [0025]    The embodiments described above are illustrative examples of the present invention and it should not be construed that the present invention is limited to these particular embodiments. Various changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.