Abstract: A system is disclosed that features a transport vehicle that carries responsive objects, such as a truck hauling cargo units, in which the objects are equipped to provide payment information when queried. The transport vehicle is outfitted with a proxy that represents the responsive objects. The proxy is configured such that it is better able than the responsive objects to receive payment request signals from a querying device. The vehicle is also outfitted with i) sensors that detect the responsive objects and ii) sensors that detect state information of the vehicle, in which both sets of sensors provide information to the proxy. The object sensors are able to query each responsive object in the same way as the querying device would query those objects in the prior art. The proxy then responds to the query on behalf of the responsive objects.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that features a transport vehicle in which a responsive object is present, such as a truck in which a cellphone is present, in which the object is equipped to provide location or other state information when queried. The transport vehicle is outfitted with a proxy that represents the responsive object. The proxy is configured such that it is better able than the responsive object to estimate the responsive object's location or state. The vehicle is also outfitted with i) sensors that detect the responsive object and ii) sensors that detect state information of the vehicle. The object sensors are able to query the object in the same way as the querying device would query that object in the prior art. Using information from the sensors, the proxy then responds to the query on behalf of the responsive object, and an authentication device processes the query.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that addresses a problem in managing the correct context in which a telecommunications terminal is utilized by its user—that is, a work use context, a personal use context, and so forth. The disclosed technique enables the automated management of use contexts by a terminal on behalf of its user, across the possibly multiple terminals that are utilized by the user. Each terminal manages the use contexts by utilizing temporal-, schedule-, spatial-, and proximity-related information, in combination with the terminal's current and/or anticipated usage by the user, in order to establish a use context that is currently appropriate for that user at that terminal. As part of establishing a use context, the terminal makes available to its user a predetermined set of user interface properties and a predetermined set of user profile properties. Such properties can include contact lists, applications, server links, logins, and so forth.

Abstract: A vehicle for carrying responsive objects is outfitted with a proxy for the responsive objects. The vehicle is also outfitted with a sensor that detects which responsive objects it is carrying and sensor that detect environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, etc.) inside and outside of the vehicle. When an inquiry is directed to a responsive object in the vehicle, the proxy intercepts the inquiry and responds with the status of the vehicle. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the responsive objects use different protocols, and the proxy is multi-lingual in the sense that it can communicate with the inquirer with the same protocol that is used to communicate with the responsive object. In this way, the illustrative embodiment provides a mechanism for monitoring the location and condition of responsive without some of the costs and disadvantages for doing so in the prior art.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that enables the handling of audio streams for segments in the audio that might contain private information, in a way that is more straightforward than in some techniques in the prior art. The data-processing system of the illustrative embodiment receives a media stream that comprises an audio stream, possibly in addition to other types of media such as video. The audio stream comprises audio content, some of which can be private in nature. Once it receives the data, the data-processing system then analyzes the audio stream for private audio content by using one or more techniques that involve looking for private information as well as non-private information. As a result of the analysis, the data-processing system omits the private audio content from the resulting stream that contains the processed audio.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that enable the synchronization of user profile information for M users who are sharing K telecommunications terminals, wherein M and K are not necessarily equal to each other. The disclosed technique addresses the problem that occurs when multiple users share multiple terminals, in which a user that selects a particular terminal to use has to contend with the contact lists, user preferences, and call log entries that are left over from the previous user or users of the selected terminal. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the user profile information is associated with and stored for each user in a group of users, in contrast to being associated with and stored for the telecommunications terminal. The user profile information comprises (i) contact information, (ii) call or message activity, and (iii) user terminal preferences.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for recording calls in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-based call center. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, one of a plurality of data-processing systems in the call center is selected for each call to decompress and decrypt the call's media stream(s). The selection criteria include the type of compression algorithm, the type of encryption scheme, the processing capabilities of the data-processing systems, the current processing load of the data-processing systems, and the available communication bandwidth into and out of the data-processing systems. The selected data-processing system is subsequently incorporated into the call path between the calling SIP endpoint and the call center SIP endpoint, if necessary, and for the duration of the call decompresses/decrypts the media stream(s), generates a copy of the decompressed/decrypted stream(s), and transmits the copied stream(s) to a recording device in the call center.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for determining authentication frequency (i.e., the length of time between authenticating and re-authenticating a user) and challenge type (e.g., username/password, fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, etc.) based on one or more environmental properties (e.g., ambient noise level, ambient luminosity, temperature, etc.), or one or more physiological properties of a user (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, etc.), or both. Advantageously, the illustrative embodiment enables authentication frequency and challenge type to be adjusted based on the likelihood of malicious activity, as inferred from these properties. In addition, the illustrative embodiment enables the authentication challenge type to be tailored to particular environmental conditions (e.g., noisy environments, dark environments, etc.).

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for determining authentication frequency (i.e., the length of time between authenticating and re-authenticating a user) and challenge type (e.g., username/password, fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, etc.) based on what software applications a user is running on a data-processing system, and how those applications are being used (e.g., what functions are used, what data is input to or output by the application, how often and for how long applications are used, what input devices and output devices are used, etc.) Advantageously, the illustrative embodiment enables authentication frequency and challenge type to be adjusted based on the likelihood of malicious activity and/or the potential cost of malicious activity, as inferred from current and past application usage. In addition, the illustrative embodiment enables selection of an authentication challenge type that is less intrusive to a user based on current application usage.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for authenticating users of wireless telecommunications terminals. In particular, the present invention enables the timing and type of authentication challenges to vary based on one or more of: the user's current geo-location, the current day and time, the presence or absence of other nearby users, and the identity of any nearby users. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the re-authentication time period (i.e., the length of time between authenticating and re authenticating a user) and the authentication challenge type (e.g., username/password, fingerprint recognition, etc.) can be determined based on these factors. The present invention is advantageous in that it enables the shortening of the re-authentication time and the selection of a more secure type of authentication challenge when it is more likely that a user's wireless telecommunications terminal might be accidentally left behind or stolen.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that enables the proper treatment of a queued call by a call center, or other data-processing system capable of queuing calls, in which the calling terminal of the queued call has been put on hold by its user. The call center is able to detect the terminal being put on hold by monitoring for a SIP re-INVITE request, in which the session description signifies an on-hold condition. When it is determined that the calling terminal is on hold, the call center modifies its treatment of the queued call. For example, the call center might freeze the call's position in the queue until the calling party takes the phone off of hold. As another example, the call center might allow the call to work its way to the top of the queue, with the terminal on hold, and then maintain the call's position at the top of the queue until a service agent is available.

Abstract: A method of establishing calls with call centers that have heterogeneous hardware and software is disclosed. In particular, the data processing system for establishing a call selects one or more terminals for call based on the set of capabilities of the respective terminals and on the quality-of-service parameters that characterize the telecommunications channels connecting the terminals.

Abstract: The present invention enables service agents in a call center to monitor portions of calls that are especially error-prone (e.g., automated speech recognition of an address, etc.), while portions of calls that are not error-prone occur without any human monitoring. An interactive voice response (IVR) system script (e.g., a VXML script, etc.) is divided into a plurality of independent dialog sequences, each of which is assigned a human-monitoring requirement that indicates whether (and optionally, to what degree) the dialog sequence requires monitoring by a service agent. In addition, instances of the dialog sequences in calls are prioritized based on an indication of caller intelligibility during (i) prior dialog sequences in the current call, and (ii) prior calls involving the same caller and/or the same contact identifier (e.g., telephone number, email address, Internet Protocol address, etc.).

Abstract: A system is disclosed that enables a first call participant, such as an agent at a call center, to receive feedback about his attentiveness towards a second call participant while on a video call. Using the real-time image of the first call participant while on a video call, as well as additional information, the system of the illustrative embodiment evaluates one or more facial characteristics of the first participant, such as eye gaze; accumulates a record of predetermined, attentiveness-related conditions having been met; and notifies the first participant, or some other person such as the participant's supervisor, of the participant's attentiveness patterns.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that enables a first call participant, such as an agent at a call center, to project a carefully-controlled appearance towards a second call participant, such as a customer calling for technical support, while on a video call. Using the real-time image of the first call participant while on a video call, as well as additional information, the system of the illustrative embodiment selects and superimposes a visual background that appears to the caller as being behind the agent. The visual background can be selected to cater towards what the caller expects or wants to see, or what the message is that the agent-represented business wants to convey. The system of the illustrative embodiment can dynamically change the visual background during a call or from one call to another, depending on factors related to the calling party, factors related to the called party, and so forth.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that addresses a problem that can occur when a calling party of a video call withdraws from the call, but does not actually hang up. For example, after the calling party begins working through an interactive voice and video response (IVVR) session, the party might put his phone down, step away, drop the phone inadvertently, or otherwise disengage from the call without hanging up. In this event, the terminal itself is still connected to the call, so the call resource is tied up serving the terminal, even though the calling party has temporarily disengaged from the call. The system of the illustrative embodiment detects the disengagement of the party from the call and, as a result, suspends the use of the call resource that has been allocated for the call until the party re-engages with the call.

Abstract: The present invention enables service agents in a call center to monitor portions of calls that are especially error-prone (e.g., automated speech recognition of an address, etc.), while portions of calls that are not error-prone occur without any human monitoring. An interactive voice response (IVR) system script (e.g., a VXML script, etc.) is divided into a plurality of independent dialog sequences, each of which is assigned a human-monitoring requirement that indicates whether (and optionally, to what degree) the dialog sequence requires monitoring by a service agent. In the first illustrative embodiment, a partial ordering enables some dialog sequences to appear in a different order in that of the IVR script when it is advantageous to do so. In the second illustrative embodiment, each dialog sequence that requires human monitoring is recorded and packaged into an agent-review task that is subsequently sent to an available service agent for review.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for authenticating a user based on the geo-location history of a geo-location-enabled wireless device (e.g., a GPS-enabled wireless telecommunications terminal, a smart card, an RFID tag, etc.). In a first illustrative embodiment, a user of a geo-location-enabled wireless telecommunications terminal (e.g., a GPS-enabled cell phone, a GPS-enabled notebook computer, etc.) who attempts to access a restricted resource is challenged with one or more questions that are generated from the terminal's geo-location history. In a second illustrative embodiment, a user of a data-processing system who attempts to access a restricted resource is asked to provide a username Z. The user is then challenged with one or more questions that are generated from the geo-location history of a wireless device that is associated with username Z (e.g., a cell phone that belongs to the user whose username is Z, etc.).

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for authenticating users of wireless telecommunications terminals. A user is authenticated by instructing the user to travel to a geo-location, where the geo-location is referred to by an identifier that the user has previously associated with the geo-location. When the user chooses identifiers that are meaningful to the user, but that do not indicate the associated geo-locations to other people, the user can be securely authenticated via the following procedure: (i) select one of the identifiers that the user has defined, (ii) instruct the user to “go to <identifier>,” and (iii) declare the user authenticated if and only if the user visits the geo-location associated with <identifier>before a timeout expires.

Abstract: An interactive voice response (IVR) system is disclosed that can intelligently resume delivery of interrupted media streams. The IVR system determines if any prior portions of an interrupted media stream should be re-transmitted after the interruption has ceased, based on one or more of (i) the contents of the interrupted stream, (ii) the duration of the interruption, and (iii) the state of a software application of the interactive voice response (IVR) system.