# US 2020/0288014 A1 · Communications Network Security for Handling Proxy Voice Calls > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0288014 A1 - Document ID: US20200288014A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/295,537 - Filed: 2019-03-07 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-07 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: Miranda Huet; James Pratt; Eric Zavesky; Gregory Edwards - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200288014A1 ## CPC - H04M 3/436: Arrangements for screening incoming calls {, i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it (based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54)} - H04M 3/4931: {Directory assistance systems} - G10L 13/00: Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems - G10L 15/08: Speech classification or search - H04M 3/5166: {in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends} - G10L 2015/088: {Word spotting} - H04M 2203/2027: Live party detection - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING ## Abstract Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for communications network security for handling proxy voice calls that employ a voicebot. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a call handling system can intercept, from a communications network, a call request that is directed to a called target device. The call handling system can determine that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment. The call handling system can suspend the call request from being routed to the called target device. The call handling system can generate a voicebot confirmation request that identifies the voicebot and the user equipment. The call handling system can provide the voicebot confirmation request to the called target. The call request can be suspended while the voicebot confirmation request is provided to the called target device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: intercepting, by a call handling system from a communications network, a call request that is directed to a called target device; determining, by the call handling system, that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment, wherein determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment comprises determining that the call request is from a text-to-speech neural network platform; in response to determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment, suspending, by the call handling system, the call request from being routed to the called target device; and while the call request is suspended, generating, by the call handling system, a voicebot confirmation request that identifies the voicebot and the user equipment, and providing, by the call handling system, the voicebot confirmation request to the called target device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the call request requests establishment of a proxy voice call between the voicebot and the called target device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the proxy voice call does not connect the user equipment to the called target device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the user equipment authorized establishment of the proxy voice call but did not generate the call request for the called target device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: validating, by the call handling system, whether the voicebot is permitted to contact and engage in a proxy voice call with the called target device; and releasing, by the call handling system, the call request from suspension to establish the proxy voice call between the voicebot and the called target device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein validating whether the voicebot is permitted to contact and engage in the proxy voice call with the called target device is based on a community bot registry. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising determining, by the call handling system, that the called target device invokes an answering voicebot to engage in the proxy voice call, wherein releasing suspension of the call request is based on the answering voicebot of the called target device. ### Claim 8 A system comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: intercepting, from a communications network, a call request that is directed to a called target device, determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment, wherein determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment comprises determining that the call request is from a text-to-speech neural network platform, in response to determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on a behalf of a user equipment, suspending the call request from being routed to the called target device, and while the call request is suspended, generating a voicebot confirmation request that identifies the voicebot and the user equipment, and providing the voicebot confirmation request to the called target device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the call request requests establishment of a proxy voice call between the voicebot and the called target device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the proxy voice call does not connect the user equipment to the called target device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the user equipment authorized establishment of the proxy voice call but did not generate the call request for the called target device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: validating whether the voicebot is permitted to contact and engage in a proxy voice call with the called target device, and releasing the call request from suspension to establish the proxy voice call between the voicebot and the called target device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein validating whether the voicebot is permitted to contact and engage in the proxy voice call with the called target device is based on a community bot registry. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the called target device invokes an answering voicebot to engage in the proxy voice call, and wherein releasing the call request from suspension is based on the answering voicebot of the called target device. ### Claim 15 A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processor of a system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: intercepting, from a communications network, a call request that is directed to a called target device; determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment, wherein determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment comprises determining that the call request is from a text-to-speech neural network platform; in response to determining that the call request was generated by a voicebot on behalf of a user equipment, suspending the call request from being routed to the called target device; and while the call request is suspended, generating a voicebot confirmation request that identifies the voicebot and the user equipment, and providing the voicebot confirmation request to the called target device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the call request requests establishment of a proxy voice call between the voicebot and the called target device, and wherein the proxy voice call does not connect the user equipment to the called target device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user equipment authorized establishment of the proxy voice call but did not generate the call request for the called target device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: validating whether the voicebot is permitted to contact and engage in a proxy voice call with the called target device; and releasing the call request from suspension to establish the proxy voice call between the voicebot and the called target device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein validating whether the voicebot is permitted to contact and engage in the proxy voice call with the called target device is based on a community bot registry. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the called target device invokes an answering voicebot to engage in the proxy voice call, and wherein releasing the call request from suspension is based on the answering voicebot of the called target device.