# US 8,787,535 B2 · Caller authentication system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,787,535 B2 - Document ID: US8787535B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/022,855 - Filed: 2008-01-30 - Published: 2009-07-30 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-01-30 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: David L. Dunmire; Jeff P. Clark; Brian M. Novack - Inventors: David L. Dunmire; Jeff P. Clark; Brian M. Novack - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787535B2 ## CPC - H04M 3/42059: {Making use of the calling party identifier} - G10L 17/02: Preprocessing operations, e.g. segment selection; Pattern representation or modelling, e.g. based on linear discriminant analysis [LDA] or principal components; Feature selection or extraction - H04L 63/0861: {using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231)} - H04M 2201/405: involving speaker-dependent recognition - H04M 2201/41: using speaker recognition - H04M 2203/60: related to security aspects in telephonic communication systems - 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 - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A disclosed method of authenticating a telephone caller includes receiving an authentication request for the telephone caller that includes a voice recording of the caller and household information indicative of a household, creating a first voice pattern based on the voice recording of the caller, retrieving a second voice pattern using at least some of the household information, comparing the two voice patterns, and transmitting information indicative of the results of the comparison. The transmitted information may include information that the telephone caller is authenticated, is not authenticated, or that the comparison results were inconclusive. The method may include monitoring telephone calls with the household, and if it is determined that a voice on at least some of the telephone calls is associated with the household, creating the second voice pattern based on the voice, and associating the second voice pattern to the household. The method may further include disassociating the second voice pattern from the household if it is determined that a change of household has occurred. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An authentication method, comprising: monitoring a plurality of telephone calls associated with customer premises equipment of a household for a predetermined duration; for each of the plurality of telephone calls: determining whether the voice pattern of a call participant matches a previously recorded pattern; responsive to determining that the voice pattern matches a previously recorded pattern, determining whether a number of occurrences of the previously recorded pattern exceeds a sufficiency threshold; and responsive to determining the number of occurrences exceeds the sufficiency threshold, associating the voice pattern with the household; receiving, from an authentication requestor, a request to authenticate a telephone caller, the request including: a first voice pattern of the telephone caller; and household information indicative of the household; retrieving, based on at least some of the household information, second voice patterns associated with the household, each of the second voice patterns associated with a household member; comparing the first voice pattern to at least some of the second voice patterns; and transmitting information indicative of a result of the comparing; disassociating voice patterns associated with the household upon the occurrence of a change of household. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the household information includes a physical address for the household. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the household information includes a telephone number for the household. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison indicates that the particular telephone caller is authenticated. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein the information indicative of the result of the comparison includes additional household information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the additional household information includes household demographic information. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes information that the comparison was inconclusive. ### Claim 8 A caller authentication device, comprising: a processor; a network adaptor; and storage, including processor executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: monitoring a plurality of telephone calls associated with customer premises equipment of a household for a predetermined duration; for each of the plurality of telephone calls: determining whether the voice pattern of a call participant matches a previously recorded pattern; responsive to determining that the voice pattern matches a previously recorded pattern, determining whether a number of occurrences of the previously recorded pattern exceeds a sufficiency threshold; and responsive to determining the number of occurrences exceeds the sufficiency threshold, associating the voice pattern with the household; receiving, from an authentication requestor, a request to authenticate a telephone caller, the request including: a first voice pattern of the telephone caller; and household information indicative of the household; retrieving, based on at least some of the household information, second voice patterns associated with the household, each of the second voice patterns associated with a household member; comparing the first voice pattern to at least some of the second voice patterns; and transmitting information indicative of a result of the comparing; and disassociating voice patterns associated with the household upon the occurrence of a change of household. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the operations include: assigning the first voice patterns to at least one of a physical address for the household and a telephone number for the household. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the household information includes at least one of a physical address for the household and a telephone number for the household. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes a notice that the particular telephone caller is authenticated. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes additional household information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison indicates that the particular telephone caller is not authenticated when a degree of matching between each of the first voice patterns and the second voice pattern is below a specified threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison indicates that the comparison was inconclusive. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer readable storage device including computer executable instructions for authenticating a telephone caller alleging to be associated with a household, the instructions, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform operations comprising: monitoring a plurality of telephone calls associated with customer premises equipment of a household for a predetermined duration; for each of the plurality of telephone calls: determining whether the voice pattern of a call participant matches a previously recorded pattern; responsive to determining that the voice pattern matches a previously recorded pattern, determining whether a number of occurrences of the previously recorded pattern exceeds a sufficiency threshold; and responsive to determining the number of occurrences exceeds the sufficiency threshold, associating the voice pattern with the household; receiving, from an authentication requestor, a request to authenticate a telephone caller, the request including: a first voice pattern of the telephone caller; and household information indicative of the household; retrieving, based on at least some of the household information, second voice patterns associated with the household, each of the second voice patterns associated with a household member; comparing the first voice pattern to at least some of the second voice patterns; transmitting information indicative of a result of the comparing; and disassociating voice patterns associated with the household upon the occurrence of a change of household. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the information indicative of the household includes at least one of a physical address for the household and a telephone number for the household. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The computer readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes a notice that the particular telephone caller is authenticated. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer readable storage device of claim 17 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes additional household information. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The computer readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes a notice that the particular telephone caller is not authenticated. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The computer readable storage device of claim 15 wherein the information indicative of a result of the comparison includes a notice that the comparison was inconclusive.