128 results about "Outbound communication" patented technology

Techniques may automatically detect bots or botnets running in a computer or other digital device by detecting command and control communications, called “call-backs,” from malicious code that has previously gained entry into the digital device. Callbacks are detected using a distributed approach employing one or more local analyzers and a central analyzer. The local analyzers capture packets of outbound communications, generate header signatures, and analyze the captured packets using various techniques. The techniques may include packet header signature matching against verified callback signatures, deep packet inspection. The central analyzer receives the header signatures and related header information from the local analyzers, may perform further analysis (for example, on-line host reputation analysis); determines using a heuristics analysis whether the signatures correspond to callbacks; and generally coordinates among the local analyzers.

The present invention is a method to control communication channels using universal and persistent identifiers in circuit/packet switched or converged networks. The method involves linking domain specific addresses or concrete identifiers of communication end points within or across channels, domains and networks with an abstract, persistent and universal identifier that represents the single point of contact or principal identity of the user. The principal identity can specify parameters of inbound/outbound communication relationships with other specified/unspecified users/entities inter-alia through default/specific levels of control in communication relationships on/across/through normal or alternate channels, domains, applications, networks, etc., based on universal/persistent identifiers such as XRI. All transactions originating from, or terminating on, the principal identity are authenticated, asserted securely and routed automatically to an appropriate channel based on the principal identity's current context (state, location, presence, etc.) and privileges (or contracts) defined in rules created by the principal identity for access, usage, privacy, synchronization, compliance, expiry, etc. The principal identity is also empowered with multi-level control over attributes and metadata including rules for what data to expose/share and what data to eclipse/hide for which user. Control/user data, or traffic, and program/client/sequence logic, may be resident/executed/exchanged/carried on, or across, diverse networks/channels/media/devices/domains etc.

A land-based or mobile phone and methods are provided for receiving inbound communications as either voice or text, and then based on the user's configuration settings, the inbound communication is provided to the user as it was received or is automatically converted into a format that is desired by the user. The phone also takes voice or text that is input by the user of the phone and converts the user's input to either voice or text based on the configuration settings stored in the user's contact list or otherwise. The outbound communication is configured according to how the intended recipient wants to receive a communication based on the configuration settings stored in the user's contact list or otherwise. The phone includes a controller that determines how the phone will handle and process inbound and outbound communications. The controller includes a speech recognition engine.

Techniques may automatically detect bots or botnets running in a computer or other digital device by detecting command and control communications, called “call-backs,” from malicious code that has previously gained entry into the digital device. Callbacks are detected using an approach employing both a set of high quality indicators and a set of supplemental indicators. The high quality indicators are selected since they provide a strong correlation with callbacks, and may be sufficient for the techniques to determine that the network outbound communications actually constitute callbacks. If not, the supplemental indicators may be used in conjunction with the high quality indicators to declare the outbound communications as callbacks.

One or more electronic signs each coupled to a transceiver or radio node that is communicably coupled to an access node may change its display, as directed by the access node. The access node is configured to receive data related to adjusting information displayed on one or more of the electronic signs. The access node wirelessly transmits an outbound communication to a number of radio nodes logically distributed around the access node. One or more of the radio nodes or may be configured without an electronic sign but instead be configured to repeat the outbound communication. A recipient radio node receives the outbound communication message and executes instructions contained in the outbound communication message so that its electronic sign changes the display of information, such as the price.

In a blended inbound/outbound call center (100), an outbound call-pacing function (122) decides whether or not to initiate an additional outbound call for a particular skill. It determines (206) whether the number of available agents for the skill plus the number of resting agents for the skill exceeds the number of available inbound calls for the skill plus the number of outstanding outbound calls for the skill. It also determines (312) whether a target service time for the skill exceeds an estimated wait time of each of the available inbound calls for the skill assuming that pending outbound calls for the skill plus one take precedence over the inbound calls. If both determinations are affirmative, the call pacing function initiates (318) an additional call for the skill. If either determination is negative, the function forbears (321) from initiating an additional call for the skill. The number of available and resting agents may be incremented (206) by (a) a difference between the target service time for the skill and the present waiting time of the last-enqueued inbound call for the skill divided by the average rate of advance through the skill's call queue, or (b) the average amount of time that a newly-initiated outbound call for the skill takes to become available divided by the average rate of advance, plus the number of agents for the skill who are busy but expected to become available within a time period equal to (a) or (b), less the number of those agents that will receive a rest period upon becoming idle. The number of calls may be incremented (206) by the number of inbound calls that are expected to arrive within the time period (a) or (b).

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods for managing incoming and outgoing communications for various communications methods. The invention provides control over inbound communications including definition of if, when, and who may communicate with a recipient. The invention also supports concealed identification communication in that no actual addresses, phone numbers, or other addressing IDs are required to be exchanged by the communication initiator and recipient. The invention also provides the capability to initiate immediate, delayed, scheduled, or recurring outbound communications. As depicted in FIG. 1, if the database (45) contains call management settings for a call recipient, the application logic (40) will evaluate the rules to determine if a particular caller is authorized to connect with the call recipient at the current time and date. If the caller is authorized by the recipient to connect to the recipient phone number, and is furthermore authorized to do so for the current time and date, the application logic (40) will connect the call utilizing the public telephone switch (50). The computer (1) passes the caller and call recipient phone numbers as stored in the database (45) to the telephone switch (50) using an application programming interface (“API”) appropriate to the service provider or telephone switch manufacturer. The exemplary embodiment of the invention utilizes an API provided by a telephone service provider as an interface to its switching infrastructure (50). The API captures both caller and recipient telephone numbers along with other variables useful for call setup and tracking. The telephone service provider then connects both parties' telephones (55), (60) to a phone call by dialing both numbers and connecting the call upon the parties' answer.

A method for scheduling outbound communications to sales leads based, at least partly, on a model of customer behaviour derived from (i) customer data gathered from a plurality of customers that initiated contact with an electronic communications interface, and (ii) time data recording for each of the customers a time or time period at which the customer interacted with the electronic communications interface. The model predicts, for one or more time periods and segments of a population, a likelihood of successfully engaging with a person from the segment of the population. The scheduling includes prioritising the outbound communications to the sales leads during one or more defined time periods.

A system and method for regulating and analyzing inbound and outbound communications in and between computer networks on the basis of geographic security assertions are provided. Geographic information is collected, optimized, and shared between network objects to enforce network access control on the basis of configurable security assertions. Security assertions are configured and metrics displayed using maps and other geographic data in a graphical user interface.

Methods and systems for blocking unwanted software downloads within a network. Such methods may thereby prevent (i) downloads of spyware from one or more identified locations, and/or (ii) certain outbound communications from the network and/or may also permit software downloads only from specified locations. In general, the policies are defined by rules specified by a network administrator or other user.

The present invention relates to a device and method for managing inbound and outbound communications for a multi-homed network. A connection manager is located on a local network that is connected to an external network, such as the Internet, through multiple service provider connections. The connection manager intercepts all communication packets that are inbound to the local network from the external network and all packets that are outbound from the local network to the external network. The connection manager then associates the packets with a particular ISP connection based on the availability and bandwidth load status of the ISP connections.

The present invention is directed to a method for servicing a transaction in a contact center. When a communication associated with a transaction is terminated prematurely, special treatment may be provided to the transaction initiator. The special treatment includes: (a) maintaining, relative to other transactions, the assigned service priority for the transaction while the communication is disconnected and assigning the assigned service priority to a subsequent inbound communication from the transaction initiator; (b) scheduling a subsequent outbound communication to an external endpoint associated with the transaction initiator; (c) assigning to the transaction initiator a favored service priority when the subsequent inbound communication is received by the contact center; and (d) when, during the first communication, the transaction initiator selected at least one item as part of an electronic order and the first communication was terminated before the electronic order was completed, maintaining the item(s) in memory and providing the item(s) to the transaction initiator when the transaction initiator makes a further communication with the contact center.

A method of flow of an outbound communication to another module with interface using a broker which is able to review all data structures, regardless of complexity, as being comprised of a finite set of primitive data types (e.g. integer, float etc.) and with reference to the repository determine a mechanism for reading and writing these types to enable processing of structures of arbitrary complexity, wherein the rules and mechanisms for reading these basic types are defined by the protocol and once the rules are captured allow processing of any message over this protocol

A crowdsourcing competition system is described herein that provides a reusable mechanism by which an organization can host a cloud-based crowdsourcing competition. The system facilitates identification of individuals, forums, submission of user-generated content (challenge submissions), automated scoring of user-generated content against test sets, automated outbound communication to participants, and web services for leaderboard functionality. The system provides workflows for users to submit submissions and for the system to receive and organize submissions. Thus, the crowdsourcing competition system provides a generic platform and automated workflow for holding crowd-sourced competitions and automating workflow of user generated content submissions.

In this system, a monitor unit monitors outbound communications through a network interface. A process designation unit designates a process 2X which has generated communications. A process tree obtaining unit obtains and outputs process tree information for designation of an upper process to the process 2X. A discrimination unit refers to an illegal rule file for definition of an illegal process by a combination of a process and an upper process which have generated communications, and determines whether or not a process 2X is illegal according to communications information, process information, and process tree information. A process stop unit stops a process 2X determined to be illegal. A notification unit notifies a user of the stop of the process 2X.

Described is a remotely programmable control device for use in electroluminescent display and lighting applications. Elements of this invention include a power supply, various inverters/wave form conditioners, a motherboard, inbound/outbound communications capability, motion-sensing devices, ambient light sensing facilities, and a floppy disk reader. Remote programmability is achieved through several methods including detecting the driving instructions from the lamp display itself, or downloading data from a remote network or a floppy disk.

An IP application service providing method enabling inbound communication in IP application communication intended between an internal node concealed from an outside network and belonging to an inside network and an external node belonging to the outside network through a gateway device set to permit only outbound communication, includes periodically transmitting a control packet aiming at notifying of a control channel port and at maintaining a communication permission entry of a control channel path to a connection support device on the outside network from the internal node subordinated to the gateway device; notifying the internal node of a connecting destination address/port pair associated with the external node via the control channel from the connection support device; and actively opening a data channel of an IP application to the notified connecting destination address/port pair.

A method and apparatus dynamically pair a user's communication devices with a personal survivability gateway. The gateway can support the establishment of communication services in case of a network failure between a site where the user's communication devices are located and the site that provides the user's communication services. Preferably, the survivability gateway is configured so that if a network failure occurs, the user does not experience service degradation, or at least significant service degradation. For instance, the user's inbound and outbound communications during such an outage may be routed through his personal survivability gateway and a survivability proxy to limit, if not eliminate such service degradation.