Interactive voice communication method and system for information and entertainment
First Claim
1. A computerized method for interaction between a user and a virtual personality comprising the steps of:
- a) storing in a database data relating to a personality'"'"'s responses to various inquiries;
b) prompting a user to provide a speech comment directed to the personality;
c) detecting the user'"'"'s comment using speech recognition software;
d) interpreting the user'"'"'s comment as an inquiry based on natural language processing of the detected comment;
e) processing the inquiry and the stored data in the computer to generate a personality response to the inquiry; and
f) transmitting the response to the user in the personality'"'"'s voice.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to an interactive voice communication method and system for communicating with personalities. Any sort of real or authored personality, including but not limited to celebrities, characters, and service personnel types, may be the object of the interaction provided by the invention. The system and method of the invention permits communication between a user and the personality, i.e., between a fan of a celebrity and the celebrity, or between a consumer and a virtual service-person, via telephone, audio, video, CD, DVD, Internet, stand-alone kiosks and wireless devices through use of voice response technology including speech recognition and natural language software.
403 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computerized method for interaction between a user and a virtual personality comprising the steps of:
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a) storing in a database data relating to a personality'"'"'s responses to various inquiries;
b) prompting a user to provide a speech comment directed to the personality;
c) detecting the user'"'"'s comment using speech recognition software;
d) interpreting the user'"'"'s comment as an inquiry based on natural language processing of the detected comment;
e) processing the inquiry and the stored data in the computer to generate a personality response to the inquiry; and
f) transmitting the response to the user in the personality'"'"'s voice. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer system for interactive communication between a user and a virtual personality comprising:
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a) means for storing in a database voice responses of a personality to inquiries;
b) means for detecting a user'"'"'s speech directed to the personality;
c) means for interpreting the speech to formulate a user inquiry;
d) means for accessing in the database an appropriate personality voice response to the user inquiry; and
e) means for transmitting the personality voice response to the user. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A method for creating a database of personality responses to commonly asked questions which comprises the steps of:
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a) conducting one or more focus groups with members of the public to generate one or more sets of questions commonly asked of the personality;
b) recording an interview of the personality responding to one or more of the questions;
c) recording one or more voice samples of the personality;
d) storing the interview responses in a database in relation to the information requested by the corresponding questions; and
e) storing the voice samples in the database.
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11. A computer readable media for directing at least one computer processor to perform the steps of:
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a) storing in a database data relating to a personality'"'"'s responses to various inquiries;
b) prompting a user to provide a speech comment directed to the personality;
c) detecting the user'"'"'s comment using speech recognition software;
d) interpreting the user'"'"'s comments as an inquiry based on natural language processing of the detected comment;
e) processing the inquiry and the stored data in the computer to generate a personality response to the inquiry; and
f) transmitting the response to the user in the personality'"'"'s voice.
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12. A computer-enabled entertainment network for interactive communication between a user and a personality comprising:
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a) means for storing in a database voice responses to inquiries by a personality;
b) means for identifying a user inquiry;
c) means for accessing in the database an appropriate voice response to the user inquiry; and
d) means for transmitting the voice response to the user. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A computer-enabled method of transmitting information to a recipient comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing means by which the recipient selects a personality from a plural set of personalities; and
(b) transmitting the information at least partly in the voice of the personality selected in step (a), to the recipient, via a communications medium or network. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A computer-enabled system of transmitting information to a recipient comprising the steps of:
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(a) personality selecting means by which the recipient selects a virtual personality from a plural set of virtual personalities; and
(b) information transmitting means for transmitting the information to the recipient, via a communications medium or network, at least partly in the voice of a personality selected by recipient using the personality selecting means. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification