Dynamic translation between data network-based protocol in a data-packet-network and interactive voice response functions of a telephony network

• US 20050041678A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marcialito Nuestro
• Original Assignee: Marcialito Nuestro
• Inventors: Nuestro, Marcialito
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A system for emulating interaction with an interactive voice response unit is provided. The system comprises, a client node connected to the network, the client node soliciting interaction with the interactive voice response unit and a proxy server node connected to the network, the server node accessible to client node, the interactive voice response unit accessible to the server node. A connection is established between the client node and the proxy server node, the proxy server node accepts data from the client node and translates the data into a format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit whereupon the data is then propagated to the interactive voice response unit. Response data resulting from the input data at the interactive voice response unit is propagated to the proxy server node whereupon the response data is translated into a format for dissemination at the client node and propagated thereto.

Claims

1-33. -33. canceled

34. A system for interaction with an interactive voice response (IVR) unit comprising:

a client node connected to a network; and

a proxy server connected to the network and coupled to the IVR unit;

wherein the proxy server acts as a bi-directional protocol gateway between the client node and the IVR.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the network is a data network.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the data network is the Internet network.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the client node is a personal computer and the interactive voice response unit is hosted by a communications center.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the protocol for interacting with the IVR unit is telephone touch-tone recognition.

39. The system of claim 36 wherein the protocol for interacting with the interactive voice response unit is voice recognition.

40. The system of claim 36 wherein response from the IVR resulting from input by the proxy server is an analog voice recording.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the analog voice recording is changed by the proxy server into a digital voice file before propagation to the client node.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the digital voice file is one of a WAV file, an MPEG file, or an H.323 protocol audio stream.

43. The system of claim 34 further comprising a second server node connected to the network, the second server node accessible to the client node and proxy server.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the second server node interfaces with the client node, and pon determination of need opens a connection with the proxy server node for interactive voice response interaction.

45. The system of claim 34 wherein the IVR is a part of a communications center including a data storage facility, and the IVR is enabled to retrieve and send digital documents from the storage facility, and to send the documents to the proxy server in response to requests.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the digital documents sent to the proxy server are served to the client node along with response data from the IVR.

47. A distributed software application for managing interaction with an interactive voice response (IVR) unit comprising:

a client portion of the software application residing on a client node connected to a data-packet network;

a network portion of the software application residing on a proxy server node connected to the data-packet-network; and

an IVR portion of the software application residing on the IVR;

wherein the the proxy server acts as a bi-directional protocol gateway between the client node and the IVR.

48. The distributed software application of claim 47 wherein the IVR unit is hosted by a communications center.

49. The distributed software application of claim 47 wherein the data-packet network is the Internet network.

50. The distributed software application of claim 48 wherein the client node is a personal computer.

51. The distributed software application of claim 48 wherein one protocol for interacting with the IVR unit by the proxy server is telephone touch-tone recognition.

52. The distributed software application of claim 48 wherein one protocol for interacting with the IVR unit by the proxy server is voice recognition.

53. The distributed software application of claim 47 wherein response data from the IVR comprises an analog voice recording.

54. The distributed software application of claim 47 wherein response data sent to the client node comprises one of a WAV file, an MPEG file, or an H.323 protocol audio stream.

55. The distributed software application of claim 48 wherein a portion of the software is hosted by the communications center and residing within a Web server also hosted by the communications center.

56. The distributed software application of claim 55, wherein the communications center portion of the distributed software application serves as an interface between the client portion of the software and the network portion of the software.

57. The distributed software application of claim 56 wherein the communications center portion of the distributed software application determines if there is a need for IVR unit interaction at the beginning of a session between the client portion of the software and the communications center portion of the software.

58. A method for interacting with an interactive voice response (IVR) unit for a client operating on a data-packet-network comprising steps of:

(a) establishing a data connection on the data-packet-network between the client and a server also connected to the data-packet-network;

(b) accepting input data from the client at the server and translating the input data to a form acceptable to the IVR;

(c) sending the translated input data received from the client to the IVR;

(d) receiving response data from the IVR unit at the server and translating the response data into a form acceptable to the client; and

(e) sending the translated response data to the client.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein in step (a), the client is a personal computer and the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

60. The method of claim 59 wherein in step (a), the IVR is hosted in a connection-oriented-switched-telephone network and an interfacing link between the server and the IVR is a CTI link.

61. The method of claim 58 wherein in step (b), a data form acceptable to the IVR is telephone touch-tone signaling.

62. The method of claim 58 wherein in step (b), a data form acceptable to the IVR is voice recognition.

63. The method of claim 62 wherein in step (b), a voice recognition function of the IVR responds to computer-simulated voice.

64. The method of claim 58 wherein in step (c), the established data connection is a telephony connection.

65. The method of claim 58 wherein in step (c), the established connection is a data connection.

66. The method of claim 59 wherein in step (e), the data form acceptable to the client comprises one of a WAV file, an MPEG file, or an H.323 protocol audio stream.