METHOD AND SYSTEM OF PROVIDING PERSONAL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION

• US 20050175160A1
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Call Genie, Inc. (UpSnap, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Call Genie, Inc. (UpSnap, Inc.)
• Inventors: LUGG, CHRISTOPHER EDWARD, SIMPSON, TODD GARRETT
• Granted Patent: US 7,505,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.130
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A multi-modal system providing for a single point of contact that can allow users to manage their personal contact information and contact lists, and connect to other users and businesses in a personalized, efficient, location-sensitive and organized manner. By accessing the system using any type of telephony-based device, a user can manage all of their personal and business contacts as well as perform generalized searches in public databases, such as white page and/or yellow page listings, or more personalized searches through databases of their business or personal contacts. A user may also, during a generalized search, go to a personalized search, and vice-versa. The system may also provide users with the opportunity to select certain businesses from their contact lists and allow these businesses to provide them with personalized data, either on demand or based on user-controlled permissions or areas of interest through various technologies including presence technologies.

Claims

1. A system for managing personalized contact information using a telephony-based device, comprising:

a. a voice recognition engine for translating spoken language into data;

b. a text to speech system for translating data to speech;

c. a user identification system;

d. a personalized database of personal contacts for a user;

e a voice interface to the personalized database;

f. a database of public directory information; and

g. a voice interface to the database of public directory information, wherein a user manages personalized contact information by searching the personalized database of personal contacts and the database of public directory information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user transfers from a search in the personalized database of personal contacts to a search in the database of public directory information to locate contacts to add to the personalized database of personal contacts.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user returns to the search in the personalized database of personal contacts after the search in the database of public directory information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user transfers information from a search in the database of public directory information to the personalized database of personal contacts to add contacts to the personalized database of personal contacts.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user returns to the search in the database of public directory information after adding contacts to the personalized database of personal contacts.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the user transfers from a search in the personalized database to a search in the database of public directory information while maintaining at least some state information.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the user transfers from a search in the database of public directory information to a search in the personalized database while maintaining at least some state information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user assigns attributes or permissions to personal contacts stored in the personalized database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the personal contacts are given permission to send notifications to the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the notifications are selected from the group consisting of marketing material, availability of services, and both marketing information and availability of services.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the notifications are sent using presence technologies.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the user searches the database of public directory information to populate the personalized database.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein search results obtained from a search of the personalized database are ranked using weighting factors.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein search results obtained from a search of the personalized database and the database of public directory information are location-specific.

15. A multi-modal system for managing personalized information using a telephony-based device comprising:

(a) a personalized database including information on a plurality of businesses and personal contacts for a user;

(b) a system server through which each business and personal contact in the database is assigned to a category and for associating criteria to each business and personal contact; and

(c) a user interface to the system server for allowing the user to enter a search request to locate a business or personal contact within a selected category, the system server determining the appropriate information to be gathered from the user and generating a list of businesses or personal contacts based on the category selected by the user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the user enters a search request using voice-only commands.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the user interface is selected from a web-based interface, a WAP-based interface, a messaging interface and a multi-modal interface.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein businesses and personal contacts are given permission to send the user notifications.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the notifications are sent using presence technologies.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the notifications are selected from the group consisting of marketing material, service availability, and both marketing information and service availability.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the user connects to a business or personal contact selected from the personalized database directly through the multi-modal system.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the user connects to the business or personal contact through the multi-modal system via an enterprise database.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the user makes an appointment with the business or personal contact using the enterprise database.

24. A method for managing personalized contact information using a telephony-based device, comprising:

(a) providing a personalized database including information on a plurality of businesses and personal contacts through which each business and personal contact in the database is assigned to a category and for associating criteria to each category;

(b) accepting a search request from a user to locate a business or personal contact within a selected category; and

(c) operating the system server to obtain appropriate information from the user based on the criteria associated with the category of interest and searching the database to generate of list of businesses or personal contacts from the category selected by the user.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising determining a location of interest to the user and wherein the list of businesses or personal contacts is generated to highlight businesses or personal contacts proximal to the location of interest.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the criteria associated with a category includes the setting of permissions to determine whether a business or a personal contact can send notifications to the user.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the notifications are selected from the group consisting of marketing information, availability of services, and both marketing information and availability of services.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the notifications are sent to the user using presence technologies.

29. A method for managing personalized contact information using a telephony-based device, comprising:

(a) providing a voice recognition server to translate spoken language into data and a text-to-speech system to translate data to speech;

(b) providing a user identification system, through which a user authenticates prior to accessing personalized contact information;

(c) providing a personalized database of personal contacts and a voice interface, which an authenticated user uses to manage the personalized database; and

(d) providing a database of public directory information and a voice interface, which an authenticated user uses to search and obtain information from the database of public directory information to add to the personalized database.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the user transfers from a search in the personalized database of personal contacts to a search in the database of public directory information to locate contacts to add to the personalized database of personal contacts.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the user returns to the search in the personalized database of personal contacts after the search in the database of public directory information.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the user transfers information from a search in the database of public directory information to the personalized database of personal contacts to add contacts to the personalized database of personal contacts.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the user returns to the search in the database of public directory information after adding contacts to the personalized database of personalized contacts.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the user transfers from a search in the personalized database to a search in the database of public directory information while maintaining at least some state information.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the user transfers from a search in the database of public directory information to a search in the personalized database while maintaining at least some state information.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the user assigns attributes or permissions to personal contacts stored in the personalized database.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the personal contacts are given permission to send notifications to the user.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the notifications are sent using presence technologies.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the user searches the database of public directory information to populate the personalized database.