Voice integration platform

• US 20050261907A1
• Filed: 07/27/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ben Franklin Patent Holding LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ben Franklin Patent Holding LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Achenbach, Michael W., Haleftiras, Pericles, Markman, Steven, Kluthe, Gregory S., Kaiser, Lizanne, Smolenski, Andrew G., Layton, Jon Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/189,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261907A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications

Abstract

A voice integration platform and method provide for integration of a voice interface with a data system that includes stored data. The voice integration platform comprises one or more generic software components, the generic software components being configured to enable development of a specific voice user interface that is designed to interact with the data system in order to present the stored data to a user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data system; and

a voice user interface adapted to permit a user to conduct commercial transactions via the data system;

wherein the voice user interface comprises an inferencing engine adapted to analyze data relating to previous commercial transactions made by a user, to identify products and/or services of interest to the user based on the analysis, and to provide voice content to the user that relates to the identified products and/or services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the inferencing engine is further adapted to generate a list of recommended products and/or services for a particular user and to provide the list to the user in a voice format.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data relating to previous commercial transactions made by a user is stored in the data system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data system comprises a Web application server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data system comprises a system that supports a customer call center application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data system comprises an automated banking system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice user interface is implemented in part on a device that is local with respect to a user and in part on a system that is remote with respect to the user.

8. A voice integration platform for developing a voice user interface to a data system, the voice integration platform comprising:

a voice gateway adapted to permit voice interaction with a user;

one or more voice applications that allow a user to conduct commercial transactions via the data system; and

an inferencing engine adapted to analyze data stored in the data system relating to previous commercial transactions made by a user, to identify products and/or services of interest to the user based on the analysis, and to provide voice content to the user that relates to the identified products and/or services.

9. The voice integration platform of claim 8, wherein the inferencing engine is further adapted to generate a list of recommended products and/or services for a particular user and to provide the list to the user in a voice format.

10. A system comprising:

a data system;

content management software adapted to receive a stream of audio content and to selectively store portions of the audio content stream in the data system; and

a voice user interface adapted to permit a user to selectively access one of the portions of the audio content stream stored in the data system for playback.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising news and/or sports information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising one or more voicemail messages.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising weather information.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising stock quotes.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising one or more e-mail messages that have been converted to speech.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the content management software is adapted to selectively store portions of the audio content stream in the data system in one of a plurality of domains, wherein each of the plurality of domains is associated with a corresponding audio content type.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the voice user interface is adapted to permit a user to selectively access one of the portions of the audio content stream by navigating the plurality of domains.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the voice user interface is implemented in part on a device that is local with respect to a user and in part on a system that is remote with respect to the user.

19. A voice integration platform for developing a voice user interface to a data system, the voice integration platform comprising:

a voice gateway adapted to permit voice interaction with a user;

content management software adapted to receive a stream of audio content and to selectively store portions of the audio content stream in the data system; and

one or more voice applications adapted to allow a user to selectively access, via the voice gateway, one of the portions of the audio content stream stored in the data system for playback.

20. The voice integration platform of claim 19, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising news and/or sports information.

21. The voice integration platform of claim 19, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising one or more voicemail messages.

22. The voice integration platform of claim 19, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising weather information.

23. The voice integration platform of claim 19, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising stock quotes.

24. The voice integration platform of claim 19, wherein the content management software is adapted to receive a stream of audio content comprising one or more e-mail messages that have been converted to speech.

25. The voice integration platform of claim 19, wherein the content management software is adapted to selectively store portions of the audio content stream in the data system in one of a plurality of domains, wherein each of the plurality of domains is associated with a corresponding audio content type.

26. The voice integration platform of claim 25, wherein the one or more voice applications are adapted to allow a user to selectively access one of the portions of the audio content stream by navigating the plurality of domains.