Telephone customer service through transmission of interactive menu

• US 20060093100A1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carlson, Michael Pierre, Rodriguez, Herman, Lisle, Linda Arnold
• Application Number:
  US10/981,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20060093100A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/251 where a voice mode or a visual mode can be used interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/254 where the visual mode comprises menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

Transmission of interactive menus that include a user'"'"'s requesting, by a call to a call service, a service of the call service, the call service including services, a voice response system, and one or more interactive menus; receiving in a telecommunication device from the call service an interactive menu, including suspending the requested service at a processing point; the user'"'"'s providing interactive menu response information according to the interactive menu; and the user'"'"'s resuming the requested service with the interactive menu response information from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of interactive menus, the method comprising:

a user'"'"'s requesting, by a call to a call service, a service of the call service, the call service comprising services, a voice response system, and one or more interactive menus;

receiving in a telecommunication device from the call service an interactive menu, including suspending the requested service at a processing point;

the user'"'"'s providing interactive menu response information according to the interactive menu; and

the user'"'"'s resuming the requested service with the interactive menu response information from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the interactive menu comprises a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the interactive menu further comprises terminating the call.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s providing interactive menu response information through the telecommunication device according to the interactive menu further comprises the user'"'"'s providing interactive menu response information through the telecommunication device according to the interactive menu asynchronously with respect to the call to the call service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s resuming the requested service further comprises the user'"'"'s transmitting to the call service an interactive menu response message including the interactive menu response information.

6. A method for transmission of interactive menus, the method comprising:

receiving in a call service, by a call from a user, a request for a requested service of the call service, the call service comprising services, a voice response system, services, and one or more interactive menus;

transmitting from the call service to a telecommunication device an interactive menu, including suspending the requested service at a processing point;

receiving an interactive menu response message containing interactive menu response information specified according to the interactive menu; and

resuming the requested service from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended with the interactive menu response information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein suspending the requested service further comprises storing by the call service the state of the requested service, including storing a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the interactive menu comprises a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein transmitting the interactive menu further comprises terminating the call.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving an interactive menu response message further comprises receiving an interactive menu response message asynchronously with respect to the call to the call service.

11. A system for transmission of interactive menus, the system comprising:

means for requesting, by a call to a call service, a service of the call service, the call service comprising services, a voice response system, and one or more interactive menus;

means for receiving in a telecommunication device from the call service an interactive menu, including means for suspending the requested service at a processing point;

means for providing interactive menu response information according to the interactive menu; and

means for resuming the requested service with the interactive menu response information from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the interactive menu comprises a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein means for receiving the interactive menu further comprises means for terminating the call.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein means for providing interactive menu response information through the telecommunication device according to the interactive menu further comprises means for providing interactive menu response information through the telecommunication device according to the interactive menu asynchronously with respect to the call to the call service.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein means for resuming the requested service further comprises means for transmitting to the call service an interactive menu response message including the interactive menu response information.

16. A system for transmission of interactive menus, the system comprising:

means for receiving in a call service, by a call from a user, a request for a requested service of the call service, the call service comprising services, a voice response system, services, and one or more interactive menus;

means for transmitting from the call service to a telecommunication device an interactive menu, including means for suspending the requested service at a processing point;

means for receiving an interactive menu response message containing interactive menu response information specified according to the interactive menu; and

means for resuming the requested service from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended with the interactive menu response information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein means for suspending the requested service further comprises means for storing by the call service the state of the requested service, including means for storing a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the interactive menu comprises a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein means for transmitting the interactive menu further comprises means for terminating the call.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein means for receiving an interactive menu response message further comprises means for receiving an interactive menu response message asynchronously with respect to the call to the call service.

21. A computer program product for transmission of interactive menus, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium,

means, recorded on the recording medium, for requesting, by a call to a call service, a service of the call service, the call service comprising services, a voice response computer program product, and one or more interactive menus;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving in a telecommunication device from the call service an interactive menu, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for suspending the requested service at a processing point;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing interactive menu response information according to the interactive menu; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for resuming the requested service with the interactive menu response information from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the interactive menu comprises a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving the interactive menu further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for terminating the call.

24. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing interactive menu response information through the telecommunication device according to the interactive menu further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing interactive menu response information through the telecommunication device according to the interactive menu asynchronously with respect to the call to the call service.

25. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for resuming the requested service further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for transmitting to the call service an interactive menu response message including the interactive menu response information.

26. A computer program product for transmission of interactive menus, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving in a call service, by a call from a user, a request for a requested service of the call service, the call service comprising services, a voice response computer program product, services, and one or more interactive menus;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for transmitting from the call service to a telecommunication device an interactive menu, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for suspending the requested service at a processing point;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving an interactive menu response message containing interactive menu response information specified according to the interactive menu; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for resuming the requested service from the processing point at which the requested service was suspended with the interactive menu response information.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for suspending the requested service further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for storing by the call service the state of the requested service, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for storing a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the interactive menu comprises a service identifier that identifies the requested service and a processing point identifier that identifies the processing point where the requested service is suspended.

29. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for transmitting the interactive menu further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for terminating the call.

30. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving an interactive menu response message further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving an interactive menu response message asynchronously with respect to the call to the call service.