Enhanced visual IVR capabilities

• US 20070135101A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Comverse Limited (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Comverse Limited (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Henn, Nir, Ramati, Nadav
• Application Number:
  US11/296,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135101A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/251 where a voice mode or a visual mode can be used interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/254 where the visual mode comprises menus
• 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

Abstract

A multi-modal user interface method and system enabling a user of a cellular telephone being connected to a cellular network via both a voice connection and a data connection to receive a menu in both an audible manner and a visual manner, during the course of the call and substantially simultaneously.

Claims

1. A cellular telephony user interface method for enabling a user of a cellular telephone connecting to a cellular network via both a voice connection and a data connection to make a selection from a menu of options, the method comprising:

during the course of a call involving said voice connection, transmitting the menu of options as data via the data connection;

during the course of said call, converting, at the cellular telephone, the menu data into a graphical format; and

displaying said graphical format on a display of said cellular telephone.

2. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 1, wherein said graphical format comprises a text menu.

3. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 1, wherein said graphical format comprises at least one icon.

4. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 1, wherein said menu is transmitted via said data connection using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

5. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 1, wherein the selection is performed within a service provided via said cellular telephone, and said method further comprising:

providing said menu to said user in an audible manner via said voice connection simultaneously with said graphic display; and

accepting the selection for one of said graphical manner and said audible manner.

6. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 5, wherein each of said user selectable options is provided simultaneously in said audible manner and in said graphical manner.

7. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 5, wherein said audible manner comprises a voice menu played via an earphone of said cellular telephone.

8. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 5, wherein said graphical display comprises a text menu displayed on a display of said cellular telephone.

9. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 5, wherein said graphical display comprises a graphical menu displayed on a display of cellular telephone.

10. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 9, wherein said graphical menu comprises at least one icon.

11. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 5, wherein said menu is provided in a visually sensible manner and is transmitted to said cellular telephone via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

12. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 5, wherein said networked-based service is at least one of the:

a voice mail service;

an interactive voice response service;

an audiotex service; and

a multimedia service.

13. A cellular telephony user interface method for enabling a user to make a selection from a menu comprising a plurality of user selectable options, said method comprising:

providing the menu to said user as a streaming media;

providing the menu to said user as a non-streaming media simultaneously with said streaming media;

accepting the selection by said user of at least one of said options in response to at least one of said streaming and non-streaming media.

14. A cellular telephony user interface system operative to enable a user of a cellular telephone to make a selection from a menu comprising a plurality of user selectable options, said system comprising:

an application-processing unit operative to provide said menu to a user and to process said selection from said user;

a signaling unit associated with said application-processing unit, operative to transmit a content of said menu to said cellular telephone; and

a user client for said cellular telephone, operative to process said transmitted menu and to produce a visually sensible menu on a display of said cellular telephone;

and wherein said signaling unit is operative to transmit said menu to said user client at said cellular telephone via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

15. A cellular telephony user interface system operative to enable a user of a cellular telephone to make a selection from a menu comprising a plurality of user selectable options, said system comprising:

an application-processing unit operative to provide said menu and to process said selection when received from said user;

a voice-streaming unit operative to receive said menu from said application-processing unit and to transmit at least one voice prompt associated with said menu to said user via said cellular telephone;

a signaling unit operative to receive said menu from said application-processing device and to transmit said menu to said cellular telephone via a data link and to receive said selection from said cellular telephone for passing back said selection to said application-processing device; and

a user client for provision to said cellular telephone, operative to receive said menu via said data link and to produce a visually sensible menu on a display of said cellular telephone and to receive said user'"'"'s selection and send said selection back to said signaling unit.

16. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of said voice streaming unit and said signaling unit receive said menu from said application-processing unit using VoiceXML.

17. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of said voice streaming unit and said signaling unit receive said menu from said application-processing unit using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

18. A cellular telephony user interface method according to claim 15, wherein said cellular telephone receives said menu via said data link using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

19. A cellular telephony user interface system according to claim 15, wherein said visually sensible manner is transmitted to said cellular telephone via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

20. A cellular telephone comprising a user client, said user client comprising:

a data input module for receiving data from a data link during the course of a voice call,

a menu extraction module associated with said data input module for extracting menu data from said data link,

a menu display module associated with said menu extraction module and with a screen of said cellular telephone, for displaying extracted menu data graphically on said screen during said course of said voice call, and

a menu response module for identifying user input as a selection from said menu and outputting said response.

21. A cellular telephone according to claim 20, wherein said data input module receives said menu via said data link using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).