INTERACTIVE VOICE ACCESS AND RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION

• US 20090286514A1
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TBM LLC
• Original Assignee: Audiopoint Incorporated
• Inventors: Lichorowic, Brian L., Zhang, Xia
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.200
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A system is responsive to voice commands and requests from a user to access and search distributed data resources. The system may include a speech recognition engine configured to receive a spoken command from the user. A processor is configured to identify a service requested by the user from the spoken command. A search engine is configured to associate the user with other services providing offerings available to the user. A speech synthesizer provides an output to the user that conveys the requested information. The processor may be configured to respond to a spoken selection made by the user to selectively provide the requested information and the offerings to the user. The speech synthesizer is responsive to the processor for converting the information retrieved from the selected service in a format that is audible to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing an audible notification to a user, comprising:

receiving configuration data from the user;

using the configuration data to define a rule set that specifies the audible notification to be sent to the user;

identifying from the rule set at least one service that provides selected information by the user and at least one other service that provides offerings associated with the rule set;

monitoring a network to sense a change in the selected information;

generating the audible notification that notifies the user about the change in the selected information; and

announcing the offerings to the user received from at least one other service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising responding to a verbal command from the user to provide the user with access to the service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein announcing the offerings further comprises providing the user with an option to listen to the offerings in their entirety.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein announcing the offerings further comprises providing a preview of the offerings to the user.

5. A method of interacting with a user using audible notifications, comprising:

receiving configuration data from the user to establish a rule set that handles the audible notifications to the user;

using the rule set to identify services that provide access to selected information by the user;

monitoring an information network to access the services identified by the rule set;

generating a trigger that senses a change in the selected information;

generating an audible notification to inform the user of the change in the selected information;

sending the audible notification with instructions defined by the rule set;

monitoring at least one other service connected to the information network that provides an offering to the user;

providing the user an option to listen to the offering further; and

retrieving a verbal response from the user to confirm live communication with the user.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving a verbal request from the user to retrieve the selected information in its entirety.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein monitoring at least one other service further comprises identifying at least one other service with content that is associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein retrieving the verbal response further comprises sending an audible request that prompts the user to respond.

9. A method of obtaining information from a user using audible interaction, comprising:

detecting a voice connection with the user;

prompting the user to enter configuration data with selected information to be retrieved from at least one service connected to a network;

monitoring the network to sense a change in the selected information;

searching the network to identify at least one other service that provides an offering to be previewed by the user;

converting the selected information retrieved from the network in a first format to a second format, the second format being audible to the user;

notifying the user with an audible notification of the change in the selected information;

providing a preview of the offering in the audible notification that is sent to the user; and

providing the user an option within the audible notification to choose to listen the change in the selected information and the offering in their entirety.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a verbal request from the user to transfer the voice connection with the user to another voice connection that accesses the service with the selected information.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a verbal request to retrieve details about the change in the selected information.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the rule set to provide delivery instructions with the audible notification.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein searching the network further comprises finding content that is relative to a geographic location of the user.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprises:

storing a user profile that identifies the user; and

associating the selected information with the user profile.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the selected information further comprises:

converting text to an audible format, the audible format being a spoken language specific to the user.

16. A system for interacting audibly with a user to provide the user access to information on a network, comprising:

a speech recognition engine configured to receive verbal commands from a user;

a search engine configured to identify a first service having information selected by the user and a second service with content associated with the user, the search engine further configured to retrieve the information and content in a first format as determined by a verbal selection made by the user;

a speech processor configured to translate the verbal commands into a rule set that determines audible notifications to be sent to the user, the speech processor being responsive to the verbal selection; and

a speech synthesizer coupled to the speech processor to determine an audible announcement defined by the rule set to send to the user notifying about a change in the information selected by the user and about an offering from the second service, the speech synthesizer being further configured to convert the information and the content in the first format to a second format.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a content management system configured to organize the information retrieved from the first service and the second service.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a storage medium configured to locally store the information according to a data structure.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a user profile engine configured to generate data about the user and store the data in the storage medium.

20. The system of claim 16, in which the second format is an audible format of a spoken language specific to the user.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising a media interface configured to interact with the network and provide an audible communication exchange with another user on the network.