Voice Response Systems Browsing

• US 20110103559A1
• Filed: 11/02/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Andrews, Peter J., Faisman, Alexander, Grabarnik, Genady, Shwartz, Larisa
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/254 where the visual mode comprises menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A method for voice browsing an integrated voice response server is described. The method includes visually displaying a representation of a choice tree for a service, where the service includes an audio menu of available actions. A selection of an action displayed in the representation is received. The method also includes automatically navigating the audio menu in order to initiate the selected action. Apparatus and computer readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

visually displaying a representation of a choice tree for a service, where the service comprises an audio menu of available actions;

receiving a selection of an action displayed in the representation; and

automatically navigating the audio menu in order to initiate the selected action.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the representation.

3. The method of claim 2, where receiving the representation comprises:

initiating contact with the service; and

navigating through the audio menu in order to identify a structure of the audio menu and all actions available via the audio menu.

4. The method of claim 3, where identifying the structure of the audio menu comprises:

receiving an audio message comprising an identification of available choices;

performing voice recognition on the audio message in order to identify the available choices; and

analyzing the available choices in order to determine the structure of the audio menu and the available actions.

5. The method of claim 3, where identifying the structure of the choice tree comprises receiving a message signal comprising an identification of the structure of the audio menu and the available actions.

6. The method of claim 1, where automatically navigating the choice tree comprises:

in response to receiving a prompt for a selection of a choice from the audio menu, generating, by a computer, a response; and

transmitting the response.

7. The method of claim 6, where the response is an audio message.

8. The method of claim 1, where automatically navigating the choice tree comprises, in response to the selected action being initiated, alerting a user.

9. The method of claim 1, where visually displaying the representation comprises visually displaying a representation on a screen associated with a telephony device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a display configured to visually display a representation of a choice tree for a service, where the service comprises an audio menu of available actions;

an input configured to receive a selection of an action displayed in the representation; and

a processor configured to automatically navigate the audio menu in order to initiate the selected action.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an interface configured to receive the representation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, where the interface is configured:

to initiate contact with the service; and

to navigate through the audio menu in order to identify a structure of the audio menu and all actions available via the audio menu.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, where the processor is configured:

to receive an audio message comprising an identification of available choices, via the interface;

to perform voice recognition on the audio message in order to identify the available choices; and

to analyze the available choices in order to determine the structure of the audio menu and the available actions.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, where the processor is configured, in response to determining the selected action being initiated, to alert a user.

15. A computer readable medium tangibly encoded with a computer program executable by a processor to perform actions comprising:

visually displaying a representation of a choice tree for a service, where the service comprises an audio menu of available actions;

receiving a selection of an action displayed in the representation; and

automatically navigating the audio menu in order to initiate the selected action.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, where the actions further comprise:

receiving the representation.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where receiving the representation comprises:

initiating contact with the service; and

navigating through the audio menu in order to identify a structure of the audio menu and all actions available via the audio menu.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, where identifying the structure of the audio menu comprises:

receiving an audio message comprising an identification of available choices;

performing voice recognition on the audio message in order to identify the available choices; and

analyzing the available choices in order to determine the structure of the audio menu and the available actions.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, where automatically navigating the choice tree comprises:

in response to receiving a prompt for a selection of a choice from the audio menu, generating, by a computer, a response; and

transmitting the response.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, where automatically navigating the choice tree comprises, in response to the selected action being initiated, alerting a user.