Method of and means for accessing computerized data bases utilizing a touch-tone telephone instrument

• US 4,817,129 A
• Filed: 03/05/1987
• Issued: 03/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telac Corporation
• Original Assignee: Telac Corporation
• Inventors: Riskin, Bernard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/022,307
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88, 379/89, 379/97
• US Class Current: 379/88.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A conventional "Touch-Tone" telephone instrument is rendered functional in the same manner and to the same extent as a computer terminal having alpha-numeric capability, as regards transmission of queries directed to computerized data bases. It is also rendered functional as a recipient of information transmitted from the data base though a telephone network to provide intelligence heretofore made available only on the video screen of the computer terminal, or through automatic printers. Disclosed is the substitution of the instrument for a computer terminal and its associated video screen or teleprinter, without requirement of modification of the instrument, so that a subscriber gains from the use of the telephone functions heretofore obtainable only by providing oneself with a computer terminal and its associated screen and/or automatic printer. The user spells out one or more words by depressing the conventional alpha-numerically marked keys of a "Touch-Tone" telephone instrument. A computer to which the telephone is connected by a telephone network decodes the numeric sequence represented by depressing keys needed to spell out the selected word or words. The computer then provides an oral response transmitted through the telephone receiver to the caller, as audible intelligence. The disclosed system interacts with the user field by field and within each field, letter by letter, enabling the user to enter only the minimum number of digits required to identify accurately a target data base entry.

Claims

1. The method of utilizing a telephone instrument having transmitter and receiver components, and further including a touch pad having individually depressable alpha-numeric keys each representing a single number and a plurality of letters of the alphabet, to obtain a desired piece of information in the form of a directory listing as a response to an inquiry for said directory listing generated at the sites of the instrument, that comprises the steps of:

(a) spelling out one or more words of the desired listing by a single depression, for each letter in a word, of only that key, and no others, that represents said letter;

(b) transmitting the alphabetically ordered inquiry, encoded as a numeric string containing individual numbers representing the respective individual letters, from the transmitter component of the instrument to a computer means, numeral by numeral;

(c) searching at the computer means, after each key depression, through a data base for a single complete piece of previously stored information in the form of a telephone directory listing, that will alone match the string of numbers entered up to that point to and including the last key depression of a key and notwithstanding the fact that said string may not yet be complete; and

(d) immediately upon finding a match between a single complete piece of previously stored directory listing information and a string of numbers that may as yet be incomplete, providing the caller, by means of synthesized voice response, with said piece of information without awaiting alphabetic keying of the complete inquiry by the caller, said data base being subdivided into fillettes each of which contains a select group of listings in numeric string form.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each filette begins with a numeric string dissimilar from a numeric string existing in any other filette.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each filette ends with a numeric string dissimilar from a numeric string existing in any other filette.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each numeric string of a filette includes at least one sequence of consecutively following numbers that correspond to letters provided on the keys of a telephone touch pad and when coded in alphabetic form will spell out at least one word.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of searching the data base initially includes searching for the one filette that will contain the numeric string keyed by the caller.

6. The method of claim 5 further including restricting the search to a single filette, during the numeral-by-numeral keying of the inquiry, as soon as even a partial numeric string has been received that can be found only in that filette.

7. The method of claim 1 that further includes the steps of informing a caller, by synthesized voice response, in the event that an encoded numeric string seemingly entered as a complete alphabetical inquiry by the caller, is identical both to a complete numeric string on file in one of said filettes and also to part of another string also on file;

and advising the caller by synthesized voice to either enter a distinguishing sign if the caller is satisfied that a complete inquiry has been entered or alternatively to continue entering data if the caller concludes that said inquiry is in fact incomplete.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a "#" key on the telephone touch pad is used as said distinguishing sign.