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Interactive transit information system

DC
  • US 5,214,689 A
  • Filed: 01/27/1992
  • Issued: 05/25/1993
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of utilizing a telephonic voice response system for providing travel-related, spoken voice information over a telephone line to a telephone caller utilizing a keypad on a DTMF-type telephone, the method comprising:

  • (a) assigning a digital code specific to each station in a transportation system, the digital code having a predetermined, fixed number of characters, which code is representative of the spelling of at least a portion of the name of the station as spelled-out on a DTMF-type telephone keypad;

    (b) providing a database for storing said digital codes;

    (c) storing transportation schedule information in said database to form a schedule database;

    (d) storing a plurality of individual speech files in said database in modular form for generating voice messages from said database by sequentially accessing a plurality of individual speech files to create a spoken voice message capable of being transmitted over a telephone line and heard as spoken sounds by a telephone caller;

    (e) generating a first voice message prompt to said caller instructing said caller to enter, by depressing at least one button on the DTMF keypad corresponding to the correct spelling thereof, the name of a desired departure station;

    (f) generating a second voice message prompt to said caller instructing said caller to enter, by depressing at least one button on the DTMF keypad corresponding to the correct spelling thereof, the name of a desired arrival station;

    (g) generating a third voice message prompt to said caller instructing said caller to enter, by depressing at least one button on the DTMF keypad corresponding thereto, the desired time of at least one of departure and arrival;

    (h) searching said schedule database in response to the caller'"'"'s keypad entries in steps (e), (f) and (g) for locating the scheduled departure time of a transportation vehicle departing the desired departure station at a time closest to the desired time entered in step (g); and

    (i) generating a voice message to said caller identifying a scheduled departure time of a transportation vehicle from the desired departure station and a scheduled arrival time of the transportation vehicle at the desired arrival station.

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