Voice processing system with configurable caller interfaces

• US 5,243,643 A
• Filed: 10/10/1991
• Issued: 09/07/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Voiceples Corporation
• Inventors: Sattar, Sohail, Polsky, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/774,202
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88, 379/89, 379/67, 379/201, 379/142, 379/97
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A voice mail processing system is provided which comprises a digital computer common-platform operable to communicate through telecommunication lines with an outside environment. Communications between callers and the voice mail processing system are performed through specific caller interfaces that are configurable so as to allow different caller interfaces to each caller to the voice mail processing system. Subscriber profile records that contain caller interface configuration information for each caller can be edited to store desired caller interface configuration information for any caller. Information in any subscriber'"'"'s profile record is accessed by reference to a caller identification number associated with each caller, generated either by the system or by caller input.

Claims

1. A voice processing system for providing a plurality of voice transactions including voice messaging, call processing, and interactive voice response through telecommunications lines for a plurality of callers comprising:

a plurality of caller interfaces for communicating between said callers and said voice processing system, said caller interfaces for allowing said callers to perform said voice transactions, each of said caller interfaces comprising an arrangement of vectors, objects, and events which define attributes and branch sequences of each caller interface;

configuration means for configuring said interfaces with respective arrangements of vectors, objects and events such that said callers perform said voice transactions through said interface as configured;

storage means for storing configurations of caller interfaces; and

retrieval and communications means for retrieving said configurations from said storage means and communicating with callers through said caller interfaces configured according to said configurations.

2. The voice processing system of claim 1 and further comprising:

said configuration means being operable to separately configure each of said caller interfaces; and

said storage means being operable to separately store each of said configurations of caller interfaces.

3. The voice processing system of claim 1 wherein said configuration means is further operable to insert new configurations while the voice processing system is on-line.

4. The voice processing system of claim 1 and further comprising:

means for receiving caller identification numbers; and

means for accessing said configurations of caller interfaces from storage by reference to said caller identification numbers.

13. The voice processing system of claim 1, wherein:

said configuration means is further operable to configure a plurality of selectable interface configurations;

said storage means is further operable to store said selectable interface configurations; and

further comprising selection means for allowing each caller to select a particular interface configuration from among said selectable interface configurations.

15. The voice processing system of claim 1 wherein said configuration means includes a formatted, screen interactive development program that uses a graphical interface providing visual manipulation of the vectors, objects, and events of the caller interface configurations.

5. A method of providing a plurality of voice transactions including voice messaging, call processing, and interactive voice response through telecommunications lines for a plurality of callers to a voice processing system comprising the steps of:

communicating between said callers and said voice processing system through a plurality of caller interfaces, the caller interfaces for allowing the callers to perform the voice transactions, each of the caller interfaces comprising an arrangement of vectors, objects, and events which define attributes and branch sequences of each caller interface;

configuring said interfaces with respective arrangements of vectors, objects and events such that the callers perform the voice transactions through the interfaces as configured;

storing configurations of caller interfaces; and

retrieving said configurations and communicating with callers through said caller interfaces configured according to said configurations.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the steps of:

separately configuring each of said caller interfaces; and

separately storing each of said configurations of caller interfaces.

7. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the step of inserting new configurations while the voice processing system is on-line.

8. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the steps of:

receiving caller identification numbers input by callers or received from serving switches or telephone networks; and

accessing said configurations of caller interfaces from storage by reference to said caller identification numbers.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein:

said step of configuring comprises configuring a plurality of selectable interface configurations; and

said step of storing comprises storing the selectable interface configurations;

such that each caller can select a particular interface configuration from among the selectable interface configurations.

9. A voice processing system for a plurality of callers, comprising:

a plurality of telecommunications lines for establishing connections between the voice processing system and the plurality of callers;

a digital computer operable to communicate through the telecommunications lines to the plurality of callers;

a plurality of caller interface configurations accessible by the digital computer, each caller interface configuration comprising an arrangement of vectors, objects and events which define the attributes and branch sequences of each caller interface;

selection means for allowing a caller to select a particular caller interface configuration;

configuration means operable to configure the vectors, objects, and events, and further operable to configure vectors, objects, and events while the voice processing system is on-line;

storage means for storing the caller interface configurations; and

retrieval means for retrieving each caller interface configuration by referencing a subscriber profile record accessed by the digital computer and referenced by a caller identification number.

10. The voice processing system of claim 9 wherein the configuration means includes a formatted, screen interactive development program that uses a graphical interface providing visual manipulation of the vectors, objects, and events of the caller interface configurations.

11. A method of voice processing for a plurality of callers comprising the steps of:

establishing telecommunications connections between the voice processing system and the plurality of callers;

selection by each caller of a particular caller interface configuration from a plurality of caller interface configurations wherein each of the caller interface configurations comprises an arrangement of vectors, objects, and events which define the attributes and branch sequences of each caller interface configuration;

arranging the vectors, objects, and events of each caller interface configuration;

storing each caller interface configuration; and

retrieving each caller interface configuration by referencing a subscriber profile record accessed by the digital computer and referenced by a caller identification number.

12. The method of claim 11 whereby the step of arranging includes using a formatted, screen interactive development program that uses a graphical interface providing visual manipulation of the vectors, objects, and events of each caller interface configuration.