Voice-directed telephone directory with voice access to directory assistance

• US 5,835,570 A
• Filed: 06/26/1996
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wattenbarger, Blake L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/670,888
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/213, 379/216, 704/270, 704/246, 704/251
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

A voice-directed telephone dialing method and system is provided for automatically accessing a directory assistance service for obtaining a telephone number for a spoken voice label that is not contained within a subscriber'"'"'s personal telephone list. Upon retrieval of the desired telephone number, the subscriber is prompted for adding the new number to the personal list.

Claims

1. A method of dialing a telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a call at a voice dialing system;

recording a voice label spoken by a caller, the voice label having an associated telephone number;

accessing a database at the voice dialing system for retrieving a telephone number associated with the voice label;

placing a telephone call to a directory service database when the database at the voice dialing system does not contain the telephone number associated with the voice label, the directory service database being different from the database at the voice dialing system;

retrieving the telephone number associated with the voice label from the directory service database; and

dialing the retrieved telephone number.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating speech signals prompting the caller for authorization for storing the telephone number retrieved from the directory service database and the associated voice label spoken by the caller in the database at the voice dialing system; and

storing the telephone number retrieved from the directory service database and the voice label spoken by the caller in the database at the voice dialing system when the caller authorizes storing the retrieved telephone number and the associated voice label spoken by the caller.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of generating speech signals prompting the caller for the voice label spoken by the caller.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of dialing the retrieved telephone number includes the steps of:

generating speech signals prompting the caller for authorization for dialing the retrieved telephone number; and

dialing the retrieved telephone number when the caller authorizes dialing the retrieved telephone number.

5. A voice-directed telephone dialing system comprising:

a directory service database storing a plurality of telephone listings, each telephone listing including a party name label and a telephone number associated with the party name label;

a memory storing a plurality of selected telephone listings, each selected voice label being a spoken party name label and being associated with a telephone number, the memory being separate from the directory service database;

a speech recording device recording a voice label spoken by a caller, the voice label corresponding to a party name label; and

a controller responsive to the speech recording device by retrieving the telephone number associated with the spoken voice label from the memory when the spoken voice label is one of the selected voice labels stored in the memory, and by placing a telephone call to the directory service database when the telephone number associated with the spoken voice label is not stored in the memory and retrieving the telephone number associated with the party name label corresponding to the spoken voice label from the directory service database.

6. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 5, wherein the controller dials the retrieved telephone number.

7. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 6, wherein the controller stores the telephone number retrieved from the directory service database and the associated party name label corresponding to the spoken voice label in the memory.

8. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 6, further comprising a speech generator device responsive to the controller when the telephone number associated with the party name label corresponding to the spoken voice label is retrieved from the directory service database by generating speech signals prompting the caller for authorization for storing the telephone number retrieved from the directory service database and the associated party name label corresponding to the spoken voice label in the memory.

9. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 8, wherein the directory service database and the memory are coupled through a telecommunications network.

10. A voice-directed telephone dialing system comprising:

a directory service database platform storing a plurality of telephone listings, each telephone listing including a party name label associated with a telephone number; and

a voice-directed dialing platform including,

a speech generator device generating speech signals,

a memory storing a plurality of selected voice labels and telephone numbers, each selected voice label being a spoken part name label and being associated with a telephone number,

a controller responsive to a telephone call by controlling the speech generator device to generate speech signals requesting a spoken voice label, and

a speech recording device recording the spoken voice label,

the controller being responsive to the speech recording device by retrieving the telephone number associated with the spoken voice label from the memory when the spoken voice label is one of the selected voice labels stored in the memory, and by placing a telephone call to the directory service database platform when the spoken voice label is not one of the selected voice labels stored in the memory,

the directory service database platform being responsive to the telephone call from the controller and providing the telephone number for the spoken voice label.

11. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 10, wherein the controller dials the retrieved telephone number.

12. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 11, wherein the controller stores the retrieved telephone number and the associated party name label corresponding to the spoken voice label in the memory.

13. The voice-directed telephone dialing system according to claim 11, wherein the speech generator device is responsive to the controller when the telephone number associated with the spoken voice label is retrieved from the directory service database platform by generating speech signals prompting the caller for authorization for storing the retrieved telephone number and the associated party name label corresponding to the spoken voice label in the memory.