System and method for voice service bureau

• US 6,263,051 B1
• Filed: 12/07/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Mosle, Wolf, Santa Ana, Alberto, Tsai, Sean S., Saylor, Michael J., Zirngibl, Michael, Patnaik, Anurag, Eberle, Hannes
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/454,604
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.03, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 379/100.14, 379/201, 379/216, 379/355, 379/265, 379/266
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/105 Financial transactions and auctions, e.g. bidding auctioneering devices in packet switching networks H04L12/1804
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1066 Game playing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 : via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 : Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 : Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 : Advertisement messages
• 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 3/4938 : comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 : in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 : Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 : Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 : Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 : Message broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A centralized voice service bureau is provided. The voice service bureau accepts and authenticates requests to place automated telephone calls, for example, interactive voice broadcasts. The requests are sent through the Internet or other computer network and contain structure and content sufficient to drive a text-to-speech engine. The call requests are queued and processed by a call server that establishes a connection with a user and generates speech from the content of the call request.

Claims

1. A system for enabling remote telephone communications comprising:

a network communication server for receiving call requests, a call request comprising one or more personalized markup language documents; and

,

at least one call server operative to establish a voice enabled communication using the call requests;

wherein the call server comprises;

a parser operative to extract text from a markup language document; and

,

a text-to-speech engine for converting the extracted text into speech.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the network communication server comprises a web server operative to receive call requests via the Internet.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a call database operative to store call requests; and

,

a database server operative to store incoming call requests and access stored call requests.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the network communication server comprises a dual-homed server.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the dual-homed server authenticates incoming call requests.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising an auxiliary system, the auxiliary system comprising:

a auxiliary network communication server for receiving call requests when the network communication server is unavailable; and

,

at least one call server operative to establish a voice enabled communication using the call requests.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein a call request comprises one or more style properties, the call server using the style properties to control the voice-enabled communication.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content from an on-line analytical processing system.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the voice enabled communication delivers personalized information to a predetermined individual.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the personalized information is delivered through a natural language communication.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise first content that delivers personalized information to an individual.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise second content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein at least a portion of the personalized information is delivered to the individual based on the input requested from the individual.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to complete one or more transaction.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to subscribe the individual to one or more voice services.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise static text and dynamic content.

16. A system for enabling remote telephone communications comprising:

a network communication server for receiving call requests, a call request comprising one or more personalized markup language documents; and

,

at least one call server operative to establish a voice enabled communication using the call requests;

wherein a call request comprises one or more style properties, the call server using the style properties to control the voice-enabled communication.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the network communication server comprises a web server operative to receive call requests via the Internet.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the call server comprises:

a parser operative to extract text from a markup language document; and

,

a text-to-speech engine for converting the extracted text into speech.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a call database operative to store call requests; and

,

a database server operative to store incoming call requests and access stored call requests.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the network communication server comprises a dual-homed server.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the dual-homed server authenticates incoming call requests.

22. The system of claim 16 further comprising an auxiliary system, the auxiliary system comprising:

a auxiliary network communication server for receiving call requests when the network communication server is unavailable; and

,

at least one call server operative to establish a voice enabled communication using the call requests.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content from an on-line analytical processing system.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the voice enabled communication delivers personalized information to a predetermined individual.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the personalized information is delivered through a natural language communication.

26. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise first content that delivers personalized information to an individual.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise second content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein at least a portion of the personalized information is delivered to the individual based on the input requested from the individual.

28. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to complete one or more transaction.

29. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to subscribe the individual to one or more voice services.

30. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise static text and dynamic content.

31. A method for enabling remote telephone communications comprising the steps of:

receiving call requests, a call request comprising one or more personalized markup language documents; and

,

establishing a voice enabled communication using the call requests;

herein the step of establishing a voice enabled communication comprises;

extracting text from a markup language document; and

,

converting the extracted text into speech.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the step of receiving call requests comprises receiving call requests via the Internet.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of storing incoming call requests.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of authenticating incoming call requests.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein a call request comprises one or more style properties that control the voice-enabled communication.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content from an on-line analytical processing system.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein the voice enabled communication delivers personalized information to a predetermined individual.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the personalized information is delivered through a natural language communication.

39. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise first content that delivers personalized information to an individual.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise second content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein at least a portion of the personalized information is delivered to the individual based on the input requested from the individual.

41. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to complete one or more transaction.

42. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to subscribe the individual to one or more voice services.

43. The method of claim 31 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise static text and dynamic content.

44. A method for enabling remote telephone communications comprising the steps of:

receiving call requests, a call request comprising one or more personalized markup language documents; and

,

establishing a voice enabled communication using the call requests;

wherein a call request comprises one or more style properties, the method further comprising the step of controlling the voice enabled communication using the style properties.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the step of receiving call requests comprises receiving call requests via the Internet.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein the step of establishing a voice enabled communication comprises:

extracting text from a markup language document; and

,

converting the extracted text into speech.

47. The method of claim 44 further comprising the step of storing incoming call requests.

48. The method of claim 44 further comprising the step of authenticating incoming call requests.

49. The method of claim 44 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content from an on-line analytical processing system.

50. The method of claim 44 wherein the voice enabled communication delivers personalized information to a predetermined individual.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the personalized information is delivered through a natural language communication.

52. The method of claim 44 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise first content that delivers personalized information to an individual.

53. The method of claim 44 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise second content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein at least a portion of the personalized information is delivered to the individual based on the input requested from the individual.

54. The method of claim 44 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to complete one or more transaction.

55. The method of claim 44 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise content that requests input from the individual;

and,

further wherein the input requested from the individual is used to subscribe the individual to one or more voice services.

56. The method of claim 44 wherein the one or more personalized markup language documents comprise static text and dynamic content.