Automated toll-free telecommunications information service and apparatus

• US 6,404,877 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bolduc, Raymond L., Salimando, Steven Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US09/088,624
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 379/88.25, 379/88.26, 379/88.27, 379/88.28, 379/93.12, 379/230, 379/231, 379/269, 370/350, 370/351, 370/352, 370/354, 370/356
• US Class Current: 379/218.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42306 Number translation services, e.g. premium-rate, freephone or vanity number services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

An automated toll-free telecommunications information service may be provided responsive to a user sending an E-mail request via the Internet or by a caller dialing a toll-free telephone number and announcing a voice request wherein the caller request comprises categories of interests. A service node interprets the request and collects matches to the request from a database. A match to a request may comprise the identity of an entity corresponding to the match, a toll-free number for the match and a brief information sketch describing the entity. The matches are announced and played for the caller. The caller may barge in with a predetermined voice announcement such as “please dial” when they wish to select an item of the list. In response, the service node initiates the launch of a call to the selected entity.

Claims

1. A method for providing automated toll-free telecommunications information comprising the steps of:

receiving at a toll switch data representing a dialed number for a toll-free telecommunications information service,

translating the dialed number to routing information for a service node for providing the toll-free telecommunications information service,

routing the call to the service node for providing the toll-free telecommunications information service,

collecting a caller request for toll-free information wherein the caller request for toll-free information comprises a request for toll-free data associated with contacts in categories of interest,

collecting a number of data matches to the caller request wherein the data matches comprise the toll-free data,

generating an announcement corresponding to data representing the data matches, and

receiving a caller selection of at least one of the data matches.

2. A method for providing automated toll-free telecommunications information as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of

launching a call to a business entity corresponding to said user selection.

3. A method for providing automated toll-free telecommunications information as recited in claim 1 wherein said dialed number for said toll-free telecommunication information service is a toll-free number.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said dialed toll-free number 1-800-FIND-4-ME.

5. A method for providing automated toll-free telecommunications information as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of verifying the caller request with the caller.

6. A method for providing automated toll-free telecommunications information as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of collecting a caller request for toll-free information and the step of verifying the caller request comprise the steps of announcing the caller request to the caller responsive to receiving the caller request and requesting the caller to verify that the request is correct.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 comprising the step of iterating the process of collecting and verifying the caller request responsive to the caller indicating that the caller request is not correct.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of collecting data matches to the caller request comprises the step of querying a database for matches to the request.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said database comprises a plurality of databases.

10. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said database is queried via an Internet link.

11. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said step of collecting data matches further comprises the step of the database returning a match to said query via an Internet link.

12. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said step of collecting data matches comprises the step of receiving match data including the identity of a match, a toll-free telephone number representing the match, and business information describing the match.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said match is returned in the form of audio clip data.

14. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said match is returned in the form of binary data and said data is processed to form said voice synthesized announcement.

15. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of receiving a caller selection comprises the step of receiving a predetermined caller announcement.

16. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said announcement comprises a voice synthesized announcement.