Markup language to allow for billing of interactive services and methods thereof

• US 6,470,317 B1
• Filed: 08/23/2000
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ladd, David, Johnson, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US09/644,618
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/260, 704/275, 704/770.1, 379/88.13, 379/88.01, 379/88.22, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

The present invention relates to a markup language document stored on a computer-readable medium to provide interactive services and methods thereof. The markup language comprises a dialog element and a step element. The dialog element includes markup language elements in which each markup language element is identifiable by one or more markup tags. The step element is contained within the dialog element and defines a state within the dialog element. The step element includes a prompt element, an input element, and a first attribute. The prompt element includes an announcement to be read to the user, and the input element includes at least one input that corresponds to a user input. The first attribute allows for billing of the interactive services.

Claims

1. A markup language document stored on a computer-readable medium to provide interactive services comprising:

a dialog element including a plurality of markup language elements, each of the plurality of markup language elements being identifiable by at least one markup tag;

a step element contained within the dialog element to define a state within the dialog element, the step element including a prompt element, an input element, and a first attribute;

the prompt element including an announcement to be read to the user;

the input element including at least one input that corresponds to a user input; and

the first attribute to allow for billing of the interactive services.

2. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the first attribute comprises an number of credits to be charged.

3. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein announcement comprises one of voice over internet protocol data and textual data.

4. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a help element to identify a help request from the user.

5. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a cancel element to identify a cancel request from a user.

6. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains an error element to identify an error.

7. The markup language file of claim 1, wherein the markup language document contains a begin tag and an end tag for the dialog element.

8. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the step element further contains one of a name attribute, a bargein attribute, a parent attribute, and a cost attribute.

9. The markup language document of claim 8, wherein the bargein attribute interrupts the step element in response to a selected user input.

10. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the input element includes an input attribute.

11. The markup language document of claim 10, wherein the input attribute includes one of a date input, a digits input, a form input, a grammar input, a hidden input, a money input, a none input, a number input, an optionlist input, a phone input, a profile input, a record input, a time input, and a yorn input.

12. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the grammar input includes a grammar corresponding to a user input.

13. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the grammar input includes an electronic address to provide an indication of the location of a grammar.

14. The markup language document of claim 13, wherein the electronic address includes one of a URL and an address of a second step element.

15. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the grammar input includes a nextmethod attribute having a memory address of a grammar.

16. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the grammar input includes a selected period of time for the user to enter audio input.

17. The markup language document of claim 16, wherein the audio data is contained in a voice over internet protocol.

18. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the input element further contains a hidden input including a variable to store information.

19. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein each of the date input, the digit input, the money input, the number input, the phone input, and the time input includes a predetermined grammar.

20. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the yorn element defines one of an affirmative response and a negative response.

21. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the optionlist input includes at least one option corresponding to user input.

22. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the form input is used to send information to an information source.

23. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the record input is used to record an audio input from a user for a selected length of time.

24. The markup language document of claim 11, wherein the profile input is used to store user data.

25. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains ad option element including at least one option corresponding to a numerical value.

26. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains an ack element including a user acknowledgment.

27. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains an audio element including audio data to be played to the user.

28. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a break element to provide a silent period.

29. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a case element including data to correspond to at least one user input.

30. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a class element including a plurality of elements to be reused with a dialog element.

31. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains an emp element to allow at least a portion of a word to be emphasized during playback.

32. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains an options element including at least one option for a user to select.

33. The markup language document of claim 32, wherein the options element includes at least one element to be reused in the dialog step.

34. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog further contains an OR element including alternative options corresponding to the phonetic representation of the user input.

35. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a pros element to define one of a rate of speech, the pitch of speech the range of speech, and the volume of speech to be read to the user.

36. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a response element including a next step element to execute.

37. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a response element including a next step element to execute.

38. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the dialog element further contains a value element including a variable to store information to be played back to the user.

39. The markup language document of claim 1, wherein the step element includes a cost attribute used to track content usage for billing purposes.

40. A method of creating a voice application program for interactive voice services, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a markup language document having a plurality of elements;

selecting a prompt element;

defining a voice communication in the prompt element to be read to the user;

selecting an input element; and

selecting a cost attribute to allow the user to be charged for the interactive services.

41. A program stored on a computer-readable medium to provide interactive services comprising:

a prompt element including a voice communication to be read to a user;

an input element including at least one option corresponding to a user input to define an input element; and

a cost attribute to allow the user to be charged for the interactive services.

42. A markup language document stored on a computer-readable medium to provide interactive voice services comprising:

a dialog element being identified by at least one markup tag; and

a cost attribute to allow the user to be charged for the interactive services.