System and method for recording and playing audio descriptions

• US 6,606,374 B1
• Filed: 10/05/1999
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Concentrix CVG Customer Management Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Convergys Customer Management Group Incorporated (Convergys Corporation)
• Inventors: Wiseman, J. Christopher, Rokoff, Kenneth I., Price, Timothy M., Ramsay, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US09/412,325
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/88.11, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 379/88.25, 379/93.12, 379/93.17, 379/99.25, 379/101.01, 379/900, 379/907, 379/917, 705/1, 705/14, 705/16, 705/26, 705/27, 705/28, 715/501.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

A system for recording an audio description of an item that may be offered for sale over the Internet makes use of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. A user wishing to make an audio recording accesses the IVR system via a telephone or a computer, and interacts with the IVR system to record, edit and/or re-record the audio description of the item. The IVR system can then place the recorded audio description in one or more electronic data files on an Internet server. The data files can then be accessed, via the Internet, and played over user computers. The process of recording an audio description may also include a prompt for the user to input a predefined control number. Such a predefined control number could be assigned by an Internet content provider before the audio recording is created. The IVR system could then store the audio recording, on an Internet server, in a data file having a filename that reflects the control number. This would allow the content provider that originally assigned the control number to access the data file based its own the control number. In alternate embodiments, the IVR system may simply transfer the recorded audio descriptions, in the form of electronic data files, to an Internet based content provider. The content provider would then place the files on an Internet server so that users could access and play the audio recordings.

Claims

1. A system for recording an audio description of an item, comprising:

an interactive voice response system configured to interact with a user through the user'"'"'s computer and to record an audio description of an item provided by the user by speaking into a microphone connected to the user'"'"'s computer, wherein the interactive voice response system is also configured to request a user to input a predefined control number, to record and interpret a user'"'"'s response to said request, and to store the recorded audio description, in at least one electronic data file having a filename that incorporates the predefined control number; and

an electronic memory device for storing electronic data files created by the interactive voice response system, wherein the electronic memory device is configured to interact with a separate computer system and to provide the data files to the separate computer system upon demand.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system and the user'"'"'s computer communicate with one another over at least one of the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, and a telephone network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to present the user with options via at least one of audio prompts and a graphical interface that are played or displayed to the user over the user'"'"'s computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to respond to user commands that the user issues by speaking into a microphone connected to the user'"'"'s computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to respond to user commands that the user issues by pushing buttons on a keypad connected to the user'"'"'s computer, or that the user issues by using a pointing device connected to the user'"'"'s computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system includes a translator for translating audio recordings that are stored in a first electronic data file format into a second electronic data file format.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic memory device comprises a server configured to store files and to provide the files to other computers upon demand.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is an Internet server that is connected to the Internet, and wherein the server is configured to provide data files that contain audio descriptions to other computers upon demand.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to request a user to input a user identification number, and wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to record and interpret a user'"'"'s response to the request for a user identification number.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to check a user identification number supplied by a user against a list of valid user identification numbers, and wherein the interactive voice response system will only allow the user to record an audio description of an item if the user identification number supplied by the user matches a valid user identification number.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system is configured to store a recorded audio description in at least one electronic data file having a filename that reflects the predefined control number.

12. A method of recording an audio description of an item, comprising the steps of:

requesting a predefined control number from a user with an interactive voice response system via the user'"'"'s computer;

prompting the user to provide an audio description of an item with the interactive voice response system via the user'"'"'s computer;

recording an audio description provided by the user by speaking into a microphone connected to the user'"'"'s computer; and

storing the recorded audio description, in at least one electronic data file having a filename that incorporates the predefined control number, on a server that is configured to provide electronic data files to other computer systems upon demand.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the prompting step comprises at least one of playing audio prompts and displaying a graphical interface to the user via the user'"'"'s computer.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of interpreting commands issued by the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the interpreting step comprises interpreting verbal commands that the user speaks into a microphone connected to the user'"'"'s computer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the interpreting step comprises interpreting commands that the user issues by pressing keys of a keypad connected to the user'"'"'s computer, or that the user issues by using a pointing device connected to the user'"'"'s computer.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the storing step comprises storing the recorded audio description in at least one electronic data file having a filename that is indicative of the control number provided by the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the storing step comprises storing the recorded audio description on an Internet server that is configured to provide the at least one electronic data file to other computers connected to the Internet.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the storing step comprises storing the recorded audio description in at least one electronic data file having a first file format, and further comprising a step of translating the at least one electronic data file into a second file format.

20. A system for recording an audio description of an item, comprising:

an interactive voice response system configured to interact with a user through the user'"'"'s computer and to record an audio description of an item provided by the user by speaking into a microphone connected to the user'"'"'s computer, wherein the interactive voice response system is also configured to receive a predefined control number from an external source, and to store the recorded audio description in at least one electronic data file having a filename that incorporates the predefined control number; and

an electronic memory device for storing electronic data files created by the interactive voice response system, wherein the electronic memory device is configured to interact with a separate computer system and to provide the data files to the separate computer system upon demand.

21. A method of recording an audio description of an item, comprising the steps of:

receiving a predefined control number from an external source by an interactive voice response system;

prompting a user to provide an audio description of an item with the interactive voice response system via a user'"'"'s computer;

recording an audio description provided by the user by speaking into a microphone connected to the user'"'"'s computer; and

storing the recorded audio description, in at least one electronic data file having a filename that incorporates the predefined control number on a server that is configured to provide electronic data files to other computer systems upon demand.