Network and method for providing a user interface for a simultaneous ring telecommunications service with automatic speech recognition capability

• US 6,778,640 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Zeeman, Knoerle, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/635,166
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/106.09, 379/167.01, 379/207.02, 379/211.03, 379/114.29, 379/211.04, 379/221.09, 704/236
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber

Abstract

A network for providing a telecommunications service with automatic speech recognition to a telecommunications user, including a switch in communication with a telecommunications device for detecting a trigger specific to the telecommunications service in response to a communication from the telecommunications device, and an intelligent resource server in communication with the switch for receiving the communication from the telecommunications device via the switch, for playing an audible message for the telecommunications user in response to receiving the communication, the message prompting the telecommunications user to modify a status of a simultaneous ring service associated with the telecommunications user, and for automatically recognizing a predetermined keyword spoken by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

Claims

1. A network for providing a telecommunications service with automatic speech recognition to a telecommunications user, comprising:

a switch in communication with a telecommunications device associated with the telecommunications user for detecting a trigger specific to the telecommunications service in response to a communication from the telecommunications device and for sending a query message in response to detecting the trigger;

a service control point in communication with the switch for receiving the query message therefrom, for determining whether the telecommunications user is a subscriber of a simultaneous ring service based on the query message, and for returning a message to the switch, the message providing instructions to the switch for routing the communication based on the determination of whether the telecommunications user is a subscriber of the simultaneous ring service; and

an intelligent resource server in communication with the switch for receiving the communication from the telecommunications device via the switch when the signal control point determines that the telecommunications user is a subscriber of the simultaneous ring service, for playing an audible message for the telecommunications user in response to receiving the communication, the audible message prompting the telecommunications user to speak a predetermined keyword to modify a status of the simultaneous ring service associated with the telecommunications user, and for automatically recognizing the predetermined keyword spoken by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the switch includes a switch of a central office in communication with the telecommunications device via a subscriber line.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the switch includes a switch of a mobile switching center in communication with the telecommunications device via an air-interface communication scheme.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein the switch detects an originating trigger in response to a feature code entered by the telecommunications user from the telecommunications device.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the switch detects terminating trigger in response to an administration number entered by the telecommunications user from the telecommunications device.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein the intelligent resource server is further for sending a message to the service control point based on recognition of the predetermined keyword to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the intelligent resource server is further for sending a message to the service control point based on recognition of a predetermined DTMF character entered by the telecommunications user to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user.

24. The network of claim 1, wherein to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service includes one of to enable the simultaneous ring service and to disable the simultaneous ring service.

25. The network of claim 1, wherein to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service includes to enter at least one telephone number associated with the telecommunications user.

8. A network for providing a telecommunications service with automatic speech recognition to a telecommunications user, comprising:

a switch in communication with a telecommunications device associated with the telecommunications user for detecting a trigger specific to the telecommunications service in response to a communication from the telecommunications device and for sending a query message in response to detecting the trigger;

a service control point in communication with the switch for receiving the query message therefrom, for determining whether the telecommunications user is a subscriber of a simultaneous ring service based on the query message, and for returning a message to the switch, the message providing instructions to the switch for routing the communication based on the determination of whether the telecommunications user is a subscriber of the simultaneous ring service;

a call-processing module in communication with the switch for receiving the communication from the telecommunications device via the switch when the service control point determines that the telecommunications user is a subscriber of the simultaneous ring service;

an enunciation module in communication with the call processing module for playing an audible message for the telecommunications user in response to receiving the communication, the audible message prompting the telecommunications user to speak a predetermined keyword to modify a status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user; and

an automatic speech recognition module in communication with the switch for recognizing the predetermined keyword spoken by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

9. The network of claim 8, wherein the switch includes a switch of a central office in communication with the telecommunications device via a subscriber line.

10. The network of claim 8, wherein the switch includes a switch of a mobile switching center in communication with the telecommunications device via an air-interface communication scheme.

11. The network of claim 8, wherein the switch detects an originating trigger in response to a feature code entered by the telecommunications user from the telecommunications device.

12. The network of claim 8, wherein the switch detects terminating trigger in response to an administration number entered by the telecommunications user from the telecommunications device.

13. The network of claim 8, wherein the call processing module is further for sending a message to the service control point based on recognition of the predetermined keyword to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user.

14. The network of claim 8, further comprising a DTMF decoder module in communication with the switch for recognizing a predetermined DTMF character entered by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein the call processing module sends a message to the service control point based on recognition of the predetermined DTMF character by the DTMF decoder module to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user.

26. The network of claim 8, wherein to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service includes one of to enable the simultaneous ring service and to disable the simultaneous ring service.

27. The network of claim 8, wherein to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service includes to enter at least one telephone number associated with the telecommunications user.

16. A method for providing a telecommunications service with automatic speech recognition to a telecommunications user, comprising:

detecting a communication from the telecommunications user;

determining by an SCP whether the telecommunications user is a subscriber of a simultaneous ring service upon detecting the communication from the telecommunications user;

playing an audible message by an IRS to the telecommunications user when it is determined that the telecommunications user is a subscriber of the simultaneous ring service, the audible message prompting the telecommunications user to speak a predetermined keyword to modify a status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user; and

recognizing the predetermined keyword spoken by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising modifying the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user based on recognition of the predetermined keyword.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising recognizing a predetermined DTMF character entered by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

19. The method claim 18, further comprising modifying the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user based on recognition of the predetermined DTMF character.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service includes one of to enable the simultaneous ring service and to disable the simultaneous ring service.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service includes to enter at least one telephone number associated with the telecommunications user.

20. A network for providing a telecommunications service with automatic speech recognition to a telecommunications user, comprising:

means for detecting a communication from the telecommunications user;

means for determining by an SCP whether the telecommunications user is a subscriber of a simultaneous ring service upon detecting the communication from the telecommunications user;

means for playing an audible message by an IRS to the telecommunications user when it is determined that the telecommunications user is a subscriber of the simultaneous ring service, the audible message prompting the telecommunications user to speak a predetermined keyword to modify a status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user; and

means for recognizing the predetermined keyword spoken by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

21. The network of claim 20, further comprising means for modifying the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user based on recognition of the predetermined keyword.

22. The network of claim 20, further comprising means for recognizing a predetermined DTMF character entered by the telecommunications user in response to the audible message.

23. The network of claim 22, further comprising means for modifying the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user based on recognition of the predetermined DTMF character.

30. The network of claim 20, wherein the means for playing the audible message include means for playing an audible message, the audible message prompting the telecommunications user to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user by one of enabling the simultaneous ring service and disabling the simultaneous ring service.

31. The network of claim 20, wherein the means for playing the audible message include means for playing an audible message, the audible message prompting the telecommunications user to modify the status of the simultaneous ring service of the telecommunications user by entering at least one telephone number associated with the telecommunications user.