Dynamic translation between data network-based protocol in a data-packet-network and interactive voice response functions of a telephony network

• US 6,801,928 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nuestro, Marcialito
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/827,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 370/352
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 : Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A system for emulating interaction with an interactive voice response unit is provided. The system comprises, a client node connected to the network, the client node soliciting interaction with the interactive voice response unit and a proxy server node connected to the network, the server node accessible to client node, the interactive voice response unit accessible to the server node. A connection is established between the client node and the proxy server node, the proxy server node accepts data from the client node and translates the data into a format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit whereupon the data is then propagated to the interactive voice response unit. Response data resulting from the input data at the interactive voice response unit is propagated to the proxy server node whereupon the response data is translated into a format for dissemination at the client node and propagated thereto.

Claims

1. A network-based system for emulating interaction with an interactive voice response unit comprising:

a client node connected to the network, the client node for soliciting interaction with the interactive voice response unit; and

a proxy server node connected to the network, the proxy server node accessible to the client node, the interactive voice response unit accessible to the server node;

characterized in that a client operating the client node establishes a connection with the proxy server node, the proxy server node accepts data input from the client node, and translates the data input into a format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit, whereupon the translated input data is then propagated to the interactive voice response unit, and wherein response data resulting from the translated and propagated input is then propagated to the proxy server node whereupon the response data is translated into a format for dissemination at the client node and propagated thereto.

2. The network-based system of claim 1, wherein the network is a data network.

3. The network-based system of claim 2, wherein the data network is the Internet.

4. The network-based system of claim 1, wherein the client node is a personal computer and the interactive voice response unit is hosted by a communications center.

5. The network-based system of claim 3 wherein the format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit is telephone touch-tone recognition.

6. The network-based system of claim 3 wherein the format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit is voice recognition.

7. The network-based system of claim 3 wherein the response data resulting from the translated and propagated input is an analog voice recording.

8. The network-based system of claim 7 wherein the analog voice recording is translated into a digital voice file before propagation to the client node.

9. The network-based system of claim 8 wherein the digital voice file is one of a WAV file, an MPEG file, or an H.323 protocol audio stream.

10. The network-based system of claim 1 further comprising a second server node connected to the network, the second server node accessible to client node, the proxy server node accessible to the second server node.

11. The network-based system of claim 10, wherein the second server node interfaces with the client node and upon determination of need opens a connection with the proxy server node for interactive voice response interaction.

12. The network-based system of claim 1 wherein the proxy server has access to digital documents held at the communications center hosting the interactive voice response unit.

13. The network-based system of claim 12 wherein digital documents are accessed and served to client node along with the response data from the interactive voice response unit, determination for serving the documents based on need.

23. The distributed software application of claim 2, wherein the communications center portion of the distributed software application serves as an interface between the client portion of the software and the network portion of the software.

24. The distributed software application of claim 23 wherein the communications center portion of the distributed software application determines if there is a need for interactive voice response unit interaction at the beginning of a session between the client portion of the software and the communications center portion of the software.

14. A distributed software application for emulating interaction with an interactive voice response unit comprising:

a client portion of the software application residing on a client node connected to a data-packet-network; and

a network portion of the software application residing on a proxy server node connected to the data-packet-network;

characterized in that the client portion of the software application identifies and transmits data input from the client node to the network portion of the software application at the proxy server node, whereupon the network portion of the software application translates the data input into input acceptable to the interactive voice response unit, the network portion of the software application calling the interactive voice response unit and propagating the translated input data thereto, and wherein the network portion of the software application receives response data from the interactive voice response unit, and translates that response data into data acceptable to the client node, and propagates the response data to the client node for dissemination.

15. The distributed software application of claim 14 wherein the interactive voice response unit is hosted by a communications center.

16. The distributed software application of claim 14 wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

17. The distributed software application of claim 15 wherein the client node is a personal computer.

18. The distributed software application of claim 15 wherein the format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit is telephone touch-tone recognition.

19. The distributed software application of claim 15 wherein the format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit is voice recognition.

20. The distributed software application of claim 14 wherein the response data comprises an analog voice recording.

21. The distributed software application of claim 14 wherein the response data acceptable to the client node comprises a one of a WAV file, an MPEG file, or an H.323 protocol audio stream.

22. The distributed software application of claim 15 further comprising a portion of the software hosted by the communications center and residing within a Web server also hosted by the communications center.

25. A method for simulating interaction with an interactive voice response unit for a client operating on a data-packet-network comprising steps of:

(a) establishing a data connection on the data-packet-network between the client and a server connected to the data-packet-network, the server functioning as a translation interface between the client and the interactive voice response unit;

(b) accepting input data from the client at the server and translating the input data to a form acceptable to the interactive voice response unit;

(c) establishing a connection between the server and the interactive voice response unit;

(d) sending the translated input data received from the client to the interactive voice response unit;

(e) receiving response data from the interactive voice response unit at the server and translating the response data into a form acceptable to the client; and

(f) sending the translated response data to the client for dissemination.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (a), the client is a personal computer and the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein in step (a), the interactive voice response unit is hosted in a connection-oriented-switched-telephone network and the interfacing link between the server and interactive voice response unit is a CTI link.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (b), the data form acceptable to the interactive voice response unit is telephone touch-tone signaling.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (b), the data form acceptable to the interactive voice response unit is voice recognition.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein in step (b), the voice recognition function of the interactive voice response unit responds to computer-simulated voice.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (c), the established connection is a telephony connection.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (c), the established connection is a data connection.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein in step (e), the data form acceptable to the client comprises one of a WAV file, an MPEG file, or an H.323 protocol audio stream.