Visual interactive response system and method translated from interactive voice response for telephone utility

• US 6,920,425 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2000
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Shelley, Wayne N., Will, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Storm, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US09/572,384
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 704/235, 704/270, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• 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 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium storing a software program for translating a script for an interactive voice response system to a script for a visual interactive response system. The visual interactive response system executes the translated visual-based script when a user using a display telephone calls the visual interactive response system. The visual interactive response system then transmits a visual menu to the display telephone to allow the user to select a desired response, which is subsequently sent back to the visual interactive response system for processing. The voice-based script may be defined in voice extensible markup language and the visual-based script may be defined in wireless markup language, hypertext markup language, or handheld device markup language. The translation system and program includes a parser for extracting command structures from the voice-based script, a visual-based structure generator for generating corresponding command structure for the visual-based script, a text prompt combiner for incorporating text translated from voice prompts into command structure generated by the structure generator, an automatic speech recognition routine for automatically converting voice prompts into translated text, and an editor for editing said visual-based script.

Claims

1. The computer readable medium comprising a translation software program for translating a voice-based script for an interactive voice response system to a visual-based script for a visual interactive response system, said translation software program comprises:

a parser for extracting command structure from said voice-based script;

a visual-based structure generator for generating an incomplete visual-based script with slots for text; and

a text prompt combiner for incorporating text relating to voice prompts into said slots of said incomplete visual-based script.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said visual-based script is defined in wireless markup language.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said visual-based script is defined in wireless markup language.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said visual-based script is defined in hypertext markup language.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said visual-based script is defined in handheld device markup language.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said translation software program further includes an automatic speech recognition routine for automatically converting said voice prompts into said translated text.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further including an editor for editing said visual-based script.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said voice prompts are in an audio format.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said translation occurs in real time in response to a request from a display telephone.

10. A computer system including a microprocessor running a translation software program for translating a voice-based script for an interactive voice response system to a visual-based script for a visual interactive response system, said translation software program comprises:

a parser for extracting command structure from said voice-based script;

a visual-based structure generator for generating an incomplete visual-based script with slots for text; and

a text prompt combiner for incorporating text relating to voice prompts into said slots of said incomplete visual-based script.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said voice-based script is defined in voice extensible markup language.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said visual-based script is defined in wireless markup language.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said visual-based script is defined in hypertext markup language.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said visual-based script is defined in handheld device markup language.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said translation software program further includes an automatic speech recognition routine for automatically converting said voice prompts into translated text.

16. The computer system of claim 10, further including an editor for editing said visual-based script.

17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said voice prompts are in an audio format.

18. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said translation occurs in real time in response to a request from a display telephone.

19. A method for translating a voice-based script for an interactive voice response system to a visual-based script for a visual interactive response system, said method comprising:

extracting command structure from said voice-based script;

generating an incomplete visual-based script with slots for text; and

incorporating text relating to voice prompts into said slots of said incomplete visual-based script.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said voice prompts are in an audio format.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said voice-based script is defined in voice extensible markup language.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said visual-based script is defined in wireless markup language.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said visual-based script is defined in hypertext markup language.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said visual-based script is defined in handheld device markup language.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein prior to incorporating the text, said method further comprises automatically converting said voice prompts into translated text.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein said translation of said voice-based script to said visual-based script occurs in real time in response to a request from a display telephone.