System and method for the creation and automatic deployment of personalized, dynamic and interactive voice services, with real-time database queries

• US 6,977,992 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Zirngibl, Michael, Patnaik, Anurag, Maass, Bodo, Leon, Christopher S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US10/951,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20050036593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/93.25, 379/69, 379/70, 379/71, 379/74, 379/76, 379/77, 379/80, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/93.01, 709/201, 709/202, 709/206, 709/217, 709/1
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/105 Financial transactions and auctions, e.g. bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1066 Game playing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 : via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 : Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 : Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 : Advertisement messages
• 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 3/5158 : in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 : Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 : Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 : Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 : Message broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A method and system for accomplishing real-time queries in conjunction with interactive, real-time, voice transmission of information to a user is disclosed. A voice-based communication between a user and a first system is established and a report is transmitted to the user. The report might comprise information and at least one request for user input based on said information. In response to the report, the user can request that additional queries be run against database or other data repository. The requested is drawn from the database automatically, in real-time by connecting to the database.

Claims

1. A method for providing interactive, real-time, voice transmission of information, and for enabling follow-up querying, comprising:

enabling at least one subscriber to subscribe to at least one voice service that can output information derived from an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system;

generating output from the OLAP system for the at least one subscriber when a predetermined condition has been satisfied;

formatting the OLAP output into one or more markup documents personalized for the at least one subscriber;

initiating an outbound voice-enabled communication to the at least one subscriber;

delivering the OLAP output from the one or more personalized markup documents to the at least one subscriber during the voice-enabled communication;

enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query during the voice-enabled communication in response to the OLAP output presented from the one or more personalized markup documents; and

processing the at least one query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the at least one query in real-time during the voice-enabled communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one of a triggering event, or a scheduled event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined condition is specified by at least one of an administrator, or the at least one subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound voice-enabled communication comprises a telephone communication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one subscriber to subscribe to the at least one voice service further comprises enabling the at least one subscriber to specify preferences for the content and presentation of the OLAP output.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises requesting input from the at least one subscriber based on the OLAP output presented from the one or more personalized markup documents.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein requesting input comprises prompting the at least one subscriber for an input.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein requesting input comprises presenting the at least one subscriber with one or more options to choose from.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises enabling the at least one subscriber to complete a query embedded in the one or more personalized markup documents.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises enabling the at least one subscriber to access a transaction request based on information in the one or more personalized markup documents.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises enabling the at least one subscriber to access a transaction request using a link in the one or more personalized markup documents.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more personalized markup documents comprise one or more active voice pages.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one query comprises a database query.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one query comprises a query for the OLAP system.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the at least one query comprises providing the at least one query to a database system to be searched.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the at least one query comprises sending an electronic message including the at least one query to a database system to be searched.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the at least one query comprises providing the at least one query to an Internet web site to be searched.

19. A system for providing interactive, real-time, voice transmission of information, and for enabling follow-up querying, comprising:

means for enabling at least one subscriber to subscribe to at least one voice service that can output information derived from an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system;

means for generating output from the OLAP system for the at least one subscriber when a predetermined condition has been satisfied;

means for formatting the OLAP output into one or more markup documents personalized for the at least one subscriber;

means for initiating an outbound voice-enabled communication to the at least one subscriber;

means for delivering the OLAP output from the one or more personalized markup documents to the at least one subscriber during the voice-enabled communication;

means for enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query during the voice-enabled communication in response to the OLAP output presented from the one or more personalized markup documents; and

means for processing the at least one query.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one query is processed in real-time during the voice-enabled communication.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one of a triggering event, or a scheduled event.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the predetermined condition is specified by at least one of an administrator, or the at least one subscriber.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the outbound voice-enabled communication comprises a telephone communication.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for enabling the at least one subscriber to specify preferences for the content and presentation of the OLAP output while subscribing to the at least one voice service.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises means for requesting input from the at least one subscriber based on the OLAP output presented from the one or more personalized markup documents.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for requesting input comprises means for prompting the at least one subscriber for an input.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for requesting input comprises means for presenting the at least one subscriber with one or more options to choose from.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises means for enabling the at least one subscriber to complete a query embedded in the one or more personalized markup documents.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises means for enabling the at least one subscriber to access a transaction request based on information in the one or more personalized markup documents.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for enabling the at least one subscriber to generate at least one query further comprises means for enabling the at least one subscriber to access a transaction request using a link in the one or more personalized markup documents.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more personalized markup documents comprise one or more active voice pages.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one query comprises a database query.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one query comprises a query for the OLAP system.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for processing the at least one query comprises means for providing the at least one query to a database system to be searched.

35. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for processing the at least one query comprises means for sending an electronic message including the at least one query to a database system to be searched.

36. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for processing the at least one query comprises means for providing the at least one query to an Internet web site to be searched.