System and method for integrating the visual display of text menus for interactive voice response systems

• US 7,027,990 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lester Sussman
• Original Assignee: Lester Sussman
• Inventors: Sussman, Lester
• Primary Examiner(s): McFadden, Susan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X.
• Application Number:
  US09/976,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20030074198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 704/271.1, 704/270, 379/93.23, 379/93.17, 340/905
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/225 Feedback of the input speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/226 using non-speech characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function
• 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 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

The present invention solves the serial nature of today'"'"'s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephony menu systems, by means of visually “looking ahead” and in any direction in the nested audio IVR menus. Computer software in the telephone, or associated hardware, provides a graphical user interface that enables the user to navigate related IVR text menus that are displayed on the telephone. The present invention provides a variety of means to store, display, select and update associated text menus and other data with an IVR system. The various communication means include analog modems, broadband modems, and VoIP connectivity. The present invention provides the means to convert the audio IVR menus to text menus, as well as the means to download the associated IVR text menus from the Internet.

Claims

1. A computerized interactive voice response system comprising:

an interactive voice response host computer for providing audio menus;

a source computer for providing text data associated with said audio menus;

a user telephone;

wherein said user telephone interfaces with an embedded computer having a display screen and having a first program to display visual menus on said user embedded computer display screen and wherein said user embedded computer is capable of operating independently and not in connection with said user telephone;

an interface for connecting said user telephone, and said interactive voice response host computer, wherein said interface connects said user telephone to said interactive voice response host computer on a first communications network, enabling sending signals from said user telephone to said interactive voice response host computer;

a modem attached to said user embedded computer for receiving said text data to display visual menus and other data on said user embedded computer display screen from said source computer;

wherein said first communications network is a public switched telephone network;

wherein said embedded computer has memory means to store said visual menus and other data;

wherein said visual menus comprise said text data, said text data pre-stored in said memory, retrieved from said source computer prior to connecting to said interactive voice response host computer;

wherein said first program in said user telephone embedded computer enables said user computer display screen to display said visual menus whenever a dialed telephone number has associated audio menus provided by said interactive voice response host computer;

wherein said first program in said user telephone embedded computer provides navigation means to explore and select menu options in said visual menus prior to connecting to said interactive voice response host computer, transmitting said signals of said selection from said user telephone to said interactive voice response host computer after selecting said menu options;

wherein said pre-stored visual menus stored in said embedded computer memory means, and said pre-stored visual menus reside on said source computer, accessible by said user telephone by means of said modem on said computer communications network; and

said pre-stored text data, in said embedded computer memory means, comprise menu text data and location data of said source computer on said computer communications network.

2. The system of claim 1 further including means for ensuring that said displayed visual menus correspond to said audio menus provided, and providing means to log message in said memory if said visual menus and said audio menus do not correspond, to retrieve at a later time a correct version of visual menus from said source computer.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said interface further includes means for converting signals from said user telephone embedded computer into tones to be received by said interactive voice response host computer, thereby enabling selection of menu items from an input device connected to said user telephone embedded computer.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said modem is an analog modem, said computer communications network is the internet.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said embedded computer has a control program capable of receiving notification of an update to said visual menus from said source computer by said computer communications network;

retrieving said update from said source computer, on said computer communications network; and

storing said visual menus update in said computer memory.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said system has means to download from a second host computer, and to store other data associated with the telephone call prior to telephone call being made, said other data includes restaurant menus, medical schedules and prescriptions, mail order catalogs, product licensing information, tickets for events and travel and billing information.

7. A computerized interactive voice response system comprising:

an interactive voice response host computer for providing audio menus;

a source computer for providing text data associated with said audio menus;

a user telephone;

wherein said user telephone interfaces with an embedded computer having a display screen and having a first program to display visual menus on said user embedded computer display screen and wherein said user embedded computer is capable of operating independently and not in connection with said user telephone;

an interface for connecting said user telephone, and said interactive voice response host computer, wherein said interface connects said user telephone to said interactive voice response host computer on a first communications network, enabling sending signals from said user telephone to said interactive voice response host computer;

a computer network communications means attached to said user embedded computer for receiving data from said source computer to display said visual menus and other data on said user embedded computer display screen;

a computer communications means whereby voice and data are transmitted and received on the said computer network communication means;

wherein said first communications network is a public switched telephone network;

wherein said embedded computer has memory means to store said visual menus and other data;

wherein said visual menus comprise said text data, said text data pre-stored in said memory, retrieved from said source computer prior to connecting to said interactive voice response host computer;

wherein said first program in said user telephone embedded computer enables said user computer display screen to display said visual menus whenever a dialed telephone number has associated audio menus provided by said interactive voice response host computer;

wherein said first program in said user telephone embedded computer provides navigation means to explore and select menu options in said visual menus prior to connecting to said interactive voice response host computer, transmitting said signals of said selection from said user telephone to said interactive voice response host computer after selecting said menu options;

wherein said pre-stored visual menus stored in said embedded computer memory means, and said pre-stored visual menus reside on said source computer, accessible by said user telephone by means of said modem on said computer communications network; and

said pre-stored text data, in said embedded computer memory means, comprise menu text data and location data of said source computer on said computer communications network.

8. The system of claim 7 further including means for ensuring that said displayed visual menus correspond to said audio menus provided, and providing means to retrieve, during said connection to said interactive voice response host computer, a correct version of visual menus from said source computer if said visual menus and said audio menus do not correspond.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said interface further includes means for converting signals from said user telephone embedded computer into tones to be received by said interactive voice response host computer, thereby enabling selection of menu items from an input device connected to said user telephone embedded computer.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said embedded computer has a control program capable of receiving notification of an update to said visual menus from said source computer by said computer communications means;

retrieving said update from said source computer, on said computer communications means; and

storing said visual menus update in said computer memory.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said system has means to download from a second host computer, and to store other data associated with the telephone call during said telephone call being made, said other data includes restaurant menus, medical schedules and prescriptions, mail order catalogs, product licensing information, tickets for events and travel and billing information.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the said computer network communications is a broadband network means, or an Ethernet network means, or a wireless 802.11b means, or a wireless Bluetooth means.