Simultaneous visual and telephonic access to interactive information delivery

• US 7,054,939 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert A., Caldwell, Hamish M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjoe
• Assistant Examiner(s): Refai, Ramsey
• Application Number:
  US09/894,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/227, 709217-219, 704/246, 379/88.01, 379/88.22, 37920101-20105
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/38 Telephone uniform resource identifier [URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• 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 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• 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: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

The functionality of Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) components and Internet-based resources are integrated to provide simultaneous visual and telephonic access to an interactive information delivery system. The present invention enhances conventional Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems by simultaneously providing visual information that corresponds to the voice-based information that is delivered telephonically. A user that contacts a conventional IVR service provider (IVR host) can be provided with the option of a Visual IVR (VIVR) session. The VIVR session can provide visual information to the user in the form of HTML-formatted web pages delivered over an Internet connection and will provide audible message information over a conventional wireless or wireline voice telephone connection. A VIVR session can coordinate the delivery of visual information (e.g., web pages) and the delivery of telephony-based information (e.g., audio file playback) such that the user hears an audible message on the telephone that corresponds to the information displayed on a networking device. The user may provide instructions to a VIVR Server over either the telephone or the networking device. The VIVR Server will respond to instructions received by either the telephone connection or the Internet connection.

Claims

1. A Visual Interactive Voice Response (VIVR) system for delivering information during a VIVR session, comprising:

a network element comprising;

means for receiving a VIVR session identification (Session ID) associated with a networking device;

means for receiving a directory number associated with a telecommunications device;

means for determining whether the Session ID associated with the networking device includes the directory number associated with the telecommunications device; and

a VIVR Server comprising;

means for providing an option to establish a VIVR session, if the Session ID associated with the networking device includes the directory number associated with the telecommunications device;

if the option to establish a VIVR session is selected, means for sending voice-based information to the telecommunications device and for sending visual-based information to the networking device;

if the option to establish a VIVR session is not selected, means for providing an option to send the voice-based information to the telecommunications device or to send the visual-based information to the networking device;

a Voice Extensible Markup Language (VXML) Gateway comprising;

means for converting a text-based message received from the VIVR server to an audio message;

means for delivering the audio message to the telecommunications device by playing the audio over a connection between the VXML Gateway and the telecommunications device; and

the network element further comprising means for routing a call from the telecommunications device to the VXML Gateway, if the option to establish a VIVR session is selected.

2. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the VIVR Server further comprises means for providing an option to establish a VIVR session in response to a determination that the networking device is connected to the VIVR Server.

3. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the VIVR Server further comprises means for providing an option to establish a VIVR session in response to a determination that the networking device is connected to the VIVR Server via a VIVR Server host website.

4. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the VIVR Server further comprises means for determining an identity of the networking device by obtaining the Session ID from a session identification database.

5. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the networking device and the telecommunications device are the same device.

6. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the networking device is capable of communicating in accordance with a Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.

7. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications device is capable of communicating in cooperation with an Advanced Intelligent Network, in accordance with a Signaling System 7 (SS7) protocol.

8. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the selection of the option to establish a VIVR session is a DTMF key code entry received from the telecommunications device.

9. The VIVR system of claim 1, wherein the VIVR Server further comprises means for storing the VIVR session.

10. A method for simultaneously delivering voice-based information and visual-based information, the method comprising:

establishing an Internet connection between a networking device and a server;

receiving a data packet associated with the networking device;

establishing a telephonic connection between a telecommunications device and the server;

receiving a directory number associated with the telecommunications devises device;

determining whether the data packet associated with the networking device includes the directory number associated with the telecommunications device;

if the data packet associated with the networking device includes the directory number associated with the telecommunications device, then;

providing an option to establish a Visual Interactive Voice Response (VIVR) session;

if the option to establish a VIVR session is selected, then delivering the voice-based information to the telecommunications device over the telephonic connection and delivering the visual-based information to the networking device over the Internet connection;

modifying the delivery of the voice-based information in response to receiving an instruction over the Internet connection; and

if the option to establish a VIVR session is not selected, then providing an option to deliver the voice-based information to the telecommunications device or to deliver the visual-based information to the networking device;

converting a text-based message received from the VIVR server to an audio message at a Voice Extensible Markup Language (VXML) Gateway;

delivering the audio message to the telecommunications device by playing the audio over a connection between the VXML Gateway and the telecommunications device; and

routing a call from the telecommunications device to the VXML Gateway, if the option to establish a VIVR session is selected.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying the delivery of the voice-based information in response to receiving an instruction over the telephonic connection.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying the delivery of the visual-based information in response to receiving an instruction over the Internet connection.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying the delivery of the visual-based information in response to receiving an instruction over the telephonic connection.

14. A Visual Interactive Voice Response (VIVR) system for delivering information during a VIVR session, comprising:

a network element comprising;

means for receiving a VIVR session identification (Session ID) associated with a networking device;

means for receiving a directory number associated with a telecommunications device; and

means for determining whether the Session ID associated with the networking device includes the directory number associated with the telecommunications device;

a VIVR Server comprising;

means for providing an option to establish a VIVR session, if the Session ID associated with the networking device includes the directory number associated with the telecommunications device;

if the option to establish a VIVR session is selected, means for delivering voice-based information to the telecommunications device and for delivering visual-based information to the networking device;

means for receiving an instruction from the telecommunications device; and

if the option to establish a VIVR session is not selected, means for providing an option to deliver the voice-based information to the telecommunications device or to deliver the visual-based information to the networking device; and

a Voice Extensible Markup Language (VXML) Gateway comprising;

means for converting the voice-based information to an audio message that can be played back to the telecommunications device;

means for converting the instruction to a format that can be processed by the VIVR Server; and

the network element further comprising means for routing a call from the telecommunications device to the VXML Gateway, if the option to establish a VIVR session is selected.

15. The VIVR system of claim 14, wherein the Session ID comprises the directory number associated with the telecommunications device and an Internet Protocol address associated with the networking device.

16. The VIVR system of claim 15, wherein the Session ID further comprises a directory number associated with the networking device.

17. The VIVR system of claim 14, wherein the delivery of the voice-based information and the delivery of the visual-based information are synchronized by transmitting an automated notification from the networking device to the VIVR Server when the visual-based information is delivered to the networking device, and when the VIVR Server receives the automated notification from the network device, the delivering the voice-based information from the VIVR Server to the telecommunications device.