Voice extensible markup language enhancements of intelligent network services

• US 7,336,771 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2003
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watson, Raymond P., Crockett, Susanne M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/345,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20040141596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.17, 379/221.08, 379/221.09, 379/88.01, 379/207.02, 379/88.03, 709/217, 709/219, 370/352, 704/275
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• 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: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A call is processed in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), in accordance with at least one advanced intelligent network (AIN) telephony service associated with one of a calling party number and a called party number. The call is initially connected to a voice markup language platform in response to preliminary routing instructions from a service control point, in accordance with the telephony service. Data relating to the telephony service is retrieved and at least one caller query is formulated based on the retrieved data. The caller query is verbally provided to the calling party. Additional data is then received through voice communication from the calling party, including a response to the caller query. The call is routed in accordance with the additional data provided by the caller.

Claims

1. A method for processing a call to a called party number in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), initiated by a calling party, in accordance with at least one telephony service associated with one of a calling party number and the called party number, the method comprising:

initially connecting the call to a voice markup language platform; and

verbally interacting with the calling party via the voice markup language platform to determine data associated with the at least one telephony service;

wherein the call is routed through the PSTN in accordance with the determined data and the at least one telephony service.

2. The method for processing a call according to claim 1, in which initially connecting the call to the voice markup language platform comprises routing the call through at least one switch to the voice markup language platform, and in which routing the call through the PSTN in accordance with the determined data comprises routing the call from the voice markup language platform.

3. The method for processing a call according to claim 1, in which initially connecting the call to the voice markup language platform comprises suspending the call and establishing a temporary connection between the calling party and the voice markup language platform.

4. The method for processing a call according to claim 3, in which the temporary connection comprises a GR-1129 protocol connection.

5. The method for processing a call according to claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a script relating to the at least one telephony service from a document/application server, wherein verbally interacting with the calling party is based on the retrieved script.

6. The method for processing a call according to claim 1, in which the voice markup language platform comprises a VoiceXML interpreter.

7. A method for processing a call, initiated by a calling party, to a called party number, in a public switched telephone network, in accordance with at least one telephony service associated with one of a calling party number and the called party number, the method comprising:

connecting the call to a voice markup language platform in response to preliminary routing instructions from a service control point in an advanced intelligent network, in accordance with the at least one telephony service;

retrieving data relating to the at least one telephony service;

formulating at least one caller query based on the retrieved data;

verbally providing the at least one caller query via the voice markup language platform to the calling party; and

receiving additional data via voice communication from the calling party, the additional data comprising at least a response to the caller query;

wherein the call is routed in accordance with the additional data.

8. The method for processing a call according to claim 7, further comprising:

confirming that at least one of the calling party number and the called party number is associated with a voice markup language service.

9. The method for processing a call according to claim 7, in which connecting the call to the voice markup language platform comprises routing the call to the voice markup language platform.

10. The method for processing a call according to claim 9, in which routing the call in accordance with the additional data comprises routing the call from the voice markup language platform through the PSTN, in response to routing instructions received by the voice markup language platform based on the additional data.

11. The method for processing a call according to claim 7, in which connecting the call to the voice markup language platform comprises establishing a temporary voice communication connection between the voice markup language platform and a switch in the PSTN, the call being suspended at the switch.

12. The method for processing a call according to claim 11, in which routing the call comprises routing the call from the switch, in response to routing instructions based on the additional data.

13. A system for processing a call in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), initiated by a calling party, to a called party number in accordance with at least one telephony service associated with one of a calling party number and the called party number, the system comprising:

a voice markup language platform for initially connecting to the calling party in response to the call to the called party number, the voice markup language platform verbally interacting with the calling party to determine data associated with the at least one telephony service; and

a service control point for connecting to the voice markup language platform via a data network, the service control point determining a routing instruction for the call based on at least the determined data received from the voice markup language platform, the service control point providing the routing instruction to at least one of the voice markup language platform and a service switching point for processing the call.

14. The system for processing a call according to claim 13, in which the voice markup language platform is connected to the calling party via a temporary connection with the service switching point, at which the call is suspended while the voice markup language platform verbally interacts with the calling party.

15. The system for processing a call according to claim 14, in which the temporary connection comprises a GR-1129 protocol connection.

16. The system for processing a call according to claim 13, in which the voice markup language platform comprises an interpreter and a document/application server, the interpreter retrieving a script relating to the at least one telephony service from the document/application server and verbally interacting with the calling party based on at least a portion of the retrieved script.

17. The system for processing a call according to claim 13, in which the data network comprises an intranet.

18. A tangible computer readable medium that contains a computer program, executable by a computer, for processing a call from a calling party number to a called party number in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), in accordance with at least one telephony service associated with one of the calling party number and the called party number, the computer readable medium comprising:

a voice signal code segment for receiving a response by a calling party at the calling party number to a query initiated by a voice markup language platform to which the call is preliminarily connected, the query relating to the at least one telephony service;

a data signal code segment for sending a data parameter corresponding to the response to a service control point in the PSTN; and

a routing signal code segment for receiving a routing instruction from the service control point for routing the call based on the data parameter.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 18, in which the voice signal code segment receives the response as at least one of a GR-1129 protocol signal and a SS7 integrated services digital network user part (ISUP) protocol signal from a switch.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 18, in which the data signal code segment sends the data parameter as one of a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) signal, transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) over TCP/IP signal, session initiation protocol (SIP) signal, and HyperText Transfer Language Protocol (HTTP) signal.

21. The computer readable medium according to claim 18, in which the routing code segment receives signaling system 7 (SS7) signaling.

22. The computer readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising a database code segment for retrieving a data parameter relating to the at least one telephony service from a database, the query initiated by the voice markup language platform being based on the data parameter.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, in which the data parameter is modified in accordance with the data parameter received by the voice markup language platform via the voice signal.