IVR to SMS text messenger

• US 7,526,073 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Romeo, John Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/173,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20070025529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.14, 379/88.18, 379/208.01, 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/566, 370/466, 704/254
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed 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: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13378 Speech recognition, speech analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Wireless service providers use SMS to notify users of text messages from other wireless users using text-based communications. SMS is used in conjunction with an Interactive Voice Response system and a text-to-speech (TTS) translator to provide enhanced text messaging. Users access the SMS menu on their wireless phone. Instead of typing a text message on the wireless phone keypad, users select an IVR option that connects to the wireless service provider'"'"'s IVR system. After entering or speaking the telephone number (name or nickname) for the “To:” field, the user speaks the message to be sent via SMS. The IVR reads back the spoken message for user confirmation. Once confirmed, the message is translated to text using a Text-to-Speech translator, or a speech recognition dictation feature, and forwarded to the SMS Messaging Gateway. Alternative embodiments are adapted for use with traditional wireline phones, so that the caller calls the wireless service provider'"'"'s IVR system, enters the destination number and speaks the message to be sent. Further embodiments provide for the recipient of the message to optionally have the text message spoken via a TTS feature.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

open a short message service (SMS) menu selected by a user of a first telecommunications terminal;

activate an interactive voice response (IVR) option selected from the SMS menu, wherein an IVR system prompts the user to supply spoken input, the spoken input comprising a spoken message;

translate the spoken message to a text message; and

transmit the text message to a second telecommunications terminal over a telecommunications network.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to speak, by the IVR system, the text message for the user to confirm content of the text message prior to transmission.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a wireless network.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a wireline network.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to activate a text-to-speech translator selected by a user of the second telecommunications terminal wherein the text-to-speech translator speaks the text message to the user of the second telecommunications terminal.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the input comprises a telephone number of the second terminal.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the input comprises a name of a subscriber of the second terminal.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the terminals is a cell phone.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunications terminal is a wireline telephone and the second telecommunications terminal is a wireless terminal.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to connect the first telecommunications terminal to the IVR system in response to the user selecting the IVR option.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the prompts include a first prompt indicating a destination of the text message and a second prompt to speak the spoken message into the first telecommunications terminal.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to forward the text message to a SMS messaging gateway.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to speak the text message in response to selection of a text-to-speech feature by a user of the second telecommunications terminal.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to send the text message in response to a selected scheduling feature.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the selected scheduling feature is selected from a plurality of scheduling features.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the SMS menu is a displayed menu or an audio menu.

18. A method comprising:

opening a short message service (SMS) menu selected by a user of a first telecommunications terminal;

activating an interactive voice response (IVR) option selected from the SMS menu by the user, wherein an IVR system prompts the user to supply spoken input, the spoken input comprising a spoken message;

translating the spoken message to a text message; and

transmitting the text message to a second telecommunications terminal over a telecommunications network.

19. A system comprising:

a short message service (SMS) messaging gateway accessible to a first telecommunications terminal;

an interactive voice response (IVR) system to prompt for spoken input in response to activation of an IVR option selectable from a SMS menu associated with the first telecommunications terminal;

a translator to translate speech to a text message from the spoken input; and

a wireless network connecting the first telecommunications terminal to a second telecommunications terminal.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and wherein the first telecommunications terminal is a wireline terminal.