Automatic response interface

• US 7,610,557 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartComms SC Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Thunderhead Limited
• Inventors: McLennan, James, Davey, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta; Soumya
• Application Number:
  US10/706,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A graphical user interface, for use in generating a definition of an automated response mechanism to be used in automatically communicating when a response occasion occurs, comprises screens (272, 282, 288, 316, 322) which present, in two side by side columns (286, 284, 290, 292), a list of selectable items and a list of those items which have been selected, items being transferrable from one column to the other. Selected items are implemented in the automated response. Selectable items include the media (284, 286) for the communication, criteria definitions (310, 320, 312) to be fulfilled or not for an item to be used, fixed (302) text and variable data (304) items in selectable idioms and languages for each medium, and for use when different criteria are fulfilled, and place holders for defining the physical locations in the one or more media responses of items used.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface for use in preparation of an automatically generated communication in response to an event requiring generation of a communication, said communication being generated from a response template which contains data definitions and conditional criteria and wherein conditional criterion in the response template automatically activates alternative selections of text and data according to whether the criterion is met and whether the criterion is not met;

said graphical user interface comprising;

means for presenting an image of a list of at least one selectable operational options;

means for accepting selection of an operational option from the list; and

means for presenting an image of said at least one operational option selected as a chosen option list,

said list of said at least one selectable operational option comprises a list of a plurality of different media by which the automatically generated communication can be transmitted; and

wherein said list of chosen options comprises at least one chosen media for transmission of the automatically generated communication; and

wherein the text and data content of the automatically generated communication comprises at least one of an instruction to the recipient for handling a response to the communication and an indication of a medium of an associated communication, which at least one instruction and indication is automatically changed depending on the characteristic of the chosen media so that differences in such at least one instruction and indication between communications are identifiable by the recipient of a communication.

2. A graphical user interface, according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for selecting a chosen option from the chosen option list; and

means for accepting return of a selected chosen option to the list of selectable operational options.

3. A graphical user interface, according to claim 1, wherein said means for presenting an image of a list of at least one selectable operational option and said means for presenting an image of said at least one operational option as a chosen option list together comprise a split screen, said split screen having a first portion and a second portion and being operative to display said list of said at least one selectable operational option in said first portion and to display said chosen option list in said second portion thereof.

4. A graphical user interface, according to claim 3, wherein said split screen has a first side and a second side and said first portion of said split screen is on said first side and wherein said second portion of said split screen is on said second side.

5. A graphical user interface, according to claim 3, wherein said split screen is one of a plurality of split screens.

6. A graphical user interface, according to claim 1, wherein said list of said at least one selectable operational option is presented as a tree structure.

7. A graphical user interface, according claim 1, wherein said graphical user interface comprises means for accepting selection of said at least one chosen media and means for directing the automatically generated communication for transmission on said at least one chosen media selected.

8. A graphical user interface, according to claim 1, wherein said list of said at least one selectable operational option comprises at least one of:

at least one criteria to be fulfilled to cause generation of the automatically generated communication;

at least one text item;

at least one criteria to be fulfilled to select a text item; and

at least one fixed item to be selected.

9. A graphical user interface, according to claim 8, comprising conversion means for accepting a criterion definition for each of said at least one criteria and for converting the criterion definition into plain language for display.

10. A graphical user interface, according to claim 8 wherein said at least one text item comprises items in a plurality of selectable languages.

11. A graphical user interface, according to claim 10, wherein said at least one text item comprises items for use in at least one selectable idioms.

12. A graphical user interface, according to claim 11, wherein said at least one text items comprises items for use in at least one selectable media.

13. A graphical user interface, according to claim 12, wherein said at least one fixed item comprises at least one selectable place holder for use with at least one media.

14. A graphical user interface, according to claim 13, wherein said at least one fixed item comprises at least one selectable place holder for use in fixing the position of items with at least one media.

15. A graphical user interface, according to claim 14, wherein said at least one fixed item comprises at least one selectable item for use with at least one media.

16. A graphical user interface, according to claim 15, comprising means for testing a specified automatically generated communication by presenting different criteria for generation of an automatically generated communication, and means for altering a specification of the automatically generated communication until a user approved automatically generated communications are obtained.

33. A graphical user interface, according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising means to implement the chosen options in subsequent generation of the automatically generated communication.

17. A method for preparing an automatically generated communication in response to an event requiring generation of a communication, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting an image of a list of at least one selectable operational option;

selecting at least one operational option from the list;

accepting said at least one operational option selected;

presenting an image of said at least one operational option selected as a chosen option list;

subsequently generating an automatically generated communication which implements said at least one chosen option listed;

wherein the step of generating a communication comprises reading a response template which contains data definitions and conditional criteria and wherein conditional criterion in the response template automatically activates alternative selections of text and data according to whether the criterion is met and whether the criterion is not met;

said list of said at least one selectable operational option comprises a list of a plurality of different media by which the automatically generated communication can be transmitted; and

wherein said list of chosen options comprises at least one chosen media for transmission of the automatically generated communication and

wherein the text and data content of the automatically generated communication comprises at least one of an instruction to the recipient for handling a response to the communication and an indication of a medium of an associated communication, which at least one instruction and indication is automatically changed depending on the characteristic of the chosen medium so that differences in such at least one instruction and indication between communications are identifiable by the recipient of a communication.

18. A method, according to claim 17, comprising the steps of selecting a chosen option from the chosen option list;

and accepting return of the chosen option selected to said list of at least one selectable operational option.

19. A method, according to claim 18 comprising the steps of providing a split screen with a first portion and a second portion;

presenting, simultaneously, an image of a list of said least one selectable operational option in the first portion thereof and an image of said chosen option list in the second portion thereof.

20. A method, according to claim 19, comprising the steps of providing said first portion of said split screen on a first side thereof and providing said second portion of said split screen on a second side thereof.

21. A method, according to claim 20 wherein said split screen is one of a plurality of split screens.

22. A method, according to claim 20, comprising the step of presenting said list of at said least one selectable operational option as a tree structure.

23. A method, according to claim 20, comprising the steps of:

accepting selection of said at least one chosen medium; and

subsequently directing the automatically generated communication for transmission on said at least one chosen medium.

24. A method, according to claim 20, wherein said list of said at least one selectable operational option comprises at least one of:

at least one criterion to be fulfilled to cause the generation of the automatically generated communication;

at least one criterion to be fulfilled to select a text item;

at least one text item to be selected; and

at least one fixed item to be selected.

25. A method, according to claim 24, comprising the steps of:

accepting a criterion definition for each of said at least one criterion and converting the criterion definition into plain language for display.

26. A method, according to claim 24 or claim 25, wherein said at least one text item comprises items in a plurality of selectable languages.

27. A method, according to claim 24 or claim 25, wherein said at least one text item comprises items for at least one selectable idiom.

28. A method, according to claim 24 or claim 25, wherein said at least one text item comprises items for at least one selectable media.

29. A method, according to claim 24 or claim 25, wherein said at least one fixed item comprises at least one selectable place holder for at least one media.

30. A method, according to claim 24 or 25, wherein said at least one fixed item comprises at least one selectable place holder for fixing the position of items with at least one media.

31. A method, according to claim 24 or 25, wherein said at least one fixed item comprises at least one selectable item for at least one media.

32. A method, according to claim 24 or 25, comprising the steps of:

testing a specified automatically generated communication by presenting different criteria for generation of an automatically generated communication thereto; and

altering the specification of the automatically generated communication until a user approved automatically generated communication is obtained.

34. A graphical user interface for use in preparation of an automatically generated communication in response to an event requiring generation of a communication, said graphical user interface comprising:

means for presenting an image of a list of at least one selectable operational option comprising at least one of;

at least one criteria to be fulfilled to cause generation of the automatically generated communication;

at least one text item comprising items in a plurality of selectable languages, items for use in at least one selectable idiom and items for use in at least one selectable medium;

at least one criteria to be fulfilled to select a text item; and

at least one fixed item to be selected comprising at least one selectable place holder for use with at least one medium, at least one selectable place holder for fixing the position of items with at least one medium and at least one selectable item for use with at least one medium;

conversion means for accepting a criterion definition for each of said at least one criteria and for converting the criterion definition into plain language for display;

means for accepting selection of an operational option for use;

means for presenting an image of said at least one operational option selected as a chosen option list.

means for selecting a chosen option on the chosen option list;

and means for accepting return of a selected chosen option to the list of selectable operational options, wherein;

said means for presenting an image of a list of at least one selectable operational option and said means for presenting an image of said at least one operational option as a chosen option list together comprise a screen split into a first side and a second side and being operative to display said list of said at least one selectable operational option as a tree structure in said first side and to display said chosen option list in said second side thereof;

said list of said at least one selectable operational option comprises a list of a plurality of different media by which the automatically generated communication can be transmitted;

said list of chosen options comprises at least one chosen media for transmission of the automatically generated communication;

said graphical user interface comprises means for accepting selection of said at least one chosen media and means for directing the automatically generated communication for transmission on said at least one chosen media selected

and wherein the text and data content of the automatically generated communication comprises at least one of an instruction to the recipient for handling a response to the communication and an indication of a medium of an associated communication, which at least one instruction and indication is automatically changed depending on the characteristic of the chosen medium so that differences in such at least one instruction and indication between communications are identifiable by the recipient of a communication.

35. A graphical user interface, according to claim 34, comprising means for testing a specified automatically generated communication by presenting different criteria for generation of an automatically generated communication, and means for altering a specification of the automatically generated communication until a satisfactory automatically generated communications are obtained.

36. A graphical user interface, according to claim 34, wherein said at least one instruction and indication concerns a document associated with the communication.