Integrated user interface

• US 7,747,568 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Howell, David, Forbes, Scott, Criddle, Linda, Milstein, David, Wang, Kuansan, Malueg, Michael D, Sidhu, Gursharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Yicun
• Application Number:
  US11/400,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A method and system for collecting contextual information in order to provide a requested service is provided. A service provider and a user may exchange a conversation and/or contextual information relating to a service over a communication channel. Based on the received user contextual information, the server may determine an appropriate source for obtaining more information relating to the requested service from the user. The server contacts the appropriate source and obtains information from it. Additionally, the server identifies the user interfaces for collecting more information relating to the requested service from the user. The server may transmit a set of contextual information, such as embedded instructions for invoking the user interfaces on a user'"'"'s device, over the communication channel. While the user interacts with the user interfaces, new user'"'"'s contextual information may be obtained by the server.

Claims

1. A method for collecting contextual information relating to a service provided over a digital communication channel, comprising:

receiving, from a user of a packet-switched network, a request for a desired service;

obtaining from the user of the packet-switched network contextual data packets having a predetermined arrangement for providing a set of user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service;

wherein the contextual data packets identify at least one structural hierarchy that is defined for the transmission of contextual information between voice-over-IP clients;

wherein the contextual data packets and conversation data packets are transmitted over a same conversation channel during a voice-over IP call;

wherein a payload identifier distinguishes the conversation data packets from the contextual data packets;

based on the obtained set of user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service, identifying an additional set of user contextual information needed to provide the desired service; and

selecting an information providing party where the additional set of user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service is to be obtained and obtaining the additional set of user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service from the selected information providing party over the packet-switched network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the selected information providing party is the user, identifying a set of provider contextual information relating to the request for the desired service for collecting the additional set of information and transmitting the identified set of provider contextual information relating to the request for the desired service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identified set of provider contextual information relating to the request for the desired service is utilized within devices of the user in order to retrieve the additional set of information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the identified set of provider contextual information relating to the request for the desired service corresponds to a first set of user interfaces, the first set of user interfaces being identified based on the obtained set of user contextual information relating to the request.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

in response to user interactions with the first set of user interfaces, collecting user contextual information relating to the user interactions.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

transmitting additional provider contextual information relating to the request for the desired service corresponding to a second set of user interfaces, the second set of user interfaces being tailored based on the collected user contextual information relating to the user interactions.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the selected information providing party is a third party service provider, sending an inquiry for the additional user information to the third party service provider.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired service is mutually authenticated with the user based on the user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service and if the desired service is not authenticated, the request to initiate a communication channel is rejected and the user is notified.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider is a Multi-language Call Center.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider is a VoIP service provider.

11. A method for identifying and collecting contextual information relating to a service over a digital communication channel between a client and a service provider, comprising:

obtaining, from a user of a packet-switched network, contextual data packets having a predetermined arrangement for providing a set of client'"'"'s contextual information relating to a request for a desired service and to a request to establish a communication channel;

wherein the contextual data packets identify at least one structural hierarchy that is defined for the transmission of contextual information between voice-over-IP clients;

wherein the contextual data packets and conversation data packets are transmitted over a same communication channel during a voice-over IP call;

wherein a payload identifier distinguishes the conversation data packets from the contextual data packets;

identifying at least one service by processing the obtained contextual data packets having a predetermined arrangement for providing the set of client'"'"'s contextual information relating to the request for the desired service;

identifying a set of contextual information needed to provide the at least one service;

selecting an information providing party for obtaining the identified set of contextual information relating to the request for the desired service and obtaining the identified set of contextual information relating to the request for the desired service from the information providing party over the packet-switched network;

generating integrated client'"'"'s contextual information needed to provide the desired service by combing the set of client'"'"'s contextual information needed to provide the desired service obtained from the client over the packet-switched network and the set of client'"'"'s contextual information needed to provide the desired service obtained from the information providing party over the packet-switched network; and

associating the integrated client'"'"'s contextual information with the at least one service.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identified set of information includes client preferences relating to the at least one service.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the identified set of information includes client specified rules relating to the at least one service.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the identified set of information includes information relating to previous communications with the client.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the identified set of contextual information relating to the request for the desired service includes filtering the client contextual information relating to the request for the desired service which is collected via user interfaces displayed on VoIP client devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a set of provider contextual information relating to the request for the desired service and corresponding to the user interfaces is provided to the client.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the integrated client'"'"'s contextual information relating to the request for the desired service is reused for providing associated services for the client.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for collecting contextual information over a digital communication channel between a user and a service provider, comprising:

an interface component for identifying contextual data packets having a predetermined arrangement for providing user contextual information needed by a service provider to provide a service requested by the user over a packet-switched network, wherein the contextual data packets identify at least one structural hierarchy that is defined for the transmission of contextual information between voice-over-IP clients;

wherein the contextual data packets and conversation data packets are transmitted over a same communication channel during a voice-over IP call;

wherein a payload identifier distinguishes the conversation data packets from the contextual data packets;

determining an information providing party for obtaining the identified user contextual information needed by a service provider to provide the request for the desired service, and obtaining the identified user contextual information needed by a service provider to provide the request for the desired service from the determined information providing party over the packet-switched network;

a routing component for determining a responding party for the user request and forwarding over the packet-switched network the obtained contextual data packets having a predetermined arrangement for providing user contextual information needed by the service provider to provide the desired service to the responding party; and

wherein the interface component transmits a request over the packet-switched network for obtaining the identified contextual data packets having a predetermined arrangement for providing user contextual information needed by the service provider to provide the desired service to the determined information providing party over the packet-switched network.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the interface component detects and obtains changes in user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the routing component selects another responding party if the changes in user contextual information relating to the request for the desired service indicate undesirability of the responding party currently communicating with the user.