Dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response systems

• US 8,229,081 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agapi, Ciprian, Bodin, William K., Cross, Charles W. Jr., Wang, Fang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US12/109,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.16, 379/88.01, 379/265.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.04
• 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

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response (‘IVR’) systems through an IVR directory service that include: providing a description of a web services publication interface for the IVR directory service; receiving, on behalf of one or more IVR systems, web services publication requests through the publication interface; determining, in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication; adding the directory information for each IVR system to an IVR system directory; generating a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory; and interacting, using the voice mode user interface, with a caller to identify a particular IVR system in dependence upon the IVR system directory and query information provided by the caller and to connect the caller with the identified IVR system.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response ('"'"'IVR'"'"') systems, the method comprising:

providing, by an IVR directory service, a description of a web services publication interface for the IVR directory service;

receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one or more IVR systems requesting publication, web services publication requests through the web services publication interface for the IVR directory service;

determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication;

adding, by the IVR directory service, the directory information for each IVR system to an IVR system directory;

generating, by the IVR directory service, a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory, the generating including creating one more voice dialogs in accordance with the directory information, the one or more voice dialogs specifying a call flow defining the interaction between a caller and the IVR directory service; and

interacting, by the IVR directory service using the voice mode user interface, with the caller to identify a particular IVR system in dependence upon the IVR system directory and query information provided by the caller and to connect the caller with the identified IVR system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication further comprises retrieving the directory information for each IVR system from the web services publication requests.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication further comprises performing a web services exchange with each IVR system requesting publication to obtain the directory information for each IVR system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating, by the IVR directory service, a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory further comprises creating one or more IVR grammars in dependence upon the directory information in the IVR system directory.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one of the IVR systems, a web services update request;

determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services update request, updated directory information for the IVR system;

updating, by the IVR directory service, the IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system; and

generating, by the IVR directory service, an updated voice mode user interface to reflect the updated IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system.

6. Apparatus for dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response ('"'"'IVR'"'"') systems, the apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

providing, by an IVR directory service, a description of a web services publication interface for the IVR directory service;

receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one or more IVR systems requesting publication, web services publication requests through the web services publication interface for the IVR directory service;

determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication;

adding, by the IVR directory service, the directory information for each IVR system to an IVR system directory;

generating, by the IVR directory service, a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory, the generating including creating one more voice dialogs in accordance with the directory information, the one or more voice dialogs specifying a call flow defining the interaction between a caller and the IVR directory service; and

interacting, by the IVR directory service using the voice mode user interface, with the caller to identify a particular IVR system in dependence upon the IVR system directory and query information provided by the caller and to connect the caller with the identified IVR system.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication further comprises retrieving the directory information for each IVR system from the web services publication requests.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication further comprises performing a web services exchange with each IVR system requesting publication to obtain the directory information for each IVR system.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein generating, by the IVR directory service, a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory further comprises creating one or more IVR grammars in dependence upon the directory information in the IVR system directory.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the computer memory has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one of the IVR systems, a web services update request;

determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services update request, updated directory information for the IVR system;

updating, by the IVR directory service, the IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system; and

generating, by the IVR directory service, an updated voice mode user interface to reflect the updated IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system.

11. A computer program product for dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response ('"'"'IVR'"'"') systems, the computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

providing, by an IVR directory service, a description of a web services publication interface for the IVR directory service;

receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one or more IVR systems requesting publication, web services publication requests through the web services publication interface for the IVR directory service;

determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication;

adding, by the IVR directory service, the directory information for each IVR system to an IVR system directory;

generating, by the IVR directory service, a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory, the generating including creating one more voice dialogs in accordance with the directory information, the one or more voice dialogs specifying a call flow defining the interaction between a caller and the IVR directory service; and

interacting, by the IVR directory service using the voice mode user interface, with the caller to identify a particular IVR system in dependence upon the IVR system directory and query information provided by the caller and to connect the caller with the identified IVR system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication further comprises retrieving the directory information for each IVR system from the web services publication requests.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication further comprises performing a web services exchange with each IVR system requesting publication to obtain the directory information for each IVR system.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein generating, by the IVR directory service, a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory further comprises creating one or more IVR grammars in dependence upon the directory information in the IVR system directory.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one of the IVR systems, a web services update request;

determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services update request, updated directory information for the IVR system;

updating, by the IVR directory service, the IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system; and

generating, by the IVR directory service, an updated voice mode user interface to reflect the updated IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a recordable medium.