System and method for speech-enabled call routing

• US 8,503,662 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Korth, Sarah, Bushey, Robert R., Knott, Benjamin Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US12/787,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20100232595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.07, 704/231, 704/251, 704/255, 704/257
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0204 using subband decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/265 Pre-filtering, e.g. high frequency emphasis prior to encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A method includes receiving speech of a call from a caller at a processor of a call routing system. The method includes using the processor to determine a first call destination for the call based on the speech. The method includes using the processor to determine whether the caller is in compliance with at least one business rule related to an account of the caller. The method includes routing the call to the first call destination when the caller is in compliance with the at least one business rule and routing the call to a second call destination when the caller is not in compliance with the at least one business rule.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving speech of a call from a caller at a processor;

using the processor to determine a first call destination for the call based on the speech;

using the processor to determine whether the caller is in compliance with a first business rule based on a comparison of a time period, to a threshold time period, wherein the time period is associated with a voice message box of the caller being full;

routing the call to the first call destination in response to the caller being in compliance with the first business rule; and

routing the call to a second call destination in response to the caller not being in compliance with the first business rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second call destination allows the caller to come into compliance with the first business rule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the call is a voice over internet protocol call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call destination comprises a technical support department.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call destination comprises support for new services.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller is not in compliance with the first business rule conditioned on the time period being at least as great as the threshold time period.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the threshold time period is two months.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising after the call is routed to the second call destination, routing the call from the second call destination to the first call destination in response to the caller being in compliance with a second business rule.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second business rule is related to an account status of the caller.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising routing the call from the second call destination to a third call destination in response to the caller not being in compliance with the second business rule.

11. A method comprising:

transforming speech of a call received from a caller into text using a processor;

converting the text into an object and an action using the processor;

determining a first call destination based on the object and the action;

determining whether the caller is in compliance with a first business rule based on a comparison of a time period to a threshold time period, wherein the time period is associated with a voice message box of the caller being full; and

routing the call to a second call destination in response to the caller not being in compliance with the first business rule.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising routing the call to the first call destination in response to the caller being in compliance with the first business rule.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the caller is in compliance with a second business rule after the caller comes into compliance with the first business rule and after routing the call to the second call destination; and

routing the call to the first call destination conditioned upon the caller being in compliance with the second business rule.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising setting a future routing to the first destination in response to the call being routed to the second destination.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a network interface to receive speech input of a call from a caller;

an action-object routing module executable by the processor to determine a first call destination based on the speech input; and

a business rule module executable by the processor, the business rule module operative to;

route the call to the first call destination in response to the caller being in compliance with a first business rule; and

route the call to a second call destination in response to the caller not being in compliance with the first business rule;

wherein a determination of whether the caller is in compliance with the first business rule is based on a comparison of a time period to a threshold time period, wherein the time period is associated with a voice message box of the caller being full.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second call destination is a call service department that facilitates compliance with the first business rule.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein conditioned on the call being routed to the second call destination, the business rule module is further executable by the processor to determine whether the caller is in compliance with a second business rule, and wherein the system routes the call from the second call destination to a third call destination in response to the caller not being in compliance with the second business rule.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the system routes the call from the second call destination to the first call destination in response to the caller being in compliance with the second business rule.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the call is received via a public telephone network.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the action-object routing module is configured to use a synonym table and a routing table.