Voice response unit shortcutting

• US 8,634,521 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grigsby, Travis M., Jania, Frank L., Miller, Steven M., Seacat, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/590,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20120314848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.29, 340/506, 348/14.07, 379/88.01, 379/88.03, 379/88.04, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/93.17, 379/100.01, 379/201.04, 379/266.01, 379/88.12, 379/93.26, 379/93.34, 379/201.12, 379/201.03, 379/265.13, 455/414.1, 455/445, 705/2
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

Call specific information input by a user and user information pre-stored in a database are mapped to a voice response unit (VRU) map associated with a targeted VRU. A call with the targeted VRU is initiated and the targeted VRU is navigated to an option associated with a user goal input by the user. The VRU map is displayed and progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU is displayed to the user during the call on the displayed VRU map as the VRU is navigated.

Claims

1. A system for providing voice response unit (VRU) shortcuts, comprising:

a data mapping system that maps call specific information input by a user and user information pre-stored in a database to a VRU map associated with a targeted VRU;

a VRU interface system that initiates a call with the targeted VRU and navigates the targeted VRU to an option associated with a user goal input by the user; and

a VRU map display that displays the VRU map and displays to the user progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU during the call on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

2. The system of claim 1, where:

the VRU map display further highlights an option associated with the user goal on the displayed VRU map; and

in displaying to the user the progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU during the call on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated, the VRU map display highlights a current location in a navigation path on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

3. The system of claim 1, where the data mapping system further:

determines a navigation path of the targeted VRU;

determines information usable to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU; and

maps the information usable to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU to the VRU map.

4. The system of claim 3, where, in navigating the targeted VRU to the option associated with the user goal input by the user, the VRU interface system presents the information usable to traverse the navigation path that is mapped to the VRU map to the targeted VRU to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU to the option associated with the user goal input by the user.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface system that receives the call specific information from the user to input to the targeted VRU during the navigation of the targeted VRU.

6. The system of claim 1, where the VRU interface system enters the call specific information mapped to the VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a user interface system; and

where, in response to the VRU interface system determining that additional information beyond the call specific information mapped to the VRU map is to be entered to the targeted VRU;

the user interface system prompts the user for the additional information; and

the VRU interface system enters the additional information to the targeted VRU.

8. A computer program product for providing voice response unit (VRU) shortcuts, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, where the computer readable program code when executed on a computer causes the computer to;

map call specific information input by a user and user information pre-stored in a database to a VRU map associated with a targeted VRU;

initiate a call with the targeted VRU and navigate the targeted VRU to an option associated with a user goal input by the user; and

display the VRU map and display to the user progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU during the call on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

highlight an option associated with the user goal on the displayed VRU map; and

in causing the computer to display to the user the progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU during the call on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated, the computer readable program code when executed on the computer causes the computer to highlight a current location in a navigation path on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

determine a navigation path of the targeted VRU;

determine information usable to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU; and

map the information usable to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU to the VRU map.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, where, in causing the computer to navigate the targeted VRU to the option associated with the user goal input by the user, the computer readable program code when executed on the computer causes the computer to present the information usable to traverse the navigation path that is mapped to the VRU map to the targeted VRU to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU to the option associated with the user goal input by the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to receive the call specific information from the user to input to the targeted VRU during the navigation of the targeted VRU.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, where the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to enter the call specific information mapped to the VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, where:

in response to determining that additional information beyond the call specific information mapped to the VRU map is to be entered to the targeted VRU, the computer readable program code when executed on the computer further causes the computer to;

prompt the user for the additional information; and

enter the additional information to the targeted VRU.

15. A method for providing voice response unit (VRU) shortcuts, comprising:

mapping call specific information input by a user and user information pre-stored in a database to a VRU map associated with a targeted VRU;

initiating a call with the targeted VRU and navigating the targeted VRU to an option associated with a user goal input by the user; and

displaying the VRU map and displaying to the user progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU on the displayed VRU map during the call as the targeted VRU is navigated.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

highlighting an option associated with the user goal on the displayed VRU map; and

where, displaying to the user the progress of the navigation of the targeted VRU during the call on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated comprises highlighting a current location in a navigation path on the displayed VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a navigation path of the targeted VRU;

determining information usable to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU; and

mapping the information usable to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU to the VRU map.

18. The method of claim 17, where navigating the targeted VRU to the option associated with the user goal input by the user comprises presenting the information usable to traverse the navigation path that is mapped to the VRU map to the targeted VRU to traverse the navigation path of the targeted VRU to the option associated with the user goal input by the user.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the call specific information from the user to input to the targeted VRU during the navigation of the targeted VRU.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising entering the call specific information mapped to the VRU map as the targeted VRU is navigated.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

in response to determining that additional information beyond the call specific information mapped to the VRU map is to be entered to the targeted VRU;

prompting the user for the additional information; and

entering the additional information to the targeted VRU.