Phone service menus

• US 8,943,435 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berstis, Viktors, Gilzean, Candice B, Gaillard, Sonia M
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/861,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20130239064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A method for receiving from a customer, customer subscription data at a menu tree service center prior to receiving a customer request from the customer, wherein the customer subscription data comprises at least one linked customer number linked to a spoken word or phrase. The method sends a service provider request for the linked customer number to the customer via the menu tree service center. The method receives a verbal response from the customer at the menu tree service center, wherein the verbal response comprises the spoken word or phrase. The method retrieves the linked customer number from the menu tree service center server based on the verbal response. The method sends the linked customer number to the service provider.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a menu tree for display to a customer, the method comprising:

a programmed service receiving from a customer via a client computer, registration of customer subscription data to receive a menu tree from a service provider, wherein the customer subscription data comprises a customer number linked to a spoken word or spoken phrase; and

subsequently;

responsive to a first request by the customer via the client computer to receive a menu tree from the service provider, the programmed service sending a second request to the client computer for the customer number;

the programmed service receiving the spoken word or spoken phrase from the customer instead of the customer number and in response, the programmed service retrieving the customer number and sending the customer number to the service provider;

the programmed service receiving from the service provider a presentation of the menu tree to forward to the client computer in response to the first request;

determining one menu tree from a plurality of menu trees based on the first request, wherein each of the plurality of menu trees is associated with a different service provider;

determining at least a portion of the determined menu tree based on the first request, wherein the portion is further determined based on at least one of a customer menu tree navigation record and a predetermined menu tree provided to the programmed service by the service provider and stored at the programmed service;

sending the portion of the determined menu tree to the customer based on the portion;

receiving a response from the customer at the programmed service based on the portion; and

transmitting the response from the programmed service to the service provider.

2. The method of selecting a menu tree of claim 1, wherein the customer number and spoken word or spoken phrase is stored on a database at the programmed service.

3. The method of selecting a menu tree of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first request by the customer at the programmed service, the first request including a customer identification.

4. The method of selecting a menu tree of claim 1, wherein the programmed service receiving the spoken word or spoken phrase from the customer instead of the customer number, is via a microphone on the client computer.

5. A computer program product of selecting a menu tree for display to a customer, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code to receive from a customer via a client computer, registration of customer subscription data to receive a menu tree from a service provider, wherein the customer subscription data comprises a customer number linked to a spoken word or spoken phrase; and

subsequently;

computer readable program code to send a second request to the client computer for the customer number, responsive to a first request by the customer via the client computer to receive a menu tree from the service provider;

computer readable program code to receive the spoken word or spoken phrase from the customer instead of the customer number and in response, to retrieve the customer number and sending the customer number to the service provider; and

computer readable program code to receive from the service provider a presentation of the menu tree to forward to the client computer in response to the first request;

computer readable program code to determine one menu tree from a plurality of menu trees based on the first request, wherein each of the plurality of menu trees is associated with a different service provider;

computer readable program code to determine at least a portion of the determined menu tree based on the first request, wherein the portion is further determined based on at least one of a customer menu tree navigation record and a predetermined menu tree provided to the programmed service by the service provider and stored at the programmed service;

computer readable program code to send the portion of the determined menu tree to the customer based on the portion;

computer readable program code to receive a response from the customer at the programmed service based on the portion; and

computer readable program code to transmit the response from the programmed service to the service provider.

6. The computer program product of selecting a menu tree of claim 5, wherein the customer number and spoken word or spoken phrase is stored on a database at the programmed service.

7. The computer program product of selecting a menu tree of claim 5, further comprising:

computer readable program code to receive the first request by the customer at the programmed service, the first request including a customer identification.

8. The computer program product of selecting a menu tree of claim 5, wherein the computer readable program code to receive the spoken word or spoken phrase from the customer instead of the customer number, is via a microphone on the client computer.

9. A data processing system for selecting a menu tree for display to a customer, the data processing system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

computer usable code to receive from a customer via a client computer, registration of customer subscription data to receive a menu tree from a service provider, wherein the customer subscription data comprises a customer number linked to a spoken word or spoken phrase; and

subsequently;

send a second request to the client computer for the customer number, responsive to a first request by the customer via the client computer to receive a menu tree from the service provider;

receive the spoken word or spoken phrase from the customer instead of the customer number and in response, the programmed service retrieving the customer number and sending the customer number to the service provider;

receive from the service provider a presentation of the menu tree to forward to the client computer in response to the first request;

determine one menu tree from a plurality of menu trees based on the first request, wherein each of the plurality of menu trees is associated with a different service provider;

determine at least a portion of the determined menu tree based on the first request, wherein the portion is further determined based on at least one of a customer menu tree navigation record and a predetermined menu tree provided to the programmed service by the service provider and stored at the programmed service;

send the portion of the determined menu tree to the customer based on the portion;

receive a response from the customer at the programmed service based on the portion; and

transmit the response from the programmed service to the service provider.

10. The data processing system of selecting a menu tree of claim 9, wherein the customer number and spoken word or spoken phrase is stored on a database at the programmed service.

11. The data processing system of selecting a menu tree of claim 9, wherein the program instructions further comprise computer usable code to receive the first request by the customer at the programmed service, the first request including a customer identification.

12. The data processing system of selecting a menu tree of claim 9, wherein the computer usable code to receive the spoken word or spoken phrase from the customer instead of the customer number, is via a microphone on the client computer.