Preloading contextual information for applications using a conversation assistant

• US 8,953,757 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Angel.com, Inc. (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bouzid, Ahmed Tewfik, Rennyson, David James, Saylor, Michael Jerry, Dulam, Ashwini Swaroop Reddy, Hotz, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US13/731,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20140037075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.13, 379/88.18
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Usage data associated with a user of a telephonic device is accessed by a remote learning engine. A service or a product is identified by the remote learning engine based on the accessed usage data. A recommended voice bundle application is determined by the remote learning engine. A recommendation associated with the recommended voice bundle application is transmitted to the telephonic device. The recommendation is presented to the user through voice communications. One or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application is collected by the telephonic device. The user through voice communications has accepted the recommendation determining is determined. In response to determining that the user has accepted the recommendation, the one or more input parameters to the recommended voice bundle application are loaded by the telephonic device, and the recommended voice bundle application is executed by the telephonic device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, by a remote learning engine, usage data associated with a user of a telephonic device;

identifying, by the remote learning engine based on the accessed usage data, a service or a product that is likely to be of interest to the user;

determining, by the remote learning engine based on the accessed usage data, a recommended voice bundle application for the user, wherein the recommended voice bundle application includes a call flow having a first sequence of prompts and grammars, and wherein when the call flow is executed by the telephonic device, a simulated multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user is initiated to enable the user to receive the identified service or the identified product;

transmitting a recommendation associated with the recommended voice bundle application from the remote learning engine to the telephonic device;

presenting through voice communications, by the telephonic device to the user, the recommendation;

collecting, by the telephonic device, one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application;

determining, by the telephonic device, that the user through voice communications has accepted the recommendation; and

in response to determining that the user has accepted the recommendation;

(i) modifying, by the telephonic device and based on the one or more input parameters, the call flow of the recommended voice bundle application to generate a modified call flow having a second sequence of prompts and grammars that is different from the first sequence of prompts and grammars, and

(ii) executing, by the telephonic device, the modified call flow of the recommended voice bundle application on the telephonic device.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the recommended voice bundle application comprises a software application that includes instructions executable by the telephonic device to perform the call flow, and

wherein the first sequence of prompts and grammars include at least two prompt instructions and at least two grammar instructions executable to result in the simulated multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user, each of the at least two prompt instructions being executable to ask for information from the user and each of the at least two grammar instructions being executable to interpret information spoken to the telephonic device by the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the at least two prompt instructions is executable by the telephonic device to ask for information from the user and each of the at least two grammar instructions is executable by the telephonic device to interpret information spoken to the telephonic device by the user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the call flow is modified such that at least one prompt instruction of the call flow is bypassed when performing the call flow associated with the recommended voice bundle application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the usage data associated with the user in response to determining that the user has accepted the recommendation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the user has accepted the recommendation, determining that the recommended voice bundle application is not installed on the telephonic device; and

transmitting, from the remote learning engine to the telephonic device, the recommended voice bundle application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing usage data further comprises accessing usage data of one or more applications or usage data of one or more voice bundle applications installed on the telephonic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the remote learning engine, the recommended voice bundle application comprises determining the recommended voice bundle application based on the service or the product identified as being likely to be of interest to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is a communication that recommends to the user that the user authorize a a launching of the voice bundle application to facilitate an acquisition of the identified product or the identified service by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a recommendation comprises transmitting a signal that, when received by the telephonic device, initiates a communication to the user that audibly or visually presents the recommendation to the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication occurs through execution of an initial call flow performed by the telephonic device to simulate an initial multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user that audibly presents the recommendation to the user, that solicits user acceptance or rejection of the recommendation, and that, conditioned on the user accepting the recommendation, is then followed by performance, by the telephonic device, of the call flow associated with the recommended voice bundle application to enable the user to receive the identified service or the identified product.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication occurs by visually displaying text to the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the text is displayed during performance of an initial call flow by the telephonic device to simulate an initial multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user that is distinct from the simulated multi-step spoken conversation corresponding to the recommended voice bundle application.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application are provided by the user to the telephonic device during the communication.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application comprises collecting, by the telephonic device, the one or more input parameters from usage data of one or more applications or usage data of one or more voice bundle applications on the telephonic device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein loading the one or more input parameters to the recommended voice bundle application includes modifying the call flow associated with the recommended voice bundle application.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommended voice bundle application is implemented using State Chart Extensible Markup Language (SCXML).

18. A system comprising:

a usage data store configured to store usage information;

a learning engine including one or more computer processors, the learning engine configured to;

access usage information associated with a user of a telephonic device from the usage data store,

identify a service or a product that is likely to be of interest to the user based on the accessed usage information,

determine a recommended voice bundle application based on the accessed usage information for the user, wherein the recommended voice bundle application includes a call flow having a first sequence of prompts and grammars, and wherein when the call flow is executed by the telephonic device, a simulated multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user is initiated to enable the user to receive the identified service or the identified product, and

transmit a recommendation associated with the recommended voice bundle application to the telephonic device;

a voice bundle application data store for storing a plurality of voice bundle applications including the recommended voice bundle application; and

a recommendation engine executable by the telephonic device, the recommendation engine configured to;

receive the recommendation from the learning engine;

present through voice communications to the user, the recommendation;

collect one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application;

determine that the user through voice communications has accepted the recommendation; and

in response to determining that the user has accepted the recommendation;

(i) modify, based on the one or more input parameters, the call flow of the recommended voice bundle application to generate a modified call flow having a second sequence of prompts and grammars that is different from the first sequence of prompts and grammars, and

(ii) execute the modified call flow of the recommended voice bundle application on the telephonic device.

19. The system of claim 18,

wherein the recommended voice bundle application comprises a software application that includes instructions executable by the telephonic device to perform the call flow, and

wherein the first sequence of prompts and grammars include at least two prompt instructions and at least two grammar instructions executable to result in the simulated multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user, each of the at least two prompt instructions being executable to ask for information from the user and each of the at least two grammar instructions being executable to interpret information spoken to the telephonic device by the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the at least two prompt instructions is executable by the telephonic device to ask for information from the user and each of the at least two grammar instructions is executable by the telephonic device to interpret information spoken to the telephonic device by the user.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the call flow is modified such that at least one prompt instruction of the call flow is bypassed when performing the call flow associated with the recommended voice bundle application.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein determining, by the learning engine, the recommended voice bundle application comprises determining the recommended voice bundle application based on the service or the product identified as being likely to be of interest to the user.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein transmitting a recommendation comprises transmitting a signal that, when received by the telephonic device, initiates a communication to the user that audibly or visually presents the recommendation to the user.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the communication occurs through execution of an initial call flow performed by the telephonic device to simulate an initial multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user that audibly presents the recommendation to the user, that solicits user acceptance or rejection of the recommendation, and that, conditioned on the user accepting the recommendation, is then followed by performance, by the telephonic device, of the call flow associated with the recommended voice bundle application to enable the user to receive the identified service or the identified product.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application are provided by the user to the telephonic device during the communication.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein collecting one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application comprises collecting the one or more input parameters from usage data of one or more applications or usage data of one or more voice bundle applications on the telephonic device.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein loading the one or more input parameters to the recommended voice bundle application includes modifying the call flow associated with the recommended voice bundle application.

28. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a recommendation associated with an identified service or an identified product from a remote learning engine, wherein the recommendation is associated with a recommended voice bundle application, and wherein the recommended voice bundle application includes a call flow having a first sequence of prompts and grammars, and wherein when executed by a telephonic device, a simulated multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and a user is initiated to enable the user to receive the identified service or the identified product;

presenting through voice communications to the user, the recommendation;

collecting one or more input parameters associated with the recommended voice bundle application;

determining that the user through voice communications has accepted the recommendation; and

in response to determining that the user has accepted the recommendation;

(i) modifying, based on the one or more input parameters, the call flow of the recommended voice bundle application to generate a modified call flow having a second sequence of prompts and grammars that is different from the first sequence of prompts and grammars, and

(ii) executing the modified call flow of the recommended voice bundle application.

29. The system of claim 28,

wherein the recommended voice bundle application comprises a software application that includes instructions executable by the telephonic device to perform the call flow, and

wherein the first sequence of prompts and grammars include at least two prompt instructions and at least two grammar instructions executable to result in the simulated multi-step spoken conversation between the telephonic device and the user, each of the at least two prompt instructions being executable to ask for information from the user and each of the at least two grammar instructions being executable to interpret information spoken to the telephonic device by the user.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein each of the at least two prompt instructions is executable by the telephonic device to ask for information from the user and each of the at least two grammar instructions is executable by the telephonic device to interpret information spoken to the telephonic device by the user.