Systems and methods for visual presentation and selection of IVR menu

• US 9,001,819 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tal Lavian, Zvi Or-Bach
• Original Assignee: Tal Lavian, Zvi Or-Bach
• Inventors: Or-Bach, Zvi, Lavian, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): NG, CHRISTINE Y
• Application Number:
  US12/707,714
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide an enhanced telephone system. The telephone system comprises means for comparing a dialed phone number to a database and displaying a menu comprising menu options based on the comparison. The telephone system also comprises a touch sensitive screen. The touch screen provides activation of the menu options by touch.

Claims

1. An enhanced telephone system, for interaction with interactive voice response system, comprising:

means for accessing a database for comparing a dialed phone number to a plurality of phone numbers present in the database, and retrieving an interactive voice response menu associated with said phone number, wherein the database is not an IVR service provider database, the database containing information of multiple IVR service providers databases associated by their phone numbers;

means for reformatting said interactive voice response menu into a standard menu, and displaying said standard menu in a visual interactive voice response menu,

wherein said interactive voice response menu corresponds to a specific service provider and said standard menu is different from said interactive voice response menu, and

wherein said standard menu represents a group of menus corresponding to a plurality of IVR providers related to a single business class;

means for displaying said visual interactive voice response menu on a touch sensitive screen, wherein the visual interactive voice response menu comprising one or more interactive voice response menu options,

wherein said visual interactive voice response menu is displayed before establishing a connection with a destination of the dialed phone number, and

wherein the touch sensitive screen configured to provide activation of at least one of said interactive voice response menu options by touch, and wherein said touch represents a choice of a user; and

means for storing said choice made by said user corresponding to said interactive voice response menu options for assisting said user in future calls.

2. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response menu comprises an icon for at least one of said interactive voice response menu options.

3. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response menu comprises graphical representation of one or more audible interactive voice response menus associated with the dialed phone number.

4. The telephone system of claim 1 further comprising dialing a phone number through a PSTN phone network and establishing a connection to the internet through an Internet data network.

5. The telephone system of claim 1 further comprising means for advancing the displayed interactive voice response menu based on selection of said interactive voice response menu options.

6. The telephone system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for detecting that a connection is established to said dialed phone number; and

means for storing one or more numbers dialed after said connection is established.

7. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the telephone system also comprising means for transmitting one or more stored voice responses.

8. A VOIP equipped computer system for interaction with interactive voice response system comprising:

means for identifying generation of a VOIP call to a dialed phone number;

means for accessing a database and comparing the dialed phone number to a plurality of phone numbers present in the database, wherein the database is not an IVR service provider database, the database containing information of multiple service providers databases associated by their phone numbers;

means for displaying a visual interactive voice response menu, comprising one or more menu options, based on the comparison;

wherein the visual interactive voice response menu is displayed before establishing a connection with a destination of the dialed phone number, and wherein the visual interactive voice response menu is selected from a set of different menus to represent the right menu based on the time of the day;

means for enabling a user to select at least one of said one or more menu options; and

means for storing said user'"'"'s selection for assisting said user in future VOIP calls.

9. The computers system of claim 8 further comprising a touch sensitive screen configured to provide activation of at least one of said menu options by touch.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the menu comprises an icon for at least one of said menu options.

11. The computer system of claim 8 further comprising means for transmitting one or more stored voice responses.

12. The computer system of claim 8 further comprising means for advancing the displayed menu based on selection of said menu options.

13. The computer system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for detecting that a connection was made to said dialed phone number; and

means for storing one or more numbers dialed after said connection is made, wherein said storing associates said numbers with said dialed phone number.

14. A communication system, for interaction with interactive voice response system, comprising:

a telephone for generating a call to a dialed phone number;

a computer having a computer screen, wherein a visual interactive voice response menu comprising one or more menu options is displayed on said computer screen based on said dialed phone number, wherein said telephone is not directly connected to said computer, and wherein the visual interactive voice response menu is displayed before establishing a connection with a destination of the dialed phone number;

means for presenting the visual interactive voice response menu in a different language from the original interactive voice response system;

means for enabling a user to select at least one menu option from said one or more menu options, wherein selection of said at least one menu option represents a user'"'"'s choice; and

means for storing said user'"'"'s choice for assisting said user in future calls.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein said computer screen is a touch screen.

16. The communication system of claim 14, wherein said menu comprises at least one icon.

17. The communication system of claim 14 further comprising means for transmitting one or more stored voice responses.

18. The communication system of claim 14 further comprising means for advancing the displayed menu based on selection of said menu options.

19. The communication system of claim 14 further comprising means for storing numbers dialed after said call is generated.

20. The communication system of claim 14 further comprising means for presenting a standard menu as a visual interactive voice response menu, wherein the standard menu represents a group of menus corresponding to a plurality of IVR providers related to a single business class.