Answering machine detection
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- receiving, from a first user, a first customization associating first values with a first subset of parameters, wherein the parameters are configured for determining whether a call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein the parameters are preconfigured with different sets of default values corresponding to different call types and the first customization customizes a set of default values corresponding to a first call type, and wherein the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values are stored in a non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the first user;
placing a first call to a first communications device, wherein the first call is associated with the first user;
receiving a first response to the first call from a first call recipient associated with the first communications device;
processing the first response based on the first subset of the parameters that are associated with the first values;
based on processing the received first response based on the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values, determining whether the first call recipient is a human or a machine;
handling the first call in a first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the first call in a second manner that is different from the first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a machine;
receiving, from a second user, a second customization associating second values with a second subset of the parameters, wherein the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values are stored in the non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the second user;
placing a second call to a second communications device, wherein the second call is associated with the second user;
receiving a second response to the second call from a second call recipient associated with the second communications device;
processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters that are associated with the second values;
based on processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values, determining whether the second call recipient is a human or a machine; and
handling the second call in a third manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the second call in a fourth manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a machine.
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Abstract
A call is placed to a communications device. A response to the call is received from a call recipient associated with the communications device. The received response is processed based on a set of parameters. Based on processing the received response, a determination is made whether the call recipient is a human or an answering machine. If the call recipient is determined to be a human, the call is handled in a first manner. If the call recipient is determined to be an answering machine, the call is handled in a second manner that is different from the first manner.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, from a first user, a first customization associating first values with a first subset of parameters, wherein the parameters are configured for determining whether a call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein the parameters are preconfigured with different sets of default values corresponding to different call types and the first customization customizes a set of default values corresponding to a first call type, and wherein the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values are stored in a non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the first user; placing a first call to a first communications device, wherein the first call is associated with the first user; receiving a first response to the first call from a first call recipient associated with the first communications device; processing the first response based on the first subset of the parameters that are associated with the first values; based on processing the received first response based on the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values, determining whether the first call recipient is a human or a machine; handling the first call in a first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the first call in a second manner that is different from the first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a machine; receiving, from a second user, a second customization associating second values with a second subset of the parameters, wherein the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values are stored in the non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the second user; placing a second call to a second communications device, wherein the second call is associated with the second user; receiving a second response to the second call from a second call recipient associated with the second communications device; processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters that are associated with the second values; based on processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values, determining whether the second call recipient is a human or a machine; and handling the second call in a third manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the second call in a fourth manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a machine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system comprising:
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one or more processors; and non-transitory machine-readable storage media in which are embedded instructions for execution by the one or more processors that are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising; receiving, from a first user, a first customization associating first values with a first subset of parameters, wherein the parameters are configured for determining whether a call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein the parameters are preconfigured with different sets of default values corresponding to different call types and the first customization customizes a set of default values corresponding to a first call type, and wherein the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values are stored in a non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the first user; placing a first call to a first communications device, wherein the first call is associated with the first user; receiving a first response to the first call from a first call recipient associated with the first communications device; processing the first response based on the first subset of the parameters that are associated with the first values; based on processing the received first response based on the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values, determining whether the first call recipient is a human or a machine; handling the first call in a first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the first call in a second manner that is different from the first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a machine; receiving, from a second user, a second customization associating second values with a second subset of the parameters, wherein the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values are stored in the non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the second user; placing a second call to a second communications device, wherein the second call is associated with the second user; receiving a second response to the second call from a second call recipient associated with the second communications device; processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters that are associated with the second values; based on processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values, determining whether the second call recipient is a human or a machine; and handling the second call in a third manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the second call in a fourth manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a machine. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A computer program product, embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers, which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
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receiving, from a first user, a first customization associating first values with a first subset of parameters, wherein the parameters are configured for determining whether a call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein the parameters are preconfigured with different sets of default values corresponding to different call types and the first customization customizes a set of default values corresponding to a first call type, and wherein the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values are stored in a non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the first user; placing a first call to a first communications device, wherein the first call is associated with the first user; receiving a first response to the first call from a first call recipient associated with the first communications device; processing the first response based on the first subset of the parameters that are associated with the first values; based on processing the received first response based on the first subset of the parameters with the associated first values, determining whether the first call recipient is a human or a machine; handling the first call in a first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the first call in a second manner that is different from the first manner if the first call recipient is determined to be a machine; receiving, from a second user, a second customization associating second values with a second subset of the parameters, wherein the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values are stored in the non-transitory data storage medium along with an association to the second user; placing a second call to a second communications device, wherein the second call is associated with the second user; receiving a second response to the second call from a second call recipient associated with the second communications device; processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters that are associated with the second values; based on processing the second response based on the second subset of the parameters with the associated second values, determining whether the second call recipient is a human or a machine; and handling the second call in a third manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the second call in a fourth manner if the second call recipient is determined to be a machine. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method comprising:
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receiving, from a first user, a first customization associating values with a first subset of parameters that are configured for determining whether a call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein the first subset includes a touch tone parameter that indicates that detection of a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tone in a call response results in determining that respective call recipient is a machine, wherein the parameters are preconfigured with different sets of default values corresponding to different call types and the first customization customizes a set of default values corresponding to a first call type, and wherein different users are enabled to customize values for different subsets of the parameters; placing a call to a communications device, wherein the call is associated with the first user; receiving a response to the call from a call recipient associated with the communications device; processing the received response based on the first subset of the parameters, wherein processing the received response based on the first subset of the parameters includes determining that the first user has selected the-touch tone parameter; upon determining that the first user has selected the touch tone parameter, checking whether the received response includes a DTMF tone; based on checking whether the received response includes the DTMF tone, determining whether the call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein determining whether the call recipient is a human or a machine comprises determining that the call recipient is a machine conditioned on detection of the DTMF tone in the received response; and handling the call in a first manner if the call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the call in a second manner that is different from the first manner if the call recipient is determined to be a machine.
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40. A method comprising:
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receiving, from a first user, a first customization associating values with a first subset of parameters that are configured for determining whether a call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein the first subset includes a silence parameter that indicates that, subsequent to speech being initially detected in a received response, detection of a silence in the received response having a duration longer than a predetermined threshold results in determining that respective call recipient is a human, wherein the parameters are preconfigured with different sets of default values corresponding to different call types and the first customization customizes a set of default values corresponding to a first call type, and wherein different users are enabled to customize values for different subsets of the parameters; placing a call to a communications device, wherein the call is associated with the first user; receiving a response to the call from a call recipient associated with the communications device; processing the received response based on the first subset of the parameters, wherein processing the received response based on the first subset of the parameters includes determining that the first user has selected the silence parameter; upon determining that the first user has selected the silence parameter, checking whether the received response includes silence subsequent to initial detection of speech in the received response; based on checking whether the received response includes silence subsequent to initial detection of speech in the received response, determining whether the call recipient is a human or a machine, wherein determining whether the call recipient is a human or a machine comprises determining that the call recipient is a human conditioned on detecting the silence in the received response subsequent to initial detection of speech in the received response; and handling the call in a first manner if the call recipient is determined to be a human, and handling the call in a second manner that is different from the first manner if the call recipient is determined to be a machine.
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Specification