Rich media interactive voice response

• US 9,736,311 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rich Media Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rich Media Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Balthaser, Neil, Cronin, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US15/142,053
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8813
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

The systems and methods are directed towards embodiments for implementing an interactive voice response (IVR) system with the voicemail system. The combination of the two systems would allow the recipient to listen to a recorded voicemail message and receive associated IVR commands that can be provided by the sender. The IVR commands allow the sender to generate customized IVR commands that provides different types of rich media based information (e.g., hyperlinks, video files, audio files) based on the sender input. Other systems and methods are also directed towards embedding active content (i.e. rich media based content) into documents.

Claims

1. A method for incorporating an interactive voice response system with a voice mail system, the method comprising:

receiving a voicemail message generated by a sender for transmission to a recipient;

associating one or more interactive voice response system commands with the received voicemail message, each command corresponds to one or more rich media content files, wherein the rich media content files include at least one of hyperlinks, video files, text-based documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs, and wherein the one or more interactive voice response system commands and the one or more rich media content files are generated by the sender;

storing the received voice mail message, associated interactive voice response system commands, and corresponding rich media content files in memory, wherein the memory is associated with a voice mail system; and

generating an interactive voice response menu by a recipient device of the recipient based on detection of the interactive voice response system commands, wherein the generated menu is displayed on a screen of the recipient device when the recipient accesses the voicemail message, and wherein selection of one of the commands by the recipient instructs the voice mail system to transmit the corresponding rich media content file to the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive voice response system commands further includes standard commands.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rich media content files also includes audio files.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the rich media content included in the voicemail message to a destination specified by the recipient, the transmission occurring by e-mail or text message to a storage device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein execution of at least one of the interactive voice response system commands automatically opens a new browser window using the rich media content files associated with the voicemail message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission of the rich-media content is provided to the recipient at a location determined by the recipient.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the location determined by the recipient includes the recipient'"'"'s email address.

8. A system for incorporating an interactive voice response system with a voice mail system, the method comprising:

a sender device associated with a sender that generates a voicemail message for transmission to a recipient, the voice mail message transmitted to a voice mail system;

a voice mail system that;

receives the generated voicemail message from the sender device,

associates one or more interactive voice response system commands with the received voicemail message, each command corresponds to one or more rich media content files, wherein the rich media content files include at least one of hyperlinks, video files, text-based documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs, and wherein the one or more interactive voice response system commands and the one or more rich media content files are generated by the sender, and

stores the received voice mail message, associated interactive voice response system commands, and corresponding rich media content files in memory; and

a recipient device that generates an interactive voice response menu based on detection of the interactive voice response system commands, wherein the generated menu is display on a screen of the recipient device when the recipient accesses the voicemail message, and wherein selection of one of the commands by the recipient instructs the voice mail system to transmit the corresponding rich media content file to the recipient.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the interactive voice response system commands further includes standard commands.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the rich media content files also includes audio files.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the voice mail system further transmits the rich media content included in the voicemail message to a destination specified by the recipient, the transmission occurring by e-mail or text message to a storage device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein execution of at least one of the interactive voice response system commands at the recipient device automatically opens a new browser window using the rich media content files associated with the voicemail message.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission of the rich-media content is provided to the recipient at a location determined by the recipient.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the location determined by the recipient includes the recipient'"'"'s email address.

15. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for incorporating an interactive voice response system with a voice mail system, the method comprising:

receiving a voicemail message generated by a sender for transmission to a recipient;

associating one or more interactive voice response system commands with the received voicemail message, each command corresponds to one or more rich media content files, wherein the rich media content files include at least one of hyperlinks, video files, text-based documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs, and wherein the one or more interactive voice response system commands and the one or more rich media content files are generated by the sender;

storing the received voice mail message, associated interactive voice response system commands, and corresponding rich media content files in memory, wherein the memory is associated with a voice mail system; and

generating an interactive voice response menu by a recipient device of the recipient based on detection of the interactive voice response system commands, wherein the generated menu is displayed on a screen of the recipient device when the recipient accesses the voicemail message, and wherein selection of one of the commands by the recipient instructs the voice mail system to transmit the corresponding rich media content file to the recipient.