Methods, systems, and products for searching interactive menu prompting systems

• US 10,489,397 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Application Number:
  US14/211,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 707736, 707758, 707781, 707791, 707802, 705 37, 715700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products generate searchable listings of interactive voice response menus. A central database maps each searchable listing to its corresponding server address. As there may be thousands or millions of searchable listings, the central database provides an efficient mechanism for quickly finding a desired menu.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a server, an electronic query specifying a communications address as a search term;

querying, by the server, an electronic database for the communications address specified by the electronic query, the electronic database electronically associating webpages converted from interactive voice response (IVR) menus of prompts and search terms including the communications address specified by the electronic query;

identifying, by the server, a hierarchical branch associated with a webpage of the webpages converted from the IVR menus of prompts that is electronically associated with the communications address specified by the electronic query;

identifying, by the server, a tag that is included in the IVR menus of prompts and electronically associated with the hierarchical branch associated with the webpage, wherein the tag is converted and included in a converted searchable list;

identifying, by the server, a quick code of sequential IVR inputs that is electronically associated with the hierarchical branch; and

sending, by the server, the tag and the quick code as a response to the electronic query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a telephone number as the search term specified by the electronic query.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising navigating to the hierarchical branch.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a categorical description associated with the hierarchical branch.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sending the categorical description as the response to the electronic query.

6. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device, the memory device storing code, the code when executed causing the hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving an electronic query specifying a communications address as a search term;

querying an electronic database for the communications address specified by the electronic query, the electronic database electronically associating webpages converted from interactive voice response (IVR) menus of prompts to search terms including the communications address specified by the electronic query;

identifying a webpage of the webpages in the electronic database that is electronically associated with the communications address specified by the electronic query;

identifying an IVR menu of prompts of the IVR menus of prompts converted to the webpage that is electronically associated with the communications address specified by the electronic query;

determining a hierarchical branch within the IVR menu of prompts containing the communications address;

identifying a categorical tag that is included within the IVR menu of prompts and that is assigned to the hierarchical branch within the IVR menu of prompts, wherein the categorical tag is converted and included in a converted searchable list;

retrieving a quick code of sequential IVR inputs in the electronic database that is electronically associated with the hierarchical branch; and

sending the categorical tag and the quick code as a response to the electronic query.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a categorical description associated with the hierarchical branch.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise sending the categorical description as the response to the electronic query.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise identifying a server that stores the IVR menu of prompts.

10. A memory device storing code that when executed causes a hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving an electronic query specifying a communications address as a search term;

querying an electronic database for the communications address specified by the electronic query, the electronic database electronically associating webpages converted from interactive voice response (IVR) menus of prompts to search terms including the communications address specified by the electronic query

identifying a webpage of the webpages in the electronic database that is electronically associated with the communications address specified by the electronic query;

identifying an IVR menu of prompts of the IVR menus of prompts converted to the webpage that is electronically associated with the communications address specified by the electronic query;

determining a hierarchical branch within the IVR menu of prompts that contains the communications address;

retrieving a categorical tag that is included within the IVR menu of prompts and that is assigned to the hierarchical branch within the IVR menu of prompts, wherein the categorical tag is converted and included in a converted searchable list;

retrieving a quick code that identifies sequential IVR inputs to the hierarchical branch within the IVR menu of prompts;

sending the categorical tag and the quick code as a query response to the electronic query specifying the communications address;

receiving a call to the IVR menu of prompts;

receiving the quick code during the call as the sequential IVR inputs to the IVR menu of prompts; and

navigating within the IVR menu of prompts to the hierarchical branch represented by the quick code.

11. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise sending a categorical description that is associated with the hierarchical branch.

12. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a sub-categorical description associated with the hierarchical branch.

13. The memory device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise sending the sub-categorical description.

14. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise identifying a server that stores the IVR menu of prompts.