Methods and systems for assisting scheduling with automation

• US 20040267585A1
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koch, Robert A., Anderson, Dave
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and systems provide scheduling assistance with automation. A party requesting scheduling can make the request to the automated system in various ways such as a voiced call to a voice services node, an email or instant message over the Internet, or a wireless data message from a wireless device. Request data based on the communication from the requesting party is compared to schedule data, such as by querying a database containing the schedule data. If the request data is compatible with the schedule data such that the request can be accommodated, then the schedule data is altered according to the request data to reflect the new scheduling. A notification may then be sent to the requesting party and/or the scheduling party owning the schedule to confirm the scheduling. For example, a voice services node may provide a verbal confirmation to the requesting party over the voiced call, or an email, instant message, or wireless data message may be sent to the requesting party. Likewise, an email, instant message, or a wireless data message may be sent to the scheduling party and/or a web site viewable by the scheduling party may display the updated schedule.

Claims

1. A method of assisting scheduling with automation, comprising:

receiving a verbal scheduling request from a customer at a voice services node;

formulating a query to a schedule database based on the received verbal scheduling request to determine whether the request is compatible with a current schedule of the schedule database;

when the request is compatible with the current schedule, altering the current schedule of the schedule database based on the scheduling request; and

generating a notification signal of the alteration to the current schedule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpreting the verbal schedule request to produce request data that is included in the query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the voiced call is a voice-over-IP call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the voiced call is received over a public switched telephone network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a scheduling request signal comprises receiving a wireless data transmission from a wireless device in use by the customer and extracting request data from the verbal scheduling request of the wireless data transmission, and wherein the request data is included in the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a confirmation provided to the customer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the confirmation is a verbal confirmation provided from a voice services node.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the confirmation is an email provided to the customer over the Internet in addition to the verbal confirmation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the confirmation is a wireless data message provided to a wireless device of the customer in addition to the verbal confirmation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a confirmation provided to the schedule owner.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the confirmation is a web site displaying the current schedule.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the confirmation is a wireless data message provided to a wireless device of the schedule owner.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein formulating a query comprises accessing a profile for the customer from a profile database to determine preferences for the customer and including the preferences in the query to determine whether the request is compatible with the current schedule.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the current schedule comprises accessing a profile for the customer from a profile database to determine preferences for the customer and including the preferences in the alteration to the current schedule.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification signal comprises a confirmation provided to the customer by providing a verbal notice from a voice services node and by providing an electronically delivered non-verbal message.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a scheduling update signal from a schedule owner at a node of the communications network, the scheduling update signal providing an indication of availability for the current schedule stored in the schedule database; and

formulating a command to the schedule database based on the received scheduling update signal to update the availability, wherein the update to the current schedule is considered when determining whether the request is compatible.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of availability specifies capacity.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of availability specifies an accepted schedule request decreasing remaining capacity.

19. A method of assisting scheduling with automation utilizing verbal communication, comprising:

receiving a set of verbal answers for a schedule request from a customer at a voice services node;

interpreting the set of verbal answers to produce request data;

comparing the request data to schedule data of a current schedule to determine whether the schedule request is compatible with the current schedule; and

when the request is compatible with the current schedule, then adapting the schedule data of the current schedule based on the request data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a set of verbal questions for a schedule request from the voice services node to the customer, wherein the set of verbal questions includes a question about a business name of interest to the customer.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a set of verbal questions for a schedule request from the voice services node to the customer, wherein the set of verbal questions includes a question about a date and time of day to schedule.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a set of verbal questions for a schedule request from the voice services node to the customer, wherein the set of verbal questions includes questions about customer preferences.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining preferences of the customer from the request data to produce preference data; and

storing the preference data of the customer in a profile database.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

accessing the profile database storing preference data of the customer; and

when comparing the request data to schedule data, also comparing preference data to the schedule data to further determine whether the schedule request is compatible with the current schedule.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the customer places a voiced call to the voice services node, wherein storing the preference data comprises mapping an identifier of the voiced call from the customer to the location of the customer profile data containing the stored preference data, and wherein accessing the profile database comprises upon subsequent voiced calls having the electronic identifier to the voice services node, accessing the preference data for the customer based on the identifier.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the customer provides a verbal customer identification as a verbal answer to the voice services node and wherein the verbal customer identification is interpreted to produce customer identification data, and wherein mapping the identifier of the voiced call further comprises mapping the customer identification data to the location of the customer profile data containing the stored preference data.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein a verbal answer is a business name and wherein the preferences are stored according to business name data interpreted from the verbal answer, the method further comprising upon subsequent voiced calls between the voice services node and the customer, receiving a business name as a verbal answer from the customer, interpreting the verbal answer to produce business name data, and accessing the preferences for the business name data.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating confirmation data;

converting the confirmation data to a verbal confirmation; and

providing the verbal confirmation from the voice services node to the customer.

29. A system for assisting scheduling with automation, comprising:

a voice services node that receives a verbal scheduling request from a customer over a voiced call and provides scheduling request data for the verbal scheduling request;

a scheduling database containing data for a current schedule;

a network-based computer-implemented scheduling application that receives the scheduling request data from the voice services node, that compares the scheduling request data to the data for the current schedule to determine whether a scheduling request of the scheduling request signal is compatible with the current schedule, and that adapts the data for the current schedule based on the scheduling request data when the scheduling request is compatible with the current schedule.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the node is a voice services node that receives the scheduling request signal as a verbal request from the customer over a voiced call to the voice services node, and wherein the voice services node interprets the verbal request to produce the request data for the scheduling request signal.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the voiced call is over a public switched telephone network.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the node receives the scheduling request signal as a wireless data transmission from a wireless device in use by the customer and extracts request data from the verbal scheduling request of the wireless data transmission.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the network-based computer-implemented application also generates a confirmation that is provided to the customer as a verbal confirmation provided from a voice services node.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer-implemented application also generates a confirmation that is provided to the customer as a data message sent over a data network in addition to the verbal confirmation.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer-implemented application also generates a confirmation that is provided to the customer as a fax message provided to a in addition to the verbal confirmation.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer-implemented application also generates a confirmation that is provided to a schedule owner as a web site displaying the current schedule.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer-implemented application also generates a confirmation that is provided to a schedule owner as a wireless data message provided to a wireless device.

38. A system for assisting scheduling with automation utilizing verbal communication, comprising:

a voice services node that converts question data to provide a set of verbal questions for a schedule request to a customer, that receives a set of verbal answers from the customer, and converts the set of verbal answers into request data;

a schedule database containing schedule data for a current schedule; and

a network-based computer-implemented application that provides question data to the voice services node, receives the request data from the voice services node, compares the request data to the schedule data for the current schedule, and adapts the schedule data according to the request data when the request data is compatible with the schedule data.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the set of verbal questions includes a question about a business name of interest to the customer.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the set of verbal questions includes a question about a date and time of day to schedule.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the set of verbal questions includes questions about customer preferences.

42. The system of claim 38, further comprising a profile database, wherein the network-based computer-implemented application also determines preferences of the customer from the request data to produce preference data, and stores the preference data of the customer in the profile database.

43. The system of claim 38, wherein the network-based computer-implemented application generates confirmation data upon adapting the schedule data, and wherein the voice services node converts the confirmation data to a verbal confirmation and provides the verbal confirmation to the customer.

44. A method of assisting scheduling with automation, comprising:

receiving a verbal scheduling request from a customer at a voice services node over a voiced call;

formulating a query to a schedule database based on the received verbal scheduling request, wherein the schedule database maintains a current schedule for multiple businesses and the query is formulated to determine which of the multiple businesses have a current schedule compatible with the scheduling request; and

generating a first notification of the result of the query to provide an indication to the customer of which businesses have a current schedule that is compatible with the schedule request.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

receiving a second verbal scheduling request from the customer at the voice services node over the voice call, wherein the second verbal scheduling request specifies a selected business from the set of business provided in the first notification that have a current schedule that is compatible with the schedule request;

formulating a query to the schedule database based on the received second verbal scheduling request to alter the current schedule of the selected business according to the scheduling request; and

generating a second notification of the alteration to the current schedule.