Announcement system and method of use

• US 20060018443A1
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Knott, Benjamin Anthony, Bushey, Robert R., Martin, John Mills, Joseph, Kurt M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.160
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• 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: Y10S 379/917 Voice menus

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a system including a factor engine, an audio clip sequencing engine and an announcement engine. The factor engine is configured to identify an ordered set of menu options based on a plurality of weighted factors. The audio clip sequencing engine is responsive to the factor engine and is configured to generate an ordered sequence of audio clips based on the ordered set of menu options. The announcement engine is responsive to the audio clip sequencing engine and is configured to play the ordered sequence of audio clips.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a factor engine configured to identify an ordered set of menu options based on a plurality of weighted factors;

an audio clip sequencing engine responsive to the factor engine and configured to generate an ordered sequence of audio clips based on the ordered set of menu options; and

an announcement engine responsive to the audio clip sequencing engine and configured to play the ordered sequence of audio clips in the order of the ordered sequence.

2. The system of claim 1, a call reception module configured to receive a call, the announcement engine responsive to the call reception module and configured to play the ordered sequence of audio clips in connection to the call.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a response engine configured to receive a user selection associated with at least one of the ordered set of menu options.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a call handling action system configured to perform a call handling action based on the user selection.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a factor table stored in a computer memory, the factor table accessible to the factor engine.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the factor table includes a set of weightings associated with a plurality of factors.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the factor table includes a menu option associated with each of the plurality of factors.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of factors are selected from the group consisting of a frequency of option selection, a region, a caller characteristic, a time based change in frequency, a marketing priority, and an exception condition.

9. A method of interacting with a caller, the method comprising:

receiving a call at an automated announcement unit;

determining an order of a set of menu options to generate an ordered set of menu options based on a plurality of weighted factors; and

generating an announcement with respect to the call at the automated announcement unit by playing an ordered sequence of audio clips, wherein the ordered sequence is based on the ordered set of menu options.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a user selection associated with one of the ordered set of menu options.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising performing a call handling action in response to the user selection.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising accessing a table of factor weightings to retrieve a plurality of weighted factors.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of weighted factors are selected from a group consisting of a frequency of option selection, a region, a caller characteristic, a time based change in frequency, a marketing priority, and an exception condition.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of weighted factors includes a frequency of option selection.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of weighted factors includes a geographic region identity.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein a first weight is applied to a first factor to produce a first weighted factor and a second weight is applied to a second factor to produce a second weighted factor and wherein the order of the ordered set of menu options is determined based on comparing the first weighted factor to the second weighted factor.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising associating a menu option with each factor of the plurality of weighted factors.

18. An announcement system comprising:

a memory including an ordered sequence of audio clips, the ordered sequence of audio clips including a first general clip and an ordered set of menu clips, wherein the order of the ordered set of menu clips is based on a plurality of weighted factors; and

an announcement engine configured to play an audio announcement derived from the ordered sequence of audio clips.

19. The announcement system of claim 18 further comprising a factor engine configured to determine the order of the ordered set of menu clips based on the plurality of weighted factors.

20. The announcement system of claim 19, wherein the factor engine is configured to associate a menu option with each factor of the plurality of weighted factors and to apply a weighting to each of the menu clips based on the associated factor.

21. The announcement system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of weighted factors are selected from a group consisting of a frequency of option selection, a region, a caller characteristic, a time based change in frequency, a marketing priority, and an exception condition.

22. A system for providing information to a caller over a telephone, the system comprising:

an interactive voice response unit operable to provide voice prompts to a caller and to accept caller input selected from the group consisting of voice utterances and tones; and

an audio menu module responsive to the interactive voice response unit, the audio menu module defining an ordered set of audio prompts for playback to the caller, wherein an order of the ordered set of audio prompts is based on a plurality of different weighted factors associated with a plurality of selectable user options.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the selectable user options corresponds to a different telephony service offering.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the telephony service offering is selected from a group consisting of long distance, Internet access, high-bandwidth data network access, cellular telephone service, and local telephony service features.

25. An announcement system having a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory comprising:

an audio menu, the audio menu including;

an opening statement voice prompt that requests a caller statement identifying a caller information; and

a plurality of menu option voice prompts, each of the plurality of menu option voice prompts to request a caller statement or a numeric selection to indicate a caller request to receive information associated with the respective menu option voice prompt;

wherein the plurality of menu option voice prompts are ordered in a playback sequence based on a plurality of weighted factors.

26. The announcement system of claim 25, wherein an ordered set of menu options is determined based on the plurality of weighted factors and wherein the playback sequence is ordered based on the ordered set of menu options.

27. The announcement system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of weighted factors are selected from a group consisting of a frequency of option selection, a region, a caller characteristic, a time based change in frequency, a marketing priority, and an exception condition.

28. The announcement system of claim 25, wherein weightings associated with the plurality of weighted factors are stored in the computer readable memory in a weighted factor table.

29. An interactive call handling system comprising:

a call reception module configured to receive an incoming call;

a factor engine responsive to the call reception module and configured to identify an ordered set of menu options based on a plurality of weighted factors;

an audio clip sequencing engine responsive to the factor engine and configured to generate an ordered sequence of audio clips corresponding the ordered set of menu options;

an announcement engine responsive to the audio clip sequencing engine and responsive to the call reception module, the announcement engine configured to play the ordered sequence of audio clips in the order of the ordered sequence in response to the incoming call;

a response system responsive to the call reception module and configured to receive a caller selection from the incoming call, the caller selection selected from one of the ordered set of menu options; and

a call handling action system responsive to the response system and configured to perform a call handling action on behalf of the incoming call in response to the caller selection.