Telephone/Transaction Entry Device and System for Entering Transaction Data into Databases

• US 20080031434A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CyberFone Systems LLC (Marathon Patent Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cyberfone Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Martino, Rocco
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/305 using wired telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• 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 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A data transaction processing system in which transaction data is entered by the user in response to prompts in a template which is tailored to each user application. The template and entered data are accumulated into data transactions which are immediately transmitted upon completion to an external database server for processing and storage. The data transactions are not locally stored for processing, and no conventional operating system is necessary. No local processing needs to be provided, and the only local storage is a flash PROM which stored the control firmware, a flash memory which stores the data streams making up the forms and menus, and a small RAM which operates as an input/output transaction buffer for storing the data streams of the template and the user replies to the prompts during assembly of a data transaction. The data transaction is received via standard protocols at a database server which, depending upon the application, stores the entire data transaction, explodes the data transaction to produce ancillary records which are then stored, and/or forwards the data transaction or some or all of the ancillary records to other database servers for updating other databases associated with those database servers. Also, in response to requests from the transaction entry device, the database server may return data streams for use in completing the fields in the data transaction or in presenting a menu on the display which was read in from the database server or a remote phone mail system. The transaction entry device is integrated with a telephone and is accessed via a touch screen, an optional keyboard, a magnetic card reader, voice entry, a modem, and the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

on a portable telephone, receiving a prompt that requests a user to select one of a plurality of options;

receiving a voice response from the user; and

recognizing the voice response, and based on said voice response, sending information indicative of the selected option to a remote server.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said prompt is an audible message that requests the information, and said portable telephone plays the prompt to the user to request the voice response.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said plurality of options include a plurality of menu options.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said information is information about a transaction being carried out.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said prompts are from a prestored form, related to said transaction.

6. A method as in claim 4, further comprising storing a first form that is specific to a first transaction to be carried out, storing a second form that is specific to a second transaction to be carried out, and wherein said receiving a prompt comprises sending voice information from the specified form to the user to request information about a specified transaction.

7. A method as in claim 2, further comprising recording the voice response.

8. A method, comprising:

obtaining information on a portable telephone indicative of a transaction to be carried out on a remote server, wherein said information includes form information, and information that needs to be filled into said form to carry out the transaction;

based on said information, playing an audible message to the user that requests the information to carry out the transaction;

receiving a voice response from the user, based on said audible message, and obtaining information indicative of said voice response; and

sending said information to the remote server to provide the information indicative of the transaction.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein said obtaining information comprises recognizing the voice.

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein said obtaining information comprises sending a recording of the voice to the remote server.

11. A method as in claim 8, wherein the portable telephone includes first form information indicative of a first transaction, where said first form information includes information indicative of a specific server that should receive said first form information.

12. A method as in claim 8, wherein said voice response is a number.

13. A portable telephone, comprising:

telephone electronics, which allow placing a call;

a user interface, that allows entering data into the telephone, said user interface also allowing entering numbers into the telephone for placing the call;

a processor, that runs a stored program;

a speaker, that plays audio under control of said stored program in said processor;

a microphone, that receives spoken audio; and

a memory, that stores data for use with said processor, said data including form data to carry out an action with a remote server, said form data including at least one item that requires entry of data by said user, said one item providing information that is played by said speaker to request said item of information from said user, wherein said stored program run by said processor receives a voice response, responsive to playing said information by said speaker, and sends information indicative of said voice response to a remote server.

14. A telephone as in claim 13, wherein said memory stores information indicative of said remote server along with said form data.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein said memory stores information indicative of multiple different actions to be carried out with multiple different remote servers, and stores a form for a first remote server along with information indicative of said first remote server, and stores a second form for a second remote server along with information indicative of said second remote server.

16. A telephone as in claim 13, wherein said stored program controls recognizing the voice response prior to sending said information.

17. A telephone as in claim 13, wherein said stored program controls recording the voice response, and sending information indicative of said recording to said remote server.

18. A telephone, running a program that is stored in a memory within the telephone, said programming including instructions operative to allow said telephone to:

make a telephone call at a first time;

at a second time, carry out an action with a remote server, which action requires interaction by said user;

based on said instructions, playing an audio information for said user that requests a first item of information;

receiving a spoken response from said user including said first item of information; and

based on said spoken response, sending information to said remote server.

19. A telephone as in claim 18, further comprising instructions to recognize the spoken response prior to sending said information.

20. A telephone as in claim 18, further comprising instructions to record the spoken response, and send that recorded spoken response to the remote server.