Voice templates for interactive voice mail and voice response system
First Claim
1. A method of implementing an interactive voice mail/voice response (IVR) system on a personal computer ("PC"), the method comprising the steps of:
- creating a script for implementing a user-specified set of IVR functions, said script comprising a plurality of records each having a template associated therewith;
for each of said records, automatically splitting a text representation of said associated template into template elements and searching a database for said template elements;
for each of said template elements, assigning a type to said template element, said type defining characteristics of said template element; and
for each of said template elements, storing a text representation of and an audio file associated with said template element in said database.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and a system for a user-customizable interactive voice mail/voice response system are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, an interactive voice mail/voice response ("IVR") system of the present invention enables a user to build and operate custom IVR functions using voice templates. An interactive voice mail/voice response ("IVR") system of the present invention enables a user to build and operate custom IVR menus. The system comprises a voice menu system that includes a plurality of menus, each comprising a plurality of script records implemented using voice templates made up of voice template elements of various types, the characteristics and behavior of which will be determined by their user-designated type and the characteristic of the voice response record with which they are associated. As a result, the voice elements, and in turn, the voice templates they comprise, dynamically exhibit a behavior that is appropriate to the current environment. When the contents of a voice template are to be played over the telephone line, the voice elements are played sequentially such that the result is perceived as a whole that represents the entire phrase or sentence as described by the text representation of the voice template.
329 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of implementing an interactive voice mail/voice response (IVR) system on a personal computer ("PC"), the method comprising the steps of:
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creating a script for implementing a user-specified set of IVR functions, said script comprising a plurality of records each having a template associated therewith; for each of said records, automatically splitting a text representation of said associated template into template elements and searching a database for said template elements; for each of said template elements, assigning a type to said template element, said type defining characteristics of said template element; and for each of said template elements, storing a text representation of and an audio file associated with said template element in said database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of implementing an interactive voice mail/voice response (IVR) system on a personal computer ("PC") connected to a telephone line, the method comprising the steps of:
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creating a script for implementing a user-specified set of IVR functions, said script comprising a plurality of records each having a template associated therewith; for each of said records, automatically splitting a text representation of said associated template into template elements and searching a database to find said template elements; for each of said template elements, assigning a type to said template element, said type defining characteristics of said template element; and for each of said template elements, storing a text representation of and an audio file associated with said template element in said database; testing each of said template elements; and responsive to said testing, for each of said tested template elements, displaying a list of template elements similar to said tested template element and responsive to user selection of one of said displayed template elements, substituting said selected template element for said tested template element in said script. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for implementing an interactive voice mail/voice response (IVR) system on a personal computer ("PC"), the apparatus comprising:
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means for creating a script for implementing a user-specified set of IVR functions, said script comprising a plurality of records each having a template associated therewith; means for automatically splitting a text representation of said associated template of each of said records into template elements and searching a database to find said template elements; means for assigning a type to each of said template elements, said type defining characteristics of said template element; and means for storing a text representation of and an audio file associated with each of said template elements in said database. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer program for implementing an interactive voice mail/voice response (IVR) system, the computer program being stored in a computer-readable medium for execution by a personal computer ("PC"), the computer program comprising:
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instructions responsive to input from a user to create a script for implementing a user-specified set of IVR functions, said script comprising a plurality of records each having a template associated therewith; instructions to automatically split a text representation of said associated template of each of said records into template elements and search a database for said template elements; instructions for enabling a user to assign a type to each of said template elements, said type defining characteristics of said template element; and instructions responsive to input from a user to store a text representation of and an audio file associated with each of said template elements in said database. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification