Local on-hold information service with user-controlled personalized menu

• US 6,751,306 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spinac, Clifford Jay, Rodriguez, Herman, Smith, Newton James Jr., Himmel, Maria Azua
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/826,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20020146106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/215.01, 379/265.09, 379/393, 379/901
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/901 Virtual networks or virtual private networks

Abstract

A telephone user sets up a “personalized” menu identifying a set of information options from which he or she desires to select when placed on-hold in a telephone system. The user'"'"'s personal preferences are then saved. When the party later makes a call to a telephone system or is called, and then is placed on-hold, the party'"'"'s telephone service provider or local equipment accesses the user'"'"'s personalized menu and offers the one or more information options as defined in the menu. In an illustrative embodiment, the personalized menu options are voiced over the telephone line and the user then makes selections using keypad (i.e. DTMF signaling) or voice input. A response may be interrupted to make another menu selection, or to repeat the current response. If the response being played has not completed when the other party returns, that response is suspended and may be completed when the user is placed back on hold or the call is completed.

Claims

1. A method of using on-hold time during a telecommunications session, comprising the steps of:

responsive to detecting an on-hold status for a first party, determining whether the first party has been placed on-hold previously;

if the first party has been placed on-hold previously, retrieving a set of one or more information options that were selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously;

outputting to the first party a personalized menu including at least one information option selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of prioritizing information options in the personalized menu as a function of selections made by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of releasing the user from the on-hold status when a second party becomes available to communicate.

4. The method of using on hold time during a telecommunications session as described in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting an on-hold status for the first party, retrieving a menu of information options that has been defined by the first party;

responsive to detecting the on hold status, suspending, by means of an intervening system, the telecommunications session;

outputting the menu to the first party; and

receiving a selection of an information option in the personalized menu; and

responsive to the selection of the information option, providing a selected information service corresponding to the selection to the first party.

5. The method as described in claim 4 further including the step of saving the first party'"'"'s selection.

6. The method as described in claim 5 further including the step of modifying the menu of information options based on the first party'"'"'s selections over a given number of on-hold sessions.

7. The method as described in claim 4 further including the steps of:

interrupting the information service to resume the telecommunications session and connect the first party to a second party; and

selectively resuming the information service upon completion of the call.

8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the information service is resumed upon the first party'"'"'s request.

9. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the menu of information options is defined by having the first party identify a set of desired information sources over a telephone.

10. The method as described in claim 4 further including the step of selectively connecting the first party to a second party as a function of a given information source selected by the first party.

11. The method as described in claim 4 further including the step of selectively delaying connection of the first party to a second party until a given information source selected by the first party is completed.

12. The method as described in claim 4, wherein the intervening system is associated with a telephone service provider.

13. The method as described in claim 4, wherein the intervening system is associated with equipment that is local to the first party.

33. The A method as described in claim 1 of using on-hold time during a telecommunications session, comprising:

responsive to detecting an on-hold status for the first party, retrieving a menu of information options that has been defined by the first party;

responsive to detecting the on-hold status, suspending by means of an intervening system, the telecommunications session;

outputting the menu to the firs party; and

responsive to selection of an information option, providing a select information service to the first party,

wherein the menu of information options is defined by having the first party identify a set of information sources at a web server.

14. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a computer to provide an on-hold information service, comprising:

instructions, responsive to detecting an on-hold status for a first party, for determining whether the first party has been placed on-hold previously;

instructions for retrieving, if the first party has been placed on-hold previously, a set of one or more information options that were selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously; and

instructions for outputting to the first party a personalized menu including at least one information option selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously.

15. The computer program product in a computer useable medium for use in a computer to provide an on-hold information service as described in claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for storing a personalized menu of information options for a user;

instructions responsive to detection of an on-hold status for the user for retrieving the personalized menu of information options;

instructions responsive to detection of the on-hold status for suspending, by means of an intervening system, a telecommunications session with a second party;

instructions for outputting the personalized menu to the user; and

instructions for receiving a selection of an information option in the personalized menu; and

instructions, responsive to the selection of the information option, from the personalized menu for connecting the user'"'"'s telephone station set to a selected information source corresponding to the selection while the user waits for the telecommunications session to be resumed.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further including means for saving the user'"'"'s information option selection.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 16 further including means for modifying the user'"'"'s personalized menu of information options as a function of the user'"'"'s information option selections over a plurality of on-hold sessions.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the station set is selected from a wireline telephone, a wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a computer configured with telephone software and Internet connectivity.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further including means for selectively connecting the user'"'"'s station set to one of the second party and a third party as a function of the selected information option.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further including means for selectively delaying resuming the telecommunications session until output of a selected information option is completed.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 15, wherein the intervening system is associated with a telephone service provider.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 15, wherein the intervening system is equipment that is local to the first party.

23. An on-hold information service connectable to a switching system, comprising:

a processor;

storage; and

a computer program product executable by the processor, comprising;

a code for storing in the storage a personalized menu of information options for a user;

code, responsive to detecting an on-hold status for a first party, for determining whether the first party has been placed on-hold previously;

code for retrieving, if the first party has been placed on-hold previously, a set of one or more information options that were selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously;

code for outputting to the first party a personalized menu including at least one information option selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold previously.

24. The on-hold information service connectable to a switching system of claim 23, the computer program product further comprising:

a processor;

storage; and

a computer program product executable by the processor, comprising;

code for storing in the storage a personalized menu of information options for a user;

code responsive to detection of an on-hold status for the user for retrieving from the storage the personalized menu of information options;

code responsive to the detection of the on-hold status for suspending a telecommunications session associated with the user code for outputting the personalized menu to the user; and

code for receiving a selection of an information in the personalized menu; and

code, responsive to the selection of the information option, from the personalized menu for connecting a telephone station set of the user to a selected information source corresponding to the selection while the user waits for the telecommunications session to be resumed.

25. The on-hold information service of claim 24, wherein the processor and computer program product are contained within equipment associated with the telephone station set.

26. The on-hold information service of claim 24, wherein the processor and computer program product are contained within a private branch exchange (PBX).

27. The on-hold information service of claim 24, wherein the processor and computer program product are contained within centralized equipment of a telephone service provider and wherein the centralized equipment is connected to the switching system.

28. The on-hold information service of claim 24, wherein the storage is incorporated into a remote server connected to the switching system.

29. A method of using on-hold time during a telecommunications session, comprising:

responsive to detecting an on-hold status for a first party, determining whether the first party has been placed on-hold during a prior call attempt;

if the first party has been placed on-hold during a prior call attempt, outputting to the first party a personalized menu including a set of one or more information options that were selected by the first party while the first party was on-hold during the prior call attempt;

releasing the first party from the on-hold status upon a given occurrence.

30. The method as described in claim 29 wherein the given occurrence is that a second party is available to communicate.

31. The method as described in claim 29 wherein the given occurrence is that an information service selected by the first party has completed.

32. The method as described in claim 29 wherein the given occurrence is that the first party has selected a given information option.