Providing menu and other services for an information processing system using a telephone or other audio interface

• US 7,143,039 B1
• Filed: 08/11/2000
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tellme Networks Incorporated ([24]7.ai, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koh, Eugene, Davis, Angus Macdonald, Partovi, Hadi, Marx, Matthew Talin, Alpert, David Bryan, Bailey, Scott James, Stifelman, Lisa Joy, Partovi, Haleh, Brathwaite, Roderick Steven, Sims, Kyle D., Bailey, Darby McDonough
• Primary Examiner(s): OPSASNICK, MICHAEL N
• Application Number:
  US09/638,263
• Time in Patent Office: 2,300 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 709/224, 709/228, 709217-219, 379 8802- 8804
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/227 of the speaker; Human-factor methodology
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A method and system for providing efficient menu services for an information processing system that uses a telephone or other form of audio user interface. In one embodiment, the menu services provide effective support for novice users by providing a full listing of available keywords and rotating house advertisements which inform novice users of potential features and information. For experienced users, cues are rendered so that at any time the user can say a desired keyword to invoke the corresponding application. The menu is flat to facilitate its usage. Full keyword listings are rendered after the user is given a brief cue to say a keyword. Service messages rotate words and word prosody. When listening to receive information from the user, after the user has been cued, soft background music or other audible signals are rendered to inform the user that a response may now be spoken to the service. Other embodiments determine default cities, on which to report information, based on characteristics of the caller or based on cities that were previously selected by the caller. Other embodiments provide speech concatenation processes that have co-articulation and real-time subject-matter-based word selection which generate human sounding speech. Other embodiments reduce the occurrences of falsely triggered barge-ins during content delivery by only allowing interruption for certain special words. Other embodiments offer special services and modes for calls having voice recognition trouble. The special services are entered after predetermined criterion have been met by the call. Other embodiments provide special mechanisms for automatically recovering the address of a caller.

Claims

1. In a computer system having an audio user interface, a method of providing information to a user comprising the steps of:

a) automatically determining a default location based on a characteristic of a caller;

b) rendering a first message to said caller that information of a first category will be provided to said caller using said default location unless said caller indicates a new location;

c) pausing a predetermined period for said caller to say a new location and rendering a background audio signal during said pausing;

d) provided said user does not indicate a new location, rendering to said caller information of said first category that is pertinent to said default location; and

e) provided said user does indicate a new location, rendering to said caller information of said first category that is pertinent to said new location.

2. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said characteristic is caller identification (caller ID) data regarding said caller and wherein said locations are cities.

3. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said audio signal is music.

4. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

f) rendering a second message to said caller that information of a second category will be provided to said caller using said location on which first category information was rendered unless said caller indicates another location;

g) pausing a predetermined period for said caller to say a second location and rendering a background audio signal during said pausing;

h) provided said user does not indicate said second location, rendering to said caller information of said second category that is pertinent to said location on which first category information was rendered; and

i) provided said user does indicate said second location, rendering to said caller information of said second category that is pertinent to said second location.

5. A method as described in claim 4 wherein said first and said second categories are related.

6. A method as described in claim 5 wherein steps f)–

i) are executed automatically after steps a)–

d) and said second category is automatically determined by computer control.

7. A computer system comprising:

an audio user interface configured to;

automatically determine a default location based on a characteristic of a caller,

render a first message to said caller that information of a first category will be provided to said caller using said default location unless said caller indicates a new location,

pause a predetermined period for said caller to say a new location and render a background audio signal during said pause,

render to said caller, provided said caller does not indicated the new location, information of said first category that is pertinent to said default location, and

render to said caller, provided said caller indicates said new location, information of said first category that is pertinent to said new location.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said characteristic is caller identification (caller ID) data regarding said caller and wherein said locations are cities.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said audio signal is music.

10. The computer system of claim 7, said audio user interface being further configured to:

render a second message to said caller that information of a second category will be provided to said caller using said location on which first category information was rendered unless said caller indicates another location,

pause a second predetermined period for said caller to say said other location and render a background audio signal during said pause,

render to said caller information of said second category that is pertinent to said location on which first category information was rendered provided said caller does not indicate said other location, and

render to said caller, provided said caller indicates said other location, information of said second category that is pertinent to said other location.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said first and said second categories are related.