Systems and methods for gathering information

• US 7,873,149 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sartini, Robert A., Schultz, Paul T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, Md S
• Application Number:
  US10/900,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20050276395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266.02, 379/266.1, 379/142.06, 379/201.08, 379/93.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/144.02, 379/88.01, 379/67.1, 379/70, 379/72, 379/76, 379 8819- 8821, 379/88.23, 379/167.08, 455/415, 455/567, 707/104.1, 704/247, 704/231, 704/270, 704/265, 704/245, 704/275
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/10 using distance or distortion measures between unknown speech and reference templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile

Abstract

A method for retrieving information may include receiving a telephone call from a caller and identifying a telephone number from which the telephone call was made. The method may also include retrieving information from a database based on the identified telephone number. The method may further include providing an audible message to the caller to verify whether the retrieved information is correct.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving information, the method comprising:

receiving a telephone call from a caller;

identifying, using automatic number identification, a telephone number from which the telephone call was made;

retrieving information from a database based on the identified telephone number and not based on information obtained from querying the caller, the identified telephone number not being based on information obtained from querying the caller;

providing an audible message to the caller to verify whether a first portion of the retrieved information is correct;

requesting information from the caller, after verifying that the first portion of the retrieved information is correct;

receiving voice input in response to the request, the voice input comprising information other than the caller'"'"'s name;

generating a speech recognition result, corresponding to the voice input, using at least a second portion of the retrieved information; and

verifying that the speech recognition result is correct.

2. The method of claim 1, where the retrieved information comprises a name and an address.

3. The method of claim 1, where the database comprises a directory assistance database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the caller for a home telephone number;

identifying the home telephone number;

searching the database using the identified home telephone number; and

retrieving information from the database based on the identified home telephone number.

5. The method of claim 4, where the identifying the home telephone number comprises using voice recognition to identify the home telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving additional information from another database not related to the first database using at least some of the retrieved information.

7. The method of claim 1, where the generating the speech recognition result comprises:

performing a speech recognition process on the voice input, and

weighting potential results of the speech recognition process using the at least second portion of the retrieved information.

8. The method of claim 7, where the weighting comprises:

weighting a first potential result as the most likely result when the first potential result matches the at least second portion of the retrieved information.

9. A system, comprising:

a receive device to receive a telephone call from a caller; and

logic, implemented at least partially using hardware, to;

determine a telephone number from which the telephone call was made without querying the caller,

retrieve information from a first database based on the determined telephone number, the retrieved information being obtained without querying the caller and comprising at least one of an address or a name,

provide an audible message to the caller to verify whether a first portion of the retrieved information is correct,

request information from the caller, after verifying that the first portion of the retrieved information is correct,

receive voice input in response to the request, the voice input comprising information other than the caller'"'"'s name or home telephone number,

generate a speech recognition result corresponding to the voice input using at least a second portion of the retrieved information, and

verify that the speech recognition result is correct.

10. The system of claim 9, where the logic is further to:

retrieve information from a second database based on the information retrieved from the first database, the second database not being associated with the first database.

11. The system of claim 10, where the logic is further to:

use information retrieved from the first database and the second database to service a request from the caller.

12. The system of claim 9, where the logic is further to:

prompt the caller for a home telephone number when the first portion of the retrieved information is not correct, and

retrieve information from the first database based on the home telephone number.

13. The system of claim 12, where the logic is further to:

identify the home telephone number using voice recognition.

14. The system of claim 9, where, when generating a speech recognition result, the logic is further to:

weight a potential speech recognition result matching the at least second portion of the retrieved information as having a high likelihood of correctly corresponding to the voice input.

15. The system of claim 9, where, when generating the speech recognition result, the logic is further to:

weight potential results of a speech recognition process using the retrieved information.

16. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a telephone call from a caller;

means for identifying a telephone number from which the telephone call was made without querying the caller;

means for retrieving first information based on the identified telephone number and without querying the caller;

means for providing an audible message to the caller, the audible message including at least a first portion of the first information;

means for receiving a response, from the caller, to the audible message;

means for identifying whether the response is an affirmative response;

means for requesting information from the caller when the response is identified as an affirmative response;

means for receiving a voice input in response to the request, the voice input comprising information other than the caller'"'"'s name or home telephone number;

means for generating a speech recognition result corresponding to the voice input using at least a second portion of the first information; and

means for verifying that the speech recognition result is correct.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for using the first information to retrieve second information associated with the caller, the second information being retrieved via a network.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving a telephone call from a caller;

retrieving information based on a telephone number from which the telephone call was placed and not based on information obtained from querying the caller, the telephone number being identified without querying the caller;

interacting with the caller to verify whether a first portion of the retrieved information is correct;

requesting information from the caller, when the retrieved information is associated with the caller that placed the call, after verifying that the first portion is correct;

receiving voice input in response to the request, the voice input comprising information other than the caller'"'"'s name;

generating a speech recognition result corresponding to the voice input using at least a second portion of the retrieved information; and

verifying that the speech recognition result is correct.

19. The method of claim 18, where the first retrieved information comprises at least one of a name or an address.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

prompting the caller for a home telephone number when the first portion of the retrieved information is not correct;

retrieving second information based on the home telephone number; and

determining whether the second information is associated with the caller.

21. The method of claim 18, where the interacting comprises:

providing an audible message to the caller, the audible message including the first portion of the retrieved information, and

determining whether an input from the caller in response to the audible message represents an affirmative response.

22. The method of claim 18, where the interacting comprises:

requesting information from the caller,

receiving a second voice input in response to the request, and generating a second speech recognition result corresponding to the second voice input.

23. The method of claim 22, where the generating the second speech recognition result comprises:

using at least a third portion of the retrieved information to generate the second speech recognition result.

24. The method of claim 22, where the generating the second speech recognition result comprises:

performing a speech recognition process on the second voice input, and

weighting potential results of the speech recognition process using at least a portion of the first information.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

retrieving second information using at least a third portion of the retrieved information when the first portion of the retrieved information is correct.

26. A method, comprising:

retrieving information from a first database, the retrieved information comprising a name and other information associated with the name, the retrieved information being retrieved without querying the user and based on a telephone number, from which a telephone call was placed by a user, that is identified without querying the user;

interacting with the user to verify whether a first portion of the retrieved information is correct;

receiving a voice input from the user in response to information requested from the user, after verifying that the first portion of the retrieved information is correct;

generating a speech recognition result, corresponding to the received voice input, using at least a second portion of the retrieved information;

determining that the speech recognition result is correct;

verifying an identity of the user using the speech recognition result; and

retrieving second information associated with the user, from a second database, after the identity of the user has been verified, the second database not being related to the first database.

27. The method of claim 26, where the second information comprises at least one of a date of birth or a personal identification number and the verifying the identity of the user comprises:

verifying the identity of the user when the potential speech recognition result matches the second information.