System and method for the creation and automatic deployment of personalized, dynamic and interactive voice services with customized message depending on recipient

• US 8,094,788 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Eberle, Hannes, Patnaik, Anurag, Zirngibl, Michael, Mosle, Wolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US10/072,898
• Time in Patent Office: 3,619 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.22, 379/88.12, 379/88.14
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/105 Financial transactions and auctions, e.g. bidding auctioneering devices in packet switching networks H04L12/1804
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1066 Game playing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 : via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 : Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 : Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 : Advertisement messages
• 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 3/4938 : comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 : in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 : Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 : Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 : Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 : Message broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A system and method for the creation and delivery of automated, personal information service gathers news, weather, financial and other data for transmission by telephone or other media. The recipient of a given voice broadcast may be detected and discriminated to adjust the content delivery. For instance, if a machine pick-up is detected, the call may be terminated or the message curtailed. Secondary recipients may be authorized in a subscriber'"'"'s service profile, and other delivery preferences may be registered.

Claims

1. A system for customizing service output information depending on recipient identities, wherein the system includes one or more computer devices configured to:

receive, from a subscriber during a subscription registration process, information specifying preferences for content and presentation of service output information from a service that can generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber, a voice address to which the service output information is to be delivered via an outbound telephone call, and criteria to customize the presentation of the service output information depending on an identity associated with a recipient of the outbound telephone call;

process the service to generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber in response to determining that a delivery condition has been met;

initiate an outbound telephone call to the voice address;

detect the identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call; and

customize the presentation of the service output information to be delivered in the outbound telephone call depending on the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call and the criteria specified during the subscription registration process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery condition comprises at least one of a predetermined schedule, or a triggering event.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery condition is specified by either the subscriber or an administrator.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the service output information comprises information derived from an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service output information comprises at least one of static text messages, dynamic content, blended content, sound clips, music, or advertisements.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call comprises a person.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the person is queried for validation information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more computer devices are further configured to receive the validation information by at least one of voice input or keypad input.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call comprises a machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the machine comprises at least one of an answering machine, facsimile machine, or modem.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the criteria specified during the subscription registration process enables the content and the service output information to be differentiated depending on whether the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call comprises a person or a machine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer devices are further configured to reduce the content and the service output information to be delivered via the outbound telephone call if the detected identity associated with the recipient comprises a machine relative to the content and the service output information to be delivered via the outbound telephone call if the detected identity associated with the recipient comprises a person.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the content and the service output information to be delivered via the outbound telephone call if the detected identity associated with the recipient comprises a machine is a message indicating that the service output information is available to the subscriber.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer devices include a call server configured to initiate the outbound telephone call.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more computer devices are further configured to sense a state of a call pickup sequence of the outbound telephone call.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the state of the call pickup sequence comprises a plurality of possible states respectively associated with a plurality of recipient identities.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer devices are further configured to detect one or more tones to sense the state of the call pickup sequence and associate the one or more detected tones with at least one of the plurality of possible states.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more detected tones comprise at least one of an answering machine tone, a facsimile machine tone, or a modem tone.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the state of the call pickup sequence comprises at least one of receipt by a person, receipt by an answering machine, receipt by a facsimile machine, or receipt by a modem.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer devices include an interface to an authorization database that stores entries associating the plurality of possible states with the respective plurality of recipient identities.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the entries associating the plurality of possible states with the respective plurality of recipient identities can be altered by at least one of an administrator or a subscriber.

22. A system for customizing service output information depending on recipient identities, wherein the system includes one or more computer devices configured to:

receive, from a subscriber during a subscription registration process, information specifying preferences for content and presentation of service output information from a service that can generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber, a voice address to which the service output information is to be delivered via an outbound telephone call, and criteria to customize the presentation of the service output information depending on an identity associated with a recipient of the outbound telephone call;

process the service to generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber in response to determining that a delivery condition has been met;

initiate, via a call server, an outbound telephone call to the voice address;

sense a state of a call pickup sequence of the outbound telephone call, wherein the state of the call pickup sequence comprises a plurality of possible states respectively associated with a plurality of recipient identities;

interface with an authorization database that stores entries associating the plurality of possible states with the plurality of recipient identities respectively associated therewith;

detect the identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call; and

customize the presentation of the service output information to be delivered in the outbound telephone call depending on the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call and the criteria specified during the subscription registration process, wherein the customized presentation of the service output information includes aborting the outbound telephone call in response to determining that the state of the call pickup sequence does not meet at least a minimum authorization criterion stored in the authorization database.

23. A method for customizing service output information depending on recipient identities, comprising:

receiving, from a subscriber during a subscription registration process, information specifying preferences for content and presentation of service output information from a service that can generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber, a voice address to which the service output information is to be delivered via an outbound telephone call, and criteria to customize the presentation of the service output information depending on an identity associated with a recipient of the outbound telephone call;

processing the service to generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber in response to determining that a delivery condition has been met;

initiating an outbound telephone call to the voice address;

detecting the identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call; and

customizing the presentation of the service output information to be delivered in the outbound telephone call depending on the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call and the criteria specified during the subscription registration process.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the delivery condition comprises at least one of a predetermined schedule, or a triggering event.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the delivery condition is specified by either the subscriber or an administrator.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the service output information comprises information derived from an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the service output information comprises at least one of static text messages, dynamic content, blended content, sound clips, music, or advertisements.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call comprises a person.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising querying the person for validation information.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving the validation information by at least one of voice input or keypad input.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call comprises a machine.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the machine comprises at least one of an answering machine, facsimile machine, or modem.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the criteria specified during the subscription registration process enables the content and the service output information to be differentiated depending on whether the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call comprises a person or a machine.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising reducing the content and the service output information to be delivered via the outbound telephone call if the detected identity associated with the recipient comprises a machine relative to the content and the service output information to be delivered via the outbound telephone call if the detected identity associated with the recipient comprises a person.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the content and the service output information to be delivered via the outbound telephone call if the detected identity associated with the recipient comprises a machine is a message indicating that the service output information is available to the one subscriber.

36. The method of claim 23, wherein a call server initiates the outbound telephone call.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising sensing a state of a call pickup sequence of the outbound telephone call.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the state the call pickup sequence comprises a plurality of possible states is respectively associated with a plurality of recipient identities.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising detecting one or more tones to sense the state of the call pickup sequence and associating the one or more detected tones with at least one of the plurality of possible states.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the one or more detected tones comprise at least one of an answering machine tone, a facsimile machine tone, or a modem tone.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the state of the call pickup sequence comprises at least one of receipt by a person, receipt by an answering machine, receipt by a facsimile machine, or receipt by a modem.

42. The method of claim 38, further comprising interfacing with an authorization database that stores entries associating the plurality of possible states with the respective plurality of recipient identities.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the entries associating the plurality of possible states with the respective plurality of recipient identities can be altered by at least one of an administrator or a subscriber.

44. A method for customizing service output information depending on recipient identities, comprising:

receiving, from a subscriber during a subscription registration process, information specifying preferences for content and presentation of service output information from a service that can generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber, a voice address to which the service output information is to be delivered via an outbound telephone call, and criteria to customize the presentation of the service output information depending on an identity associated with a recipient of the outbound telephone call;

processing the service to generate and personalize the service output information for the subscriber in response to determining that a delivery condition has been met;

initiating, via a call server, an outbound telephone call to the voice address;

sensing a state of a call pickup sequence of the outbound telephone call, wherein the state of the call pickup sequence comprises a plurality of possible states respectively associated with a plurality of recipient identities;

interfacing with an authorization database that stores entries associating the plurality of possible states with the plurality of recipient identities respectively associated therewith;

detecting the identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call; and

customizing the presentation of the service output information to be delivered in the outbound telephone call depending on the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call and the criteria specified during the subscription registration process, wherein customizing presentation of the service output information includes aborting the outbound telephone call in response to determining that the state of the call pickup sequence does not meet at least a minimum authorization criterion stored in the authorization database.

45. A system for customizing service output information depending on recipient identities, wherein the system includes one or more computer devices configured to:

receive, during a subscription registration process, information specifying preferences for content and presentation of service output information from a service that can generate the service output information, a voice address to which the service output information is to be delivered via an outbound telephone call, and criteria to customize the presentation of the service output information depending on an identity associated with a recipient of the outbound telephone call;

process the service to generate the service output information in response to determining that a delivery condition has been met;

initiate, via a call server, an outbound telephone call to the voice address;

sense a state of a call pickup sequence of the outbound telephone call;

detect the identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call from the sensed state of the call pickup sequence; and

abort the outbound telephone call in response to determining that the sensed state of the call pickup sequence or the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call fail to meet a minimum authorization criterion.

46. A method for customizing service output information depending on recipient identities, comprising:

receiving, during a subscription registration process, information specifying preferences for content and presentation of service output information from a service that can generate the service output information, a voice address to which the service output information is to be delivered via an outbound telephone call, and criteria to customize the presentation of the service output information depending on an identity associated with a recipient of the outbound telephone call;

processing the service to generate the service output information in response to determining that a delivery condition has been met;

initiating, via a call server, an outbound telephone call to the voice address;

sensing a state of a call pickup sequence of the outbound telephone call;

detecting the identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call from the sensed state of the call pickup sequence; and

aborting the outbound telephone call in response to the sensed state of the call pickup sequence or the detected identity associated with the recipient of the outbound telephone call failing to meet a minimum authorization criterion.