Systems and methods for visual presentation and selection of IVR menu

• US 8,681,951 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tal Lavian, Zvi Or-Bach
• Original Assignee: Tal Lavian, Zvi Or-Bach
• Inventors: Lavian, Tal, Or-Bach, Zvi
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US13/276,303
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.17, 379/93.25, 379/93.26
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/254 where the visual mode comprises menus
• 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: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a system for generating an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) database, the system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory comprising a list of telephone numbers associated with one or more destinations implementing IVR menus, wherein the one or more destinations are grouped based on a plurality of categories of the IVR menus. Further the memory includes instructions executable by said processor for automatically communicating with the one of more destinations, and receiving at least one customization record from said at least one destination to store in the IVR database. Further, a corresponding method for generating an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) database is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing user interaction with a plurality of destinations comprising one or more Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu systems, the method comprising:

(a) selecting at least one visual IVR menu from an IVR menu database at a user device, wherein said IVR menu database comprises a list of telephone numbers associated with a plurality of destinations and the associated IVR menu for each destination, wherein the visual IVR menu was downloaded and stored in the user device before establishing a phone connection to a destination; and

(b) displaying said at least one visual IVR menu to a user, wherein said at least one visual IVR menu is associated with a telephone number dialed by the user from the list of telephone numbers, further wherein said at least one visual IVR menu comprises at least one icon.

2. The method of claim 1, said IVR menu database comprises:

at least two records associated with at least two distinct destinations, each of said at least two records comprises a business category field, and each of said at least two records have the same business category; and

a standard menu for said same business category.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting and displaying at least one advertisement, wherein said at least one advertisement is selected based on at least one category associated with said at least one visual IVR menu.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating at least one record based on personal information of the user;

and storing said at least one record in the IVR menu database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said IVR menu database comprises voice responses of the user.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

dialing the telephone number by a user at a portable device; and

displaying said at least one visual IVR menu to the user at an external device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a form comprising one or more data request fields to the user for filling personal information to be stored in said IVR menu database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said menu is displayed based on the time of dialing said telephone number by the user.

9. A method for enhancing user interaction with a plurality of destinations comprising one or more Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu systems, the method comprising:

(a) selecting at least one visual IVR menu from an IVR menu database at a user device, wherein said IVR menu database comprises a list of telephone numbers associated with the plurality of destinations and the associated IVR menu for each destination, wherein the visual IVR menu was downloaded and stored in the user device before establishing a phone connection to a destination; and

(b) displaying said at least one visual IVR menu to a user, wherein said at least one visual IVR menu is associated with a telephone number dialed by the user from the list of telephone numbers

wherein said IVR menu database comprises at least two records associated with at least two distinct destinations, further wherein each of said at least two records comprises a business category field, and each of said at least two records have the same business category, further wherein said IVR menu database comprises a standard menu for said same business category.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising selecting and displaying at least one advertisement, wherein said at least one advertisement is selected based on at least one category associated with said at least one visual IVR menu.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

generating at least one record based on personal information of the user; and

storing said at least one record in the IVR menu database.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said IVR menu database comprises voice responses of the user.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying a form comprising one or more data request fields to the user for filling the personal information to be stored in said IVR menu database.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one visual IVR menu is displayed based on the time of dialing said telephone number by the user.

15. A method for enhancing user interaction with a plurality of destinations comprising Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu systems, the method comprising:

(a) selecting at least one visual IVR menu from an IVR menu database at a user device, wherein said IVR menu database comprises a list of telephone numbers associated with the plurality of destinations and the associated IVR menu for each destination, wherein the visual IVR menu was downloaded and stored in the user device before establishing a phone connection to a destination;

(b) displaying said at least one visual IVR menu to a user, wherein said at least one visual IVR menu is associated with a telephone number dialed by the user from a list of telephone numbers; and

(c) selecting and displaying at least one advertisement, wherein said at least one advertisement is selected based on at least one category associated with said at least one visual IVR menu.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said IVR menu database comprises at least two records associated with at least two distinct destinations, each of said at least two records comprises a business category field, wherein each of said at least two records have the same business category, further wherein said IVR menu database comprises a standard menu for said same business category.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

generating at least one record based on personal information of the user; and

storing said at least one record in the IVR menu database.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

dialing the telephone number by a user at a portable device; and

displaying said at least one visual IVR menu to the user at an external device.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying a form comprising one or more data request fields to the user for filling the personal information to be stored in said IVR menu database.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said at least one visual IVR menu is displayed based on the time of dialing said telephone number by the user.