Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-27
2002-07-16
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C704S246000, C704S251000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06421672
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems and methods for retrieving information from databases and more particularly to autoattendant systems and methods for routing incoming calls based on a telephone directory.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Forward searchable telephone directory listings and databases are conventionally ordered and keyed to the names of the listed parties, i.e., an alphabetically arranged listing of names with associated telephone numbers. It is not unusual to have several parties with (i) the same name or (ii) names that might be similarly pronounced by someone requesting a telephone listing or otherwise needing to designate a particular person by name. Upon identifying an ambiguous listing condition, i.e., more than one entry satisfying the spoken name search criteria, conventional automatic voice response units (VRUs) may request further information to resolve the conflict and identify the requested party. In particular, such VRUs may inform the caller that the system has more than one person having the particular name requested, play back the names and respective telephone numbers of the parties, and ask the caller to designate which of the parties is being requested. The caller would then be prompted to select from among the identified parties.
For example, a VRU may be used in voice dialing systems to provide speech activated dialing. Using such a system, a calling party speaks the name of the party to be called and the system attempts to recognize the speech as corresponding to a previously stored speech pattern. Similar systems may also be used to provide automated directory assistance functions, including traditional “411” services, which may include provisions for call completion to the directory number identified.
In contrast to traditional auto-dialers used to initiate outgoing calls, automated attendant (autoattendant) systems are used to automatically answer and handle incoming telephone calls. Traditionally, autoattendants play an announcement to the caller and provide for various selections using a VRU. Thus, the caller may be prompted to dial the extension of the party being called and/or given other options, such as leaving a voice message or accessing a directory of names if the extension of the called party is not known. While early directories required the caller to spell the name of the called party using a telephone DTMF keypad, later systems provided for speech recognition of a spoken name. This improvement has been made possible by the commercial availability of reliable speaker-independent voice recognition. Thus, by incorporating a voice responsive directory assistance fiction, the autoattendant answers an incoming call, asks the caller to speak the name of the party or department being called, uses a speaker-independent voice recognition engine to identify and translate a received speech signal into name data, uses the name data to access a telephone directory, and routes or extends the call to the corresponding telephone number.
These systems, however, fail to provide for the resolution of multiple listings under the same name. Instead, when a name search provides an ambiguous result, such conventional systems inflexibly rely on the caller's ability to distinguish between parties based on telephone numbers, information that the caller may and probably does not have. These systems become even more cumbersome as the number of similar names maintained by the directory increase, such as in those parts of the world where similar names are common and where combinations of multiple pronunciations and nicknames further complicate entry resolution. Conventional systems also fail to provide for parties having multiple telephone numbers, e.g., voice, cellular, fax, etc.
Accordingly, a need exists for a directory search engine and method which can resolve ambiguities resulting from records having similar or identical primary search keys. A further need exists for a directory system and method of providing enhanced disambiguation facilities and user interfaces. A still further need exists for an automated telephone directory system which intelligently interacts with a calling party to identify and select a particular listing from among plural listings satisfying an initial search criterion.
A still further need exists for an automated telephone routing system and method which intelligently and dynamically handles directory searches resulting in the identification of multiple listings to one or more subscribers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus which will overcome the disadvantages and meet the needs discussed above.
It is one object of the invention to provide for a database retrieval system which includes disambiguation of entries with the same or similar primary keys.
It is another object of the invention to provide for a user-friendly interface to an automated directory search function which intelligently prompts a user for further information to progressively eliminate non-qualifying listings and refocus the search to identify one or more desired listing(s).
It is a further object of the invention to provide a speaker independent voice recognition and voice response unit which automatically formulates a minimal set of prompts to identify a desired telephone listing when (1) the name of the desired party is not unique or (2) the caller does not initially provide or does not know the full name of the desired party.
The present invention addresses the disadvantages in the prior art by providing an intelligent database search engine which, when finding multiple listings satisfying a primary or initial search request, provides a series of prompts soliciting further information relative to the ambiguous results. The prompts are dynamically composed to quickly minimize the group of qualifying candidate listings until only one listing remains or until no further information distinguishing between or among the candidate listings would be helpful or is available.
A database retrieval system according to the invention includes a searchable database in which the primary key, such a name associated with a telephone directory listing, may be duplicated, i.e., is not unique. To resolve or disambiguate the conflict, the user is prompted to supply additional information determined to be helpful in selecting from among candidate records having the same key. For example, if multiple listings are identified for the telephone listing “John Smith”, the system will examine secondary data fields to identify information unique among the listings, such as the addresses of the listings. The system will then prompt the caller to identify which of the listings is desired, using the address information to distinguish among and select the desired listing(s).
The present adaptive disambiguation system and method dynamically selects additional listing information most useful in resolving the search ambiguity and caller selection process. Using either a fixed or entry specific prioritization, listings with identical or similar name key information are compared to identify distinguishing secondary information (e.g., employee location department, etc.) that might be given to the caller to complete the selection.
By way of example, the following candidate parties might be identified by a corporate automated attendant system in response to a caller asking to be connected to a “Robert Cook”:
Name
Telephone
Last
First
Nickname
Location
Dept.
Number
Cook
Robert
Rob
Arlington, VA
Legal
703-974-1234
Cooke
Robert
Bob
Phila-
Engi-
215-963-1234
delphia, PA
neering
Koch
Robert
Robbie
Silver
Engi-
301-608-5678
Spring, MD
neering
As an initial point, conventional VRUs may not include the capability of matching a spoken name with variations in pronunciation possible for names of a directory listing. For example, the listing “Koch” may be pronounced as “Koch”, “Cook”, “Coke”, etc. The present system accommodates these variations and alternative pronunciations u
McAllister Alexander I.
McKinley James
Alam Hosain T.
Suchyta Leonard C.
Swingle Loren
Verizon Services Corp.
LandOfFree
Apparatus for and method of disambiguation of directory... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for and method of disambiguation of directory..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for and method of disambiguation of directory... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2896510