Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-18
2001-02-27
Zele, Krista (Department: 2748)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
C379S088040, C379S088240, C379S093240, C379S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195417
ABSTRACT:
A portion of this disclosure contains material in which copyright is claimed by the applicant. The applicant has no objection to the copying of this material in the course of making copies of the application file or any patents that may issue on the application, but all other rights whatsoever in the copyrighted material are reserved.
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
The specification of this patent includes a microfiche software Appendix in the form of 3 fiches with a total of 292 frames.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automated system for accessing and retrieving speech-based information through telephone links using specialized voice recognition software and hardware.
For a number of years, many businesses have employed telephone accessible automated information systems which provide callers with recorded speech-based information without operator interaction. For example, most banks provide such information systems for providing account related information to customers, merchants, etc. A customer may access a bank's information system, and by entering menu selections, account numbers, etc., through actuation of the telephone's buttons or keys, access various account related information, such as balance, checks paid, and deposits, for example. Similarly, a merchant who has been tendered a check by a customer, may employ the bank's information system to determine whether sufficient funds are available to cover the check.
These systems work fine for individual customers, or merchants having only one or a few transactions to verify. However, for large scale merchants (e.g., mail order houses, direct marketers, etc.) having hundreds or even thousands of banking transactions to verify, these systems are very time consuming and costly to employ. In particular, for each transaction, a human operator must telephone the bank information system, listen to the menu and other queries, enter the requested information, and then record the answer to their inquiry. Considering the fact that each transaction may take a number of minutes to verify, a large scale merchant may have to employ a number of individuals whose full time job is to call bank information systems, and verify transactions.
Telephone companies also employ automated information systems to inform callers if a number they have dialed has been changed or disconnected. These systems are very useful because they provide updated information that may not otherwise be available to the callers. Once again, however, if the status of a large list of telephone numbers is to be checked, human operators are required to perform the time consuming task of calling each of the numbers, and recording the status information for each one.
A need for checking the status of lists of telephone numbers has recently developed, particularly in the telemarketing industry, because of the recent huge growth in telephone number assignments resulting from the ever increasing demand for dedicated numbers for computers, fax machines, cellular phones, pagers, etc. To accommodate the increased demand, while still employing the present 10 digit number system, the telephone companies have been forced to change subscriber's area codes and even entire telephone numbers in some instances. As a result, the telephone number lists employed by telemarketers quickly become outdated such that a large number (e.g.,10-20%) of all calls placed by the telemarketer's representatives are answered with a recorded message that the number has either been changed, or is no longer in service. Obviously, this results in much of the representative's time being wasted. As a result, a need has been created for a means by which the telephone numbers on the lists can be screened to determine which of the numbers generate a call intercept when dialed indicating that the number has either been changed or disconnected so that the representatives need not spend time either dialing these numbers or listening to the call intercept messages.
In view of the foregoing, a need therefore exists for an automated system which can access speech-based information systems over conventional telephone links, recognize the words “spoken” by the information systems, and convert the information to a computerized form.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies the foregoing need through provision of a fully automated system which, through use of voice recognition and other related software or hardware, facilitates access and retrieval of information from a speech-based information system without the need for a human operator. In its broadest sense, the system includes a calling computer containing a line manager for placing telephone calls over one or more telephone links or lines, speech recognition software for recognizing verbal messages generated by a speech-based information system answering each call, and a state machine program for controlling the line manager and speech recognition software in the manner necessary to place a call, enter any DTMF tones that may be necessary to navigate an option menu of a called information system, and recognize the verbal responses generated by the information system. One or more feed applications and databases are preferably employed for entering verification requests (e.g., banking account transaction verifications, telephone numbers, status verification, etc.) into the system for processing. Preferably, a scheduler program is employed for managing this task.
A first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a system which calls telephone accessible bank information systems to verify account transactions, recognizes each bank system's verbal prompts and commands, enters the necessary responses to the prompts and commands using DTMF tones, and stores the responses to their inquiries. This embodiment is preferably designed to process thousands of checking transactions to be drawn against hundreds of different banks. A bank information database is therefore provided which stores all of the pertinent information for each bank's information system. In particular, the database stores the automated menu, and the possible verbal responses which are generated in response to an inquiry. For example, the menu may request that a particular number be pressed followed by the # button to request verification of a merchant transaction, after which the checking account information and dollar amount of the check would be entered, again each followed by actuation of the # button. In response, the information system typically provides a verbal message that the account 1) has sufficient funds to pay the check, 2) has insufficient funds to pay the check, or, 3) is otherwise invalid. The bank database stores all of this detailed information so that for each bank's information system, the system knows exactly the necessary sequence of DTMF tones to enter for verifying a transaction, and recognizes the verbal responses provided by the information system.
To manage the reception and processing of thousands of checking transactions to be verified, each of which may be entered into the system from various sources, the first embodiment of the present invention employs a number of software and/or hardware modules. Incoming transactions arrive from one or more sources, including for example, other computer applications, callers using touch tone telephones, and a system operator who enters them directly. These inquiries are passed from the feed applications into a main computer containing the scheduler. The scheduler, using information stored in a priority database, determines when, and in what order, the requests should be passed onto the calling computer. In addition, the check information for each transaction to be verified, e.g., account information and dollar amount, is directed to, and stored in, a check information database.
A resource manager application resident in the calling computer informs the scheduler when the calling computer has one or more telephone lines available for placing
Hoosain Allan
TeleCheck International, Inc.
Zele Krista
LandOfFree
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