Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Interaction with an external nontelephone network
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2001-07-10
Hoosain, Allan (Department: 2645)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Interaction with an external nontelephone network
C379S067100, C379S088010, C379S088030, C379S093230, C709S202000, C709S217000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259771
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to interactive voice response systems and, in particular, to such systems having announcements stored on a web site.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Telephone companies have long offered directory assistance service. A typical caller dials a special number, such as “411” for directory assistance. Often the caller who requests assistance is connected to an operator. Recent advances in voice recognition systems permit 411 services to connect the caller to a voice recognition computer. The computer has a store of digital files, including prompts for the caller. In response to information provided by the caller, the voice recognition system either identifies the requested subscriber phone number or passes the call to an operator.
The operator and the voice recognition system have access to one or more computers that store the telephone numbers for local and long-distance subscribers. Subscriber telephone numbers are stored in accordance with subscriber data. Such data includes the name of the subscriber and the subscriber location including street address, city or town, and state. After the 411 service acquires the requested phone number, the number is usually automatically announced to the caller. The announcement is a computer-generated voice signal that gives the caller the requested subscriber phone number. Advances in directory assistance technology allow the directory assistance equipment and its caller to interact. Now a caller can choose to let the directory assistance equipment automatically place the call to the requested phone number. The announcement directs the user to press a specified key on the telephone pad or say “yes” if the user wants the directory assistance equipment to dial the number. Often there is a charge for automatic connection.
Customers of telephone companies may have special announcements associated with directory assistance requests. These special announcements may also include voice recognition and interactive features. For example, when a customer calls a given location, the customer will hear a recording announcing a plurality of options. The customer is directed by the message to select one of the options by pressing a key on the telephone pad. Such announcement systems have certain drawbacks. At present, announcement systems are normally part of the directory assistance equipment. Such equipment normally includes a computer, such as a minicomputer or workstation. The computer itself and its software is both expensive and proprietary. Directory assistance equipment of one manufacturer may not be compatible with equipment of competitors. The equipment is expensive and difficult to reprogram. Subscribers often want to make their own changes to their announcements without depending upon telephone company schedules and personnel. However, subscribers must purchase the equipment and expensive software tools in order to control announcements.
As a result of these problems, there has developed a need for a more flexible telephone announcement system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a telephone announcement system. It includes a switch, a directory assistance subsystem, and a universal resource locator (URL) computer. The switch receives a telephone call from a caller who requests directory assistance, i.e., the telephone number for a subscriber. The directory assistance subsystem has a voice path to the caller through the switch and assumes control of the call from the switch. The directory assistance subsystem is computer-based equipment that includes one or more memories that store and retrieve subscriber phone numbers. The subscriber phone numbers are stored in accordance with subscriber data, such as the subscriber name and address. The URL computer has a control path that is coupled to the directory assistance subsystem for receiving control of the call from the directory assistance subsystem. The URL computer also has a voice path that is coupled through the switch to the caller. The URL computer includes means for identifying the URL associated with the requested number. The means for identifying the URL is a software program that calculates the URL or a database that holds the URLs in accordance with the subscriber phone numbers. Upon generating or retrieving the URL, the URL computer establishes a data path between the URL computer and a subscriber computer located on a network.
In the preferred embodiment, the computer is a subscriber site on the Internet. The Internet site is preferably maintained by the subscriber. At the subscriber site, announcement data is stored in a suitable file format, that is text or digitized speech. Such file formats include hand-held device format language (HDML), as well as WAV files and AIFF files. Once the data path is established to the subscriber site, announcement files from that site are downloaded to the URL computer that converts the files to audio signals. The audio signals are coupled to the call through the switch. The announcements give the caller choices. The caller makes a choice by answering a voice prompt or by pressing a keypad on a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) keypad. Voice or DTMF recognition subsystems in the URL computer convert the user's choice to a signal that is sent via the computer network to the subscriber site. In this manner, the caller and the Internet site may operate interactively until the caller hangs up or makes a final choice. Upon making a final choice, the URL computer and/or the directory assistance subsystem connects the caller to the chosen telephone number.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5724412 (1998-03-01), Srinivasan
patent: 5884032 (1999-03-01), Bateman et al.
patent: 5884262 (1999-03-01), Kredo et al.
patent: 5946684 (1999-08-01), Lund
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patent: 5987508 (1999-11-01), Aaraharam et al.
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Kane Stephen
Kredo Thomas J.
Sutter Mike
Hoosain Allan
Hunton & Williams
Nortel Networks Limited
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