78 results about "Voice response unit" patented technology

A location query service for use with a wireless network that tracks the location of network devices, such as a network complying with enhanced 911 standards. The service provides requesters with the locations of network users, based on the locations of the users' wireless network devices. The service receives a location query from a requester, retrieves location information associated with the network user, and returns the location information to the requestor. Alternately, before returning the location information to the requester, the service authenticates that the requestor is authorized by the network user to receive the network user's location information. A requestor can submit a location query, for example, by voice calls through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to an interactive voice response unit (IVRU), personal computer access through a global computer network, and cellular telephone access through a global computer network.

A method and system for prepaying wireless telecommunications charges utilizes computer hardware and software including, for example, a user's mobile phone, a mobile operator's interactive voice response unit, a mobile payments interactive voice response unit, SMS, test messaging, email, ATM, kiosk, the Internet, and/or WAP or the like, a mobile payments engine, a mobile operator's prepaid billing system, a subscriber database, a payment gateway, and a transaction processing platform. The mobile payments engine receives information identifying a user's wireless telecommunication device via the mobile payments interactive voice response unit, passes the information to the mobile operator's billing system with a request for validation of a mobile account for the user, and if validation is received, the mobile payments engine receives financial source account and user identity verification information from the user, assigns a mobile personal identification number for the user, and arranges a credit from the source account to the user's mobile account.

Systems and methods are described for delivering targeted content to a customer through a voice response unit (VRU). When the customer calls into the VRU, the customer is prompted to enter identification information. A unique customer identification code (UCIC) associated with the customer is used to look up an anonymized customer profile stored by a third party server. An advertisement identification code (ADIC) associated with the anonymized customer profile is used to identify targeted offers for the customer. The customer is then informed of the targeted offers verbally by the VRU. Optionally, the customer is presented with details of the offer verbally via the VRU. According to another aspect, the customer can select alternate media for delivery of the offer details (e.g., email, text message, etc.).

An Interactive Voice Response unit (IVR) is provided that includes a menu structure comprising a plurality of menus, each menu comprising a plurality of options that are selectable by a user, wherein the plurality of menus and each menu's respective plurality of options define a plurality of potential navigation paths for the user through the menu structure and a processor operable to receive, from the user, a request to change the menu structure; effect the requested change to the menu structure; and associate the changed menu structure with the requesting user.

In implementing an interactive voice response mechanism, a communication device establishes a communication connection with an application server. Application logic on the communication device, which may pre-exist on the device or be downloaded from the application server, defines at least one voice response application. The communication device includes a processor that operates to execute the application logic and locally administer the voice response application. Therefore, the voice response application is executed on the communication device instead of in a centralized interactive voice response unit (IVR).

The present invention is directed to a telecommunication device 174 or 180 including (a) an input operable to receive from an endpoint, as part of a live voice communication, a text message and an audio message, the audio message being a voiced version of the text message; (b) a character display; (c) at least one activator; and (d) a graphical display agent 184 operable to (i) display the text message on an associated character display 300 and (ii) audibly play the audio message.

The invention provides a voice recognition processing and feedback system and a voice response method. The method includes the steps of collecting user's voice information, identifying the user's voice information and transforming the identified voice information into text information, generating a text feedback corresponding to the text information, detecting the user's gender and age, acquiring and storing a male speech database, a female voice database and a children speech database, selecting the female speech database to perform the speech synthesis of the text feedback so as to generate a female voice file to reply to the user when the detected user is a male but not a child, selecting the male speech database to perform the speech synthesis of the text feedback so as to generate a male voice file to reply to the user when the detected user is a female but not a child, and selecting the children database to perform the speech synthesis of the text feedback so as to generate a cartoon voice file to reply to the user when the detected user is a child. With the method, different voice responses with different tones can be generated based on a speaker's age and gender.

A method and apparatus a user or other customer, controller, point-of-sale terminal, etc. to conduct a transaction for the purchase of one or more products and/or services, during which a supplemental product or service to offer a user during a transaction, either in addition to the products and/or services the user is purchasing or as a replacement to one or more of the products and/or services that the user is purchasing. The method may be implemented in retail embodiment where a user is purchasing products and/or services at a cash register or other point-of-sale terminal. The method may also be implemented in a online embodiment where a user is purchasing products and/or services using a computer, terminal, telephone or other client or user device and accessing a World Wide Web site, online catalog, interactive voice response unit or system, etc.

A subscriber's prepay balance is provided to a wireless mobile station (e.g., a cellular telephone) for visual display to a subscriber. Preferably, the prepay balance information is retrieved by a prepay application and, rather than be provided to an interactive voice response unit for conversion into an audible message, the prepay balance is provided through the network to the mobile station itself and displayed thereon. The prepay balance can be provided upon registering the mobile station with the carrier's network and/or upon completion of a phone call. In this way, within a relatively short period of time following the termination of a phone call or during registration, the subscriber's mobile station automatically displays the new prepay balance.

Aspects of the invention provide a solution for detecting man-in-the-middle attacks in electronic transactions using prompts. One embodiment includes a method for authenticating an electronic transaction. The method includes: receiving an electronic transaction request from a user, determining an IP address associated with a client system from which the electronic transaction request originates, providing the user with a password associated with the electronic transaction request, receiving a telephonic communication from a telephonic device associated with the user, prompting the user, via a voice response unit, to input the password using the telephonic device, authenticating the user by comparing the inputted password and the provided password, determining a probable location of the user based on the determined IP address of the client system, communicating to the user the probable location of the user based on the determined IP address, and prompting the user to confirm the probable location of the user.

A system and related techniques enhance the generation and delivery of dialed number identification service (DNIS) data to automatic call distributors and other destinations. Unlike conventional DNIS-based (800) or other call centers or other resources whose available DNIS-based identifications can become overtaxed during comparatively high call volumes, according to embodiments of the invention DNIS numbers are dynamically generated from an available pool on a per-call basis under call router supervision. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the dynamic DNIS may be associated with that call to the call's particular destination, such as an automatic call distributor, interactive voice response unit or other resource, during the duration of the call for the operative destination, with other calls being locked out from using that DNIS assignment while the call is in progress. The DNIS digits along with other tag or label information may likewise be used as a temporary key to access associated call data, such as dialed number, caller entered or other data or information, which may be stored in a data store for access by customer service representatives (CSRs) or others. After the call is completed, the temporarily assigned DNIS number may be released back to the pool for use by other calls to that destination.

This invention discloses a system for transmission of audio content to a telephone, the system including an audio stream navigation functionality operable by using a telephone user interface and enabling a user to select audio data to be heard by the user via said telephone, an interactive voice response unit operative in response to an input from said telephone user interface operating said audio stream navigation functionality and a transcoder operative in response to an input from said interactive voice response unit for providing audio data, from an audio source remote from said transcoder, to said interactive voice response unit for listening by said user via said telephone.

A method for transmission of audio content to a telephone is also disclosed.

An emergency call load handling system in a call network has an interactive voice response (IVR) unit associated with a switching apparatus to which calls may be diverted in special conditions, such as during emergencies or disasters when calls to certain destinations may suddenly increase dramatically. Calls are diverted depending on call destination and/or pre-programmed triggers, such as a call load threshold experienced by the switching apparatus or for a specific destination. The IVR unit in some cases negotiates with callers for priority to further route calls, and may play pre-recorded messages. Low priority calls are typically disposed of to for fire stations, hospitals, government emergency handling centers and the like. In some cases rules may be amended in real time by use of data network connections between call centers and the SCPs involved.

A system, method and program product for providing a voice response unit (VRU) proxy. A system is provided that includes: a graphical user interface (GUI) for dynamically displaying information from a VRU and for receiving data from a user; a system for initiating a call with the VRU; and a VRU interface system for transmitting data from the user to the VRU, and for using speech recognition to capture broadcasts from the VRU for display within the GUI.

A system for emulating interaction with an interactive voice response unit is provided. The system comprises, a client node connected to the network, the client node soliciting interaction with the interactive voice response unit and a proxy server node connected to the network, the server node accessible to client node, the interactive voice response unit accessible to the server node. A connection is established between the client node and the proxy server node, the proxy server node accepts data from the client node and translates the data into a format for interacting with the interactive voice response unit whereupon the data is then propagated to the interactive voice response unit. Response data resulting from the input data at the interactive voice response unit is propagated to the proxy server node whereupon the response data is translated into a format for dissemination at the client node and propagated thereto.

A system, method and program product for mapping voice response units (VRUs). A system is provided that includes: an interrogation system for interrogating a VRU and gathering a hierarchical set of options associated with the VRU; a map building system for converting the hierarchical set of options into a VRU map suitable for display; and a user interface for displaying the VRU map to an end user.

The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing prepaid card service to customers for placing telephone calls without relying on a post-service billing model. A service management computer having access to a card database is connected to the network only by out-of-band connections. A voice response unit or a tone receiver and announcement player in the network are the voice interface with the customer and are provided at the originating switch in the network to eliminate multiple switches from the call path.

A system permits a customer service agent to receive and listen to an audio recording from a caller on a voice device (110), and thereby prepare to support the caller before connecting directly with him/her. The incoming call may originate on a public telephone network (120), and be received by a system (100). The system (100) may include one or more of an automatic call distributor/private branch exchange (130), a voice response unit (140), and a computer telephone integration server (160), and possibly a data device (180). The caller may be prompted to provide an audio message concerning the nature of the telephone call. Before being connected to the caller, the service agent may be provided with the audio message from the caller, possibly via the data device (180). After listening to the caller's previously recorded audio message and preparing to assist the caller, the agent and caller may then be directly connected together.

A method and apparatus are provided for transferring contacts among automatic contact distributors of an automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of collecting information from a contact through an interactive voice response unit of a broker automatic call distributor of the automatic contact distribution system, incorporating the collected information into a SIP message, forking the SIP message from the broker automatic contact distributor to a plurality of other automatic contact distributors of the automatic contact distribution system and transferring the contact from the broker automatic contact distributors to one of the plurality of automatic contact distributors.