Unified Interaction Flow for Voice and Visual Channels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current multi-channel interaction systems struggle to seamlessly integrate voice and visual interactions within a unified communication flow, requiring separate development and management for each interaction type, which increases costs and complexity for service providers.

Innovation Solution

A system that allows a single interaction flow to be translated into voice or visual instructions based on user preference, using VoiceXML or HTML5, enabling both voice and visual interactions through a common interaction flow document, and an application server that determines and translates instructions accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate development and management systems are used for voice and visual interactions, then each interaction type can be optimized independently, but the overall system complexity and development costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraction qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines separate voice and visual interaction development systems into a single unified interaction flow document that can define both interaction types. This merging eliminates the need for parallel development processes while maintaining the ability to optimize each interaction type independently through distinct instruction sets within the unified document.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The interaction flow document is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it defines voice interaction sequences, defines visual interaction sequences, and coordinates both types of interactions through a single document. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle diverse interaction requirements without increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If separate development processes are used for voice and visual interactions, then each channel can be optimized, but development time and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechannel optimizationVSAvoiddevelopment efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The unified interaction flow document performs preliminary definition of both voice and visual interaction sequences before execution. By pre-defining all interaction logic in a single document, the system eliminates the need for separate development processes, thereby improving development efficiency while maintaining the ability to optimize each channel independently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If users switch between voice and visual interactions in current systems, then communication flexibility improves, but context loss occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication flexibilityVSAvoidcontext continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms that track the interaction state across different modalities. When users switch between voice and visual interactions, the system maintains context information and uses feedback loops to ensure continuous, coherent interaction flow, preventing context loss while preserving communication flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3281395B1Visual interactive voice response system
Publication Date: 2020.04.08 GREENEDEN U S HLDG II LLC
  • EP3281395B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3281395B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3281395B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A request is received from a communications device to execute an interaction site. A request is transmitted to the automated response system. First instructions that provide one or more steps of the multi-step communication flow between the communications device and the automated response system are received from the automated response system. In response to determining that the request is for the voice-interaction with the interaction site, second instructions that provide the one or more steps through a voice interaction with a user of the communications device are determined and transmitted to the communications device. In response to determining that the request is for the visual-interaction with the interaction site, third instructions that provide the one or more steps through a visual interaction with the user of the communications device are determined and transmitted to the communications device.