WO2003003703A2

WO2003003703A2 - Directory server indexed by geographical location given by calling party via voice tags

Info

Publication number: WO2003003703A2
Application number: PCT/GB2002/002947
Authority: WO
Inventors: Osama Sammour
Original assignee: Eckoh Technologies (Uk) Limited
Priority date: 2001-06-27
Filing date: 2002-06-27
Publication date: 2003-01-09
Also published as: GB2377120B; GB2377120A; AU2002310534A1; GB0115716D0; WO2003003703A3

Abstract

A method of providing personalised telephony services to a user using a telephony control node, said method comprising a user configuring a set of geographical location data entries; storing the set of user-configured geographical location data as entries in a database which is queryable on a per-user basis; the user dialling into the telephony control node after storage of the user-configured geographical location data; conducting a telephony call leg with the user; determining the identity of the caller; enabling the user to select a geographical location data entry from the user's set of user-configured data entries; setting up a further call leg using the selected geographical location data entry; and bridging the two call legs.

Description

CALL CONNECTION SYSTEM

Field of the Invention This invention relates to methods of connecting voice calls between users and localised services, apparatus and computer programs for same.

Background

Systems for location-based call routing are known. In these systems, the location of the telephone handset from which a user makes a call is determined during call establishment, and a call routing decision is made on the basis of the determined location, whereby the end point of the call is determined according to the location of the telephone handset.

In the case of a mobile telephone handset, the handset location is generally determined by obtaining the location of the handset from the mobile communications network in which the handset is operating. The mobile communications network, generally a cellular communications network, may detect the location of the mobile telephone handset by detecting the identity, and corresponding locational area, of the cell in which the handset is receiving service, or by other methods involving the detection of the handset by various methods generally involving triangulation by means of radio signals. The triangulation methods may be handset based (for example using the Global Positioning System to triangulate via radio signals received from a plurality of satellites) or network based (for example using a plurality of base stations to detect signals from the mobile handset to perform triangulation), or a hybrid of both.

In the case of fixed telephone handsets, the location of the handset may be obtained during call set up by calling line identification (CLI) to detect the directory number of the telephone, and performing a look-up in a table holding locational details corresponding to each such directory number. GB-A-2219713 describes a telephony system where a customer is able to select a desired service in a specified geographic location with user input provided via voice commands. The system will dial the selected service and connects the caller directly once the specified service answers the call. O-A-0176211 describes a telephony system providing the connection of a caller to a caller selected service based upon geographical location data. Geographical location data is used to select the service options made available to the caller.

US-A-5901214 describes a telephony system providing a caller with a selection of services. On making a selection via voice recognition the caller is connected to the chosen service. The system uses the current geographical location of the caller to select the service options provided. The caller can also make a selection in a different geographical area.

It is an object of the invention to provide improvements in relation to these known methods and systems.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of providing personalised telephony services to a user using a telephony control node, said method comprising: a) a user configuring a set of geographical location data entries; b) storing the set of user-configured geographical location data as entries in a database which is queryable on a per-user basis; c) the user dialling into the telephony control node after storage of the user-configured geographical location data; d) conducting a telephony call leg with the user; e) determining the identity of the caller; f) enabling the user to select a geographical location data entry from the user's set of user-configured data entries; g) setting up a further call leg using the selected geographical location data entry; and h) bridging the two call legs.

An advantage of the invention is that local service access can be provided to the user for a geographical area relevant to the user without requiring recognition of an unknown geographical location during a voice call or the detection of the location of the user' s telephone handset.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of an interactive voice response system arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating steps conducted by the voice response system of Fig. 1 in an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Referring now to Fig. 1, an interactive voice response system arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes various hardware components. These hardware components are themselves known and will not be described in detail; the functioning of the components, and in particular the functioning of the computer software running on the components is new and will be described in further detail.

The system includes an interactive voice response (IVR) engine 2 capable of recognising commands over a voice telephony connection; these commands include commands voiced by users and recognised by a voice recognition component of the IVR engine 2, and may also include dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) commands transmitted from users by pressing keys on their telephone handsets. The IVR engine is also capable of playing audio content from persistently stored audio files stored in audio file store 14. The IVR engine has voice telephony connections provided by circuit switching matrix 4, whereby a number of circuit switched telephone lines, connected to a voice telephony network, are terminated at the IVR engine 2. Users may access the system via different types of telephone terminal, including an exemplified fixed line telephone handset 6, connected to the voice telephony network via a fixed line 8, and mobile telephony handset 10, connected to the voice telephony network via a cellular radio communications link 12.

The IVR engine 2 has access to a user data store 16, in which user- specific information is stored, including logging in information, personal contacts information and email messages downloaded by the system on behalf of users. The IVR interactions with the user are personalised by means of the data stored in user data store 16. hi addition, a user may add data to user data store 16 by means of voice and/or DTMF interaction with the IVR engine 2. The IVR engine 2 is also connected to an email server 18 used to send outgoing emails via a connection to a data communications network 24, typically the Internet. Email server 18 is also capable of downloading emails from remote email servers, exemplified by remote email server 28, which receive, process and transmit email messages on behalf of the users of the IVR system of the present invention. Remote email server may for example be one provided by the user's internet service provider such as AOL™, or by a Web portal such as Yahoo!™. Email servers 18, 28 communicate over data communications network 24 using standard Internet protocols such as the SMTP protocol and the POP protocol. The downloaded emails may be accessed by means of a text-to-speech engine (not shown) providing voiced messages corresponding to the text content of the emails via the IVR engine 2.

The IVR engine 2 is also provided with a locational service data store 20 containing a lookup table for determining telephone directory numbers for local services in correspondence with a supplied location indication. The location indication in this embodiment is a postal code (known variously as a post code or a ZIP code, etc.) However, other forms of location specification may also be used, such as address details, or the supply of geographical coordinates such as latitude and longitude coordinates, and furthermore, one form of location indication may be converted to another form to ensure compatibility between the supplied location information, which may be in one format such as a postal code format and the stored location information, which may be geocoded in another format, such as geographic location coordinates. In this embodiment, the lookup table contains a database of locations of local service outlets, such as pizza delivery outlets, along with data defining the extent of their local delivery area and the contact telephone number, and opening times for the outlets.

The IVR engine 2 is also connected to a data store 16 which in turn is connected to World Wide Web (herein "Web") server 22 providing Web resources to users via the data communications network. Thus, a user may access these Web resources by using a browser application, for example

Microsoft Internet Explorer™ or Netscape Navigator™, running on a computer terminal such as an exemplified desktop computer workstation 26 connected to the data communications network 24. The content provided by Web server 22 is personalised by means of data stored in user data store 16. hi addition, a user may add data to user data store 16 by means of Web resources, such as Web pages containing forms to be filled in by users and posted back to Web server 22.

A user may register with the system by interaction with Web server 22. Namely, the user may fill out a Web page form giving details of a unique ID, preferably corresponding to the number of the telephone from which the user will most often access the service so that the service may recognise the user automatically by calling line identification (CLI), a password to be used at login, other personal information, such as personal contact information in the form of name tags, telephone numbers and email addresses for a number of personal contacts of the users, and details of the user's personal email account held with remote email server 28, including the user's email address, their account password and the address of the mail server.

In a preferred embodiment, the personal data store also holds details of a plurality of locations at which the user wishes to receive localised services by means of voice telephony calls. The user may enter the details of each said location via a Web interface, for example by filling a Web page containing a form allowing a plurality of different locations to be specified. The user may alter the geographical location information stored by updating the entries stored via the same interface. In this embodiment the locations are specified in the form of a postal code. However, other forms of location specification may also be used, such as address details, or the supply of geographical coordinates such as latitude and longitude coordinates. In this embodiment, the systems allows for two alternative locations to be specified, namely a "home" location for the user and a "work" location for the user, these generally being the locations at which a user may most often wish to use localised services, such as the service exemplified in this embodiment, namely pizza delivery. However, in alternative embodiments the user may specify larger numbers of locations. The total number allowed is preferably limited to less than 20, more preferably less than 10, in order to ensure a relatively high degree of accuracy in operation of the voice recognition engine when the user is attempting to select an entry from the list by uttering a name tag to the IVR engine 2.

Whilst a Web-based information entry system is preferred for user convenience, similar registration procedure, or at least parts thereof and/or updates thereto may also be performed via the IVR interface, by the user providing information in the form of voiced and/or DTMF responses to queries by the IVR engine when in data acquisition mode, which can be entered for example by the user uttering a predetermined keyword or keyword sequence when conducting a voice call with the IVR engine 2. Once the user has registered with the system, the user may obtain localised services via IVR engine 2. First, the user places a voice call, via their selected telephone handset, to the IVR engine 2, and logs in by supplying their user ID (if not automatically recognised via CLI) and user password. Next, the user may enter localised services mode by uttering a predetermined keyword or keyword sequence, such as "shopping, pizza delivery". On receiving this command, IVR engine 2 proceeds to conduct the procedure illustrated in Fig. 2.

In step 100, IVR engine 2 plays a welcome message to the user prompting the user to specify a location at which localised services are to be provided. The user may then select one of the locations stored for the user in the system by uttering a name tag associated with the location, for example

"home" or "work", which may be preset in the system or may be specified individually for each location by the user during the registration procedures, or by DTMF tone input. hi step 104, IVR engine 2 converts the stored location information, if necessary, to a format appropriate to that of the information stored in the lookup table of locational service store 20, and queries the lookup table 20 to determine whether a local service is available, based on the outlet delivery areas and the opening times. If no such service is available, a message is played to inform the user and the user is returned to a start menu for the service, step 106. If a local service is available, a message is played to the user in step 108 to inform the user that the service is attempting to connect a call through to the service outlet, and the IVR engine 2 sets up a call leg, via switch matrix 4, to the corresponding telephone number found in the lookup table, step 110. The IVR engine 2 waits for a predetermined period of time, steps 112, 114, and if within that time there is no answer, a message is played to inform the user and the user is returned to a start menu for the service, step 116. If the call is answered, the IVR engine 2 controls the switch matrix 4 to bridge both call legs, step 118, at which point the user is connected through to the local outlet. The user may then interact with a person, or automated system, in the local outlet, by voice and/or DTMF interaction, in order to obtain the local service. When the IVR engine 2 detects hang up on either side of the bridged call, step 120, the call is terminated. Alternatively, the IVR engine 2 may detect a predetermined command, or one of a set of allowable commands, from the user during the bridged call to return the user to an IVR menu allowing the user to perform other functions in the system. The above embodiments are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention. Further embodiments of the invention are envisaged. In one alternative, rather than the location specified by the user during the call being used to select a terminating telephone directory number, a locational indication corresponding to the selected location may be included in the call set up signalling information which is passed through to a routing engine in the second leg of the call, which performs the routing to a terminating telephone directory number selected in accordance with the specified location. Whilst in the above embodiments, the user has access to the system via a Web interface, wireless transfer protocols such as WAP™ and I-mode™ may alternatively be used to allow a user to similarly interact with the system by means of graphical interface on a mobile telephony device. Other hardware configurations are also envisaged; furthermore the use of pluralities of the different hardware components described would be useful in order to scale up the number of users the system is able to serve. It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to one embodiment may also be used in other of the embodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A method of providing personalised telephony services to a user using a telephony control node, said method comprising: a) a user configuring a set of geographical location data entries; b) storing the set of user-configured geographical location data as entries in a database which is queryable on a per-user basis; c) the user dialling into the telephony control node after storage of the user-configured geographical location data; d) conducting a telephony call leg with the user; e) determining the identity of the caller; f) enabling the user to select a geographical location data entry from the user's set of user-configured data entries; g) setting up a further call leg using the selected geographical location data entry; and h) bridging the two call legs.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step (g) comprises determining a telephone directory number appropriate to the selected geographical location data entry and setting up said further call leg to said telephone directory number.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said entries comprise a name tag, and said step (f) comprises conducting voice recognition of a name tag.

4. A method according to claim 3, comprising limiting a number of allowed entries in the user's set of geographical location data entries in relation to which voice recognition is conducted.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said maximum number is less than 20.

6. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising providing a graphical interface for configuring said geographical location data.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said graphical interface comprises a Web page or suchlike.

8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said method is carried out at least in part by an interactive voice response engine.

9. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein in step (e) the identity of the caller is determined by calling line identity (CLI) identification.

10. Apparatus adapted to carry out the method of any of any of the preceding claims.

11. Computer software adapted to carry out the method of any of the preceding claims.