IP Library Granted Patent US 8,737,576
Granted Patent B2
US 8,737,576 · App. 13/934,749 · Granted May 27, 2014

System, method and software for a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,737,576
App. No.
13/934,749
Granted
May 27, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Claims (41)

1. A system for routing a call, the system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium, accessible to the processor, including processor-executable program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

responding to detecting, in a caller utterance associated with a call from a caller, an indication of an available service and a task by:

accessing a matrix indicating routing destinations for combinations of available services and tasks;

identifying a routing destination associated with the caller utterance from the matrix; and

routing the call to the routing destination identified; and

responding to detecting, in the caller utterance, an indication of a task and failing to detect an indication of an available service by:

accessing the matrix to identify available services associated with the task indicated in the caller utterance; and

prompting the caller to indicate one of the available services identified.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the routing destination includes identifying a service module of a transaction processing apparatus.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the prompting of the caller occurs as part of automated assistance provided to the caller.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the prompting of the caller occurs as part of technician assistance provided to the caller.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the available services include:

basic telephone services; and

optional services.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the optional services include:

call forwarding, caller ID, broadband services, and long distance services.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein prompting the caller includes:

indicating an available service to the caller; and

prompting the caller to confirm the available service indicated.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations include:

executing a speech recognition utility to identify at least one of the available service and the task.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the speech recognition utility includes a statistical language modeling utility.

10. A tangible computer-readable medium including stored program instructions, executable by a processor, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, performing operations comprising:

responding to detecting, in a caller utterance associated with a call from a caller, an indication of an available service and a task by:

accessing a matrix indicating routing destinations for combinations of available services and tasks;

identifying a routing destination associated with the caller utterance from the matrix; and

routing the call to the routing destination identified; and

responding to detecting, in the caller utterance, an indication of a task and failing to detect an indication of an available service by:

accessing the matrix to identify available services associated with the task indicated in the caller utterance; and

prompting the caller to indicate one of the available services identified.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein identifying the routing destination includes identifying a service module of a transaction processing apparatus.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the available services include:

basic telephone services; and

optional services, wherein the optional services include:

call forwarding, caller ID, broadband services, and long distance services.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein prompting the caller includes:

indicating an available service to the caller; and

prompting the caller to confirm the available service indicated.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the speech recognition utility includes a statistical language modeling utility.

Assignments (6)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2023
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 065552/0934 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 26, 2017
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
To: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041504/0952 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 7, 2016
From: SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
To: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
Reel/Frame 038897/0428 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 030929 FRAME: 0017. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 7, 2016
From: BUSHEY, ROBERT R.; MARTIN, JOHN M.; KNOTT, BENJAMIN A.
To: SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
Reel/Frame 038897/0534 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 7, 2016
From: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 038898/0023 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2013
From: BUSHEY, ROBERT R.; MARTIN, JOHN M.; KNOTT, BENJAMIN A.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P., F/K/A SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
Reel/Frame 030929/0017 →