METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR NAVIGATING AND EDITING TELEPHONIC INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE INFORMATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and system for navigating and editing telephonic interactive voice response (IVR) information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION IVR systems allow telephone callers to interact with data processing systems. IVR systems are widely used by businesses to offer automated transaction services and/or automated information services. An IVR system normally includes a computer which executes an IVR software application that interfaces a caller with a data processing system. The IVR system provides a sequential flow of audible prompts to the caller, and the caller provides speech and/or touch-tone input in response to the prompts over an established telephone call. Through this interaction, the IVR system collects information from the caller that can be processed by the data processing system to automatically provide a selected transaction and/or information service.

In a telephonic IVR interaction. A caller first hears a welcome message spoken by the IVR system. Next, the caller is audibly presented with a menu containing a number of forms corresponding to services offered by the IVR system. The caller is requested to select one of these forms by speech and/or touch-tone input. The IVR system then branches to the caller's selected form.

Thereafter, the IVR system audibly presents a sequential flow of data fields of the selected form to the caller, and the caller sequentially fills each field by speech and/or touch-tone input. After the final field of the

selected form is filled, the IVR system asks the caller if they wish to modify the filled form. If the caller wishes to modify any of the fields of the filled form, the IVR system returns to selected form and sequentially repeats the fields. If the caller does not wish to modify the filled form, the IVR system interacts with a data processing system to process the filled form to provide the caller's selected service.

From the perspective of the caller, prior art telephonic IVR interactions have no perceivable persistence in that the sequence and content of the data fields and the caller's speech and/or touch-tone input are not visible to the caller during the interaction. In addition, prior art IVR interactions force a particular sequential flow of fields to be filled by the caller, whether the caller is ready with responses or not. Further, the caller may have difficulty in remembering the fields and their corresponding input. The caller may also have to temporarily memorize their touch-tone and/or speech input and the corresponding fields in order to subsequently edit or verify input to a particular field. In practice, information presented audibly tends to be much more transitory than information presented visually and is therefore more easily forgotten. As a result, it is not uncommon for callers to prior art telephonic IVR systems to forget where they are in the sequence of fields and/or what input they have provided to particular fields.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system for navigating and editing telephonic IVR information. Data fields are audibly presented from an IVR system to a

telephone caller. Each data field is associated with a unique identifier. An edit mode is also audibly presented from the IVR system to the caller. During the edit mode, the caller can provide speech and/or touch- tone input corresponding to the unique identifiers respectively associated with the data fields to selectively, individually and non-sequentially: navigate data fields; audibly playback data fields; provide input to data fields; audibly playback input to data fields; modify input to data fields; confirm input to data fields .

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described solely by way of a non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 a block diagram of a telephonic IVR system according to an embodiment;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a method for navigating and editing telephonic IVR information according to an embodiment;

Figure 3 is a more detailed flow diagram of a method for navigating and editing telephonic IVR information of Figure 2 according to an embodiment; and Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a telephonic IVR interaction relating to rail travel information services according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figure 1, an IVR system 106 is connected to a telephone caller 102 via a communications network 104. The IVR system 106 includes a computer (not shown) which executes an IVR software application 108

that interfaces the caller 102 with a data processing system 112. The IVR system 106 can receive input in the form of caller speech and/or touch-tones, either or both of which can be received over an established telephone call. For example, the IVR system 106 can include or access a speech recognition system for converting caller speech to text as well as one or more recorded audio prompts that can be played to callers . The IVR system 106 can also include suitable text-to-speech systems rather than prerecorded audio prompts or a combination of both. The IVR software application 108 includes or accesses an edit mode software module 110. The IVR software application 108 may be implemented as a VoiceXML software application, and the edit mode software module 110 may also be implemented as a VoiceXML software module. The edit mode software module 110 which provides the IVR system 106 with an edit mode will be explained in greater detail later.

Figure 2 shows a flow diagram of a process for navigating and editing telephonic IVR information according to an embodiment. In step 202, audio menu options respectively associated with unique identifiers are presented by an IVR system to a telephone caller. The unique identifiers may be telephone key identifiers and/or keyword speech identifiers.

In step 204, an audio edit mode is presented by the IVR system to the caller. During the audio edit mode, the caller is allowed in step 206 to provide input corresponding to the unique identifiers associated with the audio menu options to selectively, individually and non-sequentially : navigate and playback audio menu options; provide responses to audio menu options; receive audio playback of responses to audio menu options; modify responses to audio menu options; confirm responses to

audio menu options. During the audio edit mode, the caller may also sequentially navigate and playback the audio menu options .

Referring to Figure 3, the process for navigating and editing telephonic IVR information according to the embodiment described in Figure 2 will now be explained in greater detail. A caller first hears a welcome message spoken by the IVR system in step 302. In the following step 304 the caller is audibly presented with a menu containing a number of forms corresponding to services offered by the IVR system. The caller is requested to select one of these forms by speech and/or touch-tone input in step 306. The IVR system then branches to the caller's selected form in step 308. In steps 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, the IVR system audibly presents a sequential flow of data fields 1 to N of the selected form to the caller, and the caller sequentially fills each field by speech and/or touch-tone input. Each data field 1 to N is associated with a unique identifier. The unique identifiers may be numbers and/or keywords.

In step 320, an edit mode is also audibly presented from the IVR system to the caller. During the edit mode, the caller can in step 322 provide speech and/or touch- tone input corresponding to the unique identifiers respectively associated with the data fields to selectively, individually and non-sequentially: navigate data fields 1 to N; audibly playback data fields 1 to N; provide input to data fields 1 to N; audibly playback input to data fields 1 to N; modify input to data fields 1 to N; confirm input to data fields 1 to N.

The caller input in step 322 corresponding to the unique identifiers respectively associated with the data fields 1 to N may be numeric touch-tone input and/or keyword speech input. During the edit mode, the caller

may also sequentially navigate and audibly playback the data fields 1 to N by providing predetermined touch-tone input, such as pressing the "#" (hash) key.

The data fields 1 to N may be presented in a sequential flow in steps 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, and the edit mode may be automatically presented in step 320 for a predetermined time after each data field. The data fields 1 to N may also be presented in a sequential flow in steps 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, and the edit mode may be selectively presented in step 320 at any time during the sequential flow upon receipt of predetermined touch- tone input from the caller in step 322, such as pressing the "*" (star) key, or predetermined speech input from the caller in step 322, such as saying "edit". After the audio edit mode is presented in step 320, the sequential flow of data fields 1 to N in steps 310, 312, 314, 316, 318 may be selectively resumed upon receipt of predetermined touch-tone input, such as pressing the "*" (star) key, or predetermined speech input, such as saying "menu". The sequential flow of data fields 1 to N in steps 310, 312, 314, 316, 318 may also be resumed upon the absence of touch-tone input and/or speech input from the caller for a predetermined time . Once the caller has filled all the data fields 1 to N and finished manipulating them using the edit mode, the IVR system interacts with a data processing system to process the filled form in step 324 and provide the caller's selected service. Figure 4 illustrates an example implementation of an edit mode in a telephonic IVR interaction relating to rail travel information services . A caller first hears a welcome message spoken by the IVR system in step 402. In the following step 404 the caller is audibly presented

with a menu containing a number of forms corresponding to rail travel information services offered by the IVR system. The caller selects a "ticket availability" form by speech and/or touch-tone input in step 406. An example dialogue between the IVR system and the caller for steps 402, 404, 406 is as follows.

IVR system: Welcome to the rail travel information service.

IVR system: Please select one of the following services: ticket availability or ticket status.

Caller: Ticket availability.

IVR system: Did you say ticket availability? Caller: Yes.

The IVR system then branches to the "ticket availability" form in step 408. The "ticket availability" form includes the following data fields. Field 1: Departure station. Field 2: Destination station. Field 3: Train name.. Field 4: Travel date.

Each data field 1 to 4 of the "ticket availability" form is associated with a unique identifier. The unique identifiers in this example are numbers corresponding to the field numbers above, and keywords corresponding to the field descriptions above. For example, numeric keys 1-4 may be associated with fields 1 to 4, respectively. Similarly, "departure station", "destination station", "train name", and "travel date" may also be used as keywords for associating with fields 1 to 4, respectively.

In steps 410 and 412, the IVR system audibly presents fields 1 and 2 in series to the caller, and the caller responds in series by speech and/or touch-tone

input. An example dialogue for steps 410 and 412 is as follows .

IVR system: What is your departure station? Caller: Washington. IVR system: Did you say Washington?

Caller: Yes.

IVR system: What is your destination station? Caller: New Jersey.

IVR system: Did you say New Jersey? Caller: Yes.

The sequential flow of data fields 1 to 4 in steps 410, 412, 414, 416 may be interrupted at any point by an edit mode in step 418. During the edit mode, the IVR system allows the caller to provide speech and/or touch- tone input in step 420 corresponding to the unique identifiers respectively associated with the data fields 1 to 4 to selectively, individually and non-sequentially: navigate data fields 1 to 4; audibly playback data fields 1 to 4; provide input to data fields 1 to 4; audibly playback input to data fields 1 to 4; modify input to data fields 1 to 4; confirm input to data fields 1 to 4.

An example interaction and dialogue involving the edit mode in step 418 is as follows.

Caller: Presses "*" (star) key. IVR system: Welcome to edit mode in which you can go to, fill or modify fields in any order you choose. In edit mode you can access fields by pressing any of the numbers 1 to 4 on your telephone keypad. Caller: Presses key number 1.

IVR system: Departure station. You have entered Washington. Do you want to change this?

Caller: Presses key number 2.

IVR system: Destination station. ^' You have entered New Jersey. Do you want to change this?

Caller: Presses key number 3. IVR system: Train name. No train name has been entered. Please enter a train name.

Caller: Presses key number 4.

IVR system: Travel date. No travel date has been entered. Please enter a travel date. Caller: Presses key number 1.

IVR system: Departure station. You have entered Washington. Do you want to change this?

Caller: Yes. IVR system: Please enter a departure station.

Caller: New York.

IVR system: Did you say New York?

Caller: Yes.

Caller: Presses key number 4. IVR system: Train name. No train name has been entered. Please enter a train name.

Caller: Liberty Express.

IVR system: Did you say Liberty Express?

Caller: Yes. Caller: Presses "*" (star) key.

IVR system: You have left edit mode. Press the star key if you want to re-enter the edit mode.

IVR system: Travel date. No travel date has been entered. Please enter a travel date. Caller: May 13 2005.

IVR system: Did you say May 13 2005.

Caller: Yes.

Having filled all fields 1 to 4, the IVR system interacts with a data processing system to process the

filled form in step 422 and provide the caller with the desired "ticket availability" information service. The dialogue ends as follows .

IVR system: There are 22 seats available on the Liberty Express on May 13 2005 between New York and New Jersey. The user ends the call by hanging up the phone.

Embodiments can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Embodiments can be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the embodiment of the method described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software can be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the embodiment of the method described herein.

Embodiments also can be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form. For example, embodiments of the method and system may be implemented in the VoiceXML programming language .

It will be appreciated that the embodiments described above are intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are possible with the spirit and the scope of the present invention. For example, the telephone keys and keywords used in the embodiments are examples only, and the edit mode of the present invention may be implemented with different keys and/or keywords. Embodiments may also be implemented in conventional programming languages other than VoiceXML.