System and method for conducting transactions without human intervention using speech recognition technology

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates generally to speech recognition technology and more particularly to a system and method for conducting transactions without human intervention using speech recognition technology to process customer transaction information.

#2. Description of the Background Art

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system used to conduct a transaction without human intervention, according to the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the voice appliance of FIG. 1, according to the invention;

#FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the business application server of FIG. 1, according to the invention;

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system 100 used to conduct a transaction without human intervention, according to the invention. Typical transactions may include, for example, purchasing a product or a service. As shown, system 100 may include, without limitation, a phone 110, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 120, a voice appliance 140, an analog phone switch 142, a human operator 144, local area network (LAN) 150 and an enterprise system 160. Using phone 110, a customer calls a service provider with whom the customer wants to conduct the transaction, and the call is routed through PSTN 120 to voice appliance 140.

#As described herein, once the customer is in communication with voice appliance 140, the customer and voice appliance 140 participate in a “dialog,” during which the customer transmits all information relevant to the transaction (the “transaction information”) to voice appliance 140. The transaction information may be in the form of voice utterances spoken into phone 110 and, optionally, dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) commands entered into phone 110. As explained in further detail below in conjunction with FIG. 2, voice appliance 140 is configured to participate in the dialog with the customer, to process the transaction information provided by the customer, to generate transaction instructions based on the transaction information and to submit the transaction instructions to enterprise system 160. Voice appliance 140 typically may reside on the premises of the service provider.

#Voice appliance 140 is coupled to enterprise system 160 via an enterprise network, such as LAN 150, which may be any type of packet-based network (e.g., TCP/IP, IPX/SPX or NetBEUI) over which data (e.g., the transaction instructions described herein) is transmitted between voice appliance 140 and enterprise system 160 using HTTP or other similar transport protocols. Alternatively, voice appliance 140 may be coupled directly to enterprise system 160 using any type of serial ports such as USB or RS-232 ports or parallel ports.