Interactive information transaction processing system with universal telephony gateway capabilities

An interactive information transaction processing system with universal telephony gateway capabilities, in which a plurality of users are each disposed to voice communicate via a user device, the plurality including asynchronously-connected users voice-communicating via computers, the plurality further including synchronously-connected users voice communicating via telephones, the gateway comprising:

• a connecting resource, the connecting resource including a server and an Interactive Voice Response (“IVR”) unit, a plurality of interconnecting links connecting ones of the user devices to the connecting resource, wherein the connecting resource receives synchronous and asynchronous data;
• the server disposed to receive multimedia signals from asynchronously-connected users, the server further disposed to feed voice communication within the multimedia signals to the IVR, the server further disposed also to interact with user devices in non-voice media during voice communication between users;
• and
• the IVR disposed to selectively couple ones of the interconnecting links to enable voice communication between users in point-to-point connections, the IVR further disposed to selectively couple ones of the interconnecting links to enable voice communication between users in multi-party conferences, the IVR further disposed to selectively couple ones of the interconnecting links to enable communication between users and automated speech resources, the IVR further disposed to provide feeds from said user communications to be broadcast over a mass medium, the IVR further disposed to enable voice communication between asynchronously-connected users and synchronously-connected users.

A method for enabling originating parties to communicate universally with terminating parties, comprising the steps of:

• providing a connecting resource and automated speech resources, wherein the connecting resource receives synchronous and asynchronous data;
• establishing one or more originating links between the connecting resource and a corresponding number of originating parties, said originating parties transferring voice information over the originating links in a data transfer protocol selected from the group consisting of asynchronous transfer and synchronous transfer;
• disposing the connecting resource to selectively establish one or more terminating links between the connecting resource and a corresponding number of terminating parties, said terminating parties transferring voice information over the terminating links in a data transfer protocol selected from the group consisting of asynchronous transfer and synchronous transfer;
• selectively coupling ones of the originating links with ones of the terminating links so as to enable voice communications between originating parties and terminating parties thereby coupled, wherein voice information transferred in said voice communications is converted between asynchronous and synchronous data transfer protocols as required to enable said voice communications;
• and
• selectively coupling ones of the originating links and ones of the terminating links with said automated speech resources.

A method for enabling originating parties to communicate universally with terminating parties, comprising the steps of:

• providing a connecting resource, the connecting resource including an Interactive Voice Response (“IVR”) unit, wherein the connecting resource receives synchronous and asynchronous data;
• establishing one or more originating links between the connecting resource and a corresponding number of originating parties, said originating parties transferring voice information over the originating links in a data transfer protocol selected from the group consisting of TCP/IP and standard synchronous telephony protocol;
• disposing the IVR unit to selectively establish one or more terminating links between the connecting resource and a corresponding number of terminating parties, said terminating parties transferring voice information over the terminating links in a data transfer protocol selected from the group consisting of TCP/IP and standard synchronous telephony protocol;
• and
• selectively coupling ones of the originating links with ones of the terminating links so as to enable voice communications between originating parties and terminating parties thereby coupled, wherein voice information transferred in said voice communications is converted by the IVR unit between TCP/IP and standard synchronous telephony protocol as required to enable said voice communications.