US 6,658,389 B1 · System, method, and business model for speech-interactive information system having business self-promotion, audio coupon and rating features

Abstract

The invention provides a system, method, and business model for an information system and service having business self-promotion, audio coupon, ratings, and other features. A business or organization in which consumers call into a service using an ordinary telephone, PC, PDA, or other information appliance, and make requests in plain speech for information on goods and/or services, and the service provides responses to the request in plain speech in real-time. Provides an operating model for a telephone-based audio-interfaced goods and services information and referral service having merchant self-promotion features, including database provider storing merchant information; an interface for inputting merchant information into the database and for retrieving and editing the information; and an interface for inputting voice commands and data and for receiving merchant information and processed information from the database in response to the input voice commands and data. The invention provides a system including: a speech-to-text conversion engine converting speech-based input commands and data received from an external device over a communication link into text-based commands and data; a data base storing a plurality of data items; a search engine searching the database for a particular data item in response to the text-based command and data; a text-to-speech conversion engine generating a speech-based representation of the particular data item identified in the database search; and a speech server for communicating the speech-based representation of the particular data item to the external device.

Claims66

Dependent claims

An operating model for a telephone-based audio-interfaced goods and services information service, comprising:

an information database provider storing merchant information including a merchant identity information and at least one good or service associated with said merchant;
an audio merchant interface including a first telephone for inputting said merchant information into said database;
a second telephone for inputting end-consumer spoken voice commands making a request for information and for receiving said merchant information in audio form stored in said database in response to said input spoken voice commands making said request for information, said inputting end-consumer spoken voice commands making a request for information occurring without a conversion of a text command into a spoken voice command and without the use of a computer;
and
at least one speech server separate from said merchant interface and said end-consumer second telephone and operable to:
(i) receive said input spoken end-consumer voice commands in audio form and translate said received input spoken voice commands into a first symbolic command form using a speech-to-text conversion engine so that said symbolic command form may be used to search said information database and retrieve an information item in a second symbolic form therefrom, and (ii) convert said retrieved second symbolic form information item into speech using a text-to-speech conversion engine for communication to said end user in spoken form;
said second telephone comprises a mobile telephone;
and further comprising:
receiving and collecting raw business rating inputs in the form of voice utterances from users, processing these speech uttered ratings inputs to generate compiled business ratings, and providing said processed business ratings to users in response to said speech utterances;
providing a referral service accessible via said second telephone and operable to provide a consumer with a referral to a merchant having a predetermined rating, including providing a highly rated business;
providing a merchant self-promotion and consumer feedback features that encourage use, generate revenues, and provide incentives for use by both merchants and consumers;
said merchant information includes a merchant identifier, a merchant coupon, a category sponsorship message, a merchant telephone number, and a stored merchant information as a recorded audio information;
said consumer interface does not utilize a visual display even if present in said consumer interface to interact with said speech server;
and
determining the geographic location of the caller, and providing an information having geographical context to the caller based on said determined geographic caller location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

13 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving a speech utterance in the form of an electronic audio signal directly from an end user consumer from a telephone, the speech utterance including spoken voice input commands requesting information on a merchant good or service from the end user consumer without requiring the end user consumer to provide any text or symbolic command representation for the request;
converting the speech utterance to text and extracting commands and optional data from said converted text;
searching a database storing a plurality of data items including a merchant data items and at least one good or service data item associated with said merchant for a particular one of said plurality of said data items in response to said converted text-based command and data;
generating a speech-based audio representation of said particular data item identified in said database search for playback over a telephone;
serving said speech-based representation of said particular data item to said telephone;
receiving and collecting raw business rating inputs in the form of voice utterances from users, processing these speech uttered ratings inputs to generate compiled business ratings, and providing said processed business ratings to users in response to said speech utterances;
providing a referral service accessible via said second telephone and operable to provide a consumer with a referral to a merchant having a predetermined rating, including providing a highly rated businesses;
providing a merchant self-promotion and consumer feedback features that encourage use, generate revenues, and provide incentives for use by both merchants and consumers;
said merchant information includes a merchant identifier, a merchant coupon, a category sponsorship message, a merchant telephone number, and a stored merchant information as a recorded audio information;
said consumer interface does not utilize a visual display even if present in said consumer interface to interact with said speech server;
and
determining the geographic location of the caller, and providing an information having geographical context to the caller based on said determined geographic caller location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

10 more elements

A system comprising:

a speech-to-text conversion engine converting speech-based audio input commands and data received from an external telephone separate from said speech-to-text conversion engine over a wired or wireless telephone line into output text-based commands and data;
a database storing a plurality of data items including a merchant identity information and at least one good or service associated with said merchant;
a database search engine searching the database for a particular data item in response to said output text-based command and data;
a text-to-speech conversion engine generating a speech-based audio representation of said text-based particular data item identified in said database search;
a server separate from said telephone for communicating said speech-based audio representation of said particular data item to said telephone;
and
means for receiving and collecting raw business rating inputs in the form of voice utterances from users, processing these speech uttered ratings inputs to generate compiled business ratings, and providing said processed business ratings to users in response to said speech utterances;
means for providing a referral service accessible via said second telephone and operable to provide a consumer with a referral to a merchant having a predetermined rating, including providing a highly rated businesses;
means for providing a merchant self-promotion and consumer feedback features that encourage use, generate revenues, and provide incentives for use by both merchants and consumers;
said merchant information includes a merchant identifier, a merchant coupon, a category sponsorship message, a merchant telephone number, and a stored merchant information as a recorded audio information;
said consumer interface does not utilize a visual display even if present in said consumer interface to interact with said speech server;
and
means for determining the geographic location of the caller, and providing an information having geographical context to the caller based on said determined geographic caller location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

11 more elements

A business model for a business in which consumers call into a service using an ordinary telephone and make requests in plain speech for information and positive referrals on goods and/or services, merchants access the service to create and edit merchant information in real-time, and the service provides responses to the request in plain speech in real-time over the same telephone, the service using an automated speech driven query and response to reduce cost of operation as compared to non-automated speech driven query and response services and further comprising:

receiving and collecting raw business rating inputs in the form of voice utterances from users, processing these speech uttered ratings inputs to generate compiled business ratings, and providing said processed business ratings to users in response to said speech utterances;
providing a referral service accessible via said second telephone and operable to provide a consumer with a referral to a merchant having a predetermined rating, including providing a highly rated businesses;
providing a merchant self-promotion and consumer feedback features that encourage use, generate revenues, and provide incentives for use by both merchants and consumers;
said merchant information includes a merchant identifier, a merchant coupon, a category sponsorship message, a merchant telephone number, and a stored merchant information as a recorded audio information;
said consumer interface does not utilize a visual display even if present in said consumer interface to interact with said speech server;
and
determining the geographic location of the caller, and providing an information having geographical context to the caller based on said determined geographic caller location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving a speech utterance in the form of an electronic audio signal directly from an end user consumer from a telephone, the speech utterance including spoken voice input commands requesting information on a merchant good or service from the end user consumer without requiring the end user consumer to provide any text or symbolic command representation for the request;
converting the speech utterance to text and extracting commands and optional data from said converted text;
searching a database storing a plurality of data items including a merchant data items and at least one good or service data item associated with said merchant for a particular one of said plurality of said data items in response to said converted text-based command and data;.
generating a speech-based audio representation of said particular data item identified in said database search for playback over a telephone;
serving said speech-based representation of said particular data item to said telephone;
receiving and collecting raw business rating inputs in the form of voice utterances from users, processing these speech uttered ratings inputs to generate compiled business ratings, and providing said processed business ratings to users in response to said speech utterances;
providing a referral service accessible via said second telephone and operable to provide a consumer with a referral to a merchant having a predetermined rating, including providing a highly rated businesses;
providing a merchant self-promotion and consumer feedback features that encourage use, generate revenues, and provide incentives for use by both merchants and consumers;
said merchant information includes a merchant identifier, a merchant coupon, a category sponsorship message, a merchant telephone number, and a stored merchant information as a recorded audio information;
said consumer interface does not utilize a visual display even if present in said consumer interface to interact with said speech server;
and
determining the geographic location of the caller, and providing an information having geographical context to the caller based on said determined geographic caller location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

10 more elements

An operating model for a telephone-based audio-interfaced goods and services information service, comprising:

an information database provider storing merchant information including a merchant identity information and at least one good or service associated with said merchant;
an audio merchant interface including a first telephone for inputting said merchant information into said database;
a second telephone for inputting end-consumer spoken voice commands making a request for information and for receiving said merchant information in audio form stored in said database in response to said input spoken voice commands making said request for information, said inputting end-consumer spoken voice commands making a request for information occurring without a conversion of a text command into a spoken voice command and without the use of a computer;
at least one speech server separate from said merchant interface and said end-consumer second telephone and operable to:
(i) receive said input spoken end-consumer voice commands in audio form and translate said received input spoken voice commands into a first symbolic command form using a speech-to-text conversion engine so that said symbolic command form may be used to search said information database and retrieve an information item in a second symbolic form therefrom, and (ii) convert said retrieved second symbolic form information item into speech using a text-to-speech conversion engine for communication to said end user in spoken form;
and
determining a geographic information for the end user, and providing the merchant information having geographical context to the end user based on said determined geographic caller location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

5 more elements

A system comprising:

a speech server receiving a spoken voice telephone call from an external telephone including spoken voice input commands requesting information on a good or service from an end consumer without requiring said end consumer to provide any text or symbolic command representation;
a speech-to-text conversion engine converting said received spoken voice input commands from said external telephone separate from said speech-to-text conversion engine over a wired or wireless telephone line to generate output text-based or symbol-based commands and data;
means for determining a geographic location of interest of an end consumer making said spoken telephone call;
a database storing a plurality of data items including a merchant identity information and at least one good or service associated with said merchant;
a database search engine searching the database for a particular data item in response to said generated output text-based command and data, said generated output-text-based commands and data being used to query said database to service said request for information by retrieving said particular data item;
said particular data item having geographical context to the end consumer based on said determined geographic end user location, said information having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendation, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof;
a text-to-speech conversion engine generating a speech-based audio representation of said retrieved text-based particular data item identified in said database search;
and
a server separate from said end-consumer telephone for providing and communicating said speech-based audio representation of said particular data item to said end-consumer external telephone.

7 more elements

A system comprising:

a speech-to-text conversion engine converting speech-based audio input commands and data received from an external telephone separate from said speech-to-text conversion engine over a wired or wireless telephone line into output text-based commands and data;
a database storing a plurality of data items including a merchant identity information and at least one good or service associated with said merchant;
a database search engine searching the database for a particular data item in response to said output text-based command and data;
a text-to-speech conversion engine generating a speech-based audio representation of said text-based particular data item identified in said database search;
a server separate from said telephone for communicating said speech-based audio representation of said particular data item to said telephone;
means for receiving rating inputs from users and for providing audio processed ratings based on said ratings inputs to consumers;
and
means for determining a geographic location of interest associated with a request communicated in said speech-based audio input commands and data and for providing said particular data item having geographical context to the request based on said geographic location of interest, said particular data item having geographical context selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendation, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof.

6 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving a speech utterance in the form of an electronic audio signal directly from an end user consumer from a telephone, the speech utterance including spoken voice input commands requesting an information on a merchant good or service from the end user consumer without requiring the end user consumer to provide any text or symbolic command representation for the request;
converting the speech utterance to text and extracting commands and optional data from said converted text;
determining a geographic location of interest of said end user consumer;
searching a database storing a plurality of data items including a merchant data item and at least one good or service data item associated with said merchant for a particular one of said plurality of said data items in response to said converted text-based command and data, said searching including searching for a particular data item having geographical context to the end user consumer based on said determined geographic end user consumer location of interest, said data item having geographical context being selected from the set consisting of:
a geographically based recommendations, a geographically-based promotion, a geographically based audio coupon delivery, and combinations thereof;
generating a speech-based audio representation of said particular data item identified in said database search for playback over said telephone;
and
serving said speech-based representation of said particular data item to said telephone.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System, method, and business model for speech-interactive information system having business self-promotion, audio coupon and rating features

Life of this patent

System, method, and business model for speech-interactive information system having business self-promotion, audio coupon and rating features

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims66