GB2407739A - Telecommunications services apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

Text dependent voice services (and also voice dependent text services) can be provided by apparatus which can parse text messages by a sub-platform 16, whereas voice communications can be processed by a voice services equipment sub-platform 17 which can interact with a mobile user 10 by playing audio files, accepting DTMF tones, or accepting caller audio for recording. An application 18 accepts input from both text and audio, and may generate output using either route, while maintaining a history of previous inputs and outputs. The application 18 may use this history of previous interactions to modify its subsequent interactions, output or flow.

Description

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES APPARATUS AND METHODS

This invention concerns the field of telecommunications, and in particular telecommunications services apparatus and methods, preferably in the context of mobile services involving text and voice including, for example, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and its associated short message services (SMS) and voice communication capabilities.

Text and voice communication are independently established as the primary means of telecommunication between individuals, and between users and organizations or applications. Each of the mobile telephony standards supports a variant of text messaging, which in the case of GSM is supported by the Short Message Services (SMS). Each mobile standard also supports voice calling.

Text message interaction with host applications, for example for voting, purchases, or entertainment is increasingly common, and voice interaction with host applications is beginning to grow in the same way as it has previously on fixed networks in response to the development of premium rate services.

Many network operators support interactive games on mobile phones using network based applications, and these are normally text message or WAP (wireless application protocol) based. There are many other applications, for example customer services, where voice communication, and in some cases text communication, is used.

Previously proposed systems treat voice and text separately. Although some complex services have been implemented in both technologies, the interaction possibilities between text and voice have not been well explored. Particularly in the context of mobile phone games, the possibility of a closer link between voice and text interaction has not been exploited.

Where voice input and text output are used in conjunction in the previous systems, the relationship between the text and voice is prescriptive and functional only, and the system has no memory for applying knowledge in subsequent communications. For example, a telephone call to a directory service may result in a telephone number being sent by text message to the caller's phone. However, the next time that he calls, there will be no influence from a previous call, as there is no history or memory maintained by this application.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a telecommunications services apparatus for use with a telephone network, the apparatus comprising means for receiving and processing text messages, interactive voice processing means for receiving and interacting with voice calls, and application provisioning means operable to accept inputs from both the text message processing means and the interactive voice processing means, and to generate outputs using one or both of text and audio.

Preferably, the interactive voice processing means may be a sub-platform known as a voice services equipment capable of interacting by playing audio files or synthesising audio, accepting DTMF tones, accepting caller audio for recording and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the application accepts input from both text and audio, and may generate output using either route, while maintaining a memory and history of previous inputs and outputs. The application may use its memory and history of previous interactions with this user or other users to influence, personalise or otherwise modify its subsequent interactions, output or flow.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a telecommunications services method for a telephone network, the method comprising receiving and processing text messages, receiving and interacting with voice calls, and accepting inputs from both the text message processing and voice interacting steps to generate outputs using one or both of text and audio in response to a specific application.

Further aspects of the invention provide a computer program for carrying out the above method, and a storage medium on which such computer program is stored.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying single figure drawing which shows a block diagram of a telecommunications services apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a mobile user 10 is connected to a mobile telephone network via a mobile switching centre (MSC) 12. The network preferably contains one or more SMS routers 14 for routing and filtering text messages sent by users. Alternatively, text messages may be routed via a short message service centre (SMSC) 15. Text messages destined for an application using the technique are routed via a so-called Wizard platform 16, which may be implemented as a separate server or as part of another network component. The platform 16 processes these text messages and communicates with an application 18. Voice interaction with the application is via a voice services equipment (VSE) 17 or equivalent function in the network. The application is also able to initiate outgoing calls or text messages.

The VSE 17 may be, for example, "Hi-Call" (RTM) equipment manufactured by Telsis Limited, some aspects of which are described in WO 92/22165.

The SMS router 14 may be, for example, a Telsis SMS Router (RTM), also manufactured by Telsis Limited. This equipment is capable of connection to telephone networks using known and standardized signalling protocols such as SS7 and TCP/lP.

The Wizard platform 16 may be, for example, as described in EP-A-1 185 119.

According to that disclosure, a communications processor receives an SMS data request from a mobile station and returns requested data to the station via the mobile network. A data store holds information in a hierarchical structure. An information processor can retrieve information from the data store. A query store is associated with the CLI of the mobile station, and holds an indication concerning the relative position in the hierarchical structure of the information retrieved in response to a previous query from the mobile station.

The present technique allows a user to interact by either voice or text (or both) with an external system or application, such that the flow, content or outcome of an interaction may be affected by application memory that stores information relating to the content of a previous interaction using text or voice. For example, in a mobile phone game application, the audio heard during a voice prompt could depend on the text sent by the user in a previous text message, opening the possibility of a rich and complex game environment with a higher degree of realism than has been possible before.

For example, a user might text a message such as 'My name is Lucy', or 'I prefer red'.

In a subsequent voice call or text message the system output dialogue might be modified to include the phrase "Hello Lucy..." or "I chose a red one for you". The intention here is to introduce a richness of detail at the lowest level, providing a more engaging and rewarding intercommunication experience.

Conversely, voice communications from a user may be interpreted at least in part by use of an automatic speech recogniser (ASR) or by a live agent or a combination of the two. Keywords or phrases from this dialog may be used to influence future outgoing texts or dialogs with the user.

Incoming text messages may be processed as follows. Messages are directed to the Wizard server platform 16, preferably by being groomed from other traffic using the SMS router 14. The grooming criterion could be destination number, for example.

Groomed traffic is passed to the Wizard platform 16, preferably over TCP/IP. The Wizard platform 16 parses the message in an application dependent fashion, for example as described in EP-A- 1 185 119, and communicates relevant information to the application 18, which may be on a separate platform reached over TCP/IP, or may be running on the same platform as the Wizard. The application 18 stores the information, and may use it in a later communication with the user 10. For example, it may cause the Wizard platform 16 to generate a text message and drop in a reference to information previously provided by the user 10, in which case the message is sent over TCP/IP to the SMS router 14. The router 14 delivers a mobile terminated (MT) text message, preferably directly rather than via the SMSC 15 for speed. Alternatively the application 18 may cause the VSE 17 to initiate a voice call to the user 10, preferably with the content created from concatenated recordings, or alternatively synthesized. Again, the application 18 has the option of referencing information previously provided by this user 10, or by another user. s

Voice calls from the user 10 to the application 18 are routed using the dialled number to the VSE platform 17. Under application control, audio prompts may be played, and choices or recorded audio collected. Significantly, the audio interaction may depend not only on previous voice interactions, but also on previous text interactions. This means that the entire flow of the interaction may be modified by the historical information collected by the platform during previous interactions. This knowledge stored in the application 18 can lend an unexpected human-like quality or realism to automated processes, and provide an invaluable extra dimension to mobile games.

As a specific example, the platform may have stored amongst its library of audio prompts, 10,000 or 20,000 carefully recorded and cut recordings of people's first names. Having prompted the user to supply their name in one interaction, during a subsequent voice call or text exchange, which may be initiated by either the user or the platform, the application 18 has the option to greet the user by name, or to drop their name into the communication, either as text or by concatenating the corresponding audio recording of the name with other application audio. As an alternative to high quality concatenation, text to speech (TTS) techniques or voice synthesis could be used.

Preferably one number (or alternatively separate numbers) could be used for the voice and text parts of communications initiated by the user. This is an important feature, since the user has only to dial or text to a single number whatever the medium of the communication. Also the CLI of interactions initiated by the application 18, whether a short code or a long number, will always be the same and hence is more recognizable by the subscriber. A single number system could use a virtual mobile (VM) number with voice call redirection to implement routing of voice and texts to an application platform.

Embodiments of the invention provide the capability for detailed personalisation of content shared between voice and text aspects of a communication, or set of communications. This works in both directions, i. e. voice input influencing both text and voice output, and text input influencing both voice and text output.

It is also possible that interactions with a user may be influenced by interactions with other users, and this is particularly true of multiuser games.

In so far as the embodiment(s) of the invention described above may be implemented, at least in part, using software controlled processing apparatus, it will be appreciated that a computer program providing such software control and a storage medium by which such a computer program is stored are envisaged as aspects of the invention.

Claims (18)

1. Telecommunications services apparatus for use with a telephone network, the apparatus comprising text processing means for receiving and processing text messages, interactive voice processing means for receiving and interacting with voice calls, and application provisioning means operable to accept inputs from both the text message processing means and the interactive voice processing means, and to generate outputs using one or both of text and audio.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application provisioning means includes a memory storing information relating to previous inputs and outputs pertaining to specific users of the service.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the memory is operable to associate the information relating to previous inputs and outputs with respective CLIs of users.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the application provisioning means is responsive to the memory to modify a subsequent output.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the application provisioning means is also responsive to an interaction with another user.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the text message processing means comprises a text message processing engine utilising a hierarchical structure.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein access to the text message processing means and to the interactive voice processing means is provided by the same telephone number.

8. Telecommunications services apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

9. A telecommunications services method for a telephone network, the method comprising receiving and processing text messages, receiving and interacting with voice calls, and accepting inputs from both the text message processing and voice interacting steps to generate outputs using one or both of text and audio in response to a specific application.

to

10. A method according to claim 9, including storing in a memory information relating to previous inputs and outputs pertaining to specific users of the service.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to previous inputs and outputs is associated with respective CLIs of users.

12. A method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein a subsequent output is modified on the basis of the memory.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein a subsequent output is responsive to an interaction with another user.

14. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the text message processing utilises a hierarchical structure.

15. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the same telephone number is used for access to both text message processing and voice interacting.

16. A telecommunications services method substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

17. A computer program for implementing a method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

18. A storage medium storing a computer program according to claim 17. s