Claims
- 1. A call flow routine comprising:
a directed call flow routine established by one or icons, each icon representing a leg of said call flow, each of said legs of said directed call flow necessarily populated in order to complete said directed call flow routine; and an optional call flow routine established by icons, each icon representing a leg of said optional call flow routine, each said leg optionally invoked under control of a detected phrase outside of the phrases expected by said directed call flow.
- 2. The call flow of claim 1 further comprising:
returning to said directed call flow after completing an invoked optional call flow when said detected phrase is from an anticipated grammar associated with said directed call flow.
- 3. The call flow of claim 2 further comprising:
beginning an entirely new call flow when said detected phrase is not from an anticipated grammar associated with said directed call flow.
- 4. The call flow of claim 1 further comprising:
changing the message of said optional call flow depending upon the context in which said optional call flow was invoked.
- 5. The call flow of claim 1 further comprising:
changing the message of said optional call flow depending upon the context in which said optional call flow was invoked and the number of times said specific optional call flow has been invoked within a specific session.
- 6. A graphical tool for use in interactive response systems, said tool operable for displaying to a call flow designer the logical operation of an application; said tool comprising:
means for transmitting prompts to a talking user, said prompts including instructions for verbalizing a response in at least one word chosen by the talking user; means for receiving from said talking user answers to said prompts, said answers including at least one word spoken by said talking user; means for returning to an application matches between what a talking user has responded and a preestablished grammar; and means, including the placement of icons, for establishing and displaying a call flow routine having at least one slot return, said slot return identifying at least one phrase outside of the expected range of responses.
- 7. The tool of claim 6 further comprising:
means, including the placement of icons, for identifying returned ones of said phrases which are outside the expected responses as being within an anticipated jump phrase.
- 8. The tool of claim 7 further comprising:
means for fulfilling a talking user's request based upon a received phrase outside the expected responses; means for returning said talking user to said prompts when said request has been fulfilled and said request was within said anticipated jump phrases; and wherein said fulfilling means is part of the call flow established and displayed by said icon placement means.
- 9. A computer system having a display, said computer system providing a graphical development environment for developers, said computer system comprising:
means for graphically representing an application flow as a plurality of icons, some of said icons representing sub-routines; means for manipulating said icons, including said sub-routine icons, into single slot and multiple slot returns, each said return handling a different expected functional response from a talking user; and means for creating a loop for controlling out of context verbal responses according to the nature of each said response.
- 10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said controlling means include the preestablishment of phrases in context to said application flow.
- 11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein said controlling means further comprising:
means for returning to said application flow after digressing to another application, said returning means controlled, at least in part, by detection of one of said preestablished phases.
- 12. The method for programming an interactive response system where at least some of the interactive responses include bidirectional voice prompts, said method comprising the step of:
arranging icons to form a plurality of return slots, each return slot having subroutines shown by other icons, said subroutines establishing conditions for application operation; at least some of said return slots are operable to receive returns in response to a grammar against which returned voice prompts from a talking user is matched; and at least some of said return slots are operable to receive returns in response to a grammar outside of the expected grammar but within a related context to said expected grammar.
- 13. The method of claim 12 further including the step of:
arranging said icons such that when a non-expected grammar is received, next system operations are dependent upon whether or not said, unexpected grammar is within said related context grammars.
- 14. A method for controlling IVR call flows; said method comprising:
establishing a plurality of grammars, each grammar having contained therein expected responses to a given question; using icon controlled preestablished routines for establishing, for a given compound question, which grammars are to be used for each answered portion of such compound question; and using icon controlled preestablished routines for controlling subsequent call flows in response to an unexpected answer to a given question.
- 15. The method of claim 14 further including:
when an unexpected answer has been received, performing the desired operation contained in said preestablished routine.
- 16. The method of claim 15 further including:
after performing said desired operation, taking further action dependent upon the context of said unexpected answer.
- 17. The method of claim 15 further including:
after performing said desired operation, taking further action dependent upon whether or not said unexpected answer has been preidentified as being in context to said given question.
- 18. A graphically controlled IVR system, said system comprising:
a system for establishing a call flow having multiple slots for receiving verbal responses to a compound question, each slot associated with a grammar appropriate for an expected response; circuitry for directing each such verbal response to a grammar for interpretation in accordance with an expected grammar for said response; circuitry for receiving in an appropriate slot, interpretations from said grammar when a verbal response is proper; and circuitry for receiving in an appropriate slot, interpretations from said grammar when a verbal response is non-responsive; and circuitry for controlling subsequent system operation dependant upon whether said verbal response was within an expected range of non-response.
- 19. The system of claim 18 wherein said subsequent system operation is a return to the call flow in progress before said non-response was received.
- 20. The system of claim 19 wherein said subsequent system operation is a switch to a new call flow.
- 21. A method of establishing a call flow routine, said method comprising:
establishing a directed call flow routine by one or more icons, each icon representing a leg of said call flow, each of said legs of said directed call flow necessarily populated in order to complete said directed call flow routine; and establishing an optional call flow routine by icons, each icon representing a leg of said optional call flow routines, each said leg optionally invoked under control of a detected phrase outside of the phrases expected by said directed call flow.
- 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:
returning to said directed call flow after completing an invoked optional call flow when said detected phrase is from an anticipated grammar associated with said directed call flow.
- 23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
beginning an entirely new call flow when said detected phrase is not from an anticipated grammar associated with said directed call flow.
- 24. The method of claim 21 further comprising:
changing the message of said optional call flow depending upon the context in which said optional call flow was invoked.
- 25. The method of claim 21 further comprising:
changing the message of said optional call flow depending upon the context in which said optional call flow was invoked and the number of times said specific optional call flow has been invoked within a specific session.
- 26. A system of establishing a call flow routine, said system comprising:
one or more icons operable for a establishing a directed call flow routine, each said icon representing a leg of said call flow, each of said legs of said directed call flow necessarily populated in order to complete said directed call flow routine; and one or more icons operable for establishing an optional call flow routine, each said icon representing a leg of said optional call flow routines, each said leg optionally invoked under control of a detected phrase outside of the phrases expected by said directed call flow.
- 27. The system of claim 26 further including an anticipated grammar associated with said directed call flow and wherein said returning to said directed call flow after completing an invoked optional call flow when said detected phrase is from said anticipated grammar.
- 28. The system of claim 27 further comprising:
control for beginning an entirely new call flow when said detected phrase is not from said anticipated grammar associated with said directed call flow.
- 29. The system of claim 26 further comprising:
control for changing the message of said optional call flow depending upon the context in which said optional call flow was invoked.
- 30. The system of claim 26 further comprising:
control for changing the message of said optional call flow depending upon the context in which said optional call flow was invoked and the number of times said specific optional call flow has been invoked within a specific session.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to concurrently filed, co-pending, and commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. XX/XXX,XXX, Attorney Docket No. 47524/P128US/10204306, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD TO GRAPHICALLY FACILITATE SPEECH ENABLED USER INTERFACES;” commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/687,296, filed Oct. 13, 2000, entitled “GRAPHICAL PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE FOR REPRESENTATIONS OF CONCURRENT OPERATIONS;” and commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/603,334, filed Jun. 26, 2000, entitled “ENHANCED GRAPHICAL DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT FOR CONTROLLING PROGRAM FLOW,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.