US6842767B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for content personalization over a telephone interface with adaptive personalization
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
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Filing: 2000-02-24
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Granted: 2005-01-11
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Expires: 2020-02-24
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for providing personalized information content over telephones is described. The creation of a voice portal is supported by the invention. Embodiments of the invention use telephone identifying information such as the calling party's number to identify, or create, user profiles for customization. The personalized content is specific to that user based on her/his telephone identifying information and may be further customized based on the current time, current date, the calling party's locales, and/or the calling party's dialect and speech patterns. Also, the telephone identifying information may support targeted advertising, content, and purchasing recommendations specific to that user. The system may use a voice password and/or touch-tone login system when appropriate to distinguish the caller or verify the caller's identity for specific activities. Typically, embodiments of the invention will immediately present a caller personalized content based on her/his profile using the appropriate dialect as well as the caller's preferred content. Profiles can be constructed as the caller uses embodiments of the invention as well as through explicit designation of preferences. For example, as the user selects topics, as well as particular content, a record of actions can be maintained. This record of actions can be used to provide suggestions and direct the personalization of the system for the user.
Inventors
- 👤 Hadi Partovi
- 👤 Roderick Steven Brathwaite
- 👤 Angus Macdonald Davis
- 👤 Michael S. McCue
- 👤 Brandon William Porter
- 👤 John Giannandrea
- 👤 Eckart Walther
- 👤 Anthony Accardi
- 👤 Zhe Li
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 09:18
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L65/00; H04L65/1066; H04L65/1069; G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/06; H04L65/1096; H04L65/1101; H04L67/00; H04L67/2866; H04L67/30; H04L67/306; H04L67/50; H04L67/53; H04L67/56; H04L67/564; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/487; H04M3/493; H04M3/4938; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329; H04M2203/00; H04M2203/20; H04M2203/2061; H04M2242/00; H04M2242/22; H04M3/42025; H04M3/42034; H04M3/42059; H04M3/42068
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
227 words
A method of presenting personalized content over a voice portal, comprising: receiving telephone identifying information on a first computer from a telephone interface; identifying a corresponding user profile having an associated at least one telephone identifying information matching said telephone identifying information on said first computer from said telephone interface; generating content relating to at least one topic included in said corresponding user profile; selecting a qualified voice character as a function of said user profile and a voice characteristic of said user; presenting content relating to said at least one topic included in said corresponding user profile, formatted in said qualified voice character, over said telephone interface; including a record of actions in said corresponding user profile; presenting a suggestion for updating said corresponding user profile over said telephone interface based on said record of actions, said suggestion comprising at least one of a second topic and a sub-topic of said at least one topic; receiving a response to said suggestion; and adding said second topic or said sub-topic to said user profile according to said response to said suggestion, wherein topics and sub-topics in said user profile are user selectable, and wherein said first computer represents content relating to a topic or sub-topic in said user profile over said telephone interface in response to a user-selection of a topic or sub-topic in said user profile.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
227 words
A method of presenting personalized content over a voice portal, comprising: receiving telephone identifying information on a first computer from a telephone interface; identifying a corresponding user profile having an associated at least one telephone identifying information matching said telephone identifying information on said first computer from said telephone interface; generating content relating to at least one topic included in said corresponding user profile; selecting a qualified voice character as a function of said user profile and a voice characteristic of said user; presenting content relating to said at least one topic included in said corresponding user profile, formatted in said qualified voice character, over said telephone interface; including a record of actions in said corresponding user profile; presenting a suggestion for updating said corresponding user profile over said telephone interface based on said record of actions, said suggestion comprising at least one of a second topic and a sub-topic of said at least one topic; receiving a response to said suggestion; and adding said second topic or said sub-topic to said user profile according to said response to said suggestion, wherein topics and sub-topics in said user profile are user selectable, and wherein said first computer represents content relating to a topic or sub-topic in said user profile over said telephone interface in response to a user-selection of a topic or sub-topic in said user profile.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein user associated with said telephone identifying information is distinguished as a function of a voice password.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein a user associated with said telephone identifying information is distinguished as a function of a touch tone login.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein said content comprises a qualified advertisement.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein said content comprises a qualified suggestion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
127 words
A voice portal comprising: a call manager for receiving a telephone identifying information from a telephone interface, for identifying a corresponding user profile having an associated at least one telephone identifying information matching said telephone identifying information, for presenting content, formatted in a qualified voice character, relating to a topic or sub-topic in said user profile over said telephone interface in response to a user-selection of a topic or sub-topic in said user profile; an execution engine communicatively coupled to said call manager for including at least one of a second topic and a sub-topic in said user profile based on a record of actions, wherein topics and sub-topics in said user profile are user-selectable; a database, communicatively coupled to said execution engine, for storing user profile.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
127 words
A voice portal comprising: a call manager for receiving a telephone identifying information from a telephone interface, for identifying a corresponding user profile having an associated at least one telephone identifying information matching said telephone identifying information, for presenting content, formatted in a qualified voice character, relating to a topic or sub-topic in said user profile over said telephone interface in response to a user-selection of a topic or sub-topic in said user profile; an execution engine communicatively coupled to said call manager for including at least one of a second topic and a sub-topic in said user profile based on a record of actions, wherein topics and sub-topics in said user profile are user-selectable; a database, communicatively coupled to said execution engine, for storing user profile.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The voice portal according to claim 6 , further comprising a web server communicatively coupled to said database for receiving data from a user and for updating said saved user profile corresponding to said user.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The voice portal according to claim 6 , further comprising a web server for retrieving said qualified content from the world wide web.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The voice portal according to claim 6 , further comprising a streaming engine communicatively coupled to said execution engine, for enabling generation of streaming audio-format content by said execution engine.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
The voice portal according to claim 6 , further comprising a text to speech server communicatively coupled to said execution engine, for converting text-format content to audio-format qualified content.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The voice portal for according to claim 6 , further comprising an audio repository communicatively coupled to said execution engine, for providing said content.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The voice portal for according to claim 6 , further comprising a recognition server communicatively coupled to said execution engine, for converting voice-format inputs from said user to text-format inputs from said users.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-01-11 | 2008-07-12 | 2009-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-01-11 | 2012-07-12 | 2013-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-01-11 | 2016-07-12 | 2017-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |