9270811

Visual Options for Audio Menu

PublishedFebruary 23, 2016
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
20 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A method, comprising: calling, by a mobile telephone, an interactive voice response (IVR) system having a telephone number; communicating the telephone number to a remote server; receiving, from the remote server during the call to the IVR system, information used to display a digital menu of options for interaction with the IVR system, wherein each of the options is associated with one or more tones corresponding to a numeric code comprising one or more numerals from 0 to 9; receiving, from the IVR system prior to displaying the digital menu, an audio input signal representative of a portion of an automated audio menu for interaction with the IVR system; causing a speaker of the mobile telephone to generate audio corresponding to a first portion of the audio input signal; determining that the digital menu is a valid representation of the automated audio menu by comparing at least a portion of the audio input signal to a reference audio signal; displaying the digital menu at a display device of the mobile telephone, wherein the displayed digital menu comprises selectable display options, each of the selectable display options corresponding to an audible option in the automated audio menu, and wherein each of the selectable display options comprises a textual representation of the audible option; receiving a selection from the selectable display options via a touch screen of the mobile telephone prior to a speaker of the mobile telephone generating audio corresponding to a second portion of the audio input signal; generating numeric code information according to the received selection; and communicating the numeric code information to the IVR system.

2

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising parsing the information for a keyword or a phrase associated with a live attendant option to reach at least one of a representative or an operator, and determining second numeric code information associated with the live attendant option, wherein displaying the digital menu further comprises highlighting at least one of the selectable display options to represent the live attendant option.

3

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the digital menu comprises displaying a selectable display option representative of a customized option for the IVR system and a caller at the mobile telephone, and wherein the customized option is representative of historical selections for the caller.

4

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying indicia representative of a timer indicative of time remaining to transfer the call to a live attendant.

5

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying one or more historical options selected in a previous connection with the automated communication platform; and generating second code information according to the one or more historical options.

6

6. A method, comprising: receiving a request to connect with an automated communication platform having an automated audio menu of options for interaction with the automated communication platform; sending a communication address of the automated communication platform; receiving option information indicative of a digital menu of options; receiving an audio input signal representative of at least one option of the automated audio menu; causing a speaker of the communication device to generate audio corresponding to at least a portion of the audio input signal, the audio input signal permits determining accuracy of the digital menu; displaying a plurality of actionable indicia representative of the digital menu, a first actionable indicia of the plurality of actionable indicia corresponding to a first option in the automated audio menu; receiving a selection of the first actionable indicia; generating code information according to the selection; and sending the code information generated tone or sequence of tones to the automated communication platform.

7

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising parsing the option information for a keyword or a phrase indicative of a live attendant option to reach at least one of a representative or an operator, wherein displaying the plurality of actionable indicia comprises visually emphasizing at least one of the plurality of actionable indicia to represent the live attendant option.

8

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising displaying indicia representative of a timer indicative of time remaining to transfer the call to a live attendant.

9

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein displaying the plurality of actionable indicia comprises displaying second actionable indicia representative of concatenated options in the digital menu, and wherein the second actionable indicia represents a tree structure of options having a first node associated with a first option and a second node associated with a second option, the second actionable indicia comprising one or more fillable fields to input information associated with the first option.

10

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein displaying the plurality of actionable indicia comprises displaying a second actionable indicia representative of a customized option for the automated communication platform, and wherein the customized option is representative of historical selections.

11

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining accuracy of the digital menu comprises receiving a reference audio signal corresponding to an expected audio signal from the automated communication platform, comparing a sequence of frequencies of the audio input signal with a sequence of frequencies of the reference audio signal, and determining the accuracy of the digital menu using an outcome of the comparing.

12

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising identifying one or more historical options selected in a previous connection with the automated communication platform, generating second code information according to the one or more historical options.

13

13. The method of claim 6 , further comprising displaying a form having one or more fields to input information associated with the received selection.

14

14. A device, comprising: at least one memory device having instructions encoded thereon; at least one processor functionally coupled to the at least one memory device and configured, by the instructions, to at least: receive a request to connect with an automated communication platform having an automated audio menu of options for interaction with the automated communication platform; send a communication address of the automated communication platform; receive an audio input signal representative of at least one option of the automated audio menu; cause a speaker of the communication device to generate audio corresponding to at least a portion of the audio input signal; determine, using at least a portion of the audio input signal, that the digital menu is a valid representation of the automated audio menu receive option information indicative of a digital menu of options for interaction with the automated communication platform; display a plurality of actionable indicia representative of the digital menu, a first actionable indicia of the plurality of actionable indicia corresponds to a first audible option in the automated audio menu; receive a selection of one of the plurality of actionable indicia; generate code information according to the received selection; and send the code information to the automated communication platform.

15

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the device to parse the option information for a keyword indicative of a live attendant option to reach at least one of a representative or an operator, and to display distinctively at least one of the plurality of actionable indicia to represent the live attendant option.

16

16. The device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display indicia representative of a timer indicative of time remaining to transfer the call to a live attendant.

17

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display a form having one or more fields to input information associated with the received selection.

18

18. The device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display an actionable indicia representative of a customized option for the automated communication platform.

19

19. The device of claim 14 , wherein the automated communication platform comprises an interactive voice response system or an automated attendant.

20

20. The device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify one or more historical options selected in a previous connection with the automated communication platform; and generate second code information according to the one or more historical options.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

February 23, 2016

Inventors

Samuel Richard Atlas

Want to explore more patents?

Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.

Citation & reuse

Analysis on this page is generated by Patentable — an AI-powered patent intelligence platform. AI-generated summaries, explanations, and analysis may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL below. Patent abstracts and claims are USPTO public domain.

Cite as: Patentable. “VISUAL OPTIONS FOR AUDIO MENU” (9270811). https://patentable.app/patents/9270811

© 2026 Patentable. All rights reserved.

Patentable is a research and drafting-assistant tool, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Documents we generate are drafts for review by a licensed patent attorney.