System And Method For Placing Telephone Calls Using A Distributed Voice Application Execution System Architecture

What is this patent about?

’420 is related to the field of distributed voice services, specifically systems that enable voice applications on user devices. Traditional Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems rely on centralized servers and dedicated telephone lines, leading to inflexibility, high costs, and limited scalability. The background highlights the need for a more efficient and adaptable architecture for delivering voice-based services.

The underlying idea behind ’420 is to shift voice application processing from a centralized server to the user's local device, creating a distributed voice application execution system . This involves a voice application agent on the local device that can receive and execute voice application components from a remote server. By distributing the processing load, the system reduces reliance on expensive centralized infrastructure and improves scalability.

The claims of ’420 focus on a DVAES-enabled local device comprising a processor, memory, network interface, audio I/O, and a voice application agent (VAA). The VAA registers with a voice service provider (VSP), receives voice application (VA) components based on local device events, settings, states, or variables, and manages the performance of these VA components. The claims also cover a non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions to perform this method.

In practice, the local device, such as a set-top box or smart speaker, communicates with a remote server to obtain personalized voice application components. For example, if the device detects a low battery state, it sends a message to the server, which then provides a voice application component to notify the user. The local device then executes this component, playing an audio message to the user through the audio I/O interface. The VSP can also control configuration materials and settings on the DVAES-enabled local device.

This distributed approach differs significantly from prior centralized IVR systems. Instead of maintaining a dedicated audio link for each user, the system uses data packets over a network to transmit voice application components. This eliminates the need for expensive telephone line ports and allows for greater scalability. Furthermore, the system enables personalized voice applications tailored to individual user preferences and device capabilities, a feature difficult to achieve with centralized architectures.