Interactive voice response system crawler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016198045-A1
Application number	US-201514590972-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 6, 2015
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for interactive voice response system crawling, comprising an IVR crawler that may be VXML, design specification, DTMF or ASR/NLSR speech-based in nature and traverses an IVR menu to discover possible interaction paths and produces test cases based on those paths, and a database that stores test cases produced by the IVR crawler during operation, and a method for interactive voice response system crawling utilizing the IVR crawler of the invention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for interactive voice response system crawling, comprising:
an IVR crawler stored and operating on a network-connected computing device; and a database stored and operating on a network-connected computing device. wherein the IVR crawler traverses a menu path in an interactive voice response system; wherein the IVR crawler generates test cases based at least in part on the menu paths traversed; wherein the IVR crawler sends the test cases to the database; and wherein the database stores the test cases received from the IVR crawler.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the IVR crawler is a VXML-based crawler.

3 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising a VXML browser, wherein the VXML browser provides VXML files via a network.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the VXML-based crawler receives a VXML file from the VXML browser.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the IVR crawler is a design-based crawler.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the design-based crawler processes a design specification for an IVR.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the IVR crawler is a DTMF-based crawler.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the DTMF-based crawler places a telephone call to an IVR system.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the DTMF-based crawler interacts with the IVR system via DTMF tone inputs.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the IVR crawler is a ASR/NLSR speech-based crawler.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the ASR/NLSR speech-based crawler places a telephone call to an IVR system.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the ASR/NLSR speech-based crawler interacts with the IVR system via automatically generated speech utterance inputs.

13 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising an automatic speech recognition engine stored and operating on a network-connected computing device, wherein the automated speech recognition engine interprets audio prompts from the IVR on behalf of the DTMF or ASR/NLSR speech-based crawler.

14 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a test case execution engine, wherein the test case execution engine executes test cases produced by the IVR crawler.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the test cases are retrieved directly from the IVR crawler as they are produced.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein stored test cases are retrieved from a database.

17 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising a test results analyzer stored and operating on a network-connected computing device, wherein the test results analyzer analyzes the results of test case execution form the test execution engine.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the analysis results are stored for future reference.

19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the results are provided for immediate review.

20 . A method for interactive voice response system crawling, comprising the steps of:
accessing, via an IVR crawler, an IVR system; reverse engineering the menu paths of the IVR system; producing a test case based at least in part on the menu paths discovered; and storing, in a database, the test case for future reference.

21 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:
executing, via a test case execution engine, the test case; analyzing, via a test results analyzer, the results of test case execution; and providing the analysis results.

22 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising the step of storing, in a database, the analysis results for future reference.

Assignees

• Cyara Solutions Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Kulkarni Alok
• Willshire Geoff

Classifications

• H04M3/4938 Primary

  comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML · CPC title

• H04M3/5166

  in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends · CPC title

• H04M3/242

  Software testing · CPC title

• H04M3/28

  Automatic routine testing {; Fault testing; Installation testing; Test methods, test equipment or test arrangements therefor} · CPC title

• H04M2203/355

  Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods · CPC title