Patent ID: 7577676
Filing Date: 2009-08-18
Classification: G06Q,H04N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of processing input data for a plurality of users for an interactive process having a live phase during which the interactive process is arranged to accept a user input from a plurality of users, interrupted by a concluding event, which concludes the live phase of the interactive process, the method comprising: commencing the live phase of the interactive process; receiving an incoming call from a user at a call processing system over a calling network; obtaining from the call processing system a user line identifier of a user line from which the call is received, wherein the user line identifier comprises a caller line identifier obtained from the calling network; searching for the user line identifier in a database of pre-registered users to determine whether the user is pre-registered or previously unregistered; if the user line identifier is found, obtaining first user input comprising first user data for the pre-registered user from the database, the first user data comprising user registration data, including user identification data; if the user line identifier is not found, storing the user line identifier to enable subsequent registration of the previously unregistered user; in the case of either a pre-registered user, for whom first user data is stored in conjunction with the user line identifier, or a previously unregistered user, for whom no first user data is stored in conjunction with the user line identifier, accepting further user input; processing the further user input associated with either first user data for a pre-registered user or the user line identifier; storing information based on the further user input in the database, the further user input being stored in association with either the first user data for a pre-registered user or the user line identifier; concluding the live phase of the interactive process with the concluding event after which no further user input is accepted from the plurality of users for the interactive process; subsequent to accepting further user input, and following the conclusion of the live phase of the interactive process, determining whether the user is a previously unregistered user for whom no first user data is stored, and, if the user is a previously unregistered user, obtaining first user data from the user and storing the first user data in the database; and associating the first user data with the stored information using the user line identifier to correlate the stored information and the subsequently stored user data.