Abstract:
Disclosed is a simplified interactive solution for providing access to back-end services. A communication is established from a communication device to a processing system. The processing system receives a picture from the communication device. The user is presented with tasks (services to perform on the picture) on an IVR menu in an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The user responds by choosing a task to perform on the picture. The task is then performed on the picture. Some of the tasks that can be performed are to generate postcards/greeting cards based on pictures. These can be combined with other services such as photo processing services/delivery services to provide a rich set of services to the user.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]    The system and method relates to communication devices that can take pictures and in particular to picture processing services for communication devices. 
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]    Currently, camera phones are very limited in providing voice recognition software/services because of the expense in doing voice processing on the phone. Current options for handling pictures from a mobile communication device include sending a picture using Multi Messaging Services (MMS). MMS allows a picture to be tagged with voice/email/text messages. The MMS messages then can be sent to other users. However, this solution does not offer a simple solution for interfacing with back-end processing services. 
         [0003]    Other solutions for processing pictures include downloading the pictures from a picture phone/digital camera to a computer. The user can then use a web site such as Walgreens™ that allow the user to download the pictures to a photo processing service via a web site. The user can then go to their local Walgreens™ store and get the photographs that were developed from the picture. This process is cumbersome and the user does not have a simple interface to access back-end processing services. Multiple steps are required when accessing back-end processing services. 
         [0004]    Other systems such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,908 describe a photo kiosk for electronically creating, storing, and distributing images, audio and textual messages. This patent discloses a kiosk that does the equivalent of MMS. The system allows the user to take a picture and then attach a banner (predefined message) to the image. In addition, the system allows the user to attach voice and text messages in conjunction with the picture. This system was not designed with mobile communication devices in mind. 
         [0005]    The problem with these and other solutions is that they do not provide a simple voice interactive solution for communication devices that allows simple management of multiple back-end processing services. Currently, users are forced to use disparate systems that make the process of accessing back-end services more complicated. 
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]    The system and method are directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. The system and method described herein allow a simplified interactive solution for providing access to back-end services. A communication is established from a communication device to a processing system. The processing system receives a picture from the communication device. The user is presented with a task (service to perform on the picture) on an IVR menu in an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The user responds by choosing a task to perform on the picture. The task is then performed on the picture. 
         [0007]    Some of the tasks that can be performed are to generate postcards/greeting cards based on pictures. These can be combined with other services such as photo processing services/delivery services to provide a rich set of services to the user. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
         [0008]    These and other features and advantages of the system and method will become more apparent from considering the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the system and method together with the drawing, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a first illustrative system for processing a response for a picture. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method for processing a response for a picture. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of a method for processing a voice response for printing text on a photograph/postcard. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of a method for associating a voice response with a device in a greeting card. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of a method of using location to select services/tasks. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a first illustrative system  100  for processing a response for a picture. The first illustrative system  100  comprises a communication device(s)  101 , a network  110 , and a processing system  120 . The communication device(s)  101  can be any device that can communicate over a network  110  such as a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Personal Computer (PC), a telephone, and the like. The communication device  101  is typically a mobile communication device, but does not have to be. The communication device  101  will also contain a camera (not shown). The network  110  can be any type of network such as the Internet, a cellular network, a wireless network, a wired network, a packet switched network, a non-packet switched network, a combination of various networks, and the like. 
         [0015]    The processing system  120  further comprises an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system  121 , a web server  123 , user profiles  124 , a postcard/greeting card service  130 , a photo processing service  131 , and other services  132 . The processing system  120  can be any type of device that can communicate with communication devices  101  such as a Private Branch Exchange (PBX), a server, a switch, and the like. The IVR system  121  can be any device that can process voice responses such as a PBX, a server, a switch, and the like. The IVR system  121  can be part of various devices including, but not limited to the communication device  101 , a contact center, the web server  123 , a server, and a PBX. The IVR system  121  comprises one or more IVR menus  122 . The IVR menus  122  are voice messages that are played to a user in order to solicit a response from the user. For example, the user may be asked to hit *1 to add text to a picture and *2 to generate a photograph from a picture. The web server  123  can be used in conjunction with the IVR system  121  to provide more services to the user. The web server  123  can be any device that is capable of presenting web pages. 
         [0016]    The user profile(s)  124  contain preferences by the user on how to process a task for a picture. For example, the user profile  124  can contain information such as: where to send the picture, who to send the picture to, how to process the picture, additional tasks to do to the picture, other services  132  to use in conjunction with the picture, which processing service  130 - 132  to use based on a location of the communication device  101 , where to send the picture based on the location of the communication device  101 , who to send the picture to based on the location of the communication device  101 , combinations of these, and the like. The postcard/greeting card service  130  can be any service capable of generating and/or sending postcards and/or greeting cards. The photo processing service  131  can be any service capable of processing photographs such as printing photographs and the like. Other services  132  can include services such as flower delivery services, food delivery services, gift delivery services, and the like. The services  130 - 132  can be separate from of the processing system  120 . 
         [0017]    The communication device  101  takes a picture(s). A voice communication is established between the communication device  101  and the processing system  120 . In addition, other communications can be established. For example, an additional communication can also be established with the web server  123 . Establishing the communication can be done by either the processing system  120  and/or the communication device  101 . The communication can be established in a variety of ways such as: automatically upon taking a picture, automatically upon taking a defined number of pictures, based on a preference in a user profile  124 , based on a user selection (e.g. the user hitting a button), and the like. The processing system  120  receives the picture(s). 
         [0018]    The user is presented with an IVR menu  122 . The IVR menu  122  can comprise one or more questions that are asked of the user of the communication device  101 . The questions can comprise one or more tasks that the user selects by responding to the questions. A task is anything that can be done to or in combination with the photograph. For example, a task could be creating a postcard from the picture, adding text to the picture, adding a user response to a greeting card that contains the picture, adding the picture to the greeting card, mailing the postcard, mailing the greeting card, adding a signature to the picture, sending the postcard in combination with flowers or other deliveries, sending a postcard with flowers, and the like. The user responds from the communication device  101  to the one or more IVR menus  122  and indicates which task to perform on the picture. The task(s) are then performed on the picture. The task(s) can be performed by the processing system  120 , by the postcard/greeting card service  130 , by the photo processing service  131 , by other services  132 , and/or any combination of the above. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method for processing a response for a picture. Illustratively, the communication device  101 , the processing system  120 , the web server  123 , the IVR system  121  are stored-program-controlled entities, such as a computer, which performs the method of  FIGS. 2-5  by executing a program stored in a storage medium, such as a memory or disk. 
         [0020]    The process begins when a picture(s) is taken  200  at a communication device  101 . A voice communication is established  201  between the communication device  101  and the processing system  120 . The processing system  120  receives  202  the picture(s) from the communication device  101 . The user at the communication device  101  is presented  203  with a task(s) at an IVR menu  122 . The IVR system  121  receives  204  a response from the communication device  101  that indicates the task(s) to perform. The response in step  204  can be a voice response (e.g. the user saying something in response to the IVR menu  122 ). The response in step  204  could be where the user enters numbers/pushes buttons on their phone  101  in response to the IVR menu  122 . The processing system  120  determines  205  if any additional task(s) need to be performed. For example, additional tasks could include tasks that are requested at a second IVR menu  122 . If there are additional task(s) to be performed in step  205 , the process goes to step  203  and the user is presented  203  with the additional tasks. If there are no additional tasks to perform in step  205 , the processing system  120  performs  205  the task(s) on the picture(s) that were indicated in the response(s) from step  204 . The process is then done  207 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of a method for processing a voice response for printing text on a photograph/postcard.  FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of step  206  in  FIG. 2 . The method in  FIG. 3  is performed if the received response in step  204  indicates the task of adding text to a photograph and/or generating a postcard. After step  205 , the processing system  120  converts  300  at least a portion of the response to text. The voice response could be where the user speaks in response (step  204 ) to an IVR menu  122 . For example, the user may be asked for what text he/she wants printed on the photograph/postcard, the addressee of the postcard, and the address of the addressee. The user&#39;s speech is converted  300  to text using known techniques. The picture is processed  301  into a photograph/postcard (e.g. a digital picture is printed onto photograph paper). The text from the voice response is printed  302  on the photograph/postcard. The text can be printed on the front and/or back of the photograph/postcard. Steps  301 - 302  can be done at the same time by adding the text to a picture prior to printing. Likewise, step  304  could also be done at the same time as steps  301 - 302 . 
         [0022]    If the photograph is to be used as a postcard in step  303 , the processing system  120  prints  304  a mailing address (of the addressee), name of the addressee, and/or postage on the postcard. The postcard is then mailed  305  and the process goes to step  207 . Otherwise, if the photograph is not a postcard in step  303 , the process goes to step  207 . 
         [0023]    An example of the system and method described in  FIGS. 1-3  are explained in the following description. A user at a picture phone  101  takes  200  ten pictures. The picture phone  101  automatically, upon taking the tenth picture establishes  201  a voice communication with the processing system  120 . The ten pictures are received  202  at the processing system  120  from the picture phone  101 . 
         [0024]    The user is presented  203  with an IVR menu  122  from the IVR system  120  that indicates to hit *1 to process the photographs, *2 to generate a postcard, or *3 for other options. The user enters *2 (step  204 ). The user is presented with a second IVR menu  122  asking the user to enter the photograph number (1-10) to be used on the postcard (step  203 ). The user hits 1 (step  204 ) to select the first picture. The user is presented with a third IVR menu  122  and is asked to “after the beep to say something that you want printed on the postcard followed by the # key” (step  203 ). The user says “having fun in Hawaii” followed by the # key (step  204 ). The response said by the user is converted  300  to text. A postcard is then processed  301  by the postcard/greeting card service  130 . The postcard is printed  302  using the text from the voice response. A mailing address, name of the addressee and/or postage is printed  304  on the postcard. The mailing address, name of the addressee and can be obtained from user profiles  124  and/or from responses from the user to IVR menu(s)  122 . The postcard is then mailed  305  to the addressee by the postcard/greeting card service  130  using standard mail and/or email. Other information such as a signature (stored in the profile or entered on a web server  123  page) can be printed on the postcard. 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of a method for associating a voice response with a device in a greeting card.  FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of step  206  in  FIG. 2 . The method in  FIG. 4  is performed if the received response in step  204  indicates the task of recording the voice response and storing the voice response on a device associated with a greeting card. 
         [0026]    After step  205 , the processing system  120  records  400  at least a portion of the voice response. For example, the user could say in response to an IVR menu  122  that indicates what text the user wants to record in step  204 : “Congratulations on your promotion, from John.” The voice response is recorded  400 . The recorded voice response is stored  401  on a device associated with a greeting card. A device associated with a greeting card can be a device that plays a message when the greeting card is opened. The device is placed  402  in the greeting card and the greeting card is mailed. The greeting card can be mailed based on user profile  124  and/or based on responses to IVR menu(s)  122 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of a method of using location to select services/tasks.  FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of step  206  in  FIG. 2 . The method in  FIG. 5  is performed if a preference in a user profile  124  and/or a response from the user indicates to select a service/task based on the user profile  124 . The method of  FIG. 5  can also be performed if the user profile  124  indicates a default service/task is to be performed. 
         [0028]    After step  205 , the processing system  120  detects  500  a location of the communication device  101 . This can be done in a variety of ways such as using Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) or other known techniques. For example, the communication device  101  can report its position to the processing system  120 . The processing system  120  selects  501  a service  130 - 132  and/or task to be performed by the service  130 - 132  based on the location of the communication device  101 , the service and/or task is selected based on one or more preferences in the user profile  124 . The process then goes to step  207 . 
         [0029]    An example of how the method of  FIG. 5  can work is described in the following example. Joe sets up a preference in his user profile  124  that indicates if he is in town to send processed photographs to his home address. If Joe is out of town, Joe&#39;s user profile  124  indicates to send the processed photographs to a store closest to his location and notify him of the address of where to pick up the photographs. 
         [0030]    Of course, various changes and modifications to the illustrative embodiment described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the system and method and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims except insofar as limited by the prior art. 
         [0031]    The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising”, “including”, “containing” and “having” can be used interchangeably.