Voicemail test system

A method and system for testing a Telephony User Interface is disclosed. Voice prompts of the Telephony User Interface are converted into tone prompts that are representative thereof. Each tone prompt can have a predetermined frequency and/or duration, so that it is readily recognizable by a Telephony User Interface tester. Thus, automation of the testing of Telephony User Interface is enhanced.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to voicemail. The present invention relates more particularly to a method and system for testing a Telephony User Interface (TUI) of a voicemail system.

BACKGROUND

Voicemail systems for recording and playing voice messages over the telephone are well known. Voicemail system allows a caller to leave a voice message for a person when the person does not answer the telephone. Frequently, calls are not answered because the person receiving the call is already on the telephone, the telephone is turned off, or the person receiving the call is away from the telephone.

The recorded message can be listened to at a later time, when the recipient is available and willing to hear the message. Thus, voicemail systems provide a convenient way for people to communicate with one another.

The main interface of a voice mail system is the Telephony User Interface (TUI). A voicemail user, such as the person leaving a message or a person listening to a message, interacts with the TUI by pressing buttons on the keypad of a telephone so as to communicate dual-tone multiple-frequency (DTMF) tones to the TUI. These DTMF events are provided in response to voice prompts provided by the TUI. For example, the TUI may provide a voice prompt stating “Please enter you password.” In response, the user may enter a password by pressing the appropriate buttons on the keypad of a telephone.

It is desirable to test such TUI's, so as to ensure that they respond properly to the DTMF events. Frequently, there are a plurality of voice prompts that can be provided by the TUI, as well as a plurality of possible DTMF responses to each voice prompt. It is important that the TUI respond properly to each of the possible DTMF events communicated thereto. However, manually testing a TUI, such as via the use of a telephone, is an undesirably labor intensive and costly task. Also, the regression testing of a TUI as and when new features are added to it becomes even more costly without some sort of test automation.

In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a method and system for automating the testing TUI's, such that the testing is less labor intensive and costly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One way to automate the testing of a Telephony User Interface (TUI) is to use voice recognition to determine what prompt was provided by the TUI and then to respond with the appropriate DTMF events. However, the use of voice recognition is undesirable because it increases the complexity (and consequently the cost) of the test system. Voice recognition uses more computational power than may be desired in computer based testing systems. Further, voice recognition may not as reliable as desired.

A method and system for automating the testing of TUI's without the undesirable use of voice recognition is disclosed herein. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, voice prompts of the TUI are converted into tone prompts that are representative thereof. Each tone prompt can have a predetermined parameter, such as frequency and duration, so that the combination of the parameters is unique and it is readily recognizable by a TUI tester. Thus, the TUI tester does not need to use voice recognition in order to determine what voice prompt is being sent from the TUI. In this manner, automation of the testing of TUI's is substantially enhanced.

As those skilled in the art will appreciate, voice prompts are the voice based audio messages provided by a TUI to prompt a user to take actions such as pressing buttons on a touch tone telephone. Examples of such voice prompts are provided inFIG. 3.

Referring now toFIG. 1, the method of the present invention can comprise replacing the voice prompts of a TUI with tone prompts as indicated in block11. Either all or some portion (that portion for which testing is desired) of the voice prompts can be replaced. The voice prompts can be replaced with tones having predetermined frequencies and durations. Steady state (unmodulated) continuous wave (CW) tones can be utilized. Alternatively, modulated tones can be used. In this manner, the tone prompts can be used to represent the voice prompts. The tone prompts are much easier to recognize and do not require the use of voice recognition.

The frequency alone can be used to determine which voice prompt a tone represents. That is, the duration can be the same for each tone and each tone is unmodulated. Alternatively, the duration of a tone can be used to determine which voice prompt the tone represents. As a further alternative, the tone can be modulated so as to determine which voice prompt it represents. Indeed, any desired combination of frequency, duration, and modulation can be used to determine which voice prompt a tone prompt represents.

For example, both the frequency and duration of each tone can be used to determine which message the tone represents. This may be useful, for instance, when varying the frequency alone does not provide enough tone prompts to represent all of the voice prompts. Varying both the frequency and duration of each the tone prompts will generally provided a sufficient number of combinations to uniquely represent all of the voice prompts of a contemporary voice mail system. The easiest way to determine the duration of a tone prompt is to use the duration of the original real voice prompt for the tone prompt as well.

Communication between the TUI tester and the TUI can be initiated by the TUI tester in the same manner that a user initiates communication with the TUI to retrieve voicemail messages, as indicated in block12. Thus, the TUI tester can initiate communication with the TUI, such as by ringing the TUI.

The TUI then communicates one or more tone prompts t to the TUI tester, as indicated in block13. This initial tone prompts can be representative of a voice prompt that asks the user (in this case, the TUI tester) to specify what action the TUI is to take. One example of such a voice prompt shown in block41ofFIG. 4.

The TUI tester determines a response to the tone prompt (and consequently a response to the corresponding voice prompt) and communicates DTMF events to the TUI that are representative of the response, as indicated in block14. Examples of such responses are shown in blocks42-48ofFIG. 4.

The TUI then determines a voice response to the DTMF events and communicates one or more tone prompts representative of the voice response to the TUI tester, as indicated in block15. Examples of such voice responses are shown in blocks49-53ofFIG. 4.

The communication of DTMF events from the TUI tester and tone prompts from the TUI continue in a loop16, as necessary in order to test all desired aspects of the TUI. For example, all of the voice prompt and DTMF combinations shown inFIG. 4can be tested. In this manner, it can be determined whether or not the TUI responds properly to DTMF events from the TUI tester.

Referring now toFIG. 2, the TUI21can comprise a memory23, a prompt player24, and logic25. Memory23can be used to store the tone prompts that replace the voice prompts. Memory23can be the same memory that stores the voice prompts or can be a different memory with respect thereto. Memory23can be disposed within TUI21or can be dispose external with respect thereto. Memory23can be a computer memory, such as a solid state memory or a disk memory. Examples of disk memories include hard disk drives, optical disk drives such as CD's and DVD's, and magneto-optical disk drives.

Either the tone prompts themselves or information representative thereof can be stored in the memory. For example, the tone prompts themselves can be stored as .wav or .mp3 files. Information representative of the tone prompts can be stored as midi files. Replacement of the voice prompts with the tone prompts can be effected by either a hardware switch, such as a jumper, of the TUI21or by software control, such as via TUI tester22or by just copying the tone prompts to memory23with same file names as that of original voice prompts.

Prompt Player24plays the tone prompts in response to logic25. Thus, when logic25determines that a tone prompt should be sent to a TUI tester22, then the tone prompt or information representative thereof is provided to prompt player24. Prompt player24plays the desired tone prompt and the tone prompt is sent to TUI tester22. Logic25determines what tone prompt is to be sent to prompt player24, such as in response to received DTMF events.

TUI tester22can comprise a tone decoder25, a DTMF generator26, logic27, and a memory28. Tone decoder25decodes the tone prompts from TUI21. DTMF generator26generates DTMF events that are sent to TUI21. Logic27determines what DTMF events are to be sent from TUI tester22to TUI21, such as in response to tone prompts. Memory28can contain instructions, such as software, which is used by logic27.

TUI tester22can be embodied as a general purpose computer. Thus, Logic27can be a processor of a general purpose computer and memory28can be a memory thereof. In any instance, logic27determines the DTMF responses to the tone prompts, so as to facilitate testing of TUI21. Logic27can also determine actions to be taken when an incorrect or unexpected event occurs during testing. For example, a report can be generated to provide details of the event. Such events include improper responses of TUI21to DTMF events from TUI tester22.

Referring now toFIG. 3, some representative voice prompts, along with exemplary frequencies and durations of their corresponding tone prompts are provided. It is worthwhile to appreciate that any desired combination of frequency, duration, and/or modulation can be used to define tone prompts that replace voice prompts. Thus, the use of combined frequencies and durations as shown inFIG. 3is by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation.

Referring now toFIG. 4, an exemplary initial voice prompt41is provided by TUI21. This initial voice prompt41may be provided in response to initialization of TUI21, such as by transmitting a ring tone from TUI tester22to TUI21. For testing purposes, other means of causing initial voice prompt41to be provided by TUI21may be used.

Blocks42-48show exemplary responses of TUI tester22to initial voice prompt41. Responses include DTMF events representative of pressing keys on the keypad of a telephone, such as those responses shown in block42,44-46, and48. These responses are provided by TUI tester22during testing of TUI21. Timeouts, which occur when a key is not pressed in time, are shown in blocks43and47.

Voice prompts provided by TUI21in response to the DTMF events and timeouts are shown in block49-53. After the voice prompts shown in blocks49and50, the tester can sign off, as indicated by the circled “SO”. After the voice prompts indicted in blocks51-53and after the timeout indicated in block47, the initial voice prompt shown in block41can be repeated, as indicated the circled “C1's”. In this manner, all desired voice prompts (using the tone prompts substituted therefore) and DTMF events can be tested.

Thus, according to at least one aspect of the present invention, voice prompts such as those shown in blocks41and49-53are replaced with tone prompts. The tone prompts are sounds that can be recognized by TUI tester22as representing the voice prompts that they replace and thus eliminate the need for voice recognition by the TUI tester.

The method and system for automating the testing of TUI's of the present invention can be used for the testing of conventional public telephone switched network (PTSN), cellular, and other voicemail systems. The method and system of the present invention can also be used for the testing of IP based voicemail systems, such as those using VolP via either an IP telephone or a computer. Also, the method can be used for testing hybrid voicemail systems that have both the regular PSTN interfaces and VolP interfaces. The present invention provides an automated method and system for testing TUI's that is comparatively inexpensive, both financially and with respect to computational resources.