Patent ID: 7072461

Claim:
A method for a telephone device that supports multiple request methods and that allows a user to enter a user request for service using said request methods, the device accepting user input, a method for retrieving and merging data responsive to the request methods so as to allow the user to enter the user request without requiring that the user specify the request method, comprising the following: a specific act of detecting said user input that represents a service request, the meaning of the service request depending on the user's intended request method, wherein the specific act of detecting said user input comprises a specific act of detecting each of a plurality of characters sequentially input by the user as part of the service request, wherein the plurality of characters comprises numerals or letters or a group of numbers or letters and wherein a first character of the plurality of characters represents a first specific request and a second character of the plurality of characters represents a second specific request that refines the first specific request; a specific act of retrieving first response data that represents an appropriate response to the first specific request should the user intend the first specific request to be in accordance with a first request method; a specific act of retrieving second response data that represents an appropriate response to the first specific request should the user intend the first specific request to be in accordance with a second request method; a specific act of unifying the first response data and the second response data into a first unified data structure after accessing a plurality of databases of said request methods; a specific act of retrieving third response data that represents an appropriate response to the second specific request should the user intend the second specific request to be in accordance with a first request method; a specific act of retrieving fourth response data that represents an appropriate response to the second specific request should the user intend the second specific request to be in accordance with a second request method; and a specific act of unifying the third response data and the fourth response data into a second unified data structure.