Patent ID: 8131555

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of operating an interactive user operated Internet voice portal having established multiple predetermined vertical domains of interest and a hierarchy of attributes within each vertical domain of interest from top to bottom, the method comprising operations of: responsive to a user placing a telephone call to the voice portal, a processor identifying the user and obtaining user selection of a vertical domain of interest; a processor performing funneling operations comprising: (a) building a vocabulary set containing top-level attribute values appropriate to the selected vertical domain of interest; (b) querying the user to choose a top-level attribute value, applying speech recognition to user responses where recognized answers are limited to contents of the vocabulary set; (c) until a bottom level attribute value is chosen, repeatedly performing operations comprising: (1) building an updated vocabulary set containing attribute values appropriate to the latest chosen attribute value, and (2) querying the user to choose a next-lower-level attribute value and applying speech recognition to user responses where recognized answers are limited to contents of the updated vocabulary set; responsive to a bottom level attribute being chosen, a processor conducting an Internet search of HTML non-voice sources for prescribed types of information pertaining to the chosen bottom-level attribute value and, unassisted by voice extensions and enhancements to said HTML, audibly providing resultant information to the user via the telephone call.