Patent Awards Keep Rolling in for EIG
SAN RAMON, Calif., June 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — While most have been focused on patenting speech recognition technology, Enterprise Integration Group (EIG) has been quietly solving stubborn user interface design problems. Their most recent patent, “Method and System for Interjecting Comments to Improve Information Presentation in Spoken User Interfaces” is the latest in a series of user interface inventions to be awarded protection by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
EIG first started applying for patent protection in 2000. Rex Stringham, President and CEO of EIG, said, “At the time we invented these techniques, speech vendors believed that touch-tone would eventually cease to exist as a user interface. No one was working on approaches that combined both speech and touch-tone modalities.”
This latest patent covers such things as mixed-mode, or ShadowPrompt(TM), scripting which combines prompting for speech and touch-tone in interactive voice response (IVR) and other spoken user interfaces. Prompt tapering is also covered. The name ShadowPrompt is an EIG trademark.
“We have consistently focused on addressing the limitations of the telephone channel,” said Bruce Balentine, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist for EIG. He added, “Technology alone cannot solve the core problems.” The techniques used by EIG have been shown to dramatically improve the performance and customer acceptance of IVR systems worldwide. “This is a significant differentiator for EIG,” said Stringham.
EIG intellectual property dramatically improves IVR self-service, call handling time, correct routing to proper call center skills, and customer success in navigating dialogues. “EIG techniques have been applied to all types of touch-tone and speech recognition technologies including natural language,” concluded Balentine.
EIG solutions are now widely deployed. EIG typically licenses their intellectual property as they deliver professional services to their clients. Stringham went on to claim, “Some practitioners may be infringing on our patented techniques.” EIG is working to resolve any potential problems.
Enterprise Integration Group is a leading independent consulting firm specializing in improvement of interactive voice response self-service solutions for both touch-tone and speech recognition. Design specialists at EIG address client needs from the customer’s perspective–ensuring that processes and systems get the right information to the right person at the right time in a convenient and cost-effective manner. The company is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Contact EIG by telephone at 888-344-4487 or outside the U.S. at 925-735-1700. The website is www.eiginc.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Daniele Lea
Enterprise Integration Group
(925) 735-1700
SOURCE Enterprise Integration Group