Unified message system and method

• US 20020098831A1
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Mousseau, Gary P., Lazaridis, Mihal, Castell, William D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0051 where the data service is a multimedia messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

A unified messaging system, method and user interface is provided for a handheld mobile communication device. The method may include the following steps: (a) providing a unified event listing display comprising: a plurality of summary descriptors, each summary descriptor having one or more information elements to identify the event associated with the summary descriptor; (b) selecting one of the plurality of summary descriptors; (c) displaying a voice mail interface associated with the selected summary descriptor, wherein a plurality of voice mail actions are displayed on the interface; (d) selecting one of the plurality of voice mail actions; (e) communicating a voice mail command associated with the selected voice mail action to a unified messaging server via a wireless data communication network; (f) receiving the voice mail command at the unified messaging server; (g) executing an action associated with the received voice mail command at the unified messaging server; (h) establishing a circuit-switched communication connection to the mobile device from a PBX system associated with the unified messaging server; and (i) performing an action corresponding to the received voice mail command through the established circuit-switched communication connection.

Claims

1. A method for providing a unified messaging user interface for a handheld mobile communication device, the method comprising of the following steps:

a. providing a unified event listing display comprising;

i. a plurality of summary descriptors, each summary descriptor having one or more information elements to identify the event associated with the summary descriptor;

b. selecting one of the plurality of summary descriptors;

c. displaying a voice mail interface associated with the selected summary descriptor, wherein a plurality of voice mail actions are displayed on the interface;

d. selecting one of the plurality of voice mail actions;

e. communicating a voice mail command associated with the selected voice mail action to a unified messaging server via a wireless data communication network;

f. receiving the voice mail command at the unified messaging server;

g. executing an action associated with the received voice mail command at the unified messaging server;

h. establishing a circuit-switched communication connection to the mobile device from a PBX system associated with the unified messaging server;

i. performing an action corresponding to the received voice mail command through the established circuit-switched communication connection.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the establishing step further comprises:

a. identifying the circuit-switch connection originated from a known PBX system through a caller-identification;

b. accepting the circuit-switch connection at the mobile device automatically without user intervention or notification.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein an additional step following step 1 further comprising:

a. communicating, over the established circuit-switched connection, DTMF sequences corresponding to a voice mail action.

4. A method of claim 1 wherein one of the plurality of voice mail actions is a play back message action, the selected voice mail action is the play back message action, said method further comprising:

a. transmitting a voice call request from the mobile device through a circuit-switched network to a configured voice mail system in a silent manner, and wherein the voice call request with an identifier associated with the selected voice mail message;

b. recognizing the voice call request at the voice mail server by private DTMF codes associated with the handheld mobile device or information contained in the caller-identification;

c. playing a voice mail message associated with the selected summary descriptor over the circuit-switched network to the mobile device.

5. A method for providing a unified conferencing user interface for a handheld mobile communication device, the method comprising of the following steps:

a. providing a plurality of conferencees;

b. selecting one or more conferencees of the plurality of conferencees;

c. communicating a conference command associated with the selected conferencees to a unified messaging server via a wireless data communication network;

d. receiving the conference command at the unified messaging server;

e. executing an action associated with the received conference command at the unified messaging server;

f. establishing a circuit-switched communication connection to the mobile device from a PBX system associated with the unified messaging server;

g. establishing a voice connection for each of the one or more conferencees;

connecting the established connections to provide a conference call between the selected conferencees and the mobile device user.