Selectable audio and mixed background sound for voice messaging system
First Claim
1. A method of enhancing voice mail messages by incorporating a selected background sound with a voice mail message for playback to a listener.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, computer program products, and methods of doing business by selectably mixing one or more sound files with a telephone caller'"'"'s voice message, either as background for that message or embedded within the message. Or, the mixing may occur within a telephone conversation between parties. The disclosed techniques enable alleviating some of the problems that result from distance communication (as contrasted to face-to-face communication). In particular, context information (such as emotional context) can be provided through appropriate use of background sound and/or embedded audio files. The disclosed techniques may also make communication through voice mail exchange more enjoyable and/or increase its productivity.
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Citations
88 Claims
- 1. A method of enhancing voice mail messages by incorporating a selected background sound with a voice mail message for playback to a listener.
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34. A method of enhancing voice mail messages by inserting a selected audio file into a voice mail message for playback to a listener.
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42. An apparatus for improving voice mail messaging, comprising:
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means for transmitting a voice message from a user of the apparatus to a separately-located recording means;
means for storing one or more pre-recorded sound files on the apparatus;
selection means for selecting, from the pre-recorded sound files, one or more of (1) a background sound and (2) an audio file to be transmitted; and
transmission means for transmitting the selection to the recording means for use with the transmitted voice message.
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43. A method of merchandising pre-recorded sound files, further comprising steps of
receiving requests for selected ones of the pre-recorded sound files for use as background files to be incorporated with voice mail messages and/or for use as audio files to be inserted into voice mail messages; - and
providing the selected ones, in response to the step of receiving requests. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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46. A method of improving telephone conversations, comprising incorporating a selected background sound into a telephone conversation between a caller and a called party.
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52. A system for enhancing voice mail messages, comprising:
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a voice mail message comprising one or more message segments;
one or more background sounds;
means for incorporating one or more of the background sounds with one or more of the message segments; and
means for playing the voice mail message to a listener with the incorporated background sounds. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 70, 71)
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67. A system of enhancing voice mail messages, comprising:
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one or more audio files;
a voice mail message comprising one or more message segments;
means for selecting at least one of the audio files; and
means for inserting the selected at least one audio file into the voice mail message for playback to a listener.
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69. A system for improving telephone conversations, comprising:
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means for establishing a telephone conversation between a caller and a called party; and
means for incorporating one or more background sounds into the telephone conversation.
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72. A computer program product for enhancing voice mail messages, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:
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computer-readable program code means for selecting one or more background sounds, and computer-readable program code means for incorporating the selected background sounds with a voice mail message for playback to a listener. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84. A computer program product for enhancing voice mail messages, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:
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computer-readable program code means for selecting one or more audio files; and
computer-readable program code means for inserting the selected audio files into a voice mail message for playback to a listener. - View Dependent Claims (85)
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86. A computer program product for improving telephone conversations, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:
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computer-readable program code means for selecting one or more background sounds, and computer-readable program code means for incorporating the selected background sounds into a telephone conversation between a caller and a called party. - View Dependent Claims (87, 88)
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Specification