Address book for a voice message delivery method and system

• US 20020110225A1
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Soundbite Communications Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cullis, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 6,829,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

An apparatus and method for inducing a person to store telephone numbers or other contact information entered into a new voice message delivery method and system. The invention preferably operates after the person has completed a transaction, such as sending or receiving a voice message, so that the action of saving the telephone number or other contact information is convenient for the user and is less competitive with the action of sending or receiving a voice message. After a person sends or receives a voice message, the invention determines whether to offer the person an opportunity to save the telephone number or other contact information already entered into the system. The invention then allows the person to save the telephone number or other contact information in an address book associated with their account.

Claims

1. An address book method for a voice message delivery system comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an inbound call from a Sender;

(b) recording an audio message from the Sender intended for a Recipient;

(c) receiving at least one telephone number from the Sender corresponding to a telephone number of the Recipient;

(d) sending the audio message to the Recipient;

(e) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number;

(f) prompting the Sender to save the at least one telephone number if it has been decided to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number;

(g) saving the at least one telephone number in an account for the Sender if the Sender elects to save the at least one telephone number, whereby the saving of the at least one telephone number leverages the fact that the Sender has previously entered the at least one telephone number and does not compete with a Sender'"'"'s goal of sending the audio message.

2. The address book method of claim 1, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number by determining if the Sender is signed into an account of the Sender; and

deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number if the Sender is not signed into an account of the Sender.

3. The address book method of claim 1, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number by determining whether the at least one telephone number was entered over the telephone as opposed to having been recalled from an address book of an account of the Sender; and

deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number if the at least one telephone number was entered over the telephone.

4. The address book method of claim 1, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number by determining if the at least one telephone number exists within an address book of an account of the Sender; and

deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number if the at least one telephone number does not exist within the account of the Sender.

5. The address book method of claim 4, wherein step (e1) comprises:

(e2) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number by determining, in the case of a single telephone number, whether the same telephone number exists in an address book of an account of the Sender, and, in the case of multiple telephone numbers, whether the multiple telephone numbers exist in an address book of an account of the Sender regardless of a listing order of the multiple telephone numbers; and

deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number if, in the case of a single telephone number, the same telephone number exists in an address book of an account of the Sender, and, in the case of multiple telephone numbers, the multiple telephone numbers exist in an address book of an account of the Sender regardless of a listing order of the multiple telephone numbers.

6. The address book method of claim 1, wherein step (g) comprises:

(g1) prompting the Sender to speak an utterance;

(g2) recording the utterance;

(g3) storing the utterance relative to the at least one telephone number in an account for the Sender, whereby the Sender can recall the at least one telephone number in the future by saying the utterance.

7. An address book method for a voice message delivery system comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an inbound call from a Sender;

(b) recording an audio message from the Sender intended for a Recipient;

(c) receiving at least one phone number from the Sender corresponding to a telephone number of the Recipient; and

receiving a reply telephone number corresponding to a telephone number of the Sender;

(d) placing an outbound call to Recipient and playing the audio message for the Recipient;

(e) deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number;

(f) prompting the Recipient to save the reply telephone number if it has been decided to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number;

(g) saving the reply telephone number in an account for the Recipient if the Recipient elects to save the reply telephone number, whereby the saving of the reply telephone number leverages the fact that the Sender has previously entered the reply telephone number and does not compete with a Recipient'"'"'s goal of listening to the audio message.

8. The address book method of claim 7, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number by determining if the Recipient is signed into an account of the Recipient; and

deciding to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number if the Recipient is not signed into an account of the Recipient.

9. The address book method of claim 7, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number by determining if the reply telephone number exists within an address book of an account of the Recipient; and

deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number if the reply telephone number does not exist within the account of the Recipient.

10. The address book method of claim 7, wherein step (g) comprises:

(g1) prompting the Recipient to speak an utterance;

(g2) recording the utterance;

(g3) storing the utterance relative to the reply telephone number in an account for the Recipient as a telephone number of the Sender, whereby the Recipient can recall the telephone number of the Sender in the future by saying the utterance.

11. An address book method for a voice message delivery system comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an inbound call from a Sender;

(b) recording an audio message from the Sender intended for a Recipient;

(c) receiving multiple telephone numbers from the Sender including a telephone number of the Recipient;

(d) placing an outbound call to Recipient and playing the audio message for the Recipient;

(e) deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the multiple telephone numbers;

(f) prompting the Recipient to save the multiple telephone numbers if it has been decided to prompt the Recipient to save the multiple telephone numbers;

(g) saving the multiple telephone numbers in an account for the Recipient if the Recipient elects to save the multiple telephone numbers, whereby the saving of the multiple telephone numbers leverages the fact that the Sender has previously entered the multiple telephone numbers and does not compete with a Recipient'"'"'s goal of listening to the audio message.

12. The address book method of claim 11, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the multiple telephone numbers by determining if the Recipient is signed into an account of the Recipient; and

deciding to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number if the Recipient is not signed into an account of the Recipient.

13. The address book method of claim 11, wherein step (e) comprises:

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the multiple telephone numbers by determining if the multiple telephone numbers exist within an address book of an account of the Recipient; and

deciding whether to prompt the Recipient to save the reply telephone number if the multiple telephone numbers do not exist within the account of the Recipient.

14. The address book method of claim 11, wherein step (g) comprises:

(g1) prompting the Recipient to speak an utterance;

(g2) recording the utterance;

(g3) storing the utterance relative to the multiple telephone numbers in an account for the Recipient as a group, whereby the Recipient can recall the multiple telephone numbers of the group in the future by saying the utterance.