Voice message system and method

• US 20030202641A1
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Dawei
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems

Abstract

A method and system forwards voice messages from a sender to a receiver through a network. A voice-mail device records a phone number of a receiver and a voice message of a sender within a digital file. The voice message and phone number are encapsulated within an e-mail, which is forwarded through a network to another voice-mail device that acts as a gateway. The e-mail is opened to obtain the phone number of the receiver and the voice message, and the phone number of the receiver is dialed to deliver the voice message to the receiver via a telephone network.

Claims

1. A method of forwarding voice messages from a sender to a receiver through a network comprising the steps of:

recording at a voice-mail device a phone number of a receiver and a voice message of the sender within a digital file;

encapsulating the voice message and phone number within an e-mail;

forwarding the e-mail from the voice-mail device through a network to another voice-mail device;

opening the e-mail to obtain the phone number of the receiver and the voice message; and

dialing the phone number of the receiver and delivering the voice message to the receiver via a telephone network.

2. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of calling by a sender a voice-mail device using a public switched telephone network or cellular telephone network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a voice-mail device comprises a telephone switch.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a voice-mail device comprises a cellular base station or radio network center.

5. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of delivering the voice message to the receiver via a public switched telephone network or cellular telephone network.

6. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of forwarding a voice message to a receiver as digital voice.

7. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of forwarding the e-mail through the network using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

8. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of recording the voice message at the voice-mail device as a wave file.

9. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of forwarding an e-mail using a mail transfer agent.

10. A method according to claim 9, and further comprising the step of forwarding text from the mail transfer agent via an internet.

11. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of deciding whether to receive and/or forward any one-way voice messages on the basis of prediction of near future channel capacities by a queuing model in wireless network systems.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein a voice-mail device is operative for a) prompting and receiving a dial tone;

b) recording and playing a voice message;

c) locating an e-mail address; and

d) sending and receiving an e-mail.

13. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of compressing a voice message at a voice-mail device using a recursive least square algorithm and a run length coding method.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein the telephone network comprises a public switched telephone network.

16. A system according to claim 13, wherein the telephone network comprises a cellular telephone network.

17. A system according to claim 13, wherein the voice-mail device comprises a telephone switch.

18. A system according to claim 13, wherein the voice-mail device comprises a cellular base station or radio network center.

19. A system according to claim 13, wherein the voice-mail device is operative for recording and playing a voice message as a wave file.

20. A system according to claim 13, wherein the voice-mail device is operative for forwarding any one-way voice messages on the basis of prediction of near future channel capacities by a queuing model in wireless network systems.

21. A system according to claim 13, and further comprising a mail transfer agent for forwarding an e-mail.

22. A system according to claim 13, wherein the voice-mail device is operative for forwarding an e-mail through the internet using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

23. a system according to claim 13, wherein a voice-mail device indicates a processor for text-to-speech conversion.

24. A system according to claim 13, wherein the voice-mail device includes a processor for compressing a voice message using a recursive least square algorithm.

25. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising the step of compressing a voice message using a recursive least square algorithm.

14. A system for forwarding voice messages from a sender to receiver through a network comprising a voice-mail device operative as a gateway within a network for receiving a voice message and phone number from a sender via a telephone network, said voice-mail device being operative for:

a) prompting and receiving a dial tone;

b) recording and playing a voice message;

c) locating an e-mail address; and

d) sending and receiving an e-mail to a receiver via an internet and telephone network.