Relaying of messages

• US 20050059381A1
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hintermeister, Gregory Richard, Rahn, Michael David
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment detect that a connection is lost while a call is in progress, prompt for a message in response to the detection, and save the message until the connection is available. After the connection is available, the message is automatically sent to the party to the call. In this way, information that was cut off when the connection was lost can be completed in an convenient manner. In another embodiment, the user may enter a message or messages for a designated recipient or recipients at any time, and the message(s) is saved and automatically sent when the connection becomes available.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting that a connection is lost while a call is in progress;

prompting for a message in response to the detecting; and

saving the message until the connection is available.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the message after the connection is available.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the message to a party of the call.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the message to a party of the call via a server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgment from the server; and

presenting the acknowledgment.

6. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving at least one message;

means for saving the at least one message until a connection is available; and

means for sending the at least one message after the connection is available.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

means for detecting that the connection is unavailable.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means for sending the at least one message further comprises:

means for sending the at least one message to a designated recipient via a server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving an acknowledgment that the at least one message was received at the server; and

means for presenting the acknowledgment.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving an acknowledgment that the at least one message was sent from the server to the party; and

means for presenting the acknowledgment.

11. A signal-bearing medium encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed comprise:

detecting that a connection is lost while a call is in progress;

prompting for a message in response to the detecting;

receiving the message in response to the prompting;

determining whether the connection is available;

if the connection is unavailable, saving the message until the connection is available; and

sending the message to a party of the call after the connection is available.

12. The signal-bearing medium of claim 11, further comprising:

requesting a previously-sent message from a server.

13. The signal-bearing medium of claim 12, wherein the requesting further comprises:

requesting that the server send the previously-sent message to the party.

14. The signal-bearing medium of claim 11, further comprising:

requesting that a server send a transcript of previously-sent messages to a destination.

15. The signal-bearing medium of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving the previously-sent message from the server.

16. A server comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed on the processor comprise;

receiving a command, wherein the command designates a destination and a criteria,

retrieving at least one saved message based on the criteria,

determining whether a connection is available, and

when the connection is available, sending the at least one saved message to the destination.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the criteria further comprise:

an identification of a sender that previously sent the saved message via the server.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the criteria further comprise:

an identification of a receiver that previously received the saved message from the server.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise:

sending an acknowledgement to an originator of the command after the receiving.

20. The server of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise:

sending an acknowledgment to an originator of the command after the sending.