Providing notification of voicemail (VM) messages using instant messaging (IM) transport

• US 20050249339A1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniell, W. Todd, Kent, Larry G. Jr., Arnoff, Mary S.
• Application Number:
  US10/839,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20050249339A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.170
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed in which notifications of incoming voicemail (VM) messages are provided over an instant messaging (IM) transport. Briefly described, for some embodiments, among others, notifications for VM messages are generated, and the generated notifications are then transmitted to an IM contact address over an IM transport.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

receive logic configured to receive an indication of a digital voicemail (VM) message, the digital voicemail message being correlated to an instant messaging (IM) contact address;

notification logic configured to generate a notification, the notification being correlated to the digital VM message; and

transmit logic configured to transmit the notification to the IM contact address over an IM transport.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising FTP logic configured to transfer the notification over an IM file transfer protocol (FTP) transport.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for transferring the notification over an IM file transfer protocol (FTP) transport.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification logic is further configured to determine a location of the digital VM message, the notification logic further being configured to generate a link to the location of the digital VM message, the notification logic further being configured to include the link in the notification.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the link is a universal resource locator (URL) associated with the digital VM message.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining a location of the digital VM message;

means for generating a link to the location of the digital VM message; and

means for including the link in the notification.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining a universal resource locator (URL) of the digital VM message; and

means for including the URL in the notification.

8. A communications method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication of a digital voicemail (VM) message, the digital voicemail message being correlated to an instant messaging (IM) contact address;

generating a notification correlated to the digital VM message; and

transmitting the notification to the IM contact address over an IM transport.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of correlating the digital VM message to the IM contact address.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining an online presence of a user at the IM contact address prior to transmitting the notification.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of transmitting the notification is responsive to determining that the user is present.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of transferring the notification over an IM file transfer protocol (FTP) transport.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

determining a location of the digital VM message;

generating a link to the location of the digital VM message; and

including the link in the notification.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the link comprises the step of generating a universal resource locator (URL) associated with the digital VM message.

15. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to receive an indication of a digital voicemail (VM) message;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to correlate the digital voicemail message to an instant messaging (IM) contact address;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to generate a notification of the digital VM message; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to transmit the notification to the IM contact address over an IM transport.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine an online presence of a user at the IM contact address prior to transmitting the notification.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to transfer the notification over an IM file transfer protocol (FTP) transport.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine a universal resource locator (URL) of the digital VM message; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to include the URL in the notification.