Network based voice mail with call screening
First Claim
1. A voice mail system comprising:
- a network based voice mail system including a user voice mail box;
a remote answering device coupled to a user'"'"'s incoming telephone line;
a telephone network that is to provide a three-way calling service, wherein the remote answering device answers an incoming call after a predetermined number of rings, and conferences in the user'"'"'s voice mail box in the network based voice mail system using the three-way calling service of the telephone network; and
a synchronization device that is to synchronize a network message count indicating a number of messages in the user'"'"'s voice mail box, with a remote answering device message count at the remote answering device when a message is received at the user'"'"'s voice mail box that has not been received at the remote answering device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide a network based voice mail system that includes advantages of traditional answering machines. When a call comes in that is not answered, a Remote Answering Device may pick up after a preselected number of rings and play a prerecorded greeting that is stored locally and then prompt the caller to wait for the beep. The Remote Answering Device may use three-way calling service to conference the user'"'"'s voice mail number into the call. When a conference call is established it plays the beep and then plays the message which is being recording live on the speaker. If a call is received by the network based voice mail system that did not first pass through the Remote Answering Device, the network based voice mail system may synchronize the Remote Answering Device with the network based voice mail system.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A voice mail system comprising:
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a network based voice mail system including a user voice mail box;
a remote answering device coupled to a user'"'"'s incoming telephone line;
a telephone network that is to provide a three-way calling service, wherein the remote answering device answers an incoming call after a predetermined number of rings, and conferences in the user'"'"'s voice mail box in the network based voice mail system using the three-way calling service of the telephone network; and
a synchronization device that is to synchronize a network message count indicating a number of messages in the user'"'"'s voice mail box, with a remote answering device message count at the remote answering device when a message is received at the user'"'"'s voice mail box that has not been received at the remote answering device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A remote answering device comprising:
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a modem that is to answer an incoming call upon detecting a predetermined number of rings, dial a user'"'"'s voice mail box in a network based voice mail system using a three-way calling service and conference the incoming call with the user'"'"'s voice mail box;
a memory that is to store a local greeting that is played to a caller while the user'"'"'s mail box in the network based voice mail system is being conferenced; and
a paging receiver that is to receive a paging signal that indicates that a message exists in the network based voice mail system that was not received by the remote answering device, and to output a numerical code indicating a message count. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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14. (canceled)
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21. A method comprising:
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receiving a call at a remote answering device;
establishing a communications bridge between the remote answering device and an Internet accessible voice mail system;
after the communications bridge is established, recording a message at the Internet accessible voice mail system;
playing the message at the remote answering device as the message is being recorded at the Internet accessible voice mail system; and
synchronizing a system message count, indicating a number of messages in the Internet accessible voice mail system, with a device message count at the remote answering device. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system comprising:
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a remote answering device that is to receive an incoming call;
an Internet accessible voice mail system;
a communications bridge established between the remote answering device and the Internet accessible voice mail system, wherein the Internet accessible voice mail system is to record a message after the communications bridge is established and wherein the remote answering device is to play the message as the message is being recorded at the Internet accessible voice mail system; and
a synchronizing device that is to synchronize a system message count, indicating a number of messages in the Internet accessible voice mail system, with a device message count at the remote answering device. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A method comprising:
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receiving a call at an Internet accessible voice mail system;
recording a message at the Internet accessible voice mail system;
receiving a query from a remote answering device via a communications bridge established by the remote answering device;
transmitting a signal indicating a number of messages recorded at the Internet accessible voice mail system via the communications bridge to the remote answering device in response to the query; and
transmitting the message recorded at the Internet accessible voice mail system via the communications bridge to the remote answering device in response to the query. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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Specification