Systems and methods for providing location enabled voice mail

• US 20060291629A1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Esh, Thomas D., Srivastava, Anurag, Nagesh, Harsha S., Poosala, Viswanath
• Application Number:
  US11/150,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20060291629A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Location enabled voice mail is described. Such capability can be provided by service providers to offer their customers a host of unique location based voice mail services of both an audio and video nature. By way of example, a first calling party may leave a voice mail message for a second called party at a first time. First location information for the calling device is obtained about the first time. Upon retrieving the voice mail message at a second time, the called party is provided with the location enabled voice mail services. For example, the called party may receive a map containing the location of the calling device at a first time plotted thereon.

Claims

1. A method for providing a location enabled voice mail service comprising:

storing at a first time a voice mail message from a calling device of a first party;

obtaining first location information for the calling device at about the first time;

retrieving the voice mail message at a second time; and

providing said location enabled voice mail service as a function of the first location information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of obtaining location information is performed during call setup for a call during which the voice mail message is stored.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the stored voice mail message from the calling device of the first party is for a called device of a second party, and the method further comprises:

obtaining second location information for the called device about the second time and associating the second location information with the retrieved voice mail message; and

providing said second location information.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing at least first and second categories of calling parties; and

providing different location enabled voice mail service depending upon whether the calling party is in the first category or the second category.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a map, a picture, or a message as said location enabled voice mail service; and

providing the map, the picture, or message to the device of the party retrieving the voice mail message.

6. A system for providing a location enabled voice mail service comprising:

means for storing at a first time a voice mail message from a calling device of a first party;

means for obtaining first location information for the calling device at about the first time;

means for retrieving the voice mail message at a second time; and

means for providing said location enabled voice mail service as a function of the first location information.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said means for obtaining location information is performed during call setup for a call during which the voice mail message is stored.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the stored voice mail message from the calling device of the first party is for a called device of a second party, and the method further comprises:

means for obtaining second location information for the called device about the second time and associating the second location information with the retrieved voice mail message; and

means for providing said second location information.

9. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

means for establishing at least first and second categories of calling parties; and

means for providing different location enabled voice mail service depending upon whether the calling party is in the first category or the second category.

10. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

means for retrieving a map, a picture, or a message as said location enabled voice mail service; and

means for providing the map, the picture, or message to the device of the party retrieving the voice mail message.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the system is embodied in a base station of a wireless telephone network.

12. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to provide a location enabled voice mail service by performing the steps of:

storing at a first time a voice mail message from a calling device of a first party for a called device of a second party;

obtaining first location information for the calling device about the first time;

retrieving the voice mail message at a second time; and

providing said location enabled voice mail service as a function of the first location information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said step of obtaining location information is performed during call setup for a call during which the voice mail message is stored.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

obtaining second location information for the called device about the second time and associating the second location information with the retrieved voice mail message; and

providing said second location information with the retrieved voice mail message.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

establishing at least first and second categories of calling parties; and

providing different location enabled voice mail service depending upon whether the calling party is in the first category or the second category.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said location enabled voice mail service includes providing said first location information to a party retrieving the voice mail message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

retrieving a map, a picture, or a message as said location enabled voice mail service; and

providing the map, the picture, or message to the device of the party retrieving the voice mail message.

18. A handset providing a location enabled voice mail service comprising:

a memory for storing at a first time a voice mail message from a calling device of a first party;

means for obtaining first location information for the calling device at about the first time;

means for retrieving the voice mail message at a second time; and

means for providing said location enabled voice mail service as a function of the first location information.

19. The handset of claim 18 further comprising a display, and wherein said location enabled voice mail service comprises location information for the calling device at about the first time which is displayed on the display.

20. The handset of claim 19 wherein said location information comprises a map showing an indication on the map corresponding to the location information for the calling device.