Asynchronous Discrete Manageable Instant Voice Messages

• US 20070036292A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nguyen, Duoc, Badger, Eric, Sharpe, Timothy, Holmes, John, Heron, Alexandra, Simha, Raghuveer, Scott, Stacia, Pearlman, Leah, Aringunrum, Ram, Hassan, Ahmed, Selbie, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.140
• 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: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Asynchronous voice messaging is employed to enable individuals to send voice clips back and forth over a network. In at least some embodiments, the voice clips reside in the form of discrete, manageable objects that can be easily managed by the user. In addition, some embodiments described provide hand-free/eyes-free functionality that can permit a user to create and send (or receive and play) a voice message without having to physically enter an intended recipient'"'"'s address or otherwise digitally manipulate the device over which the message is sent or received.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting a user interface that permits a user to create a voice clip object; and

asynchronously sending the voice clip object to one or more intended recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting comprises including, as part of the user interface, instrumentalities that can enable a user to manage the voice clip object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least some of the instrumentalities can allow a user to listen to voice clip objects and save voice clip objects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting is performed by an instant messaging application that can permit text messages to be created and sent to said recipients.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting comprises including, as part of the user interface, instrumentalities that can allow the user to receive and listen to voice clip objects received from others.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of asynchronously sending is performed responsive to two connections being established between the user and the one or more intended recipients, a first connection comprising an instant messaging connection and a second connection comprising a peer-to-peer connection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the voice clip object is sent over the peer-to-peer connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting an icon that indicates that recording is taking place and a user interface component that indicates how much time is left to record a voice clip.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting multiple conversation windows that can allow the user to send different voice clip objects to different recipients.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting a conversation window that can allow a user to send the same voice clip object to multiple recipients.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing means to enable the user to cancel recording of a voice clip object.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting if no sound is being recorded during a time when the user thinks that they are making a recording and notifying the user that no sound was recorded.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting a conversation window that can be minimized to pause a conversation.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting a codec to compress the voice clip object based on the type of device an intended recipient is using.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a user to receive and listen to a voice clip object even though the user was not at an associated computer that received the voice clip object.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a verbal indication that a voice message is desired to be sent to one or more intended recipients;

responsive to said receiving, ascertaining one or more intended recipients of the voice message and delivery information associated with the one or more intended recipients;

recording the voice message;

receiving a verbal command to send the message to the one or more intended recipients; and

sending the voice message to the one or more intended recipients.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising receiving and playing a voice message in an eyes-free, hands-free manner.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the delivery information comprises one or more recipient email addresses.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising prior to said act of recording, audibly prompting a user to record the voice message.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the acts of receiving a verbal indication, ascertaining, recording, receiving a verbal command, and sending are performed by a mobile device.

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

creating a voice clip object;

assigning the voice clip object a unique identifier;

sending the unique identifier to one or more intended recipients of the voice clip object;

receiving, from one or more of the intended recipients, the unique identifier; and

sending the corresponding voice clip object to the one or more intended recipients from which the unique identifier was received.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the act of sending the unique identifier is performed using an instant messaging connection between the one or more intended recipients, and wherein the act of sending the corresponding voice clip object is performed using a peer-to-peer connection.