Broadcasting voicemail replies

• US 20070116197A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Neill, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64

Abstract

A messaging device may include a memory configured to store a first message from a first caller and intended for a called party and to store information identifying a group that includes a number of broadcast parties that include the first caller. The messaging device may include a processor configured to receive a reply message from the called party and to broadcast the reply message to at least a subset of the group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a message associated with a subscriber of a voicemail system;

providing information about the stored message to the subscriber;

receiving a message from the subscriber in response to the stored message;

receiving an input from the subscriber, the input representing a plurality of parties; and

sending the message to the plurality of parties as a broadcast message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the message to a non-subscriber of the voicemail system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the message to a non-calling party.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the message to a first one of the plurality of parties in a first format and to a second one of the plurality of parties in a second format.

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

sending the message in the first format that is compatible with one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an instant messaging (IM) network, an Internet protocol (IP) network, or a session initiation protocol (SIP) network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the broadcast message to a first one of the plurality of parties with a first priority and to a second one of the plurality of parties with a second priority.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing information identifying a group that is associated with the subscriber, where the group includes the plurality of parties.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing information identifying a group that is associated with the subscriber, where the plurality of parties make up a subset of the group.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing information that identifies one or more groups that can be used to identify recipients of the broadcast message and where the input represents a first group.

10. A messaging device, comprising:

a memory configured to;

store a first message from a first caller and intended for a called party, and

store information identifying a group that includes a plurality of broadcast parties that include the first caller; and

a processor configured to;

receive a reply message from the called party, and

broadcast the reply message to at least a subset of the group.

11. The messaging device of claim 10, wherein the reply is sent in response to at least one action performed by the called party.

12. The messaging device of claim 10, wherein the reply is broadcast to the entire group.

13. The messaging device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an input from the called party, the input identifying the group,

identify telephone numbers associated with each member of the group, and

forward the reply message to the identified telephone numbers.

14. The messaging device of claim 10, wherein the reply message is sent to a first one of the subset in a first format and to a second one of the subset in a second format.

15. The messaging device of claim 10, wherein the memory is further configured to store a second message from a second caller and intended for the called party, and wherein the reply message includes information from the first stored message and the second stored message.

16. The messaging device of claim 10, wherein the reply message is broadcast in a format that is compatible with one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an instant messaging (IM) network, an Internet protocol (IP) network, or a session initiation protocol (SIP) network.

17. A method, comprising:

notifying a called party about a plurality of stored messages received from a plurality of calling parties;

making information about at least one of the plurality of messages available to the called party in response to a first input;

recording a new broadcast message or retrieving a stored broadcast message on behalf of the called party in response to a second input; and

sending the new broadcast message or the retrieved broadcast message to at least a subset of the plurality of calling parties on behalf of the called party based on a third input.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the making further comprises:

providing the called party with information about the identity of at least one calling party or with the content of at least one of the plurality of stored messages.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

playing one of the plurality of stored messages for the called party; and

receiving the second input in response to the played message.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the sending comprises:

sending the new broadcast message or the retrieved broadcast message to the one of the plurality of calling parties associated with the played message and to another one of the plurality of calling parties.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the sending comprises:

sending the new broadcast message or the retrieved broadcast message to a first one of the plurality of calling parties in a first format and to a second one of the plurality of calling parties in a second format.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing information identifying a plurality of groups, where the plurality of groups include identities of the plurality of calling parties.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the sending comprises:

sending the new broadcast message or the retrieved broadcast message to calling parties represented by one of the plurality of groups.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the first input, the second input and the third input are associated with a telephone keypad or speech received from the called party.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the new broadcast message or the retrieved broadcast message in a format compatible with one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an instant messaging (IM) network, an Internet protocol (IP) network, or a session initiation protocol (SIP) network.