MESSAGE DELIVERY USING A VOICE MAIL SYSTEM

• US 20090110159A1
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalbag, Rohit Satish
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.220
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication

Abstract

Voicemail systems and methods can provide a user with means for receiving categorized messages from parties. The categories can be independent of the intended recipients of the messages, such that multiple users can receive the same message. A user can subscribe to receive categorized messages within selected categories or from selected parties. A registered party, including a merchant, an organization, a government agency and/or another party, can input messages to selected categories and can input distribution parameters for the messages. Expiration dates can be associated with the messages such that messages can be deleted once expired.

Claims

1. A method of message delivery using a message system, comprising:

receiving from a party at said message system, a message and a category designation for said message;

storing said message in a storage area, said storage area accessed by said message system and corresponding to said category designation for said message;

retrieving messages from said storage area based on a user of said message system

choosing said category designation; and

presenting said messages to said user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing said category designation comprises choosing from among a listing of category designations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said category designation is separate from designation of intended recipients of said message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting said message comprises presenting at least one of an audio, text and visual message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein presenting said message comprises at least one of a text-to speech conversion and a speech-to-text conversion.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing a choice for said user to subscribe to future messages from said party when said message is presented to said user; and

identifying said future messages received at said message system from said party as subscribed to messages for said user.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising providing notifications to said user when said future messages are received.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising placing a call from said user to said party based on said user choosing an option to place a call when said message is presented to said user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a message comprises receiving distribution parameters for said message.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein retrieving a message comprises matching said distribution parameters with user profile data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving a message comprises receiving expiration parameters for said message.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein storing said message comprises deleting said message from said storage area when said expiration parameter is exceeded.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving a message comprises receiving distribution parameters for said message.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein retrieving a message comprises matching said distribution parameters with user profile data.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein retrieving a message comprises incrementing a counter to track a number of times said message is retrieved.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said message system is a voice mail system.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

providing a first choice for said message system to place a call from said user to said party;

providing a second choice for said user to subscribe to future messages from said party when said message is presented to said user; and

identifying said future messages received at said message system from said party as subscribed to messages for said user, when said user chooses said second choice.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving a message comprises receiving at least one of distribution parameters and expiration parameters for said message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein retrieving a message comprises matching said distribution parameters with user profile data.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein storing said message comprises deleting said message from said storage area when said expiration parameter is exceeded.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein retrieving a message comprises incrementing a counter to track a number of times said message is retrieved.

22-44. -44. (canceled)