Method And System For Telephone Message Management

• US 20090323911A1
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VTech Telecommunications Limited (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: VTech Telecommunications Limited (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dury, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/573 Line monitoring circuits for detecting caller identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A system for managing telephone messages played by a telephone includes an integrated telephone answering device configured to playback a plurality of outgoing messages. The system further includes a first memory section to store a default outgoing message and a second memory section to store one or more custom outgoing messages. The system further includes a handset operable to send outgoing messages for storage in the base unit and to send information related to outgoing messages for storage in a database of the base unit, the information including an outgoing message identifier associated with each outgoing message and a list of calling numbers associated with each outgoing message identifier. The system further includes a processor operable to receive an indication of a playback outgoing message request, to determine a calling party number associated with the outgoing message identifier, to retrieve an outgoing message identifier associated with the calling party number, and to send a signal to the integrated telephone answering device to playback an outgoing message associated with the outgoing message identifier.

Claims

1. A system for managing outgoing messages played by a cordless telephone having a base unit and a handset, the system comprising:

a memory comprising a first memory section configured to store a default outgoing message and a second memory section different from the first memory section and configured to store one or more custom outgoing messages;

an integrated telephone answering device located in the base unit and configured to play any one of the default outgoing message and the one or more custom outgoing messages in response to an incoming phone call;

an outgoing message identifier database located in the base unit and containing one or more outgoing message identifiers received from the handset, wherein one or more of the outgoing message identifiers corresponds to a respective one of the one or more custom outgoing messages, wherein one or more outgoing message identifiers is each associated with at least one calling party number; and

a first processor located in the base unit and operable to receive a notification of a calling party number associated with an incoming telephone call and to retrieve from the database an outgoing message identifier associated with the calling party number,

wherein when the calling party number is received by the cordless telephone and the incoming call is not answered after a predetermined interval, the integrated telephone answering device is configured to play an outgoing message if the calling party number and its outgoing message identifier are found in the database, wherein the outgoing message corresponds to the found outgoing message identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the database is located in the first memory section and has a plurality of calling party entries that each includes a caller phone number.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one or more of the calling party entries includes an outgoing message identifier.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein one or more of the calling party entries includes at least one of a caller name and a caller address.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the base unit comprises:

a base unit microphone configured to receive a first outgoing message for storage in the memory, wherein the memory is located in the base unit; and

a button configured to activate recording of the first outgoing message through the base unit microphone.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein any outgoing message received through the base unit microphone is stored in the first memory section.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the handset comprises:

a handset microphone for entering one or more outgoing messages;

a user interface for initiating a data communications session with the base unit; and

a radio transceiver configured to forward over a radio link to the base unit the one or more recorded outgoing messages when the data communications session is active.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is configured to automatically forward the one or more outgoing messages to the second memory section of the base unit.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the handset is configured to prompt a user to designate the one or more outgoing messages as either a custom or a default message, wherein a custom message is forwarded to the second memory section, and wherein a default message is forwarded to the first memory section.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein, during a data communications session, the handset is configured to perform one or more of:

retrieving information from the outgoing message database;

sending a newly-created outgoing message identifier to the base unit for storage in the outgoing message database; and

sending a calling party number and an associated outgoing message identifier for storage in the outgoing message database.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the handset is configured to retrieve a calling party number for sending to the outgoing message database of the base unit based upon a caller name selected from a phone book database located in the handset.

12. A method for managing a telephone message to be played in response to an unanswered incoming call at a telephone, comprising:

storing, in an outgoing message database of the telephone located in a base unit, information received over a wireless link from a handset of the telephone including at least one outgoing message identifier and at least one calling party number associated with the at least one outgoing message identifier;

receiving notification of a calling party number corresponding to an incoming call;

receiving a signal to play an outgoing message stored in a telephone answering device associated with the telephone, in response to the incoming call, wherein the telephone answering device contains a plurality of outgoing messages;

querying the outgoing message database of the telephone to locate a calling party entry containing the calling party number and an outgoing message identifier associated with the calling party number; and

playing an outgoing message corresponding to the outgoing message identifier if the calling party entry is located.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the notification of the calling party number comprises using a caller ID device to identify the calling party number when an incoming call is received.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the telephone comprises an integrated telephone answering device that is configured to play an outgoing message in response to the unanswered incoming call.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the querying the first memory of the telephone comprises:

determining if the calling party number is contained in the outgoing message database; and

sending a signal to play a default outgoing message selected from among the plurality of simultaneously stored outgoing messages if the calling party number is not contained in the outgoing message database.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the located calling party entry comprises the calling party number and a custom outgoing message identifier associated with the calling party number, wherein the outgoing message corresponding to the outgoing message identifier is a custom outgoing message.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the base unit further comprises a base unit microphone and recording button for directly recording outgoing messages for storage in the base unit, wherein the base unit is further configured to store any outgoing message recorded using the base unit microphone and recording button in a first memory section of the base unit.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

recording at least one of the plurality of outgoing messages in the handset; and

forwarding the at least one of the plurality of outgoing messages from the handset to the base unit for storage.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the base unit is configured to automatically store an outgoing message received from the handset in a second memory section separate from the first memory section.

20. A method for managing outgoing messages of a telephone provided in response to unanswered incoming telephone calls directed to the telephone, comprising:

maintaining in storage of a base unit of the telephone at the same time a plurality of outgoing messages;

receiving an incoming telephone call at the telephone;

identifying a calling party number associated with the incoming call;

determining that the calling party number is not contained in an outgoing message identifier database; and

providing a prompt to select the calling party number for association with an outgoing message identifier stored in the telephone, wherein each of the plurality of outgoing messages is linked to one of the outgoing message identifiers.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

presenting a list containing a plurality of outgoing message identifiers in response to the selection of the calling party number for association;

receiving a selection of one among the plurality of outgoing message identifiers; and

storing information including the calling party number and the selected one among the plurality of outgoing message identifiers in a calling party record.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the telephone further comprises a handset communicatively linked to the base unit over a radio frequency link, wherein the storing the information comprises:

sending the calling party number and selected one among the plurality of outgoing message identifiers from the handset to the base unit over the radio frequency link; and

storing the information in a calling party record located in the base unit.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the calling party number is displayed on a display of the handset.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the identifying the calling party number comprises using a caller ID function to determine the calling party number and to display the number on the handset.