Method and System for Facilitating Voice Mail Service in a Communication Network Through Data-Publication by a Signaling Server

• US 20100029251A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Santharam, Arun, McConnell, Von K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A mechanism is disclosed for facilitating the performance of communication services in a communication network. An enhanced proxy server receives and proxies to a voice mail server a message indicative of a call attempt from an originating party to a terminating party. Further, the enhanced proxy server extracts an outgoing voice mail message from a data store and makes the outgoing voice mail message available for the voice mail server to play to the originating party in a session established between the voice mail server and the originating party in response to the signaling message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving into a network entity a signaling message indicative of a call attempt from a calling party to a called party;

the network entity extracting from a data store an outgoing media message playable by a voice mail server to the calling party; and

the network entity (i) outputting the signaling message for transmission over a network to the voice mail server and (ii) making the outgoing media message available for the voice mail server to play to the calling party in a session established between the voice mail server and the calling party in response to the signaling message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) INVITE message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing media message comprises an audio file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing media message is customized for the calling party.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein making the outgoing media message available for the voice mail server to play to the calling party comprises:

sending the outgoing media message to the voice mail server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein making the outgoing media message available for the voice mail server to play to the calling party comprises:

adding the outgoing media message to the signaling message that is output for transmission to the voice mail server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein making the outgoing media message available for the voice mail server to play to the calling party comprises:

publishing the outgoing media message to a second data store that is accessible by the voice mail server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein making the outgoing media message available for the voice mail server to play to the calling party comprises:

sending to the voice mail server a pointer to the outgoing media message in the second data store.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein making the outgoing media message available for the voice mail server to play to the calling party comprises:

publishing the outgoing media message on a message bus accessible by the voice mail server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the outgoing media message from the data store in response to receiving the signaling message comprises:

after receiving the signaling message, sending the signaling message to the called party and then determining that the called party does not respond; and

responsive to the determining, extracting the outgoing media message from the data store.

11. A method comprising:

transporting an initiation message over a radio access network from a wireless mobile station to a packet-switched network, the initiation message being indicative of a request from a user of the wireless mobile station to engage in a communication with a designated party;

transmitting the initiation message over the packet-switched network to a signaling proxy server, and receiving the initiation message into the signaling proxy server;

the signaling proxy server sending the initiation message to the designated party and then determining that the designated party does not respond;

responsive to the determining, the signaling proxy server extracting from a data store an outgoing voice mail message playable by a voice mail server to the wireless mobile station, and the signaling proxy server (i) forwarding the initiation message to the voice mail server and (ii) making the outgoing voice mail message available for the voice mail server to play to the wireless mobile station in a session established in response to the initiation message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the voice mail server (i) receiving the initiation message, (ii) establishing the session with the wireless mobile station, and (iii) playing out the outgoing voice mail message to the wireless mobile station in the session.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the outgoing voice mail message comprises an audio file.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the outgoing voice mail message is customized for the designated party.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the initiation message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) INVITE message.

16. A system comprising:

a processor;

data storage;

user-profile data stored in the data storage;

proxy-server logic stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to receive a session initiation message seeking setup of a session between an originating party and a terminating party, to determine that the terminating party is non-responsive, and to responsively output the session initiation message for transmission via a packet-switched network to a voice mail server; and

data-management logic stored in the data storage and executable by the processor, in response to receipt of the session initiation message, (i) to extract from the user-profile data an outgoing voice mail message playable by the voice mail server and (ii) to make the outgoing voice mail message available for the voice mail server to play to the originating party in a session established between the voice mail server and the originating party in response to the initiation message.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the data-management logic is executable to make the outgoing voice mail message available by placing the outgoing voice mail message on a message bus accessible over the packet-switched network by the voice mail server.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the data-management logic is executable to make the outgoing voice mail message available by publishing the outgoing voice mail message to a data store accessible by the voice mail server.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the data-management logic is executable to make the outgoing voice mail message available by inserting the outgoing voice mail message in the session initiation message that the processor outputs for transmission to the voice mail server.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the outgoing voice mail message comprises an audio message.