Visual Voicemail Privacy Protection

• US 20110143716A1
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

Visual voicemail privacy protection is implemented by requiring a credential from a user or a user device before providing voicemail data to the user. The credential may be a user name and password combination, a digital certificate, or the like. The user may enable or disable this privacy protection feature at will. A first device being used for visual voicemail services may detect a second device within a defined area around the first device and either enable or disable privacy protection features based on whether the second device is determined to be an authorized or unauthorized device. Privacy protection features may be implemented locally or remotely.

Claims

1. A method of providing visual voicemail privacy protection, the method comprising:

detecting at a voicemail server an activation of a visual voicemail client;

transmitting from the voicemail server a request for a credential to the visual voicemail client;

receiving the credential at the voicemail server from the visual voicemail client;

verifying the credential at the voicemail server; and

transmitting a response from the voicemail server to the visual voicemail client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential is a user name and a password.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential is a digital certificate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the request for a credential comprises determining at the voicemail server that at least one privacy protection feature is enabled, and responsive to the determining, transmitting the request for a credential.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying the credential comprises determining that the credential properly verified, and wherein transmitting a response comprises transmitting voicemail data from the voicemail server to the visual voicemail client.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying the credential comprises determining that the credential is not properly verified, and wherein transmitting a response comprises transmitting an error message from the voicemail server to the visual voicemail client.

7. A method of providing visual voicemail privacy protection, the method comprising:

detecting at a voicemail server an activation of a visual voicemail client;

determining at the voicemail server that at least one privacy protection feature is enabled;

determining at the voicemail server that a first device associated with a voicemail account is within a defined security area associated with a user device executing the visual voicemail client;

disabling at the voicemail server the at least one privacy protection feature; and

transmitting voicemail data from the voicemail server to the visual voicemail client.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the first device associated with the voicemail account is within the defined security area comprises obtaining a location of the first device associated with the voicemail account from a location server and determining that the location is within the defined security area.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving an indication from the visual voicemail client that a second device is proximate to the user device executing the visual voicemail client and re-enabling the at least one privacy protection feature.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting from the voicemail server a request for a credential to the visual voicemail client.

11. A wireless device configured to provide visual voicemail privacy protection, the wireless device comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive a request for a credential from a voicemail server;

transmit the credential to the voicemail server; and

receive voicemail data from the voicemail server; and

a processor configured to;

execute a visual voicemail client application;

obtain the credential; and

present the voicemail data.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the processor configured to obtain the credential comprises the processor configured to present a user interface and detect a user name and password at the user interface.

13. The wireless device of claim 11 further comprising a memory comprising a digital certificate, wherein the processor configured to obtain the credential comprises the processor configured to obtain the digital certificate from the memory.

14. The wireless device of claim 11, further comprising a near field communications transceiver configured to detect a proximate device.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to, responsive to the near field communications transceiver detecting the proximate device, enable at least one privacy protection feature of the visual voicemail client application.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to, responsive to the near field communications transceiver detecting the proximate device, disable at least one privacy protection feature of the visual voicemail client application.

17. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein the transceiver is further configured to, responsive to the near field communications transceiver detecting the proximate device, transmit a message to the voicemail server.

18. A wireless device configured to provide visual voicemail privacy protection, the wireless device comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

transmit a request for voicemail data to a voicemail server; and

receive the voicemail data from the voicemail server; and

a processor configured to;

execute a visual voicemail client application;

present a request for a credential;

obtain the credential; and

present the voicemail data.

19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the processor configured to obtain the credential comprises the processor configured to obtain a user name and password.

20. The wireless device of claim 18, further comprising a near field communications transceiver configured to detect a proximate device.