Visual Voice Mail Delivery Mechanisms

• US 20130101097A1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,042,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4545 Message forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A method of selecting a distribution list for a voice mail message. The steps include identifying a group of recipients with whom to share the voice mail message, creating a user profile which includes voice mail preferences of a subscriber and the group of recipients, the preferences including an indication as whether to share the voice mail message with the group of recipients and distributing the voice mail message based on the preferences.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a distribution list for a voice mail message, comprising;

identifying a group of recipients with whom to share the voice mail message;

creating a user profile which includes voice mail preferences of a subscriber and the group of recipients, the preferences including an indication as whether to share the voice mail message with the group of recipients;

distributing the voice mail message based on the preferences.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the voice mail message is distributed to the group of recipients.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the voice mail message is converted to a text message and the text message may be amended by one or more members of the group of recipients.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the text message is amended by one of editing a portion of the text message, deleting a portion of the text message and adding to the text message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the group is part of a social networking group.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the subscriber overrides the user profile to change the distribution for an individual voice mail message.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the sender of the voice mail, and wherein the distributing step is based on the determining step.

8. A method of selecting a delivery time of a voice mail message in a network, comprising;

identifying a criteria for delivery of a voice mail message;

monitoring the load of the network;

delivering the voice mail message at a time determined based on the criteria and the monitoring step.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the criteria is a presence of a subscriber.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the criteria is a preference of time of day of a subscriber.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the criteria is availability of a subscriber.

12. A method for delivering a voice mail message to a subscriber comprising:

converting the voice mail message to text;

partitioning the text into segments;

delivering a first segment to the subscriber;

receiving an indication from the subscriber that a second segment is to be delivered to the subscriber; and

delivering a second segment based on the receiving step.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first segment is sent to a recipient in addition to the subscriber and wherein the second segment is delivered to the recipient upon receipt of an indication from the recipient, wherein the second segment is delivered to the recipient independent of whether there is a receipt of an indication from the subscriber.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the recipient and the subscriber are part of a social network.

15. A method for delivering voice mail message to a subscriber comprising:

decomposing the voice mail message to objects;

presenting the objects to the subscriber for viewing;

receiving an indication from the subscriber that the subscriber desires delivery of the voice mail message; and

delivering the voice mail message to the subscriber based on the receiving step.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the voice mail message is delivered to a recipient in addition to the subscriber.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the recipient and the subscriber are part of a social network.