MANAGING VISUAL VOICEMAIL FROM MULTIPLE DEVICES

• US 20140294164A1
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Rozensztejn, Diego Sebastian, Jackvony, Bradford A., Mehta, Gaurav D., Palmer, Okeno, Ren, Dahai, Hao, Jack Jianxiu, Ortiz, Guillermo
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2073 Multipoint, e.g. messaging, broadcast or group SMS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving 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 network device may include a memory to store a database including voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox, a transmitter, and a receiver. The transmitter may send a notification to each of a plurality of communication devices, the notification including an indication of a number of new voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, an indication of a total number of voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent voicemail message in the voicemail mailbox, where each of the plurality of communication devices uses the notification signal to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages. The receiver may receive, from one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with voicemail message information stored in the database. The transmitter may sends, to the one of the plurality of communications devices, the list of voicemail messages.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A system comprising:

one or more network devices including;

one or more memories including a first database to store voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox, and a second database to associate a plurality of device numbers with the voicemail mailbox, wherein each of a plurality of communication devices is associated with a different one of the plurality of device numbers;

a receiver to receive a new voicemail message associated with the voicemail mailbox;

a processor to query to the second database to retrieve the plurality of device numbers associated with the voicemail mailbox; and

a transmitter to send a notification of the new voicemail message to each of the plurality of communication devices associated with the plurality of device numbers,

wherein the notification indicates a number of new voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, indicates a total number of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, and includes an identifier of the new voicemail message,

wherein the notification causes each of the plurality of communication devices to determine whether or not to request a list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message from the notification,

wherein the notification causes one of the plurality of communication devices to determine to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message from the notification, and

wherein the notification causes at least another one of the plurality of communication devices to determine not to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message from the notification.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one of the plurality of communication devices includes a processor to determine whether to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages, the total number of voicemail messages, or the identifier of the new voicemail message.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor of the one of the communication devices compares a list of voicemail message audio files stored in the one of the communication devices to the list of voicemail messages, and determines, based on the comparison, whether to request an audio file corresponding to one of the voicemail messages in the list of voicemail messages.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the one or more network devices further includes:

a receiver to receive, from the one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the list of voicemail messages includes a state of each of the voicemail messages,

wherein the transmitter sends, to the one of the plurality of communications devices, the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, the list of voicemail messages listing the new voicemail message.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising the one of the plurality of communication devices.

30. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a receiver to receive, from at least three of the plurality of communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox,

wherein the receiver receives, from the one of the plurality of communication devices, a state change message associated with one of the voicemail messages, wherein the processor updates a state associated with the one of the voicemail messages in the first database based on the state change message.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the state includes an indication of new, heard, saved, or deleted.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the transmitter sends another notification to another one of the plurality of communication devices, the other notification indicative of the updated state.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the other notification includes an updated indication of the number of new voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, an updated indication of the total number of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent new voicemail message.

34. A method comprising:

storing a first database and a second database in one or more memories,

wherein the first database includes voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox in a memory, the second database to associate a plurality of device numbers with the voicemail mailbox, and each of a plurality of communication devices is associated with a different one of the plurality of device numbers;

receiving a new voicemail message associated with the voicemail mailbox;

querying the second database to retrieve the plurality of device numbers associated with the voicemail mailbox; and

transmitting a notification of the new voicemail message to each of the plurality of communication devices associated with the plurality of device numbers,

wherein the notification indicates a number of new voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, indicates a total number of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, and includes an identifier of the new voicemail message,

wherein the notification causes each of the plurality of communication devices to determine whether or not to request a list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message from the notification,

wherein the notification causes one of the plurality of communication devices to determine to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message from the notification, and

wherein the notification causes at least another one of the plurality of communication devices to determine not to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message from the notification.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining, by the one of the plurality of communication devices, whether to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages, the total number of voicemail messages, or the identifier of the new voicemail message.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

comparing, by the one of the plurality of communication devices, a list of voicemail message audio files stored in the one of the communication devices to the list of voicemail messages; and

determining, by the one of the plurality of communication devices, based on the comparison, whether to request an audio file corresponding to one of the voicemail messages in the list of voicemail messages.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

receiving, from the one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox; and

transmitting, to the one of the plurality of communications devices, the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the list of voicemail messages lists the new voicemail message and includes a state of each of the voicemail messages.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving, from at least three of the plurality of communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox;

receiving, from the one of the plurality of communication devices, a state change message associated with one of the voicemail messages; and

updating a state associated with the one of the voicemail messages in the first database based on the state change message.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the state includes an indication of new, heard, saved, or deleted.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising transmitting another notification to another one of the plurality of communication devices, the other notification indicative of the updated state.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the other notification includes an updated indication of the number of new voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, an updated indication of the total number of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent new voicemail message.

42. A system comprising:

a communication device comprising;

a receiver to receive a notification from a network device, the notification including an indication of a number of new voicemail messages in a voicemail mailbox, an indication of a total number of voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent new voicemail message in the voicemail mailbox;

a processor to;

determine to request a list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages, the total number of voicemail messages, or the identifier of the most recent new voicemail message, wherein the list of voicemail messages includes a state of each of the voicemail messages, and

determine not to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages, the total number of voicemail messages, or the identifier of the most recent new voicemail message; and

a transmitter to send a request, when determined to request the list of voicemail messages, to the network device for the list of voicemail messages in the mailbox, wherein the receiver receives the list of voicemail messages in the mailbox from the network device.

a memory to store voicemail message audio files and a corresponding list of voicemail message audio files, wherein the processor compares the list of voicemail message audio files to the list of voicemail messages and determines, based on the comparison, whether to request an audio file corresponding to one of the voicemail messages in the list of voicemail messages, and wherein the transmitter sends a request for the audio file to the network device.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the transmitter sends, to the network device, a state change message associated with one of the voicemail messages in the mailbox for updating a state associated with the one of the voicemail messages in the mailbox based on the state change message.

44. The system of claim 42, further comprising the network device, wherein the state or the state change includes an indication of new, heard, saved, or deleted.