Real-time voicemail monitoring and call control over the internet
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A communication system for providing call connections and voice mail service to a network-based telephone device, the communication system comprising:
- an internet telephone switch that selectively connects an incoming call to at least one end point including a called party having an internet telephone and a gateway for processing calls from a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a computer-based network, said gateway further comprising a voice mail service which records messages;
at least one gatekeeper, including an address table for processing the calls between endpoints, wherein the gatekeeper routes calls to endpoints by accessing the address table for a corresponding address of said endpoint; and
at least one voice mail intercept service terminal for the voice mail service, said voice mail intercept service terminal receives the incoming call from said switch under the direction of said gatekeeper and said voice mail intercept service terminal further connects the incoming call to said internet telephone of said called party so the called party can monitor the call.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication system that provides call connections and voice mail service to telephone devices. With this system, a called party has the ability to monitor and control an incoming voice mail message, made by a calling party, which is to be recorded onto a voice mail system. The system includes a switch that connects the incoming calls to the called party and the voice mail system. A voice mail intercept service terminal receives a message to be recorded on the voice mail system and also selectively connects the incoming call to the called party for a two-way communication.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A communication system for providing call connections and voice mail service to a network-based telephone device, the communication system comprising:
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an internet telephone switch that selectively connects an incoming call to at least one end point including a called party having an internet telephone and a gateway for processing calls from a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a computer-based network, said gateway further comprising a voice mail service which records messages; at least one gatekeeper, including an address table for processing the calls between endpoints, wherein the gatekeeper routes calls to endpoints by accessing the address table for a corresponding address of said endpoint; and at least one voice mail intercept service terminal for the voice mail service, said voice mail intercept service terminal receives the incoming call from said switch under the direction of said gatekeeper and said voice mail intercept service terminal further connects the incoming call to said internet telephone of said called party so the called party can monitor the call. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for providing the ability to monitor a call being recorded onto a network-based voice mail system comprising the steps of:
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interfacing a calling party on a first endpoint with; (a) an internet telephone switch; (b) a packet-based communication network having a voice mail service; and (b) a called party on a second endpoint, wherein said second endpoint comprises an internet telephone; under preselected conditions, directing an incoming call to a voice mail service terminal based on address information in a gatekeeper; and establishing a connection from the voice mail service terminal to said second endpoint so as to allow the called party to monitor the message being recorded. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A method for providing call connections and voice mail intercept capability wherein the method comprises the steps of:
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establishing a control signal connection from a calling party through an internet telephone switch to a gatekeeper; routing call control signals from said gatekeeper to a voice mail intercept system terminal; establishing a voice data connection between said voice mail intercept system terminal and a called party having an internet telephone; establishing a voice data connection between said voice mail intercept system terminal and said calling party; and receiving voice mail data from said calling party at said voice mail intercept system terminal and transmitting said voice mail data to both said voice mail service terminal and to said internet telephone of said called party so that said voice mail service terminal can record the voice data and said called party can monitor the voice mail data. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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Specification