Real-time voicemail monitoring and call control over the internet

• US 6,031,896 A
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Laboratories Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chopra, Rahul, Zibman, Israel B., Gardell, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US09/177,415
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34, 379/35, 379/70, 379/88.15, 379/88.17, 379/88.27, 379/18, 379/22, 379/23, 379/25, 379/900, 379/88.25, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4563 Voicemail monitoring during recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

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.

Claims

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.

2. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein such voice mail intercept service terminal is responsive to a take over signal from the called party to cause said voice mail intercept service terminal to establish a two-way communication connection between the incoming call and the called party.

3. A communication system according to claim 2 wherein said takeover signals further cause said voice mail system recording to cease.

4. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the system further includes a gateway for processing calls from a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a computer-based network, said switch being a part of said gateway.

5. A method for providing the ability to monitor a call being recorded onto a network-based voice mail system comprising the steps of:

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.

6. The method of recording to claim 5 further including the steps of allowing the called party to generate a take over signal;

and

establishing a two-way communication between the incoming call and the called party in response to the take over signal so that the called party can gain control of the all.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the method further comprises the step of deleting a recorded portion of a message.

8. A method for providing call connections and voice mail intercept capability wherein the method comprises the steps of:

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.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 further including the steps of:

connecting said called party to said calling party for two-way communication with said calling party in response to a take over signal from said called party; and

terminating said voice data connection between said voice mail intercept system terminal and said voice mail system terminal.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein the method further comprises the additional step of having said voice mail service terminal terminate said call.

11. The method according to claim 8 wherein the method further comprises the step of deleting a recorded portion of a message from the voice mail system terminal.