Method and apparatus for forwarding a dispatch communication in a communication system

• US 6,081,707 A
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belkin, Anatoly S., Urs, Kamala D., Christensen, Laura A., Epsom, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US09/208,680
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/67.1, 379/68, 455/412, 455/413, 455/414, 455/417, 455/461, 455/466, 455/550, 455/560, 455/517, 455/518, 455/520
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A calling communication unit (210) transmits a dispatch communication request to a communication infrastructure (202). The dispatch communication request includes at least a dispatch identification of a called communication unit (e.g., 216). In response to the dispatch communication request, the calling communication unit receives from the communication infrastructure a telephone number associated with a voice mail server (222) that provides voice mail service to the called communication unit and an identification of a mailbox at the voice mail server. The calling communication unit then transmits to the voice mail server the identification of the mailbox and a voice communication. Finally, the voice mail server stores the voice communication in the mailbox.

Claims

1. A method for a calling communication unit in a communication system to forward a dispatch communication to voice mail, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting to a communication infrastructure a dispatch communication request that includes a dispatch identification of a called communication unit;

receiving from the communication infrastructure, in response to the dispatch communication request, a telephone number associated with a voice mail server that provides voice mail service to the called communication unit and an identification of a mailbox at the voice mail server; and

transmitting to the voice mail server via the communication infrastructure the identification of the mailbox at the voice mail server and a voice communication that can be stored by the voice mail server in the mailbox.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

prior to the step of receiving,

receiving from the communication infrastructure an indication of which services related to the dispatch communication request are available to a user of the calling communication unit; and

when the indication indicates that voice mail service is available to the user of the calling communication unit, transmitting to the communication infrastructure a service request message that requests the dispatch communication request to be forwarded to the voice mail server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving further comprises the step of receiving instructions associated with access to the voice mail server;

and wherein the step of transmitting the identification of the mailbox and the voice communication further comprises the step of automatically responding to voice mail server messages based on the instructions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of automatically responding further comprises the step of muting at least a portion of the voice mail server messages.

5. A method for a communication infrastructure to forward a dispatch communication request by a calling communication unit to voice mail, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the calling communication unit, the dispatch communication request that includes a dispatch identification of a called communication unit;

transmitting, to the calling communication unit in response to the dispatch communication request, a telephone number associated with a voice mail server that provides voice mail service to the called communication unit and an identification of a mailbox at the voice mail server;

receiving from the calling communication unit, the identification of the mailbox at the voice mail server and a voice communication that can be stored by the voice mail server in the mailbox; and

conveying to the voice mail server the identification of the mailbox at the voice mail server and the voice communication.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of determining whether the called communication unit allows dispatch communications to be forwarded to the voice mail server prior to the step of transmitting.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of determining, prior to the step of transmitting, whether the calling communication unit is allowed to receive forwarded dispatch communications.

8. A method for a calling communication unit in a communication system to forward a dispatch communication to voice mail, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting to a communication infrastructure a dispatch communication request that includes a dispatch identification of a group of communication units;

receiving from the communication infrastructure, in response to the dispatch communication request, a telephone number associated with a voice mail server that provides voice mail service to the group of communication units and an identification of a distribution list at the voice mail server associated with the group of communication units; and

transmitting to the voice mail server via the communication infrastructure the identification of the distribution list at the voice mail server and a voice communication that can be stored by the voice mail server in a mailbox of each communication unit of the group of communication units indicated by the distribution list.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

prior to the step of receiving,

receiving from the communication infrastructure, an indication of which services related to the dispatch communication request are available to a user of the calling communication unit; and

when the indication indicates that voice mail service is available to the user of the calling communication unit, transmitting to the communication infrastructure a service request message that requests the dispatch communication to be forwarded to the voice mail server.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving further comprises the step of receiving instructions associated with access to the voice mail server;

and wherein the step of transmitting the identification of the distribution list and the voice communication to the voice mail server further comprises the step of automatically responding to voice mail server messages based on the instructions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of automatically responding further comprises the step of muting at least a portion of the voice mail server messages.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from the communication infrastructure a bitmap indicating a subset of the group of communication units; and

transmitting to the voice mail server via the communication infrastructure the bitmap to the voice mail server so that the voice mail server can modify the distribution list to include only the subset of the group of communication units indicated by the bitmap.

13. A method for a communication infrastructure to forward a dispatch communication request by a calling communication unit to voice mail, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from the calling communication unit the dispatch communication request that includes a dispatch identification of a group of communication units;

transmitting to the calling communication unit, in response to the dispatch communication request, a telephone number associated with a voice mail server that provides voice mail service to the group of communication units and an identification of a distribution list at the voice mail server associated with the group of communication units;

receiving from the calling communication unit the identification of the distribution list at the voice mail server and a voice communication that can be stored by the voice mail server in a mailbox of each communication unit of the group of communication units indicated by the distribution list; and

conveying to the voice mail server the identification of the distribution list at the voice mail server and the voice communication.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of determining prior to the step of transmitting, whether the group of communication units allows forwarding of dispatch communications intended for the group of communication units to the voice mail server.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of determining, prior to the step of transmitting, whether the calling communication unit is allowed to have dispatch communication requests forwarded.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting to the calling communication unit a bitmap indicating a subset of the group of communication units;

receiving from the calling communication unit the bitmap; and

conveying to the voice mail server the bitmap so that the voice mail server can modify the distribution list to include only the subset of the group of communication units indicated by the bitmap.

17. A communication unit comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a dispatch communication request to a communication infrastructure, the dispatch communication request including a dispatch identification of a called communication unit;

a receiver that receives, responsive to transmission of the dispatch communication request, a telephone number associated with a voice mail server that provides voice mail service to the called communication unit and an identification of a mailbox at the voice mail server; and

a processor, coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, that instructs the transmitter to transmit the telephone number to the communication infrastructure to enable the communication infrastructure to establish a communication link between the communication unit and the voice mail server.

18. A communication infrastructure comprising:

a base site that receives a dispatch communication request from a communication unit;

a dispatch controller, coupled to the base site, that determines whether the dispatch communication request can be granted, and when the dispatch communication request cannot be granted, conveys a telephone number associated with a voice mail server that provides voice mail service to the communication unit and an identification of a mailbox at the voice mail server to the communication unit via the base site; and

an interconnect controller, coupled to the base site and a switched telephone network, that receives the telephone number associated with the voice mail server from the communication unit via the base site and establishes a communication link between the communication unit and the voice mail server via the switched telephone network.