Method and apparatus for processing multiple types of incoming communication

• US 6,161,007 A
• Filed: 09/29/1997
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Gostanian, Raffi J., Homayoun, Fereidon, McCutcheon, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US08/939,275
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/413, 455/414, 455/466, 455/550, 455/552, 455/553, 455/556, 455/557, 455/575, 455/566, 455/558, 455/563
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

An apparatus which is capable of facilitating wireless and wireline communication with a multitude of wireless and wireline devices. The apparatus includes the necessary functionality to receive, record, process, and output incoming wireless and/or wireline voice, text, data, and multi-media messages. These messages can be outputted instantly or later to voice and/or to paper, based on a users input and preference. The user has many commands and options from which to choose when processing the messages. These choices will provide the user with more flexibility in determining how and when incoming communications can and should be processed.

Claims

1. A telecommunication device capable of receiving multiple types of incoming messages comprising, in combination:

a communication interface for receiving incoming messages in the form of voice, text, data or multimedia messages;

a communication processor coupled to the communication interface for receiving and processing each received message;

a memory coupled to the communication processor for storing processed messages;

means for entering a desired action for each type of incoming message including immediate or delayed output thereof and including unchanged or format changed output thereof;

a voice to text converter disposed between the communication processor and the memory to convert incoming voice messages to text when such desired action has been entered;

a text to voice converter disposed between the communication processor and the memory to convert incoming text messages to voice when such desired action has been entered; and

a plurality of output devices coupled to the communications processor, the memory and the entering means to output the processed message based on user input wherein the output may be immediate or delayed in time and may be in the same or different format from the message originally received.

2. The telecommunication device of claim 1 additionally including a protocol converter for converting the incoming message from the interface in one of a plurality of communication protocols to a message with a single protocol understandable by the communication processor.