Delivery of urgent messages by integrated forced delivery and voice mailbox

• US 6,215,859 B1
• Filed: 10/02/1997
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Bruce Lowell
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US08/942,284
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.15, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/142
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication
• 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 method for delivering voice mail to an intended recipient in which a voice-mail message is recorded for a recipient of the message, an urgent status is determined for the voice-mail message, a signal is sent for activating a message waiting indicator for the recipient, and a call is generated to the message recipient for delivering the message. A call is generated to the message recipient immediately after a telephone line for the recipient becomes not busy when the telephone line for the message recipient is busy. Similarly, a call is generated to the message recipient based on a predetermined schedule when the call generated to the message recipient is unanswered. The predetermined schedule includes a predetermined call retry interval and a predetermined call retry duration.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a voice-mail message, comprising the steps of:

recording a voice-mail message for a recipient of the message including the step of recording a voice-mail message for a plurality of recipients;

determining whether the voice-mail message has an urgent status including the step of determining whether the voice-mail message has an urgent status for at least one of the plurality of recipients; and

generating a call to the message recipient for delivering the message, including the steps of;

generating a call to each respective message recipient for which the message has an urgent status immediately after a telephone line for the recipient becomes not busy when the telephone line for the message recipient is busy, and

generating a call to each respective message recipient for which the message has an urgent status based on a predetermined schedule when the call generated to the message recipient is unanswered.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating the call to each respective message recipient includes the step of generating a call to each respective message recipient based on a predetermined schedule.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined schedule includes a predetermined call retry interval and a predetermined call retry duration, the predetermined retry interval being a predetermined period of time between each call retry and the predetermined call duration being a predetermined period of time for which call retries are attempted.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined schedule includes a predetermined call retry interval and a predetermined call retry duration, the predetermined retry interval being a predetermined period of time between each call retry and the predetermined call duration being a predetermined period of time for which call retries are attempted.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of sending a signal for deactivating each respective message waiting indicator when the call generated to the message recipient is answered.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a message status call to a caller recording the message when each message recipient receives the message.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a signal for activating a message waiting indicator signal for each recipient.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the message waiting indicator for each recipient is a distinctive ringing signal.

9. A method of delivering a voice-mail message, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call for accessing a voice-mail system;

recording a voice-mail message for a recipient of the message, the recipient having a voice-mailbox within the voice-mail system including the step of recording a voice-mail message for a plurality of recipients;

determining whether the voice-mail message has an urgent status including the step of determining whether the voice-mail message has an urgent status for at least one of the plurality of recipients; and

generating a call to the message recipient for delivering the message including the steps of;

generating a call to each respective message recipient for which the message has an urgent status immediately after a telephone line for the recipient becomes not busy when the telephone line for the message recipient is busy, and

generating a call to each respective message recipient for which the message has an urgent status based on a predetermined schedule when the call generated to the message recipient is unanswered.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of sending a signal for activating a message waiting indicator signal for each recipient.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the message waiting indicator for each recipient is a distinctive ringing signal.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of generating the call to each respective message recipient includes the step of generating a call to each respective message recipient based on a predetermined schedule.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined schedule includes a predetermined call retry interval and a predetermined call retry duration, the predetermined retry interval being a predetermined period of time between each call retry and the predetermined call duration being a predetermined period of time for which call retries are attempted.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined schedule includes a predetermined call retry interval and a predetermined call retry duration, the predetermined retry interval being a predetermined period of time between each call retry and the predetermined call duration being a predetermined period of time for which call retries are attempted.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of sending a signal for deactivating each respective message waiting indicator when the call generated to the message recipient is answered.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of sending a message status call to caller recording the message when each message recipient receives the message.