Method and system for allowing access to traditional voice mail and interactive voice response systems over internet-like networks

• US 6,385,202 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Purdy, K Hal, Robinson, Bethany Scott, Katseff, Howard Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US08/942,426
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 370/461, 370/352, 370/400, 370/356, 370/354, 370/355, 370/351, 370/389, 370/401, 370/468, 370/525, 379/219, 379/88.13, 379/93.08, 379/93.03, 379/361, 379/283, 379/88.22, 379/93.27, 379/114.19, 379/58, 379/142, 379/100.25, 379/88.19, 379/93.32, 379/207, 707/104, 707/6, 707/206, 709/227, 710/73, 710/10, 340/825.44, 340/114, 340/283, 704/270, 704/209, 455/575, 455/41, 455/426, 600/300, 235/380, 235/379, 375/222
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

A method and system for accessing a remote system via a computer connected to a packet data network, comprises a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDNG) is connected to the packet data network. The PDNG receives a signal representing a DTMF tone transmitted from the computer, generates the DTMF tone at corresponding to the received signal, and transmits the generated DTMF tone to the remote system. The PDNG receives a response from the remote system and creates at least one voice packet for transmission to the computer over the packet data network. The remote system may be a voice messaging system or an interactive voice response (IVR) system.

Claims

1. A method of accessing a remote system via a computer connected to a packet data network, the packet data network also connected to a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDNG), the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a symbol at the PDNG transmitted from the computer, the symbol representative of, but not a coded form of, a DTMF tone;

generating the DTMF tone via a packet DTMF translator at the PDNG corresponding to the received symbol;

transmitting the DTMF tone from the PDNG to the remote system for interacting with the DTMF tones for control of the remote system;

receiving a response in DTMF tones at the PDNG from the remote system; and

creating at least one voice packet at the PDNG for transmission to the computer over the packet data network.

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

receiving the voice packet at the computer;

decoding the voice packet; and

displaying the response on the computer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote system is a voice messaging system responsive to the DTMF tones.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote system is an interactive voice response (IVR) system responsive to the DTMF tone.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of unifying collection of voice, e-mail, and fax messages.

6. A method of accessing a remote system via a computer connected to a packet data network, comprising:

receiving DTMF tones;

converting DTMF tones to symbols representative of, but not a coded form of, the DTMF tones;

establishing a communication path for the symbols between the packet data network and a packet data network gateway, the packet data network gateway being capable of converting the symbols back to the DTMF tones via a packet DTMF translator; and

communicating with a DTMF tone responsive device for control purposes of the remote system via the packet data network gateway.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the remote system is connected to a public-switched telephone network.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the remote system is a voice messaging system.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the remote system is an interactive voice response (IVR) system.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of incorporating a voice messaging server within the packet data network gateway and connecting the voice message server to a public-switched telephone network.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of incorporating an interactive voice response server within the packet data network gateway and connecting the voice message server to a public-switched telephone network.

12. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of communicating with the remote system by executing automatic scripts generating DTMF tones.

13. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of automatically communicating with the remote system according to a predetermined schedule.

14. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of obtaining computer feedback of data entries before transmission.

15. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of storing sequences of data for later use.

16. An apparatus for accessing a remote system connected to a telecommunications network using a computer connected to a packet data network, comprising:

a packet data network gateway (PDNG) connected to the packet data network and the telecommunications network, the PDNG adapted to generate and transmit to the remote system a DTMF tone for control purposes of a remote system and corresponding to a symbol representative of, but not a coded form of, the DTMF tone received from the computer via a packet DTMF translator and to create at least one voice packet corresponding to a response received from the remote system for transmission to the computer over the packet data network.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the remote system is a voice messaging system.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the remote system is an interactive voice response system.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the computer comprises a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal generator engine communicating with a DTMF script engine, a DTMF script storage unit, and a TCP/IP stack which is connected to a packet data network and a receiver buffer queue with voice decoder.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the packet data network gateway comprises a TCP/IP stack, a packet DTMF translator, a voice coder and a local switch fabric.

21. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the remote system is incorporated within the packet data network gateway.