Automated short message attendant

• US 6,507,735 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Baker, Steven F., Swank, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, James K
• Application Number:
  US09/219,696
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412,413,414,417,421,445,458,466,432,563,422 379/88.15,210,211,212,88.04,88.14 704/235,275,270,273 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A mobile switching center receives a call to a wireless telephone unit and determines if the wireless telephone unit is available to receive calls. If the wireless unit is unavailable, the mobile switching center forwards the call to a wireless service node, preferably immediately and without providing any ring back tone to the calling party. The wireless service node prompts the calling party to speak a message for transmission to the wireless telephone unit. The wireless service node converts the message spoken by the calling party from a speech message to a text message and forwards text message to a short message service center for transmission to the wireless unit.

Claims

1. A system for processing calls from a calling party to a wireless telephone unit, said system comprising:

a mobile switching center;

a wireless service node connectable to said mobile switching center, said wireless service node including speech recognition means for converting speech to text;

means for determining whether said wireless telephone unit is unavailable based upon location register information;

means for intercepting and completing a call to said wireless service node prior to attempting to connect said call to said wireless telephone unit, if said wireless telephone unit is unavailable; and

a short message service center in communication with said wireless service node and said mobile switching center, said short message service center including means for storing short text messages received from said wireless service node and forwarding said short text messages to said mobile switching center.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wireless service node includes:

means for prompting said calling party to speak a message for transmission to said wireless telephone unit; and

means for forwarding said text message to said short message service center for transmission to said wireless telephone unit.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said wireless service node includes:

means for announcing said text message; and

means for prompting said calling party to verify that the announced text message is the message the calling party wishes to have transmitted to said wireless telephone unit.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said wireless service node includes:

means for prompting said calling party to repeat the message for transmission to said wireless telephone unit;

means for announcing a converted text version of said repeated message; and

prompting said calling party to verify that said announced text version repeated message is the message said calling party wishes to have transmitted to said wireless telephone unit.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wireless service node includes:

means for prompting said calling party to identify said wireless telephone unit.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said means for prompting said calling party to identify said wireless telephone unit includes:

means for prompting said calling party to speak the name of a subscriber associated with said wireless telephone unit; and

means for locating a wireless telephone unit subscriber identified by said text name.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said wireless service node includes:

means for announcing the name of the located subscriber; and

means for prompting said calling party to verify that the announced name identifies the subscriber for whom the calling party wishes to leave a message.

8. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for prompting said calling party to identify said wireless telephone unit includes:

means for prompting said calling party to enter the telephone number associated with said wireless telephone unit.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said wireless service node includes:

means for announcing the name of the subscriber associated with the telephone number entered by said calling party; and

means for prompting said calling party to verity that the announced name identifies the subscriber for whom the calling party wishes to leave a message.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said call is intercepted without providing any ring back tone to said calling party.