System and method for automatically delivering messages to a telecommunications device

• US 6,594,349 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Fortman, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weaver, Scott L.
• Application Number:
  US09/790,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20010017914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1,88.11,88.12,88.13,88.14,88.15,88.16,88.17,88.19,88.2,88.21,88.22
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A server in a telecommunications network connects to subscriber equipment of at least one type and to caller equipment of several different types via a communications medium. The server includes a receiving element, a translating element, and a routing element. The receiving element receives messages intended for the subscriber equipment from the caller equipment in caller formats. The translating element translates the messages to a subscriber format compatible with the subscriber equipment. The routing element automatically transfers the translated messages to the subscriber equipment without requiring the subscriber to initiate the message transfer.

Claims

1. Subscriber equipment for presenting a message transferred from a network server to a user of the subscriber equipment, the subscriber equipment comprising:

means for receiving the message transferred from the network server independent of prior action by the user, the message comprising,

a translated message translated into a subscriber format compatible with the subscriber equipment, and

a suppressed ringing signal;

means for processing the message;

means for storing the message; and

means for notifying the user of the stored message.

2. The subscriber equipment of claim 1, wherein the processing means includes:

means for identifying a caller who originated the message.

3. The subscriber equipment of claim 1, wherein the processing means includes:

means for determining a message type of the received message; and

wherein the storing means includes;

means for storing notification preference data indicating a notification technique desired by the user for different message types of the received message.

4. The subscriber equipment of claim 3, wherein the notifying means includes:

means for notifying the user using the stored notification technique based on the determined message type.

5. The subscriber equipment of claim 4, wherein the notifying means includes:

means for displaying the stored message.

6. The subscriber equipment of claim 1 wherein the subscriber equipment comprises an analog display services interface (ADSI) terminal device.

8. The network of claim 1 wherein the subscriber equipment comprises an analog display services interface (ADSI) terminal device.

9. The network of claim 8 wherein the translated messages routed to the subscriber equipment further comprise suppressed ringing signals.

7. A network comprising:

subscriber equipment enabled to transmit and receive a predetermined media or format;

caller equipment enabled to transmit and receive a predetermined media or format;

a communications medium for connecting to the subscriber equipment and for connecting to the caller equipment; and

a server connected to the communications medium to receive messages from the caller equipment and to send the messages to the subscriber equipment, the server comprising;

an interface connected to the communications medium to receive the messages from the caller equipment, and to detect caller formats of the received messages based on the type of signal received by the interface from the caller equipment,

a memory storing profile data indicating the subscriber equipment type corresponding to a particular subscriber, and

a translator connected to the interface and the memory to translate the received messages from the detected caller formats to subscriber formats compatible with the subscriber equipment type indicated by the stored profile data, and to instruct the interface to automatically route the translated messages to the subscriber equipment via the communications medium independent of prior action by a user of the subscriber equipment.

10. A telecommunications device for receiving a message from a server in a network and presenting information from the message to a user of the telecommunications device, he telecommunications device comprising:

means for receiving the message from the server independent of prior action by the user, the message comprising,

a translated message translated into a subscriber format compatible with the telecommunications equipment, and

a suppressed ringing signal;

means for processing the message;

means for storing the message; and

means for notifying the user of the stored message.

11. The telecommunications device of claim 10 wherein the telecommunications device comprises an analog display services interface (ADSI) terminal device.