Telephone voice messaging system and method using off-hook immediate trigger

• US 6,721,415 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommWorks Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilbert, Quenton Lanny
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/506,021
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.25, 379/221.09
• US Class Current: 379/221.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• 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 system and method is described for entering a voice messaging system when a telephone set goes off-hook. If no voice message is waiting, a dial tone is provided to the telephone set. If a message is waiting, a prompt is activated by a telephone system indicating that such message is waiting, and the subscriber is then prompted to listen to the waiting message. If the subscriber does not wish to listen to the waiting message, he can place a conventional telephone call. If the subscriber chooses to listen to the waiting message (e.g., by entering “*” or saying “yes”), control is passed to the voice messaging system and the message is delivered to the subscriber.

Claims

1. A telephone system coupled to a telephone subscriber location for providing telephone communications for the telephone subscriber location, the telephone system comprising:

a voice messaging system that stores messages for the subscriber location;

a service control point coupled to the voice messaging system that determines from the voice messaging system if a message is waiting for the subscriber location; and

a central office coupled to the service control point that receives from the service control point a message waiting signal associated with the subscriber location in the voice messaging system, the message waiting signal indicating that the voice messaging system contains a message for the subscriber location, the central office sending a verbal prompt to the subscriber location indicating that the voice messaging system contains the message for the subscriber location when the subscriber location goes off-hook.

2. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the central office is alerted to an off-hook condition by an AIN trigger.

3. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the service control point comprises a service package application that queries the voice messaging system.

4. The telephone system according to claim 3, wherein the service package application determines a number of stored messages and provides the number of stored messages to the cental office for inclusion in the verbal prompt.

5. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the message is provided to the subscriber location by the voice messaging system via the central office if the central office receives a predetermined input from the subscriber location responsive to the prompt.

6. The telephone system according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined input is a pressed key on a keypad at the subscriber location.

7. The telephone system according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined input is a verbal response, the system further comprising a service node that provides speech recognition capability that interprets the verbal response.

8. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the prompt is deactivated if the central office receiving a predetermined input responsive to the prompt.

9. The telephone system according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined input is a pressed key on a keypad at the subscriber location.

10. The telephone system according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined input is a verbal response, the system further comprising a service node that provides speech recognition capability that interprets the verbal response.

11. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the voice messaging system delivers a completion signal to the central office after the subscriber location accesses the voice messaging system, and the central office is responsive to the delivered completion signal to de-activate the prompt.

12. A method for use with a telephone system coupled to a telephone subscriber location for providing telephone communications for the telephone subscriber location including connections to a voice messaging system, comprising:

determining if a message exists in a voice messaging system for the subscriber location when the subscriber location goes off-hook;

generating a second message if the message exists and forwarding the second message to a central office serving the subscriber location when the subscriber location goes off-hook, wherein the second message is a TCP/IP message; and

sending a verbal prompt to the subscriber location indicating that the voice messaging system contains the message for the subscriber location.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising alerting the central office to an off-hook condition by an AIN trigger.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising querying the voice messaging system to determine if the message exists, the second message being generated responsive to the result of the query.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising determining a number of stored messages and providing the number of stored messages to the central office for inclusion in the verbal prompt.

16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising providing the message to the subscriber location if the central office receives a predetermined input from the subscriber location responsive to the prompt.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined input is one of a pressed key on a keypad at the subscriber location and a verbal response.

18. The method according to claim 12, further comprising de-activating the prompt if the central office receives a predetermined input from the subscriber location responsive to the prompt.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined input is one of a pressed key on a keypad at the subscriber location and a verbal response.

20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising delivering a completion signal to the central office after the subscriber location accesses the voice messaging system, and de-activating the prompt.

21. A system for providing information to a telephone subscriber location, comprising:

a storage device that stores the information;

a cental office comprising an off-hook detector for detecting an off-hook condition of the subscriber location; and

a controller coupled to the storage device and the central office for retrieving the information responsive to the detected off-hook condition, providing a TCP/IP message waiting signal to the central office when the subscriber location goes off-hook, the message waiting signal indicating that the information is for the subscriber location, and forwarding the information to the subscriber location via the central office when the subscriber location goes off-hook.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the central office is alerted to the off-hook condition by an AIN trigger.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the information comprises at least one of news, weather, traffic data, and advertisements.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein the information delivery is de-activated if the central office receives a predetermined input from the subscriber location.

25. A method of providing information to a telephone subscriber location, comprising:

storing the information in a storage device;

detecting an off-hook condition of the subscriber location at a central office;

retrieving the information from the storage device responsive to the detected off-hook condition;

providing a TCP/IP message waiting signal to the central office when the subscriber location goes off-hook, the message waiting signal indicating that the information is for the subscriber location; and

forwarding the information to the subscriber location when the subscriber location goes off-hook.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein detecting the off-hook condition comprises detecting an AIN trigger.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the information comprises at least one of news, weather, traffic data, and advertisements.

28. The method according to claim 25, further comprising de-activating the information delivery responsive to receiving a predetermined input from the subscriber location.