Network based voice mail with call screening

• US 6,751,300 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Muller, Urs A.
• Primary Examiner(s): FOSTER, ROLAND G
• Application Number:
  US09/898,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20010053206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 379/70, 379/71, 379/88.01, 379/88-1-, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88-2-, 379/88.28, 379/201.01, 379/201.06, 379/201.07, 379/202.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 379/206.01, 379/207.01, 379/207.02, 379/207.04, 379/207.11, 379/211.01, 379/212.01, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.07
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/652 Means for playing back the recorded messages by remote control over a telephone line H04M1/658 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/658 Means for redirecting recorded messages to other extensions or equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4563 Voicemail monitoring during recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/658 Combination of voice calls and paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53358 Message preview
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a network based voice mail system that includes advantages of traditional answering machines. When a call comes in that is not answered, a Remote Answering Device may pick up after a preselected number of rings and play a prerecorded greeting that is stored locally and then prompt the caller to wait for the beep. The Remote Answering Device may use three-way calling service to conference the user'"'"'s voice mail number into the call. When a conference call is established it plays the beep and then plays the message which is being recording live on the speaker. If a call is received by the network based voice mail system that did net first pass through the Remote Answering Device, the network based voice mail system may synchronize the Remote Answering Device with the network based voice mail system.

Claims

1. In a network based voice mail system that has a user voice mail box that is accessible over a telephone network via a predetermined telephone number and an optional predetermined access code, a remote answering device comprising:

a) a modem answering an incoming call upon detecting a predetermined number of rings, dial the user'"'"'s voice mail box using a three-way calling service and conferencing the incoming call with the user'"'"'s voice mail box;

b) a memory storing the predetermined telephone number and the optional predetermined access code, and a local greeting that is played to a caller during an incoming call while the network based voice mail system is being accessed;

c) a processor controlling the modem and passing the predetermined telephone number and optional predetermined access code from the memory to the modem; and

d) a paging receiver receiving a paging signal that indicates that a message exists in the network based voice mail system that was not received by the remote answering device, and outputting a numerical code to the processor indicating a message count.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker coupled to the modem, wherein the modem is to output a voice signal from the incoming call to the speaker.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a message number display coupled to the processor displaying a count of the messages in the network based voice mail system, wherein the paging receiver receives a page from the network based voice mail system indicating that a message has been received in the user'"'"'s voice mail box without passing through the remote answering device, and wherein the paging receiver outputs the message count to the processor which updates the message number display.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor detects a change in an impedance of the telephone line which indicates that a telephone extension has been picked up, and then outputs a signal to drop the voice mail box from the conference call in response to the change in the detected impedance.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of control buttons coupled to the processor.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of control buttons include at least one selected from the group consisting of play, stop, delete, record, skip, fast, slow, save, and rewind.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a telephone built into the device.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a number keypad for entering in the predetermined telephone number of the user'"'"'s voice mail box and for entering in the optional predetermined access codes for accessing the user'"'"'s voice mail box.

9. The device according to claim 2, wherein the message being recorded by the caller is simultaneously being played over the speaker.

10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a play button, wherein the processor initiates a call to die user'"'"'s voice mail box upon the play button being pressed and the processor queries the user'"'"'s voice mail box to determined how many messages remain in the user'"'"'s voice mail box, and if different than those contained in a count maintained by the processor, the processor synchronizes its count to that of the user'"'"'s voice mail box.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the modem receives data from the user'"'"'s voice mail box while simultaneously receiving voice signals.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the processor periodically calls in to the voice mail box to synchronize its message indicator.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the remote answering device further comprises a tape recorder, which records incoming messages simultaneously along with the network based voice mail system.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the network based voice mail system indicates to a caller that the call to the user did not go through if the call to the user does not get through to the remote answering device.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a call at an Internet accessible voice mail system;

recording a message at the Internet accessible voice mail system;

receiving a query from a remote answering device via a communications bridge established by the remote answering device;

transmitting a signal indicating a number of messages recorded at the Internet accessible voice mail system via the communications bridge to the remote answering device in response to the query; and

simultaneously transmitting the message recorded at the Internet accessible voice mail system via the communications bridge to the remote answering device in response to the query.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for the message recorded at the Internet accessible voice message system from a user via a World Wide Web site; and

transmitting the recorded message to the user in response to the request.