System and method for mobile electronic messaging

• US 6,813,489 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldemor, Jay B., Wu, Christopher M., Loo, Patrick S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOORE, JAMES K
• Application Number:
  US10/375,335
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/413, 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/412.2, 709/206, 709/245, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53341 Message reply

Abstract

A method and system for transmitting a voice message to an electronic address, generally includes establishing a data connection between a first server of a voice messaging system and a wireless device so as to enable a user to access an electronic mail account. The first server then captures a wireless device identifier and accesses an association of the wireless device identifier to a telephone number of the wireless device. A call is then initiated from the wireless device to a second server of the voice messaging system to record a voice message. The previously stored recipient electronic address is retrieved using the captured telephone number and an email including a link to the voice message is generated. The email is then transmitted to the recipient electronic address.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a voice message to an electronic address using a wireless device, the method comprising:

establishing at a mobile server a first communications connection with the wireless device;

transmitting to the wireless device an email message retrieved by the mobile server from a mail server,

capturing a wireless device identifier of the wireless device, the mobile server storing an association of the wireless device identifier with an electronic address of the sender of the email message;

receiving from the wireless device at the mobile server a signal to generate a reply to the email message;

establishing at a voice server a second communications connection with the wireless device;

prompting the user to speak into the wireless device after an indication; and

capturing the voice message at the voice server as it is spoken;

associating the voice message with the wireless device identifier;

retrieving at the voice server the electronic address of the sender of the email message from the mobile server;

generating at the voice server an electronic message which includes the recorded voice message; and

transmitting from the voice server the electronic message to the electronic address of the sender of the email message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile server creates the association of the wireless device identifier with an electronic address of the sender of the email message by:

receiving into the mobile server the wireless device identifier;

receiving into the mobile server the electronic address of the sender of the email message from the mail server; and

mapping at the mobile server the wireless device identifier to the electronic address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless device identifier is an alphanumeric code.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless device identifier is a mobile identity number.

5. The number of claim 2, wherein the wireless device identifier is a wireless telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is a tone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is a beep.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating the voice message with the wireless device identifier comprises:

capturing the wireless device identifier; and

mapping the recorded voice message to the captured wireless device identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second communications connection with the voice server is digital and the step of capturing the identifier comprises receiving a data transmission of the wireless device identifier.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second communications connection with the voice server is analog and the step of capturing the wireless device identifier comprises receiving the wireless device identifier via call id.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second communications connection with the voice server is analog and the step of capturing the identifier comprises:

prompting a user of the wireless device to input the wireless device identifier using key strokes; and

receiving at the voice server the key strokes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the electronic message which includes the recorded voice message comprises embedding a link to the voice message in the electronic message.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the voice message into a streaming media format.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the voice message into an audio data file.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing data stored on a memory of the wireless device to retrieve the wireless device identifier.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a user to retrieve an electronic message from an electronic mail account on the mail server using the wireless device;

providing one or more options to the user to create a new electronic message or reply to the retrieved electronic message; and

receiving the electronic address at the mobile server as a result of a selection by the user of one of the options.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the options is to reply to an existing electronic message to a sender of the existing electronic message.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the options is to forward an existing electronic message to a new recipient.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the options is to create a new electronic message.

20. A system for generating and delivering electronic mail including a voice message to an electronic address using a wireless device wherein the wireless device is capable of wireless communication, the system comprising:

a server system including a mobile server and a voice server communicatively interconnected on a network, wherein the mobile server is further capable of communication with one or more wireless devices;

a database system communicatively interconnected to the server system;

wherein a first communications connection is established between the wireless device and the mobile server and the mobile server is operative with programming to;

retrieve one or more email messages from a mail server in response to a request received from the wireless device;

provide the wireless device access to the one or more emails;

receive an indication from the wireless device to generate an electronic message that will include a voice message;

receive at the mobile server an electronic address to which the electronic message will be delivered, detect at the mobile server a wireless device identifier of the wireless device, map at the mobile server the wireless device identifier to the electronic address, and store the mapping in the database system;

wherein a second communications connection is established between the wireless device and the voice server and the voice server is operative with programming to;

record the voice message transmitted by the wireless device;

receive the wireless device identifier;

retrieve the electronic address mapped to the wireless device identifier from the database system;

store an association of the voice message with the appropriate electronic address in the database system;

generate an electronic message including the voice message that is addressed to the appropriate electronic address; and

transmit the electronic message including the voice message to the appropriate electronic address.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the mail server is a part of the server system.

22. The system of claim 20,wherein a link to the voice message is included in the electronic message and not the voice message.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the voice message is a streaming media file.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the electronic message is a response to an email message received on the mail server.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the electronic message is an email message received on the mail server that is forwarded to a new recipient.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the mobile server is further programmed to charge a fee to a pre-stored account of a user of the wireless device in return for providing functionality to generate and deliver electronic mail including a voice message to an electronic address.

27. A computer implemented method for permitting the creation of email messages that include a reference to a voice message using a portable wireless device, the method comprising:

at a first server,

providing access to one or more email accounts having one or more email messages stored therein to the portable wireless device upon establishment of a first communications connection between the wireless device and the first server;

receiving a request to generate an electronic message including a reference to a voice message from the portable wireless device;

charging a fee to a pre-stored account;

receiving an address for transmission of the electronic message;

receiving a wireless device identifier from the portable wireless device;

creating a mapping of the wireless device identifier to the address;

storing the mapping; and

at a second server,

recording a voice message upon establishment of a second communications connection between the wireless device and the second server;

receiving a wireless device identifier from the portable wireless device;

retrieving the mapping of the wireless device identifier to the address;

associating the voice message with the appropriate address using the mapping;

generating the electronic message including the reference to the voice message; and

transmitting the electronic message to the appropriate address.