Address book for a voice message delivery method and system

• US 6,829,331 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Soundbite Communications Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cullis, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US10/051,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20020110225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/69, 379/70, 379/76, 379/74, 379/80, 379/88.04, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.18, 379/88.23, 379/88.26
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

An apparatus and method for inducing a person to store telephone numbers or other contact information entered into a new voice message delivery method and system. The invention preferably operates after the person has completed a transaction, such as sending or receiving a voice message, so that the action of saving the telephone number or other contact information is convenient for the user and is less competitive with the action of sending or receiving a voice message. After a person sends or receives a voice message, the invention determines whether to offer the person an opportunity to save the telephone number or other contact information already entered into the system. The invention then allows the person to save the telephone number or other contact information in an address book associated with their account.

Claims

1. An address book method for a voice message delivery system, comprising:

(a) receiving an inbound call from a Sender;

(b) recording an audio message from the Sender intended for at least one Recipient;

(c) receiving from the Sender a telephone number for each of the at least one Recipients;

(d) sending the recorded audio message to the at least one Recipient and

(e) after sending the recorded audio message;

(e1) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number;

(e2) prompting the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when it is decided to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number; and

(e3) saving, without again receiving from the Sender the at least one telephone numbe,r the at least one telephone number in an account for the Sender if when the Sender elects to save the at least one telephone number.

2. The address book method of claim 1, wherein deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number comprises determining whether the at least one telephone number was entered over a telephone as opposed to having been recalled from an address book of the account of the Sender, and further comprising deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when the at least one telephone number was entered over the telephone.

3. The address book method of claim 1, wherein deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number comprises determining whether the at least one telephone number exists within an address book of the account of the Sender, and further comprising deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when the at least one telephone number does not exist within the account of the Sender.

4. The address book method of claim 1, wherein deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number comprises determining, in the case of a single telephone number, whether the single telephone number exists in an address book of the account of the Sender, and, in the case of multiple telephone numbers, whether the multiple telephone numbers exist in the address book of the account of the Sender regardless of a listing order of the multiple telephone numbers, and further comprising deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when, in the case of the single telephone number, the single telephone number exists in the address book of the account of the Sender, and, in the case of the multiple telephone numbers, the multiple telephone numbers exist in the address book of the account of the Sender regardless of the listing order of the multiple telephone numbers.

5. The address book method of claim 1, wherein saving the at least one telephone number in the account for the Sender comprises:

(e3a) prompting the Sender to speak an utterance;

(e3b) recording the utterance; and

(e3c) storing the utterance relative to the at least one telephone number in the account for the Sender, whereby the Sender can recall the at least one telephone number in the future by saying the utterance.

6. The address book method of claim 1, wherein deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number comprises determining whether the Sender is signed into the account of the Sender, and further comprising deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when the Sender is not signed into the account of the Sender.

7. An address book method for a voice message delivery system comprising:

(a) providing a voice message server configured to;

(a1) receive an inbound call from a Sender;

(a2) record an audio message from the Sender intended for at least one Recipient;

(a3) receive from the Sender a telephone number for each of the at least one Recipients;

(a4) receive a reply telephone number for the Sender;

(a5) place an outbound call to a telephone line of the at least one Recipient for the purpose of playing the recorded audio message to the at least one Recipient;

(a6) determine whether the telephone line of the at least one Recipient is answered by a person or an answering machine; and

(a7) play the recorded audio message to the at least one Recipient;

(b) deciding, at the voice message server, whether to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number;

(c) prompting, by the voice message server, the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number when it is decided to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number; and

(d) saving, at the voice message server, the reply telephone number in an account for the at least one Recipient when the at least one Recipient elects to save the reply telephone number.

8. The address book method of claim 7, wherein;

deciding whether to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number comprises determining if whether the at least one Recipient is signed into the account of the at least one Recipient, and further comprising deciding to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number when the at least one Recipient is not signed into the account of the at least one Recipient.

9. The address book method of claim 7, wherein;

deciding whether to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number comprises determining whether the reply telephone number exists within an address book of the account of the at least one Recipient, and further comprising deciding to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the reply telephone number when the reply telephone number does not exist within the account of the at least one Recipient.

10. The address book method of claim 7, wherein saving the reply telephone number in the account for the at least one Recipient comprises:

(d1) prompting the at least one Recipient to speak an utterance;

(d2) recording the utterance; and

(d3) storing the utterance relative to the reply telephone number in the account for the at least one Recipient, whereby the at least one Recipient can recall the reply telephone number in the future by saying the utterance.

11. The address book method of claim 7, wherein the reply telephone number is saved in the account for the at least one Recipient without receiving the reply telephone number from the at least one Recipient.

12. An address book method for a voice message delivery system comprising:

(a) providing a voice message server configured to;

(a1) receive an inbound call from a Sender;

(a2) record an audio message from the Sender intended for at least one Recipient;

(a3) receive from the Sender a telephone number for each of the at least one Recipients;

(a4) place an outbound call to a telephone line of the at least one Recipient for the purpose of playing the recorded audio message to the at least one Recipient;

(a5) determine whether the telephone line of the at least one Recipient is answered by a person or an answering machine; and

(a6) play the recorded audio message to the at least one Recipient;

(b) deciding, at the voice message server, whether to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number;

(c) prompting, by the voice message server, the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number when it is decided to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number; and

(d) saving, at the voice message server, the at least one telephone number in an account for the at least one Recipient when the at least one Recipient elects to save the at least one telephone number.

13. The address book method of claim 12, wherein deciding whether to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number comprises determining whether the at least one Recipient is signed into the account of the at least one Recipient, and further comprising deciding to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number when the at least one Recipient is not signed into the account of the at least one Recipient.

14. The address book method of claim 12, wherein deciding whether to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number comprises determining whether the at least one telephone number exists within an address book of the account of the at least one Recipient, and further comprising deciding to prompt the at least one Recipient to save the at least one telephone number when the at least one telephone number does not exist within the account of the at least one Recipient.

15. The address book method of claim 12, wherein saving the at least one telephone number in the account for the at least one Recipient comprises:

(d1) prompting the at least one Recipient to speak an utterance;

(d2) recording the utterance; and

(d3) storing the utterance relative to the at least one telephone number in the account for the at least one Recipient, whereby the at least one Recipient can recall the at least one telephone number in the future by saying the utterance.

16. The address book method of claim 12, wherein the at least one telephone number is saved in the account for the at least one Recipient without receiving the at least one telephone number from the at least one Recipient.

17. An address book method for a voice message delivery system, comprising:

(a) receiving an inbound call from a Sender;

(b) recording an audio message from the Sender intended for at least one Recipient;

(c) receiving from the Sender a telephone number for each of the at least one Recipients;

(d) sending the recorded audio message to the at least one Recipient;

(e) deciding whether to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number, without receiving a specific request from the Sender for the prompt, by determining whether the Sender is signed into an account of the Sender;

(f) deciding to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when the Sender is not signed into the account of the Sender;

(g) prompting the Sender to save the at least one telephone number when it is decided to prompt the Sender to save the at least one telephone number; and

(h) saving the at least one telephone number in the account for the Sender when the Sender elects to save the at least one telephone number, whereby the saving of the at least one telephone number leverages the fact that the Sender has previously entered the at least one telephone number and does not compete with a Sender'"'"'s goal of sending the audio message.