Dynamically configured voice mail system

• US 6,944,274 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William Nelson Chatfield
• Original Assignee: William Nelson Chatfield
• Inventors: Chatfield, William Nelson
• Primary Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US10/791,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/71, 379/73, 379/74, 379/75, 379/76, 379/77, 379/78, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.27, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A dynamically configured voice mail system which allows customers to send digital information through a number of different sources into a user'"'"'s voice mail system. The dynamically configured voice mail system prioritizes the customer'"'"'s information and converts this information into audio messages using known technology. Subsequently, the user may retrieve prioritized audio messages and take action on said audio messages by simply pressing one or more buttons on the telephone keypad. Keypad actions may be dynamically and uniquely configured for each audio message, depending on the appropriate actions intended by the sender for the recipient.

Claims

1. A system for disseminating and managing business information comprising:

data management means for receiving and disseminating transmitting entity-generated message import files, each said message import file including first parameters pursuant to which said data management means allocates a first portion of data from each respective said message import file according to intended recipient or recipients aggregations defined by said transmitting entity, second parameters pursuant to which a second portion of data representative of discrete messages or information units are presented to respective said intended recipients in a transmitter-defined hierarchical order, and third parameters pursuant to which a third portion of data representative of action options are presented to respective said intended recipients after receiving each of said discrete messages or information units;

said data management means further comprising voice synthesis means for, upon actuation by an intended recipient, generating audible speech in a format which is audibly perceptible by said intended recipients via an audible information transceiver device and which conveys, in speech form, said discrete messages or information units to said intended recipient and said action options;

said data management means further includes audible information transceiver interface means by which one or more intended recipients can access said data management means, and by actuating discrete input actuators of said audible information transceiver device as directed by speech patterns generated by said data management means, be presented first with first speech indicative of said discrete messages or information units and secondly with second speech representative of said action options.

2. A method for disseminating and managing business information comprising the steps of:

receiving into data management means a message import file from a transmitting entity, said import file having parameters indicative of the intended recipient or recipients of information reflected in said message import file, of data representative of messages or information units to be presented to respective said intended recipient or recipients, of a transmitter-defined hierarchical order in which said messages or information are to be presented to each said intended recipient, and of data representative of recipient-selectable action options to be presented to respective said intended recipients in association respectively with each of said messages or information units;

with said data management means, processing said message import file by parsing and writing data within said message import file to an intended recipient-accessible storage area configured for interactive access via an audible information transceiver interface means, for voice-synthesis-based dissemination to said intended recipients of audible-perceptible representations of said messages or information according to said transmitter-defined hierarchical order and of respectively associated said action options, and for data processing steps distinctly associated with, and in response to recipient-selected said action options as are communicated to said data management means via actuation by a said recipient of selection means of said audible information transceiver interface means;

upon access of said intended recipient-accessible storage area by an intended recipient via said audible information transceiver interface means, disseminating said audibly-perceptible representations of said messages or information units along with the associated said action options and receiving and accordingly effecting said data processing steps as are associated with the reception of input, via said audible information transceiver interface means, from an intended recipient and representative of the selection by said intended recipient of one of said action options associated respectively with each said message or information unit.