System and method for receiving multi-media messages

• US 6,976,082 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Civanlar, Mehmet Reha, Ostermann, Joern
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US10/003,091
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709246-247, 709/231, 704/270.1, 704/260, 704/258, 379/88.16
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

A system and method of delivering a multi-media message to a recipient is disclosed. The multi-media message is created by a sender and contains a talking entity for delivering a text message using text-to-speech means. The method comprises transmitting to the recipient a message containing a link to the multi-media message, wherein the multi-media message is contained on a server. Upon the recipient clicking the link to the multi-media message, the method comprises determining whether a client terminal associated with the recipient contains client software to deliver the multi-media message. If client software exists on the client terminal, the method comprises determining whether permission is granted for delivering the multi-media message. If client software exists on the client terminal and permission is granted, the multi-media message is delivered to the recipient using the client software. If the client software does not exist on the client terminal or if the client software exists on the client terminal but permission is not granted to deliver the multi-media message, the multi-media message is streamed from a server such that a generic rendering software device will deliver the multi-media message.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a multi-media message to a recipient device, the multi-media message being created by a sender and including a talking entity delivering a sender message, the method comprising:

determining whether a recipient device has rendering software for delivering a video portion of the multi-media message;

if the recipient device does not have rendering software, streaming the multimedia message from a server such that a generic rendering software device will deliver the multi-media message;

determining whether the recipient device has speech synthesis software associated with a voice requested by the sender;

if the recipient device does not have the speech synthesis software, synthesizing audio at the server and streaming the audio to the recipient jointly with the available rendering software;

if the recipient device does have the speech synthesis software and the requested voice is available, synthesizing the voice at the recipient device and delivering the voice jointly with the available rendering software; and

if the recipient device does have the speech synthesis software but the requested voice is not available, downloading the voice to the recipient device and synthesizing the voice at the recipient device.

2. A method of delivering a multi-media message to a recipient, the multi-media message being created by a sender and including a talking entity delivering a sender message, the method comprising:

determining whether the recipient device has rendering software for delivering a video portion of the multi-media message;

if the recipient device does not have rendering software, streaming the multi-media message from a server such that a generic rendering software device will deliver the multi-media message;

determining whether the recipient device has speech synthesis software associated with a voice requested by the sender;

if the recipient device does not have the speech synthesis software, synthesizing audio at the server and streaming the audio to the recipient jointly with the available rendering software;

if the recipient device does have the speech synthesis software and the requested voice is available, creating an intermediate representation of the voice at the server that the speech synthesis software uses to render the requested voice; and

if the recipient device does have the speech synthesis software and the requested voice is not available, synthesizing the voice at a server and streaming the voice jointly with the video rendered from the available rendering software.

3. A system for delivering a multi-media message to a recipient device, the multi-media message being created by a sender and including a talking entity delivering a sender message, the system comprising:

a module configured to determine whether a recipient device has rendering software for delivering a video portion of the multi-media message;

a module configured to stream the multi-media message from a server such that a generic rendering software device will deliver the multi-media message if the recipient device does not have rendering software;

a module configured to determine whether the recipient device has speech synthesis software associated with a voice requested by the sender;

a module configured to synthesize audio at the server and streaming the audio to the recipient jointly with the available rendering software if the recipient device does not have the speech synthesis software;

a module configured to synthesize the voice at the recipient device and delivering the voice jointly with the available rendering software if the recipient device does have the speech synthesis software and the requested voice is available; and

if the recipient device includes the synthesis software and the requested voice is not available at the recipient device, the module configured to synthesize the voice is included at the recipient device and is further configured to receive the voice downloaded from the server.