System and method for copying and transmitting telephony conversations

• US 6,993,120 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2002
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winters, Scott Lee, Moore, Victor S., Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, McIntyre, Joseph Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US10/279,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20040081295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/67.1, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 379/221.08
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A system and method for copying and transmitting telephony recordings during a conference call. A user can forward a portion of the recording to a third party during the conference call. A user issues a command using a telephony device and optionally indicates the beginning and end of the portion to be sent. The user provides recipient information, such as an email address. A user can issue these commands by voice or by sending data (for example, text) through the user'"'"'s device. The commands may also be issued by software running on the user'"'"'s device. The user can choose to send the selected portion in audio format, textual format, or both. The selected portion can be sent through the internet using email, instant messaging, or FTP, for example. The marked portion can also be sent over a telephone, a computer network, or the like.

Claims

1. A method of forwarding a text version of telephone call data, said method comprising:

initiating a telephone call between a plurality of participants;

receiving a plurality of voice inputs from the participants, wherein the voice inputs include voice data;

storing the voice data in a memory area;

receiving, during the telephone call, a forward request from one of the participants;

converting, during the telephone call, a portion of the voice data stored prior to receiving the forward request to a textual form; and

transmitting, during the telephone call, the textual form of the voice data to a third party through a computer network.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the forwarding request is a vocal request included with the voice inputs, the method further comprising:

distinguishing between the vocal request and the voice data; and

identifying the vocal request as the forwarding request.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the forwarding request is a keypad signal, the method further comprising:

receiving the signal entered on a telephone keypad used by one of the participants;

identifying the keypad signal as the forwarding request; and

receiving a forwarding identifier entered on the keypad, the forwarding identifier corresponding to one or more forwarding addresses.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an email address corresponding to the forwarding address;

creating an email message addressed to the email address; and

inserting the converted portion of the voice data into the email address.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the transmitting is directed to an information handling device and the information handling device is selected from the group consisting of a computer system, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a digital pager, and a fax machine.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more forwarding address identifiers from the user;

retrieving an electronic address for each of the forwarding address identifiers, wherein the electronic addresses have a type and wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of an email address, a telephone number, and a web site address; and

wherein the computer network includes one or more different types of networks, and wherein the transmitting is performed based on the type of network corresponding to the electronic address type.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the computer network is selected from the group consisting of a public switched telephone network, a mobile telephone network, a packet based global computer network, a local area network, and a wide area network.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory area accessible by the processors for storing telephone call data;

a transmitter for transmitting voice input received over a computer network;

a receiver for receiving voice data from the computer network; and

a forwarding tool for forwarding a text version of telephone call data, the forwarding tool including;

means for initiating a telephone call between a plurality of participants;

means for receiving a plurality of voice inputs from the participants, wherein the voice inputs include voice data;

means for storing the voice data in the memory area;

means for receiving, during the telephone call, a forward request from one of the participants;

means for converting, during the telephone call, a portion of the voice data stored prior to receiving the forward request to a textual form; and

means for transmitting, during the telephone call, the textual form of the voice data to a third party through the computer network.

9. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the forwarding request is a vocal request included with the voice inputs, the information handling system further comprising:

means for distinguishing between the vocal request and the voice data; and

means for identifying the vocal request as the forwarding request.

10. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the forwarding request is a keypad signal, the information handling system further comprising:

means for receiving the signal entered on a telephone keypad used by one of the participants;

means for identifying the keypad signal as the forwarding request; and

means for receiving a forwarding identifier entered on the keypad, the forwarding identifier corresponding to one or more forwarding addresses.

11. The information handling system as described in claim 8 further comprising:

means for receiving an email address corresponding to the forwarding address;

means for creating an email message addressed to the email address; and

means for inserting the converted portion of the voice data into the email address.

12. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the means for transmitting is directed to an information handling device and the information handling device is selected from the group consisting of a computer system, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a digital pager, and a fax machine.

13. The information handling system as described in claim 8 further comprising:

means for receiving one or more forwarding address identifiers from the user;

means for retrieving an electronic address for each of the forwarding address identifiers, wherein the electronic addresses have a type and wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of an email address, a telephone number, and a web site address; and

wherein the computer network includes one or more different types of networks, and wherein the means for transmitting is performed based on the type of network corresponding to the electronic address type.

14. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the computer network is selected from the group consisting of a public switched telephone network, a mobile telephone network, a packet based global computer network, a local area network, and a wide area network.

15. A computer program product stored on a computer operable media for forwarding a text version of telephone call data, said computer program product comprising:

means for initiating a telephone call between a plurality of participants;

means for receiving a plurality of voice inputs from the participants, wherein the voice inputs include voice data;

means for storing the voice data in a memory area;

means for receiving, during the telephone call, a forward request from one of the participants;

means for converting, during the telephone call, a portion of the voice data stored prior to receiving the forward request to a textual form; and

means for transmitting, during the telephone call, the textual form of the voice data to a third party through a computer network.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the forwarding request is a vocal request included with the voice inputs, the computer program product further comprising:

means for distinguishing between the vocal request and the voice data; and

means for identifying the vocal request as the forwarding request.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the forwarding request is a keypad signal, the computer program product further comprising:

means for receiving the signal entered on a telephone keypad used by one of the participants;

means for identifying the keypad signal as the forwarding request; and

means for receiving a forwarding identifier entered on the keypad, the forwarding identifier corresponding to one or more forwarding addresses.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further comprising:

means for receiving an email address corresponding to the forwarding address;

means for creating an email message addressed to the email address; and

means for inserting the converted portion of the voice data into the email address.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the means for transmitting is directed to an information handling device and the information handling device is selected from the group consisting of a computer system, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a digital pager, and a fax machine.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further comprising:

means for receiving one or more forwarding address identifiers from the user;

means for retrieving an electronic address for each of the forwarding address identifiers, wherein the electronic addresses have a type and wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of an email address, a telephone number, and a web site address; and

wherein the computer network includes one or more different types of networks, and wherein the means for transmitting is performed based on the type of network corresponding to the electronic address type.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the computer network is selected from the group consisting of a public switched telephone network, a mobile telephone network, a packet based global computer network, a local area network, and a wide area network.