Relaying of messages

• US 7,177,626 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hintermeister, Gregory Richard, Rahn, Michael David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US10/660,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20050059381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/510, 455/67.11, 455/436, 455/421, 455/563, 455/412.2, 455/414.2, 455/413, 455/416, 455/417, 455/466, 455/514, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435.1, 379/201.01, 379/201.06, 379/201.07, 379/207.1, 379/210.01, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/250
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment detect that a connection is lost while a call is in progress, prompt for a message in response to the detection, and save the message until the connection is available. After the connection is available, the message is automatically sent to the party to the call. In this way, information that was cut off when the connection was lost can be completed in an convenient manner. In another embodiment, the user may enter a message or messages for a designated recipient or recipients at any time, and the message(s) is saved and automatically sent when the connection becomes available.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting that a connection is lost while a call between a telephone and a party is in progress;

prompting via the telephone for a user-entered message in response to the detecting;

saving the user-entered message until the connection is available;

sending the user-entered message after the connection is available to the party of the call; and

sending a transcript command from the telephone to a server after the connection is available, wherein the transcript command comprises a designated destination, a designated sender, and a designated receiver, wherein the transcript command requests the server to select previously-sent messages from a transcript stored at the server that were previously sent by the designated sender and were previously received by the designated receiver, wherein the transcript command further requests the server to send the selected previously-sent messages to the designated destination, wherein the designated destination comprises the telephone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises:

sending the user-entered message to the party of the call via the server.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgment from the server; and

presenting the acknowledgment.

4. An apparatus comprising:

means for detecting that a connection is unavailable while a call between a telephone and a party is in progress;

means for receiving at least one user-entered message via the telephone;

means for saving the at least one user-entered message until the connection is available;

means for sending the at least one user-entered message to the party of the call after the connection is available; and

means for sending a transcript command from the telephone to a server after the connection is available, wherein the transcript command comprises a designated destination, a designated sender, and a designated receiver, wherein the transcript command requests the server to select previously-sent messages from a transcript stored at the server that were previously sent by the designated sender and were previously received by the designated receiver, wherein the transcript command further requests the server to send the selected previously-sent messages to the designated destination, wherein the designated destination comprises the telephone.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means for sending the at least one user-entered message further comprises:

means for sending the at least one user-entered message via the server.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

means for receiving an acknowledgment that the at least one user-entered message was received at the server; and

means for presenting the acknowledgment.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

means for receiving an acknowledgment that the at least one user-entered message was sent from the server to the party; and

means for presenting the acknowledgment.

8. A signal-bearing medium encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed comprise:

detecting that a connection is lost while a call between a telephone and a party is in progress;

prompting for a user-entered message via the telephone in response to the detecting;

receiving the user-entered message in response to the prompting;

determining whether the connection is available;

if the connection is unavailable, saving the user-entered message until the connection is available;

sending the user-entered message to the party of the call after the connection is available; and

sending a transcript command from the telephone to a server after the connection is available, wherein the transcript command comprises a designated destination, a designated sender, and a designated receiver, wherein the transcript command requests the server to select previously-sent messages from a transcript stored at the server that were previously sent by the designated sender and were previously received by the designated receiver, wherein the transcript command further requests the server to send the selected previously-sent messages to the designated destination, wherein the designated destination comprises the telephone.

9. A server comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed on the processor comprise;

receiving a command, wherein the command designates a destination and a criteria, and wherein the command is sent to the server from a telephone in response to the telephone detecting that a connection is lost while a call from the telephone to a party is in progress,

retrieving a transcript of previously-sent messages at the server based on the criteria, wherein the retrieving further comprises selecting previously-sent messages from a transcript stored at the server that were previously sent by the designated sender and were previously received by the designated receiver,

receiving a user-entered message that was prompted for in response to the telephone detecting that the connection was lost,

determining whether the connection is available, and

when the connection is available, sending the transcript of previously-sent messages and the user-entered message to the destination, wherein the destination comprises the telephone.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions further comprise:

sending an acknowledgement to the telephone after the receiving.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions further comprise:

sending an acknowledgment to the telephone after the sending.