Voice mail interface

• US 7,333,595 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beans, John Payton, Valco, Larry Lee, Packebush, Sherrill J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/887,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20040247098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.23, 379/67.1, 379/88.12, 379/88.14, 379/88.22, 379/88.25
• US Class Current: 379/88.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

A method provides customized voice mail settings feature information to a telecommunications service subscriber. The method includes customizing a list of persistent settings features to include multiple persistent settings features that relate to telecommunications services subscribed to by the telecommunications service subscriber. The persistent settings features are maintained in a defined state through more than one subscriber session. The subscriber is sequentially prompted to select a persistent settings feature from the customized list by sequentially playing each of the persistent settings features to the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for providing customized voice mail settings feature information of at least one telecommunications service, the method comprising:

customizing a list of persistent settings features to include a plurality of persistent settings features that relate to subscribed telecommunications services, the persistent settings features being maintained in a defined state through more than one user session; and

sequentially prompting a user to select a persistent settings feature from the customized list by sequentially playing each of the persistent settings features.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing voicemail messages when the user is in a voicemail message review area after accessing a voicemail service to initiate a voicemail session; and

providing at least one function to the user, the at least one function being available while the voicemail messages are playing and including an option of accessing a settings area to review the sequential prompts in response to a command to access the settings area.

3. The method of claim 2, in which the sequentially prompting is performed in response to the command to access the settings area;

and

in which the playing voicemail messages is again performed in response to a command to return to the voicemail message review area.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the persistent settings features are listed in a priority order.

5. The method of claim 4, in which the order of priority of the persistent settings features in the persistent settings features list is based upon a frequency of selection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding new persistent settings features to the customized list when new telecommunications services corresponding to the new persistent settings features are subscribed to.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing persistent settings features from the customized list when telecommunications services corresponding to the persistent settings features are canceled.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a selection of a persistent settings feature, sequentially prompting the user to review a parameter of the selected persistent settings feature.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

resetting the selected persistent settings feature parameter based upon input from the user.

10. The method of claim 2, in which at least one input can be used at any time during the voicemail session to perform the same function.

11. A tangible computer readable medium for storing a computer program, executable by a computer, that provides customized voice mail settings feature information regarding a telecommunications service, the medium comprising:

customizing code for customizing a list of persistent settings features to include a plurality of persistent settings features that relate to telecommunications services;

persistent settings features status code for maintaining the persistent settings features in a defined state through more than one user session; and

feature-based prompting code for sequentially prompting the user to select a persistent settings feature from the customized list by sequentially playing each of the persistent settings features to the user.

12. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

voicemail playing code for playing voicemail messages to the user in a voicemail message review area after accessing a voicemail service to initiate a voicemail session; and

function providing code for providing at least one function to the user, the functions being available while the voicemail messages are playing and including an option of accessing a settings area to review the sequential prompts in response to a command to access the settings area.

13. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 12, in which the feature-based prompting code is configured to sequentially prompt the user in response to the command to access the settings area;

and

in which the voicemail playing code is configured to again play voicemail messages in response to a command to return to the voicemail message review area.

14. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 12, in which the function providing code is configured to accept at least one input at any time during the voicemail session to perform the same function.

15. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the persistent settings features are listed in a priority order.

16. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, in which the order of priority of the persistent settings features in the persistent settings features list is based upon a frequency of selection.

17. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

new features adding code for adding new persistent settings features to the customized list when new telecommunications services, corresponding to the new persistent settings features, are subscribed to.

18. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

cancelled features removing code for removing persistent settings features from the customized list when telecommunications services, corresponding to the persistent settings features to be removed, are cancelled.

19. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

parameter-based prompting code for sequentially prompting the user to review a parameter of a persistent settings feature that is selected.

20. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

parameter resetting code for resetting the persistent settings feature parameter based upon input from the user.