Method of managing voicemails from a mobile telephone

• US 7,532,913 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2004
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SpinVox Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Doulton, Daniel Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US10/554,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20060234680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/413, 4554121-4122, 455418-420, 4554141-4143, 455/422.1, 455/425, 455/415, 455/556.2, 455/550.1, 455/461, 455/417, 455/566, 379 8826- 8827, 379/88.16, 379/88.18, 709203-207, 704 1- 10
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method of managing voice messages using a mobile telephone, comprising the steps of: (a) a graphical user interface (GUI) being opened on the mobile telephone, the GUI individually listing remotely stored voice messages in a menu list, the voice messages being meant for a user of the mobile telephone; (b) enabling the user to select a voice message from the list to initiate playback on the mobile telephone. The present invention hence supplants the current approach of retrieving voice messages (based on listening to various options spoken by a synthetic voice, such as “press (1) to reply”, “press (2) to delete”, “press (3) to repeat”) with a GUI based system; this system individually lists voice messages in a menu list, making it very simple for an end-user to select a message to initiate playback of the voice message.

Claims

1. A method of managing voice messages using a mobile telephone, comprising the steps of:

(a) a graphical user interface (GUI) being opened on the mobile telephone, the GUI individually listing remotely stored voice messages in a menu list, the voice messages being meant for a user of the mobile telephone;

(b) enabling the user to select a voice message from the list to initiate playback on the telephone;

wherein the GUI lists any voice messages that have been transcribed to text and can display a menu list of selectable items that enable the user to initiate parsing the transcribed text and using the parsed data in an application running on the wireless information device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the GUI also enables the user to configure call diversion behavior.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the menu list of remotely stored voice messages is generated after the mobile telephone connects to a voicemail server on which the voice messages are remotely stored.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the GUI is a hierarchical interface which, at a first or second level, lists the number of stored voice messages in an in-box.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the interface lists at a first or second level whether the received voice messages are new or have been listened to.

6. The method of claim 4 in which the interface is an in box view with folders for storage/retrieval of voice messages.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the GUI lists the name of a person leaving a voice message or their telephone number.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the GUI displays a menu list with one or more of the following selectable options:

play all voice messages;

delete all voice messages;

mark all voice messages as heard;

forward all voice messages;

store all voice messages.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the GUI is a hierarchical interface which displays a menu list of selectable items that enable the user to initiate further actions in respect of a selected voice message.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the telephone displays synchronized aural prompts to facilitate a user speaking the command they want executed.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the GUI further enables those voice messages converted to text format to be selected to cause the text format message to be displayed.

12. The method of claim 1 in which parsing and using the parsed data involves one or more of the following:

(a) extracting the phone number spoken allowing it to be used (to make a call), saved, edited or added to a phone book;

(b) extracting an email address and allowing it to be used, saved, edited or added to an address book;

(c) extracting a physical address and allowing it to be used, saved, edited or added to an address book;

(d) extracting a web address (hyperlink) and allow it to be used, edited, saved or added to an address book or browser favorites (e) extracting a time for a meeting and allow it to be used, saved, edited and added to an agenda as an entry (f) extracting a number and saving it to one of the device applications (g) extracting a real noun and providing options to search for it or, look it up on the web (WAP or full browser).

13. A mobile telephone programmed to perform the method of claim 1.

14. A method of managing voice messages using a mobile telephone, comprising the steps of:

(a) a graphical user interface (GUI) being opened on the mobile telephone, the GUI individually listing remotely stored voice messages in a menu list, the voice messages being meant for a user of the mobile telephone;

(b) enabling the user to select a voice message from the list to initiate playback on the telephone;

wherein the GUI lists any voice messages that have been converted to text format and can display a menu list of selectable items that enable the user to initiate parsing the converted text message and using the parsed data in an application running on the wireless information device, in which the GUI is a hierarchical interface which displays a menu list of selectable items that enable the user to initiate further actions in respect of a selected voice message in which the further actions are selected from the list;

erase voice message;

next voice message;

fast forward through voice message;

rewind through voice message;

play previous voice message;

store a message;

call back to sender of voice message;

open up text messaging application;

forward voice message;

add caller'"'"'s telephone number to contacts.

15. The method of claim 14 in which one or more items from the list are displayed whilst the voice message is being played back on the device.