Message-indication testing

• US 7,738,636 B1
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Sladek, Tom, Carder, Diane Elaine, Wageman, Anthony James
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US11/255,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/1.01, 379/1.02, 379/1.03, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• 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: H04M 7/123 where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network

Abstract

A method and system to remotely test message-waiting notifications over a communications network is provided. The method includes receiving broadband signaling from a voicemail platform; converting the broadband signaling to narrowband signaling; and transmitting the narrowband signaling, which generates status notifications, and transmits the status notifications to a remote test location. The system includes a switching element that routes the broadband signaling generated by the voicemail platform. The switching element routes the broadband signaling to a message processing component that executes code that searches a message-waiting-notification database to generate appropriate tones based on the broadband signaling received from the switching element.

Claims

1. One or more tangible computer readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied therein and executed by a processor to perform a method of presenting a message-waiting notification, the method comprising:

receiving a visual message-waiting notification indicating that a user has received a voicemail;

requesting a confirmation indication to determine whether a target device is properly presenting said visual message-waiting notification; and

generating a status indication that indicates a status of said visual message-waiting notification.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the visual message-waiting notification is generated by a voicemail platform.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the visual message-waiting notification is presented on the target device as a visual indication selected from the group consisting of:

a blinking light, steady light, LED, lamp, picture, and video.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein requesting the confirmation indication comprises:

selecting a port associated with an integrated access device.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the status indication is a cadence tone representing a type of message-waiting notification.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein a status of the message-waiting notification is active, inactive or error.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the message-waiting notification includes packetized data corresponding to a condition of a voice mailbox.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the message-waiting notification includes packetized data corresponding to a type of message-waiting notification and a condition associated with a voice mailbox.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the message-waiting notification is a NCS message.

10. The media of claim 1, wherein the message-waiting notification is a SIP message.

11. The media of claim 1, wherein the message-waiting notification is broadband signaling.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein transmitting the status indication further comprises:

converting the broadband signaling to a narrowband signaling.

13. The media of claim 5, wherein the cadence tone representing the type of message-waiting notification is generated by searching a database storing types of message-waiting notifications and corresponding cadences.

14. The media of claim 5, wherein the type of message-waiting notification is visual, audio, or both.

15. A remote testing system to test message-waiting notifications, the system comprising:

a voicemail platform having voice mailboxes that receive and store voice messages, wherein the voicemail platform generates broadband message-waiting notifications, in response to the received voice messages; and

a switching element that receives the broadband message-waiting notifications and routes the broadband message-waiting notifications based on profiles associated with the voice mailboxes, wherein the switching element routes the broadband message-waiting notifications to a remote calling device coupled to a message processing component that converts broadband message-waiting notifications to narrowband tones.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the switching element checks the profiles to determine whether remote logging is active.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the voicemail platform routes the broadband message-waiting notification directly to a customer'"'"'s VoIP CPE or notification-receiving equipment.