Voice message transmission and retrieval

• US 7,746,987 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2010
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alex Shah, Dennis Becker
• Original Assignee: Alex Shah, Dennis Becker
• Inventors: Shah, Alex, Becker, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/758,009
• Time in Patent Office: 79 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.12, 379/88.17, 379/88.26, 379/207.16, 455/466, 455/518, 709/223
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for storing, transmitting and retrieving an audio message is disclosed herein. The invention allows a recipient to access a voice message sent by a sender by clicking on an access key in a SMS text sent to the recipient'"'"'s phone. The SMS text preferably provides information on the sender and the length of the voice message. Once the recipient accesses the message, another SMS text is sent to the sender providing information on the when and how much of the voice message was communicated to the recipient. The voice message is preferably stored at a server of the system.

Claims

1. A method for storing, transmitting and retrieving an audio message, the method comprising:

accessing a recipient name and recipient telephone number from a contact list of a smartphone of a sender;

creating an audio message from the smartphone of the sender;

transmitting the audio message to a server over a wireless network;

receiving at the server the audio message for the recipient telephone number sent by the sender;

mapping an audio file number to the audio message;

storing the audio message in a database at the server;

transmitting a SMS to the recipient telephone number, the SMS comprising a character response to access the audio message in the database at the server based on the audio file number, the SMS also comprising a name of the sender, a telephone number of the sender and a length of the audio message;

receiving the character response to access to the audio message in the database at the server;

telephoning the recipient telephone number with a call from the server;

confirming an answer at the recipient telephone number in response to the call from the server;

transmitting the audio message to the recipient telephone number upon confirmation from the recipient telephone number; and

transmitting a delivery receipt SMS to the sender, the delivery receipt comprising the time of the delivery of the audio message to the recipient and the percent of the audio message played for the recipient prior to a disconnection of the call from the server.