Method and system for delivering a voice message from a telephone to a group of recipients

• US 7,756,255 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Sladek, Thomas M., Santharam, Arun, Woodson, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US10/853,386
• Time in Patent Office: 2,240 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.22, 379/69, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 379/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 Message broadcasting

Abstract

There is disclosed a method and system that allows a telephone user to send voice messages to multiple recipients. According to an embodiment, DTMF signals along with a voice message may be sent over a voice call to a network service platform. The voice message may then be delivered to contacts identified in the DTMF signal.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a voice message from a telephone to a group of recipients, the method comprising:

receiving into the telephone a user designation of a group of contact telephone numbers;

receiving into the telephone a voice message spoken by a user of the telephone;

operating application logic on the telephone to place a voice call to a network service platform and, after the network service platform answers the voice call, to automatically dial DTMF representations of the contact telephone numbers in the group, so as to convey the contact telephone numbers to the network service platform;

masking sound of the DTMF representations as they are dialed, so that the user of the telephone cannot hear the DTMF representations being dialed;

during the dialing of the DTMF representations, presenting a status message to the user of the telephone indicating that the telephone is attempting to deliver the voice message; and

transmitting the spoken voice message from the telephone to the network service platform, for delivery of the spoken voice message by the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers;

receiving the DTMF representations of the contact telephone numbers at the network service platform;

receiving the spoken voice message at the network service platform; and

delivering the spoken voice message from the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers, wherein delivering the spoken voice message from the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers comprises converting the contact telephone numbers into contact addresses and delivering a recording of the spoken voice message to each contact address, wherein the contact addresses comprise Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) addresses.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the spoken voice message from the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers comprises:

placing telephone calls from the network service platform to the contact telephone numbers indicated by the DTMF representations, and, when each telephone call is answered, playing the spoken voice message in the telephone call.

3. A method of delivering a voice message from a telephone to a group of recipients, the method comprising:

receiving into the telephone a user designation of a group of contact telephone numbers;

receiving into the telephone a voice message spoken by a user of the telephone;

operating application logic on the telephone to place a voice call to a network service platform and, after the network service platform answers the voice call, to automatically dial DTMF representations of the contact telephone numbers in the group, so as to convey the contact telephone numbers to the network service platform;

masking sound of the DTMF representations as they are dialed, so that the user of the telephone cannot hear the DTMF representations being dialed;

during the dialing of the DTMF representations, presenting a status message to the user of the telephone indicating that the telephone is attempting to deliver the voice message; and

transmitting the spoken voice message from the telephone to the network service platform, for delivery of the spoken voice message by the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers;

receiving the DTMF representations of the contact telephone numbers at the network service platform;

receiving the spoken voice message at the network service platform; and

delivering the spoken voice message from the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers, wherein delivering the spoken voice message from the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers comprises converting the contact telephone numbers into contact addresses and delivering a recording of the spoken voice message to each contact address, wherein the contact addresses comprise e-mail addresses.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein delivering the spoken voice message from the network service platform to recipients at the contact telephone numbers comprises:

placing telephone calls from the network service platform to the contact telephone numbers indicated by the DTMF representations, and, when each telephone call is answered, playing the spoken voice message in the telephone call.