Message accessing

• US 7,787,867 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Broz, Vincent, Berger, Adam L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean A
• Application Number:
  US10/504,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20060166650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,759 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/413, 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/466, 455/566, 455/411, 455/412.2, 455/417, 709/204, 709/206, 379/93.17, 379/93.24, 379/67.1, 379/88.13, 379/100.01, 379/100.08, 379/142.06, 379/201.01, 379/88.12, 379/88.11, 379/88.22, 379/93.08, 379/114.2
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems

Abstract

A request to retrieve a message, such as a voice mail message or an email message, may be provided by a user a of an electronic device. The message has one of at least two different presentation modes by which it may be revealed to the user at the electronic device. The message is retrieved using one of at least two different communication networks depending on a presentation mode by which the message may be revealed.

Claims

1. A method comprising

enabling a user of an electronic device to make successive selections of messages from a list of messages displayed on the device, the list including both voice messages and text messages, the selections including voice messages and text messages in any arbitrary order, and

without requiring any different action by the user, switching back and forth between responding to selections of voice messages by audibly playing back the messages to the user and responding to selections of text messages by displaying at least portions of the messages such that a selected message is provided for display in a presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

2. A method comprising

in response to a user selecting a voice message identified on a display of an electronic device, automatically initiating a call to a voice message system on which the voice message is stored, having the voice message system authenticate the call, and receiving an audibly played back version of the voice message from the voice message system, and

providing a selected message for display in a presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

3. A method comprising

at an electronic device, enabling a user to invoke links associated with voice messages and non-voice messages to be retrieved, the links being displayed to the user, and

at the electronic device, switching automatically between responding to invocation of a voice message link by dialing a telephone number associated with the link, and responding to invocation of a non-voice message link in a manner other than dialing a telephone number such that a selected message is provided for display in a presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

4. A method comprising

at an electronic device, in response to selection by a user of a voice message to be retrieved, dialing a string that includes a phone number of a voice message system and digits that are sufficient to enable the voice message system server to identify the user and the selected voice message, and

providing a selected message for display in a presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

5. A method comprising

at a mobile electronic device, receiving data that (a) identifies a remotely stored message belonging to a user of the mobile electronic device and (b) includes information that (i) associates the message with the user and (ii) is encoded to restrict unauthorized access by others,

in response to a request by the user for retrieval of the message, returning the encoded information to a server for use in authentication, and

providing a selected message for display in the presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the information is generated by a hashing algorithm.

7. The method of claim 5 in which the data includes an index identifying the message from among other messages belonging to the user.

8. The method of claim 5 in which the encoded information is also stored for use by the server and is automatically deleted from the server based on its aging.

9. A method comprising

receiving from a user at an electronic device a request to retrieve a message directed to the user, the message having one of at least two different presentation modes by which it is enabled to be revealed to the user at the electronic device,

retrieving the message using one of at least two different communication networks depending on a presentation mode by which the message is enabled to be revealed, and

providing a selected message for display in the presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the electronic device comprises a wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the wireless device comprises a telephone.

12. The method of claim 9 in which one of the modes comprises performance of a multimedia message.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the multimedia message comprises a voice message.

14. The method of claim 9 in which one of the modes comprises displaying characters.

15. The method of claim 9 in which the retrieving comprises requesting the message from a message server.

16. The method of claim 9 in which one of the modes comprises performance of a multimedia message, and the retrieving of the multimedia message comprises initiating a dial-up phone call to a message server.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the multimedia message comprises a voice message and the retrieving includes receiving a spoken version of the voice message.

18. The method of claim 9 in which one of the modes comprises displaying characters, and the retrieving of the message comprises sending a request through a network to a message server.

19. The method of claim 9 also including

receiving at the electronic device information identifying messages directed to the user, and

providing the information to the user at the electronic device for selection of a message by the user.

20. The method of claim 19 in which the information includes uniform resource locator information that enables accessing the messages through at least one of the communication networks.

21. The method of claim 19 in which the information includes a phone number at which a message can be retrieved.

22. The method of claim 19 in which the identifying information is received through a communication network.

23. The method of claim 19 in which the identifying information includes information identifying a user and a message number associated with each of the messages.

24. The method of claim 23 in which the information identifying the user and the message number is encoded securely.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the encoded information is included in the request to retrieve.

26. The method of claim 19 in which information is stored remotely from the electronic device, the information permitting a server to respond to selection of the message even though communication between a server and the electronic device conforms to a stateless protocol.

27. A method comprising

informing a user of an electronic device of messages that are available for retrieval, each of the messages having one of at least two different presentation modes by which it is enabled to be revealed to the user at the electronic device,

receiving from the user a selection of one of the messages to be retrieved, the selection being made in a manner that is unrelated to the presentation mode by which it is enabled to be revealed,

revealing the message to the user in its presentation mode,

receiving from the user a selection of another one of the messages to be retrieved, the selection being made in a manner that is unrelated to the presentation mode by which the other message is enabled to be revealed, and

revealing the other message to the user in its presentation mode,

wherein revealing the message comprises revealing the message in the presentation mode associated with the message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

28. The method of claim 27 in which the informing includes displaying a list of the messages to the user.

29. The method of claim 27 in which the receiving includes enabling the user to indicate a selection through a graphical user interface.

30. The method of claim 27 in which the revealing includes displaying a text message or playing a voice message.

31. A method comprising

providing to an electronic device, information that is configured to enable the electronic device:

to retrieve messages using at least two different communication networks depending on a presentation mode by which each of the messages is enabled to be revealed, the electronic device being enabled to make a request for a message, and

to enable a user to select messages in a manner that is unrelated to the presentation mode by which the messages is enabled to be revealed, and

to display a selected message in the presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

32. The method of claim 31 in which the information that is provided to the electronic device is expressed in a mark-up language.

33. The method of claim 31 in which the information that is provided to the electronic device is encoded to prevent loss.

34. A method comprising

enabling a user of an electronic device to make a selection of a message to be retrieved from a message server,

in response to the selection, issuing a string of characters that includes

a phone number that is associated with the message and is capable of causing the electronic device to execute a phone call to the server, and

a character string that identifies the user and enables the server to authenticate the user, and

providing the selected message for display in the presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

35. The method of claim 34 in which the phone number is stored as part of a hyperlink.

36. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

enable a user of an electronic device to make successive selections of messages from a list of messages displayed on the device, the list including both voice messages and text messages, the selections including voice messages and text messages in any arbitrary order, and

without requiring any different action by the user, switch back and forth between responding to selections of voice messages by audibly playing back the messages to the user and responding to selections of text messages by displaying at least portions of the messages such that a selected message is provided for display in a presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.

37. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive from a user at an electronic device a request to retrieve a message directed to the user, the message having one of at least two different presentation modes by which it is enabled to be revealed to the user at the electronic device,

retrieve the message using one of at least two different communication networks depending on a presentation mode by which the message is enabled to be revealed, and

provide a selected message for display in the presentation mode associated with the selected message without further user interaction beyond selection of the selected message.