Devices, systems and methods for delivering text messages

• US 7,903,692 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Potts, Karl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Application Number:
  US12/466,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20090221311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/493, 370/487, 379/88.01, 379/67.1, 379/88.17, 379/88.25, 379/88.12, 379/88.11, 455/567, 455/414.1, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 370/493
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages

Abstract

A network switch. The network switch includes a processor configured to execute a set of instructions to access a recorded announcement with attendant text and to transmit the recorded announcement with the attendant text to a telecommunications device.

Claims

1. A network switch, comprising:

communications logic configured to facilitate communication with a communications device over a telecommunications network; and

a first processor coupled to the communications logic, the first processor configured to perform at least the following during a telephone call to the communications device over the telecommunications network;

route a recorded announcement to the communications device, wherein the recorded announcement is stored as an audio signal of a voice file which represents spoken words of the recorded announcement;

route an alerting tone to the communications device, the alerting tone configured to indicate that a text message will be sent; and

route the text message to the communications device, after routing the recorded announcement to the communications device, wherein the recorded announcement is audibly presented followed by presentation of the alerting tone, followed by presentation of the text message, where audible presentation of the recorded announcement is suspended for presentation of the alerting tone,

wherein the audio signal comprises a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) signal of ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) binary characters that represent the text message of the recorded announcement and that are capable of being displayed by the communications device in the form of a text message,

wherein the text message for the recorded announcement is stored in its entirety with the recorded announcement or separately from it.

2. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the communications device is selected from a group that includes a wireless telephone and a wireline telephone.

3. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the network switch is in communication with a device for storing the recorded announcement and wherein the device for storing the recorded announcement includes a plurality of recorded announcements and a plurality of phrases of the plurality of recorded announcements.

4. The network switch of claim 3, wherein the device for storing the recorded announcement is in communication with a second processor and wherein the second processor executes a set of instructions to convert the recorded announcement into the frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulated signal and to transmit, to the network switch, the frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulated signal.

5. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the recorded announcement is stored separately from the text message.

6. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the recorded announcement is stored together with the text message.

7. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the communications device is configured to receive the text message and display the text message.

8. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the communications device is configured to convert the text message into a series of characters for display.

9. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the communications device is configured to operate in a digital wireless system.

10. The network switch of claim 9, wherein the digital wireless system includes at least one of the following:

a time division multiple access (TDMA) system and a code division multiple access (CDMA) system.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising

routing, by a switch, a recorded announcement to a communications device over a telecommunications network, wherein the recorded announcement is stored as an audio signal of a voice file which represents spoken words of the recorded announcement;

routing an alerting tone to the communications device, the alerting tone configured to indicate that a text message will be sent; and

routing the text message to the communications device, after routing the recorded announcement to the communications device, wherein the recorded announcement is audibly presented followed by presentation of the alerting tone, followed by presentation of the text message during a telephone call to the communications device over the telecommunications network, where audible presentation of the recorded announcement is suspended for presentation of the alerting tone,

wherein the audio signal comprises a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) signal of ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) binary characters that represent the text message of the recorded announcement and that are capable of being displayed by the communications device in the form of a text message,

wherein the text message for the recorded announcement is stored in its entirety with the recorded announcement or separately from it.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising storing the recorded announcement, wherein the recorded announcement includes a plurality of recorded announcements and a plurality of phrases of the plurality of recorded announcements.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising executing a set of instructions to convert the recorded announcement into the frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulated signal and to transmit the frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulated signal.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the recorded announcement is stored accordingly to at least one of the following:

separately from the text message and together with the text message.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the communications device is configured to receive the text message and display the text message.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the communications device is configured to convert the text message into a series of characters for display.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the communications device is configured to operate in a digital wireless system, wherein the digital wireless system includes a time division multiple access (TDMA) system, and wherein the digital wireless system includes a code division multiple access (CDMA) system.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform at least the following:

route a recorded announcement to a communications device over a telecommunications network, wherein the recorded announcement is stored as an audio signal of a voice file which represents spoken words of the recorded announcement;

route an alerting tone to the communications device, the alerting tone configured to indicate that a text message will be sent; and

route the text message to the communications device, after routing the recorded announcement to the communications device, wherein the recorded announcement is audibly presented followed by presentation of the alerting tone, followed by presentation of the text message during a telephone call to the communications device over the telecommunications network, where audible presentation of the recorded announcement is suspended for presentation of the alerting tone,

wherein the audio signal comprises a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) signal of ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) binary characters that represent the text message of the recorded announcement and that are capable of being displayed by the communications device in the form of a text message,

wherein the text message for the recorded announcement is stored in its entirety with the recorded announcement or separately from it.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the program is further configured to cause the computer to convert the recorded announcement into the frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulated signal and to transmit the frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulated signal.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the program is further configured cause the computer to determine whether the recorded announcement is needed and, in response to a determination that the recorded announcement is needed, assembling the recorded announcement from a plurality of words that are stored in a database.