System and method for enhanced message notification

• US 7,953,395 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, Simon James, Wuthnow, Mark Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HEMANT SHANTILAL
• Application Number:
  US11/762,277
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 340/569, 340/3.1, 340/825.36, 340/825.37, 370351-356, 379 8808- 8818, 379 8822- 8827, 4554121-4144, 709201-203
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Enhanced message notification is provided by an enhanced notification function element and a subscriber preference profile database. The enhanced notification function element queries the subscriber preference profile database to obtain subscriber communication terminal capabilities information, which it uses to select a message notification technology. The enhanced notification function element may then format an enhanced notification that is delivered to a communication terminal through a delivery system architecture appropriate for the selected message notification technology. The enhanced notification may contain: a message type indicator; an identifier of the party leaving the message; a date and time that the message was deposited; multimedia objects; and other enhanced information. The enhanced notification function element may also query a terminal roaming status database in order to determine if the enhanced message should be sent when the terminal is roaming. The enhanced notification function element may also provide content adaptation for the enhanced notification.

Claims

1. A system for providing enhanced voice mail message notification in an environment in which subscriber mobile telephone terminals having diverse messaging capabilities communicate voice mail messages to and from subscriber mobile telephones via a wireless mobile telecommunications network, said system comprising:

a subscriber preference profile database relating subscriber identifier information with subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information, the subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information including information indicating whether a subscriber mobile telephone terminal has a capability of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages and whether the subscriber mobile telephone terminal has an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program for providing an enhanced notification user interface through which enhanced voice mail message notifications can be conveyed to a subscriber; and

an enhanced voice mail message notification function element in communication with said subscriber preference profile database, said enhanced notification function element being operative to;

receive a basic voice mail message notification request in response to a party leaving a voice mail message, the basic voice mail message notification request including an identifier of a subscriber mobile telephone terminal with which the voice mail message is associated;

obtain particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information, of said subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information, from the subscriber preference profile database utilizing the subscriber identifier;

determine whether the particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal is capable of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages;

determine whether the particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program;

select a voice mail message notification technology for delivery of a voice mail message notification to the subscriber by using the subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information;

format a traditional voice mail message notification if said particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal does not have the capability of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages or that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal does not have an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program; and

format an enhanced voice mail message notification if said particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has the capability of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages and that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information includes whether said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has a capability of receiving one of Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said enhanced voice mail message notification has a message type indicator indicating that the notification is an enhanced notification rather than a traditional notification and should be processed by said enhanced voice mail notification client application program.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said enhanced voice mail message notification function element formats said enhanced voice mail message notification to include the message type indicator and an identifier of the party leaving the voice mail message.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a Line Information Data Base (LIDB) relating party phone numbers with party names, said LIDB in communication with said enhanced voice mail notification function element, wherein said identifier of the party leaving the voice mail message is a phone number, said enhanced voice mail message notification function element being further operative to obtain a calling party name from said LIDB utilizing said phone number of the party leaving the message and include said calling party name in said enhanced voice mail message notification.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said enhanced voice mail message notification function element formats said enhanced voice mail message notification to include at least a portion of a recorded voice mail message.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein said enhanced voice mail message notification function element formats an enhanced voice mail message notification to include a time of day of the voice mail message.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein said enhanced voice mail message notification function element formats said enhanced voice mail message notification to include a multimedia object associated with the party leaving the voice mail message.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the multimedia object is one of:

an audio clip of the name of the party leaving the voice mail message;

a picture identifying the party leaving the voice mail message;

a presence and availability indicator for the party leaving the voice mail message.

10. The system of claim 1, further having a terminal roaming status database relating subscriber mobile telephone terminal identifier information with terminal roaming status information, said terminal roaming status database being in communication with said enhanced notification function element, said enhanced notification function element being further operative to:

obtain terminal roaming status information from said subscriber terminal roaming database utilizing said subscriber identifier information; and

determine how said enhanced notification should be sent while the subscriber is roaming.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said client application program is a Java Wireless Messaging API.

12. A method for providing enhanced voice mail message notification in an environment in which subscriber mobile telephone terminals having diverse messaging capabilities communicate voice mail messages to and from subscriber mobile telephones via a wireless mobile telecommunications network, said method comprising:

receiving a basic voice mail message notification request in response to a party leaving a voice mail message, the basic voice mail message notification request including an identifier of a subscriber mobile telephone terminal with which the voice mail message is associated;

obtaining particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information from a subscriber preference profile database utilizing said subscriber mobile telephone terminal identifier, said subscriber preference profile database relating subscriber identifier information with subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information, the particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information including information indicating whether the subscriber terminal has a capability of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages and whether the subscriber mobile telephone terminal has an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program for providing an enhanced notification user interface through which enhanced voice mail message notifications can be conveyed to a subscriber;

determining whether the particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal is capable of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages;

determining whether the particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program;

selecting a voice mail message notification technology for delivery of a voice mail message notification to the subscriber utilizing the particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information, and formatting a traditional voice mail message notification if said particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal does not have the capability of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages or that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal does not have an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program; and

formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification if said particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information indicates that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has the capability of receiving enhanced message technology voice mail messages and that said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has an enhanced voice mail message notification client application program.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said particular subscriber mobile telephone terminal capabilities information includes whether said subscriber mobile telephone terminal has a capability of receiving one of Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said enhanced voice mail message notification has a message type indicator indicating that the notification is an enhanced notification and should be processed by said enhanced voice mail notification client application program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification comprises formatting said enhanced voice mail message notification to include the message type indicator and an identifier of the party leaving the message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification comprises:

using said identifier of the party leaving the message to obtaining a calling party name from a Line Information Data Base (LIDB) relating party phone numbers with party names; and

including said calling party name in said enhanced voice mail message notification.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification comprises formatting said enhanced voice mail message notification to include at least a portion of a recorded voice mail message.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification comprises formatting said enhanced voice mail message notification to include a time of day of the voice mail message.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification comprises formatting an enhanced voice mail message notification to include a multimedia object associated with the party leaving the voice mail message.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the multimedia object is one of:

an audio clip of the name of the party leaving the voice mail message;

a picture identifying the party leaving the voice mail message;

a presence and availability indicator for the party leaving the voice mail message.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of selecting a message notification technology comprises:

determining if said subscriber mobile telephone terminal is roaming;

if said subscriber mobile telephone terminal is roaming, then identifying a roaming service provider;

determining if said roaming service provider has a capability of delivering enhanced voice mail message notification messages;

if said roaming service provider has a capability of delivering enhanced voice mail message notification messages, then selecting an enhanced voice mail message notification technology; and

if said roaming service provider does not have a capability of delivering enhanced voice mail message notification messages, then selecting a traditional voice mail message notification technology.