System and method for email notification of unanswered telephone calls

• US 8,055,243 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Bourne Bao
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing; Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed; Assad
• Application Number:
  US11/584,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8828, 455/412.2, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• 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 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call automatic reactions in messaging within packet-switching networks H04L51/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

A method of processing a telephone call that includes creating an email notification of the telephone call if the telephone call to a telephone number registered to receive email notifications is determined unanswered and sending the email notification based on information associated with the registered telephone number.

Claims

1. A system for processing a telephone call comprising:

a service control point (SCP) obtaining a database record from a database based on a telephone number of the telephone call, the database record including call handling instructions indicating whether the telephone number is registered to receive email notifications;

a service switching point (SSP) receiving the telephone call, forwarding the telephone call based on the call handling instructions to at least one of an intelligent processor and a terminal associated with the telephone number, and determining the call unanswered;

the intelligent processor creating an email notification of the telephone call if the SSP determines the call unanswered and the call handling instructions indicate that the telephone number is registered to receive email notifications, and sending the email notification based on information associated with the registered telephone number,

the SCP determines if the call handling instructions indicate whether the telephone number is registered to a voicemail service,

the SSP forwards the telephone call to the intelligent processor if the SSP determines that the telephone call is unanswered irrespective if the telephone number is registered to the voicemail service,

if the telephone number is registered to the voicemail service, the intelligent processor instructs a calling party of the telephone number to record a voice message and converts the voice message to a text message to be delivered in the email notification,

if the telephone number is not registered to the voicemail service, the intelligent processor generates the email notification including at least a name and telephone number of the calling party.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the email notification includes at least one of a calling party number, a calling party name, a time of the call, a date of the call, an audio file of a voice message and text of the voice message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the SSP forwards the telephone call to the terminal based on the call handling instructions and determines the call unanswered if the call is not answered.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the SSP determines the call unanswered based on the call handling instructions indicating the call will not be answered.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent processor includes a memory for recording a voice message as an audio file if the call handling instructions indicate the telephone number is registered to receive voicemail service.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the intelligent processor further includes a speech-to-text converter for converting the recorded voice message to text if the call handling instructions indicate to convert the recorded voice message to text.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the call handling instructions indicate to send the email notification one of immediately and periodically, and the email notification is sent based on the call handling instructions.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an email server receiving the email notification from the intelligent processor, storing the email notification and forwarding the email notification to an email address.