System and method for distributing notifications to a group of recipients

• US 8,166,126 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions Connectivity Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cassidian Communications Incorporated (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: St. Clair, JR., Harold Dean, Bristow, Lorin Brooks
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thieu, Benjamin M
• Application Number:
  US11/857,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207, 709/218, 709/227, 370/335, 370/352, 379/114.01, 379/88.13
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

Systems and methods by which a user may use a client computing device (such as a mobile phone, for example) to initiate and send a notification message to a selected group of recipients are provided. The notification message may be an audio message that is delivered by various electronic methods including e-mail, text message, and/or voicemail. In defining the notification message, the user is provided with the ability to request a confirmation that the notification message has been received and/or understood by the selected recipients. In some embodiments, recipients are asked to respond to the notification message indicating that they have received and understood the message.

Claims

1. A system for sending and verifying receipt of a notification message to a plurality of recipients over a computer network comprising:

a first processor including a first module, the first module operable to;

store contact details of potential recipients of the notification message including at least one address of the potential;

store a voice recording;

receive data identifying one or more of the potential recipients as intended notification message recipients from a first communication device;

receive data identifying at least one contact destination for the intended notification message recipients from the first communication device;

assemble the notification message recipients, the at least one contact destination, and the stored input voice recording into a notification package; and

transmit the notification package to a second processor in communication with the first processor, the second processor being at a different location than the first communication device;

the second processor including a second module to;

receive the notification package from the first module;

extract, from the notification package, information associated with at least one of the intended notification message recipients for notification recipients having common delivery characteristics, the at least one contact destination, and the stored input voice recording from the notification package;

determine whether the stored input voice recording needs to be converted to a different format based on, at least in part, the at least one contact destination and the common delivery characteristics, and independent of input from a sender of the notification message directed to a delivery format;

convert the stored input voice recording to the different format for the notification recipients having common delivery characteristics;

transmit at least a portion of the stored input voice recording to the at least one address associated with the one or more intended notification message recipients based at least in part on notification recipient specified delivery parameters;

receive data from one or more of the intended notification message recipients indicative of confirmation that the message was received; and

send the data indicative of confirmation that the message was received to the first module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data received from one or more of the intended notification message recipients is further indicative of confirmation that the message was understood.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored voice recording sent to the at least one address associated with the one or more intended notification message recipients is sent via a voice telephone call.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first module is further operable to receive data identifying message delivery options from the first communication device, the message delivery options comprising an option to include one or more of a question or command to which the notification message recipients are prompted to respond.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second module is further operable to receive the response provided by the notification message recipient to the question and send data related to the response to the first module.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the second module is further operable to transfer a plurality of the notification message recipients into a conference call with a device associated with the first module.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein sending the data indicative of confirmation that the message was received to the first module is in response to a query from the first module submitted to the second module.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the input voice recording sent to the at least one address associated with each of the one or more intended notification message recipients is sent to at least one e-mail address of at least one notification message recipient.

9. A method of distributing an electronic message from a first device to a group of recipients over a network, the method comprising:

receiving a notification package, the notification package comprising;

data indicative of the electronic message to be distributed from the first device;

the group of recipients of the electronic message;

at least one contact destination for at least one recipient in the group of recipients of the electronic message;

extracting information associated with at least one of the recipients for recipients having common delivery characteristics, the at least one contact destination, and the data indicative of the electronic message to be distributed from the notification package;

determining whether the electronic message needs to be converted to a different format based on, at least in part, the at least one contact destination and the common delivery characteristics, and independent of input from the first device directed to a delivery format;

converting the electronic message to the different format for the recipients having common delivery characteristics; and

sending the electronic message to at least one recipient in the group of recipients based at least in part on notification recipient specified delivery parameters, wherein the electronic message comprises data which prompts the recipient to confirm their review of the electronic message.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving confirmation of review of the sent electronic message by the recipients on a per recipient basis based on the recipient confirming review of the electronic message.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the data indicative of an electronic message is text.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the text is converted to a voice message and delivered as a voice message.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing an interface for specifying the group of recipients to receive the electronic message, wherein providing the interface comprises displaying a list of potential recipients with a selectable checkbox for specifying certain ones of the potential recipients as the group of recipients.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a selectable option for specifying one or more address types for the specified certain ones of the potential recipients.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving confirmation of review of the sent electronic message comprising receiving an e-mail including information related to whether the message was received and understood by the message recipients.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the confirming the review of the electronic message comprises generating an e-mail message to a user associated with the first mobile device, the e-mail message including information about the outcome of the sending of the electronic message to the plurality of recipients.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein confirming the review of the electronic message provided by the recipient is a text response.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the message further comprises contact instructions to include an additional question to pose to the plurality of recipients, and the method further comprises:

including the additional question in the sent message notification;

prompting the recipient to provide a response to the additional question;

receiving a response to the additional question from one or more recipient; and

transmitting data indicative of the response to the additional question to a user associated with the first device.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the data received from one or more of the group of recipients indicative of confirmation that the message was received and understood comprises a voice response.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the data received from one or more of the group of recipients indicative of confirmation that the message was received and understood comprises a DTMF tone.

21. The method of claim 9, further comprising connecting each of the confirmed recipients of the electronic message to a conference call bridge.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising connecting the first device to the conference call bridge with the confirmed recipients.

23. A system for distributing an electronic message from a first device to a group of recipients over a network, the system comprising:

means for receiving a notification package, the notification package comprising;

data indicative of the electronic message to be distributed from the first device;

the group of recipients of the electronic message;

at least one contact destination for at least one recipient in the group of recipients of the electronic message;

means for extracting information associated with at least one of the recipients for recipients having common delivery characteristics, the at least one contact destination, and the data indicative of the electronic message to be distributed from the notification package;

means for determining whether the electronic message needs to be converted to a different format based on, at least in part, the at least one contact destination and the common delivery characteristics, and independent of input from the first device directed to a delivery format;

means for converting the electronic message to the desired recipient format for the recipients having common delivery characteristics; and

means for sending the electronic message to a notification service for distribution to the recipients in the specified group based at least in part on notification recipient specified delivery parameters, wherein the electronic message comprises data which prompts the recipient to confirm their review of the electronic message.

24. A non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for distributing an electronic message from a first device to a group of recipients over a network, the computer readable code comprising instructions for:

receiving a notification package, the notification package comprising;

data indicative of the electronic message to be distributed from the first device;

the group of recipients of the electronic message;

at least one contact destination for at least one recipient in the group of recipients of the electronic message;

extracting information associated with at least one of the recipients for recipients having common delivery characteristics, the at least one contact destination, and the data indicative of the electronic message to be distributed from the notification package;

determining whether the electronic message needs to be converted to a different format based on, at least in part, the at least one contact destination and the common delivery characteristics, and independent of input from the first device directed to a delivery format;

converting the electronic message to the desired recipient format for the recipients having common delivery characteristics; and

sending the electronic message to a notification service for distribution to the recipients in the specified group based at least in part on recipient specified delivery parameters, wherein the electronic message comprises data which prompts the recipient to confirm their review of the electronic message.