Methods, systems and devices for providing voice mail caller identification for display on a telephone

• US 8,194,832 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lohr, Jonathan Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing, Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US11/675,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 379 69- 8828
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• 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

Abstract

Caller identification information is transmitted from a voice mail server to a telephone in response to receiving a voice mail message for the telephone at the voice mail server, and independent of receiving a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server. Caller identification information for the voice mail message may thereby be provided as a notification that the voice mail message was received at the voice mail server. Related methods, systems and devices are disclosed.

Claims

1. A voice mail enabled telephone comprising:

a receiver;

a display;

a user interface; and

a controller that is configured to control the receiver to receive from a voice mail server, caller identification information for a voice mail message for the telephone independent of a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server, and to control the display to display an identification of the caller that is based upon the caller identification information;

wherein the controller is further configured to access a stored phone book at the telephone to determine if an identification of the caller is present that corresponds to the caller identification information for the voice mail message that was received, and to control the display to display a pop-up message including the identification of the caller if the identification of the caller is present, independent of input from the user interface; and

wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display a pop-up message including the caller identification information that was received if the identification of the caller is not present independent of input from the user interface.

2. A telephone according to claim 1 wherein the telephone is a wireless telephone.

3. A telephone according to claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to control the receiver to receive the caller identification information for the voice mail message independent of transmission of the voice mail message from the voice mail server to the telephone.

4. A telephone according to claim 3 wherein the user interface further comprises a speaker, and wherein the controller is further configured to receive the voice mail message from the voice mail server and to play the voice mail message over the speaker in response to selection of the identification of the caller that is displayed or in response to selection of a voice mail play function.

5. A voice mail method comprising:

receiving at a telephone from a voice mail server, caller identification information for a voice mail message for the telephone independent of a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server;

accessing a stored phone book at the telephone to determine if an identification of the caller is present that corresponds to the caller identification information for the voice mail message that was received;

displaying at the telephone a pop-up message including the identification of the caller if the identification of the caller is present independent of input from a user interface at the telephone; and

displaying at the telephone a pop-up message including the caller identification information that was received if the identification of the caller is not present independent of input from a user interface at the telephone.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the telephone is a wireless telephone.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein receiving at a telephone from a voice mail server, caller identification information for a voice mail message for the telephone independent of a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server comprises receiving at the telephone from the voice mail server, caller identification information for the voice mail message for the telephone independent of a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server and independent of transmission of the voice mail message from the voice mail server to the telephone.

8. A method according to claim 7 further comprising:

transmitting the voice mail message from the voice mail server to the telephone in response to a request from the telephone and subsequent to receiving caller identification information for the voice mail message at the telephone from the voice mail server.

9. A voice mail enabled wireless telephone comprising:

a receiver;

a display;

a user interface comprising a speaker; and

a controller that is configured to control the receiver to receive from a voice mail server, caller identification information for a voice mail message for the telephone independent of a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server and independent of transmission of the voice mail message from the voice mail server to the telephone, and to control the display to display an identification of the caller that is based upon the caller identification information;

wherein the controller is further configured to access a stored phone book at the telephone to determine if an identification of the caller is present that corresponds to the caller identification information for the voice mail message that was received, and to control the display to display a pop-up message including the identification of the caller if the identification of the caller is present, independent of input from the user interface;

wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display a pop-up message including the caller identification information that was received if the identification of the caller is not present independent of input from the user interface; and

wherein the controller is further configured to receive the voice mail message from the voice mail server and to play the voice mail message over the speaker in response to selection of the identification of the caller that is displayed or in response to selection of a voice mail play function.

10. A voice mail method comprising:

receiving at a wireless telephone from a voice mail server, caller identification information for a voice mail message for the telephone independent of a request from the telephone to access the voice mail server and independent of transmission of the voice mail message from the voice mail server to the telephone;

accessing a stored phone book at the telephone to determine if an identification of the caller is present that corresponds to the caller identification information for the voice mail message that was received;

displaying at the telephone a pop-up message including the identification of the caller if the identification of the caller is present independent of input from a user interface at the telephone;

displaying at the telephone a pop-up message including the caller identification information that was received if the identification of the caller is not present independent of input from a user interface at the telephone; and

transmitting the voice mail message from the voice mail server to the telephone in response to a request from the telephone and subsequent to receiving caller identification information for the voice mail message at the wireless telephone from the voice mail server.