User interface with voice message summary

• US 8,311,188 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rohde, Ruben, von Sichart, Johannes, Ratzlaff, Cordell, Ruge, Alison
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US12/099,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20090252305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/89, 455/413, 455/566, 345/173, 709/206
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

In one embodiment, a graphics user interface is provided. The graphics user interface includes a plurality of graphical representations. Each of the plurality of graphical representations identifies a separate voice message. A summary of content of each of the separate voice messages is displayed for each of the plurality of graphical representations, respectively. Each of the plurality of graphical representations is configured to be selected for playback of the respective voice message.

Claims

1. A graphics user interface comprising:

a plurality of graphical representations, each of the plurality of graphical representations identifying a separate voice message;

a textual summary of content of each of the separate voice messages generated based on identified keywords and displayed for each of the plurality of graphical representations, respectively, wherein the separate voice messages are displayed in a prioritized order according to a priority determined based on the identified keywords; and

a name and of each of the separate voice messages displayed for each of the plurality of graphical representations, respectively;

wherein each of the plurality of graphical representations is configured to be selected for playback of the respective voice message using an activation icon, wherein the plurality of graphical representations including activation icons, summaries of content, and names are displayed simultaneously on a screen of a user device.

2. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises a telephone, a computer, or a personal digital assistant.

3. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations are displayed in a list format.

4. The graphics user interface of claim 3, wherein the summary of content of each of the separate voice messages is displayed within a border of the respective graphical representation, the summaries being visually present when the respective graphical representations are listed.

5. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations comprises a rectangular shape.

6. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations illustrates a name corresponding to the respective voice message.

7. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations illustrates a time corresponding to the respective voice message.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a voice signal;

storing the voice signal as a voice message, the voice message being one of a plurality of voice messages that are represented as a plurality of icons;

identifying at least one keyword in each of the plurality of voice messages based on a list of keywords stored in a memory;

generating textual summaries of the plurality of voice messages based on the identified keywords;

prioritizing the plurality of voice messages according to importance based on the textual summaries of the voice messages to define a prioritized order of the voice messages; and

transmitting the textual summaries of the voice messages and the prioritized order of the voice messages to a user interface corresponding to the respective plurality of icons; and

displaying a list of voice message in the prioritized order including each of the textual summaries.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the textual summaries comprises at most ten words.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the textual summaries comprises a phrase or words corresponding to a main point of the entire respective voice message and is displayed with the respective icon.

18. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing priorities associated with the list of keywords in the memory.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying an activation button for each of the plurality of voice messages simultaneously, wherein the activation button is configured to play the voice signal.

11. A method comprising:

displaying a first image object and a first voice message summary representative of a content of a first voice message;

displaying a second image object and a second voice message summary representative of a content of a second voice message;

comparing the first and second voices message summaries to a word list stored in a memory;

identifying a first priority of a first keyword in the first voice message summary and the word list;

identifying a second priority of a second keyword in the second voice message summary and the word list;

comparing the first priority to the second priority to define an order;

displaying a sender name of the first and second voice messages for the first image object and the second image object in a list according to the order; and

receiving selection of the first image object or the second image object for playback of the respective voice message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first image object and the second image object are displayed on a same screen shot and the respective summary and an activation button are displayed within the first and second image objects.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the summaries of each voice message comprises a phrase or words identified from the respective voice message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the playback of the respective voice message comprises an audio output of the respective voice message.

15. A server comprising:

a memory storing a list of keywords and associated priorities;

a processor configured to monitor voice data between a plurality of devices to identify at least one keyword from the list of keywords and generate a picture summary of a voice message corresponding to one of the plurality of devices, the one of the plurality of devices including a user interface having an icon representing the voice message positioned according to the associated priorities;

wherein the server is configured to transmit the picture summary to the one of the plurality of devices, the picture summary displayed within the icon,

wherein the icon is configured to be selected for playback of the voice message from a list of voice messages and picture summaries displayed simultaneously.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the server comprises a network access server.

17. The server apparatus of claim 15, the icon illustrates a phone number corresponding to the voice message.