Visual voice messaging state synchronization

• US 8,391,447 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Othmer, Konstantin, Ruf, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US12/325,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.12, 379/88.17, 379 8822- 8825, 379/88.11, 455/412.2, 455/413
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/258 Service state indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4527 Voicemail attached to other kind of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/554 Data synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/40 Data synchronization between user terminals and central server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53341 Message reply
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 Message broadcasting
• 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

Managing shared voice messages across the multiple voice messaging systems of the various recipients of a message. A server may act as a gateway and may interact with the multiple voice messaging systems and multiple user devices of the recipients. The server may retrieve voice messages from the sender voice messaging system and may transmit the voice message to the disparate voice messaging systems of the recipients with or without user assistance. The voice messages may be transcoded as necessary. The server then may determine the status of the voice message in the voice messaging systems of the recipients and may update the message status in the sender'"'"'s and the recipients'"'"' voice message systems accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for managing shared voice messages across disparate voice messaging systems, the method comprising:

transmitting a shared voice message from a sender to a plurality of voice messaging systems of a plurality of recipients, the plurality of voice messaging systems being independent from a voice messaging system of the sender;

accessing the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients;

retrieving the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients;

transmitting the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems to the voice messaging system of the sender;

updating a status of the shared message in the plurality of voice messaging systems at the voice messaging system of the sender; and

displaying the status of the shared message in a visual display to the sender.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the plurality of voice messaging systems includes providing credentials to the plurality of voice messaging systems.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the status of the shared message at the plurality of voice messaging systems when the shared voice message has been retrieved by a recipient of the shared message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the shared voice message to the plurality of voice messaging systems includes transcoding the shared voice message to a series of formats that are compatible with the plurality of voice messaging systems.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the shared voice message includes transcoding the shared voice message to an instant voice message (Vnote).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the shared voice message includes transcoding the shared voice message to a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the shared voice message includes sending the shared voice message as an attachment in an email message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the shared voice message includes sending a web address in an email message, the web address indicating where the user may retrieve the shared voice message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the status of the shared message in a voice messaging system includes updating the status in response to a user action.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user action comprises listening to an instant voice message (Vnote), deleting a Vnote, forwarding a Vnote, or replying to a Vnote.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user action comprises listening to a voice message on a mobile phone, deleting a voice message on a mobile phone, forwarding a voice message on a mobile phone, or replying to a voice message on a mobile phone.

8. A method for managing shared voice messages across disparate voice messaging systems, the method comprising:

transmitting a shared voice message from a sender to a plurality of voice messaging systems of a plurality of recipients, the plurality of voice messaging systems being independent from a voice messaging system of the sender;

accessing the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients;

retrieving the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients;

transmitting the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems to the voice messaging system of the sender;

updating a status of the shared message in the plurality of voice messaging systems at the voice messaging system of the sender;

displaying the status of the shared message in a visual display to the sender;

wherein transmitting the shared voice message includes sending the shared voice message as an attachment in an email message; and

wherein the email message further comprises a web bug and updating the status of the shared voice message comprises using the web bug to determine if the recipient has opened the email message.

13. A system for managing shared voice messages across disparate voice messaging systems, the system comprising:

a voice messaging system of a sender configured to send a shared voice message from the sender, the shared voice message being addressed to a plurality of recipients;

a plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients, the plurality of voice messaging systems being independent from the voice messaging system of the sender; and

a server configured to receive the shared voice message from the voice messaging system of the sender, transmit the shared voice message to the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients, determine the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients, and transmit the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems to the voice messaging system of the sender;

wherein the voice messaging system of the sender is configured to send the status of the shared voice message to a communications device of the sender, the communications device being configured to receive and display the status of the shared message in a visual display.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to transcode the shared voice message to a series of formats that are compatible with the plurality of voice messaging systems.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to transcode the shared voice message to an instant voice message (Vnote), Short Message Service (SMS) message, or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to transcode the shared voice message and send the shared voice message as an attachment in an email message.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to transcode the shared voice message and send a web address in an email message, the web address indicating where the user may retrieve the shared voice message.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is configured to determine the status of the shared voice message in response to a user action.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the user action comprises listening to a an instant voice message (Vnote), deleting a Vnote, forwarding a Vnote, or replying to a Vnote.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the user action comprises listening to a voice message on a mobile phone, deleting a voice message on a mobile phone, forwarding a voice message on a mobile phone, or replying to a voice message on a mobile phone.

17. A system for managing shared voice messages across disparate voice messaging systems, the system comprising:

a voice messaging system of a sender configured to send a shared voice message from the sender, the shared voice message being addressed to a plurality of recipients;

a plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients, the plurality of voice messaging systems being independent from the voice messaging system of the sender; and

a server configured to receive the shared voice message from the voice messaging system of the sender, transmit the shared voice message to the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients, determine the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipients, and transmit the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems to the voice messaging system of the sender;

wherein the voice messaging system of the sender is configured to send the status of the shared voice message to a communications device of the sender, the communications device being configured to receive and display the status of the shared message in a visual display;

wherein the server is further configured to transcode the shared voice message and send the shared voice message as an attachment in an email message; and

wherein the email message comprises a web bug and determining the status of the shared message comprises using the web bug to determine if the recipient has opened the email message.

22. A method for managing a shared voice message transmitted from a voice messaging system of a sender to a plurality of voice messaging systems of a plurality of recipients, the plurality of recipients including a first recipient and a second recipient, the method comprising:

obtaining a first status of the shared voice message in a first voice messaging system of the first recipient, the first status indicating a user action taken by the first recipient with respect to the shared voice message, the first voice messaging system being independent from the voice messaging system of the sender;

transmitting the first status to a second voice messaging system of the second recipient, the second voice messaging system being independent from the voice messaging system of the sender and the first voice messaging system;

wherein the second voice messaging system is configured to send the first status to a communication device of the second recipient; and

wherein the communication device is configured to display, in a visual display of the communication device, the first status and a second status, the second status indicating a user action taken by the second recipient with respect to the shared voice message.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first status is obtained in response the user action taken by the first recipient.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the user action taken by the first recipient comprises listening to an instant voice message (Vnote), deleting a Vnote, forwarding a Vnote, or replying to a Vnote.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the user action taken by the first recipient comprises listening to a voice message on a mobile phone, deleting a voice message on a mobile phone, forwarding a voice message on a mobile phone, or replying to a voice message on a mobile phone.