Visual voice mailbox

• US 8,422,997 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lundy, Michael T., Heppner, Clyde Cornelius, Miller, Kristen Elizabeth, Meseke, Teresa Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRITTINGHAM, NATHANIEL P
• Application Number:
  US12/266,068
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/413, 379/1.02, 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/88.13, 379/88.14
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A system and computer-readable media are provided for facilitating playback of voicemails using a mobile device having a display. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention allow users to customize the grouping of voicemails, and view and play back voicemails according to these groupings. Additionally, users are able to automatically play back subsets of groups of voicemails in an order that is most meaningful to them without having to intervene during playback.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for facilitating playback of voicemails using a mobile device having a display, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of voicemail alerts from a voicemail server located in a wireless telecommunications environment, wherein each voicemail alert has accompanying information including at least a sender telephone number and a date of receipt;

using the information to associate a collection of the plurality of voicemail alerts with a known sender, wherein the known sender has at least one known telephone number associated with the known sender;

presenting on the display, representations of at least a portion of the collection of voicemail alerts in accordance with the known sender, thereby enabling a selection to be made to initiate voicemail playback;

receiving user input indicating that voicemails associated with a selection of the portion of the collection of voicemail alerts are to be played, wherein each of the voicemails corresponds to a particular voicemail alert, and wherein the voicemails are stored on the voicemail server;

receiving user input indicating a desired order in which to play the voicemails associated with a selection of the portion of the collection of voicemail alerts;

forwarding a request to the voicemail server to automatically play the voicemails associated with the selection such that each voicemail is played back consecutively in the desired order and without user intervention and wherein the information not already indicated by the selection of the portion of the collection is audibly announced before playing each voicemail.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the representations of at least a portion of the collection of voicemail alerts are presented in a user-defined order.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the portion of the collection of voicemail alerts is defined by a common voicemail subject that each voicemail alert in the portion shares.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the selection of voicemail alerts is defined by a user-defined date range, wherein each voicemail alert in the selection has a voicemail date falling within the range.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the selection of voicemail alerts is made up of all new voicemail alerts within the subset of voicemail alerts.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the selection of voicemail alerts is user defined.

7. A system for facilitating playback of voicemails using a mobile device, the system comprising:

a receiver that receives a plurality of voicemails;

a first processor that organizes the plurality of voicemails into a plurality of groups based on a first attribute such that each of the plurality of groups is made up of a set of individual voicemails that is related by the attribute;

a display that presents representations of at least a portion of the plurality of voicemails in accordance with the plurality of groups, thereby enabling a selection to be made to initiate voicemail playback;

a user input that receives an indication of a desire to play back at least a subset of at least one group of voicemails, wherein the subset of voicemails is made up of one or more voicemails that share a second attribute; and

a second processor that automatically plays the subset of voicemails such that each of the one or more voicemails are played back without user intervention, wherein the second processor causes only the information not already indicated by the grouping of the subset of voicemails to be audibly announced before playing each voicemail.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first processor is located on a network element of a wireless telecommunications network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first processor and the second processor are combined into a single processor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the single processor is located in the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the display is a touch screen on the mobile device and the user input is also the touch screen.

12. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for facilitating playback of voicemails using a mobile device having a display, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of voicemails;

organizing the plurality of voicemails into a plurality of groups based on a first attribute such that each of the plurality of groups is made up of a set of individual voicemails that is related by the attribute;

presenting on the display representations of at least a portion of the plurality of voicemails in accordance with the plurality of groups, thereby enabling a selection to be made to initiate voicemail playback;

receiving an indication of a desire to play back at least a subset of at least one group of voicemails, wherein the subset of voicemails is made up of one or more voicemails that share a second attribute; and

automatically playing the subset of voicemails such that each voicemail is played back without user intervention, and wherein only the information not already indicated by the grouping of the subset of voicemails is audibly announced before playing each voicemail.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the first attribute is a known sender having at least one known telephone number associated with the known sender.

14. The media of claim 12, wherein the first attribute is a voicemail subject, wherein each voicemail has an associated voicemail subject, which describes the content of the voicemail.

15. The media of claim 12, wherein the subset is comprised of voicemails received within a user-defined period of time.

16. The media of claim 12, wherein the subset is comprised of new voicemails.

17. The media of claim 12, wherein the second attribute is user defined.

18. The media of claim 12, wherein the subset of voicemails is updated dynamically when a new voicemail is received.