Method and system for integrating voicemail and electronic messaging

• US 8,520,809 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yao, Rose, Rideout, Ariel L., Sego, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US13/350,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20120114109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/219, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.22
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A server system having one or more processors and memory receives a respective electronic message associated with audio data and determines whether the respective electronic message is associated with a voicemail tag that identifies the audio data as including a voicemail message. In accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, the server system sends an audio player object for playing the audio data along with the respective electronic message when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client. In accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is not associated with the voicemail tag, the server system sends the respective electronic message without the audio player object when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a server system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs that when executed by the one or more processors cause the server system to perform the method, the method comprising;

receiving a respective electronic message associated with audio data;

determining whether the respective electronic message is associated with a voicemail tag that identifies the audio data as including a voicemail message;

in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, sending an audio player object for playing the audio data along with the respective electronic message when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is not associated with the voicemail tag, sending the respective electronic message without the audio player object when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the voicemail tag is a predefined voicemail tag that identifies electronic messages with which it is associated as having audio data that contains a voicemail message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to forward the respective electronic message and the associated audio data; and

forwarding the respective electronic message and the associated data without the voicemail tag.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, indexing the electronic message so that the respective electronic message is searchable as a voicemail message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the respective electronic message is associated with a conversation that includes the respective electronic message and at least one other related electronic message; and

the audio player object is configured to be integrated into a conversation view of the conversation that includes a representation of the respective electronic message, the related electronic message and a reply box for composing a text reply to one or more of the messages in the conversation.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving the text reply to the voicemail message; and

sending, to the client, a representation of the text reply for concurrent display in the conversation view with the audio player object and the representation of the related electronic message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio player object is configured to be integrated into a conversation view in which the audio player object and representations of a plurality of related electronic messages associated with the respective electronic message are concurrently displayed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the related electronic messages include an email message and a chat message;

the representation of the email message includes text content of the email message; and

the representation of the chat message includes text content of the chat message.

9. A system, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving a respective electronic message associated with audio data;

determining whether the respective electronic message is associated with a voicemail tag that identifies the audio data as including a voicemail message;

in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, sending an audio player object for playing the audio data along with the respective electronic message when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is not associated with the voicemail tag, sending the respective electronic message without the audio player object when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the voicemail tag is a predefined voicemail tag that identifies electronic messages with which it is associated as having audio data that contains a voicemail message.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

receiving a request to forward the respective electronic message and the associated audio data; and

forwarding the respective electronic message and the associated data without the voicemail tag.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for, in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, indexing the electronic message so that the respective electronic message is searchable as a voicemail message.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the respective electronic message is associated with a conversation that includes the respective electronic message and at least one other related electronic message; and

the audio player object is configured to be integrated into a conversation view of the conversation that includes a representation of the respective electronic message, the related electronic message and a reply box for composing a text reply to one or more of the messages in the conversation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

receiving the text reply to the voicemail message; and

sending, to the client, a representation of the text reply for concurrent display in the conversation view with the audio player object and the representation of the related electronic message.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio player object is configured to be integrated into a conversation view in which the audio player object and representations of a plurality of related electronic messages associated with the respective electronic message are concurrently displayed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the related electronic messages include an email message and a chat message;

the representation of the email message includes text content of the email message; and

the representation of the chat message includes text content of the chat message.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer system with one or more processors, cause the computer system to:

receive a respective electronic message associated with audio data;

determine whether the respective electronic message is associated with a voicemail tag that identifies the audio data as including a voicemail message;

in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, send an audio player object for playing the audio data along with the respective electronic message when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is not associated with the voicemail tag, send the respective electronic message without the audio player object when the respective electronic message is delivered to a client.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the voicemail tag is a predefined voicemail tag that identifies electronic messages with which it is associated as having audio data that contains a voicemail message.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions to:

receive a request to forward the respective electronic message and the associated audio data; and

forward the respective electronic message and the associated data without the voicemail tag.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions to, in accordance with a determination that the respective electronic message is associated with the voicemail tag, index the electronic message so that the respective electronic message is searchable as a voicemail message.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

the respective electronic message is associated with a conversation that includes the respective electronic message and at least one other related electronic message; and

the audio player object is configured to be integrated into a conversation view of the conversation that includes a representation of the respective electronic message, the related electronic message and a reply box for composing a text reply to one or more of the messages in the conversation.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions to:

receive the text reply to the voicemail message; and

send, to the client, a representation of the text reply for concurrent display in the conversation view with the audio player object and the representation of the related electronic message.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the audio player object is configured to be integrated into a conversation view in which the audio player object and representations of a plurality of related electronic messages associated with the respective electronic message are concurrently displayed.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein:

the related electronic messages include an email message and a chat message;

the representation of the email message includes text content of the email message; and

the representation of the chat message includes text content of the chat message.