Providing missed call and message information

• US 8,548,130 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stifelman, Lisa J., Cross, Karen M., Caplener, Sarah, Khurana, Rajeev, Sullivan, Anne K., Surapaneni, Rao, Ward, Justin B., Davis, Angus Macdonald
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US13/351,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20120207288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379 8811- 8814, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/88.27, 379/142.01, 455/412.1, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/571 Blocking transmission of caller identification to called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/573 Line monitoring circuits for detecting caller identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication

Abstract

Information associated with messages and/or missed calls is provided to a subscriber. Calls received but not answered by the subscriber may be monitored. Each monitored call is classified as one of a missed call and a message. The monitored calls may be summarized based on a customizable rule set to create a summary. The summary is provided to the subscriber via, for example, a voice notification.

Claims

1. A system for providing information associated with messages or missed calls to a subscriber at a user device, the system comprising:

means for, detecting missed calls from received calls which are received at the user device but not answered;

means for, determining whether each missed call is associated with a message;

means for, generating a summary of the missed calls and messages;

means for, searching the messages for a word or phrase;

means for, grouping a set of messages from the messages having the word or phrase in a common thread;

wherein, the word or phrase is user-defined;

means for, presenting, in a message center at the user device, the set of messages having the word or phrase in a message center as being in the common thread,

the message center functionality being distributed across the user device and a service provider and accessible by a user at the user device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the summary includes one or more identifiers summarizing the missed calls.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein there are no more than a predetermined number of identifiers.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein at least one identifier is a caller identity associated with a missed call.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprising, means for, performing a reverse lookup in a personal address book related to the subscriber, so as to retrieve the caller identity.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the caller identity is one of a name and a nickname of a caller associated with the missed call.

7. The system according to claim 4, further comprising, means for, using caller ID to identify the caller identity.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein the caller identity is associated with a plurality of monitored calls from at least two different phone numbers.

9. The system according to claim 4, further comprising, means for, providing a plurality of caller identities in an order based on when the monitored calls associated with the caller identities were received.

10. The system according to claim 4, wherein one of the identifiers is a general identifier indicating a number of callers not associated with a caller identity provided in the summary.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the general identifier is provided when the phone number of a calling party associated with a monitored call is blocked or private.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the general identifier is provided when a calling party does not have an associated contact in the personal address book of the subscriber.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the summary is provided based on an event.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the event is detecting that the subscriber has gone off-hook.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the event is detecting that the subscriber has gone on-line.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the event is detecting that the subscriber has pressed a button on a phone.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the event is detecting that the subscriber has opened a phone.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the message is at least one of a voice message, a video message, an email message, a text message, a multimedia message, an instant message, and a voice instant message.

19. The system according to claim 1, further comprising, means for, generating a review of the missed calls and messages based on a customizable rule set;

wherein a customizable rule set is defined by at least one of the subscriber and a service provider.

20. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for, providing to the subscriber a command option, the command option including at least one of a drill down command, a return call command, and an add to personal address book command.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the summary includes a voice notification.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the voice notification includes providing a pre-recorded name from an audio library.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the prerecorded name includes the subscriber'"'"'s voice.

24. The system according to claim 22, further comprising, means for, converting text to speech.

34. The method according to claim 23, wherein the command options include at least one of a return call command and an add to personal address book command.

25. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method of providing information associated with messages or missed calls to a subscriber at a user device, the method comprising:

detecting missed calls from received calls which are received at the user device but not answered;

generating a review of the missed calls and messages based on a customizable rule set;

providing the review by grouping the received calls into multiple threads;

wherein providing the review includes providing to the subscriber random access to one of the groups;

wherein grouping the received calls into the multiple threads includes;

searching the text for at least one word;

grouping the received calls based on whether the text was found;

wherein, the text is user-defined;

presenting, in a message center via the user device, the set of messages having the text as being in a common thread,

providing in the message center, a command option;

wherein, the command option includes at least one of a drill down command, a return call command, and an add to personal address book command;

the message center functionality being distributed across the user device and a service provider.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

determining whether each of the monitored calls is from a caller identity associated with a personal address book related to the subscriber,

wherein grouping the monitored calls includes grouping the monitored calls by caller identity.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein grouping the monitored calls is a function of whether the caller identity is one of a user-defined group.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein generating the review includes:

sorting calls in each group of callers in an order.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the order is based on at least one of time, urgency, a number of calls made by a caller identity, and whether the monitored call is associated with a personal address book of the subscriber.

30. The method according to claim 25, where generating the review includes providing a time of at least one of the monitored calls.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the time is an elapsed time since the monitored call.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein the time is an approximate time of call.

33. The method according to claim 25, wherein providing the review further includes providing the subscriber with command options.

35. The method according to claim 25, wherein providing the review includes providing a voice response.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein providing the voice response includes providing a pre-recorded name from an audio library.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the pre-recorded name includes the subscriber'"'"'s voice.

38. The method according to claim 35, wherein providing the voice response includes converting text to speech.

53. The system according to claim 25, further comprising, means for, providing the subscriber with command options.

54. The system according to claim 53, wherein the command options include at least one of a return call command and an add to personal address book command.

39. A system for providing information associated with messages or missed calls from received calls to a phone, the system comprising:

means for detecting missed calls which are received at the phone but not answered;

means for determining whether each missed call is associated with a message;

means for generating a summary of the missed calls or messages;

means for searching the messages for a word or phrase and grouping a set of messages from the messages having the word or phrase in a common thread;

wherein, the word or phrase is user-defined;

means for providing the summary to the subscriber at the phone;

wherein, the set of messages having the word or phrase are presented in a message center via the phone as being in the common thread,

wherein, a command option is provided in the message center;

wherein, the command option includes at least one of a drill down command, a return call command, and an add to personal address book command.

40. The system according to claim 39, further comprising, means for, the review to the subscriber upon the subscriber accessing a message center.

41. The system according to claim 39, further comprising, means for dividing the monitored calls into two or more groups.

42. The system according to claim 41, further comprising, providing to the subscriber random access to one of the groups.

43. The system according to claim 41, wherein at least one of the monitored calls is from a caller identity associated with at least one of a personal address book related to the subscriber and a caller ID associated with the monitored call.

44. The system according to claim 43, wherein at least one group of calls is from a single caller identity associated with a plurality of monitored calls from at least two different phone numbers.

45. The system according to claim 41, wherein the groups are a function of whether the caller identity is one of a user-defined group.

46. The system according to claim 41, wherein the calls in each group are sorted in an order.

47. The system according to claim 46, wherein the order is based on at least one of time, or urgency.

48. The system according to claim 39, where the review includes a time of at least one of the monitored calls.

49. The system according to claim 48, wherein the time is an elapsed time since the monitored call.

50. The system according to claim 48, wherein the time is an approximate time of call.

51. The system according to claim 39, wherein the review orders the monitored calls by missed calls or messages associated with a contact in the personal address book, missed calls or messages not associated with a contact in the personal address book other than from blocked numbers, and missed calls or messages from blocked numbers.

52. The system according to claim 39, further comprising, means for, providing the review to the subscriber by speech.

55. The system according to claim 46, wherein the order is based on a number of calls made by a caller identity.

56. The system according to claim 46, wherein the order is based on whether the monitored call is associated with a personal address book of the subscriber.