Visual voice messaging state synchronization

• US 8,576,994 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• 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:
  US13/547,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20120275578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.25, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 379/88.25
• 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
• 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 system comprising:

a server configured to manage shared voice messages across disparate voice messaging systems, the server further configured to;

transmit a shared voice message received from a sender communications device to a plurality of voice messaging systems of a plurality of recipient communications devices, the plurality of voice messaging systems of the recipient communications devices being independent from a voice messaging system of the sender communications device;

access the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipient communications devices;

retrieve the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipient communications devices; and

transmit the status of the shared voice message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipient communications devices to the voice messaging system of the sender device so that the status of the shared message in the plurality of voice messaging systems of the plurality of recipient communications devices is updated at the voice messaging system of the sender communications device.

2. The system of claim 1, 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.

3. The system of claim 1, 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.

4. The system of claim 1, 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.

5. The system of claim 4, 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.

6. The system of claim 1, 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.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to determine the status of the shared voice message in response to a user action.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user action comprises listening to a an instant voice message (Vnote), deleting a Vnote, forwarding a Vnote, or replying to a Vnote.

9. The system of claim 7, 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.

10. A system comprising:

a server 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 server configured to;

obtain 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; and

transmit 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; and

obtain a second status of the shared voice message in the second voice messaging system of the second recipient indicating a user action taken by the second recipient with respect to the shared voice message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first status is obtained in response the user action taken by the first recipient.

12. The system of claim 11, 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.

13. The system of claim 11, 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.

14. The system of claim 11, 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 11, 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 11, 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.

17. The system of claim 16, 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.

18. The system of claim 11, 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.