System and method for personalized messaging

• US 8,630,625 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bi, Xiaolian, Unrein, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Obayanju, Omoniyi
• Application Number:
  US11/855,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller to capture a voice recording, add the voice recording to a greeting to produce a personalized message, and deliver the personalized message upon scheduled delivery to at least one recipient based on a communication identifier of the at least one recipient, where the greeting includes at least one among audio, video, and image data, and where the communication device communicates with a notification server for creating the personalized message. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a profile of a recipient selected by a user;

accessing a plurality of pre-stored greetings that are not generated by the user and are related to a category specified in the profile of the recipient;

filtering the plurality of pre-stored greetings based on the category specified and on calendar information in the profile of the recipient to identify a pre-stored greeting not generated by the user;

suggesting to the user the pre-stored greeting and a delivery date determined based on the calendar information in the profile of the recipient;

receiving a selection from the user of the pre-stored greeting;

in response to receiving the selection, prompting the user to provide a voice recording;

capturing the voice recording;

adding the voice recording to the pre-stored greeting to produce a personalized message;

determining a presence status of the recipient; and

delivering the personalized message to the recipient in accordance with the presence status and the calendar information stored in the profile, wherein the selected pre-stored greeting comprises one among an image, a video, and a sound clip and wherein the presence status identifies an availability of the recipient and a priority order for communicating on recipient devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

billing a user account for producing the personalized message with the pre-stored greeting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding an invitation with reply options to the personalized message;

receiving a reply to the personalized message that identifies an acceptance or decline of the invitation; and

generating and distributing an attendee list based on the reply, wherein the reply options comprise one among confirmation status and delivery status.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing communication with the recipient according to a communication identifier of the recipient; and

playing the personalized message upon establishing communications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicates one among a date of birth, occupation, family, hobby, education, contact list, and calendar.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

prompting a user creating the personalized message for identifier information;

embedding the identifier information within the personalized message; and

presenting the identifier information upon establishing communication with the recipient before delivering the personalized message.

7. A notification server, comprising:

a memory storing computer program instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the computer program instructions which, when executed on the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

establishing a connection with a communication device for creating a personalized message;

obtaining a profile of a recipient selected by a user;

accessing a plurality of pre-stored greetings that are not generated by the user and are related to a category specified in the profile of the recipient;

filtering the plurality of pre-stored greetings based on the category specified and on calendar information in the profile of the recipient to identify a pre-stored greeting not generated by the user;

suggesting to the user the pre-stored greeting not generated by the user and a delivery date determined based on the calendar information stored in the profile of the recipient;

receiving a selection from the user of the pre-stored greeting;

prompting the user to provide a voice recording, in response to receipt of the selection;

obtaining the voice recording;

adding the voice recording to the pre-stored greeting to produce a personalized message;

determining a presence status of the recipient; and

transmitting the personalized message comprising the pre-stored greeting and the voice recording, in accordance with the presence status and the calendar information in the profile, to the recipient, wherein the presence status identifies an availability of the recipient and a priority order for communicating on recipient devices.

8. The notification server of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

appending an invitation to the pre-stored greeting;

including reply options with the selected pre-stored greeting; and

generating an attendee list based on replies confirming an accept or decline of the invitation responsive to sending the personalized message.

9. The notification server of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

operating according to one among a circuit-switched standard and a packet-switched standard for transmitting the personalized message,

wherein the circuit-switched standard comprises one among a cellular telephony standard, and a Public Switched Telephone Network standard, and

wherein the packet-switched standard comprises one among a Voice over Internet Protocol standard, and a video Internet Protocol telephony standard.

10. A communication device comprising a controller to:

obtain a profile of a recipient selected by a user;

access a plurality of pre-stored greetings that are not generated by the user and are related to a category specified in the profile of the recipient;

filter the plurality of pre-stored greetings based the category specified and on calendar information in the profile of the recipient to identify a pre-stored greeting not generated by the user;

suggest to the user the pre-stored greeting and a delivery date determined based on the calendar information in the profile of the recipient;

receive a selection from the user of the pre-stored greeting;

prompt the user to provide a voice recording, in response to receipt of the selection;

capture the voice recording;

add the voice recording to the pre-stored greeting to produce a personalized message;

determine a presence status of the recipient; and

deliver the personalized message to a recipient in accordance with the presence status and the calendar information stored in the profile, wherein the pre-stored greeting comprises one among audio, video, and image data, and wherein the communication device communicates with a notification server for creating the personalized message and wherein the presence status identifies an availability of the recipient and a priority order for communicating on recipient devices.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to:

prompt the user to record the voice message, and present the personalized message for review prior to sending.

12. The communication device of claim 10, wherein a presence server is communicatively coupled to the notification server to identify the availability of the recipient on recipient communication devices.

13. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the notification server retrieves the profile associated with the recipient based on a destination telephone number or contact identifier, and suggests the delivery date for the personalized message based on a category of the profile.

14. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the controller of the communication device is adapted to communicate the personalized message over one of a wired and wireless communication link.

15. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the notification server receives a reply to an invitation in the greeting identifying an acceptance or decline of the invitation, generates an attendee list based on the reply, and sends the attendee list to the communication device.

16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the notification server forwards the attendee list to recipients of the personalized message.

17. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the notification server receives identifier information from the user creating the personalized message, and embeds the identifier information within the personalized message to be presented upon establishing communication with the recipient before presenting the personalized message.

18. The communication device of claim 17, wherein the notification server bills a user account based on the identifier information for creating the personalized message.