System for managing video voicemail

• US 8,704,864 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, James, Karnalkar, Anup D, Shah, Jyotindra
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN DUC
• Application Number:
  US13/476,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20120229586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.08, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 370/352, 370/260
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller adapted to establish communications with a voicemail system over a Public Switched Telephone Network port of the communication device, receive from the voicemail system by way of a broadband port of the communication device an invitation to switch to a video call over the broadband port, transmit a Session Initiation Protocol message to establish video communications with the voicemail system, and transmit to the voicemail system a video message to be recorded by the voicemail system as a video voicemail message. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a call from an originating communication device that has been redirected from a terminating communication device;

determining, by the system, if the originating communication device is capable of internet protocol video messaging;

sending, by the system, a session initiation protocol invitation to the originating communication device responsive to determining that the originating communication device is capable of internet protocol video messaging;

initiating, by the system, an internet protocol video communication session with the originating communication device conditioned upon an acceptance by the originating communication device of the session initiation protocol invitation; and

recording, by the system, a video message from the originating communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

retrieving, by the system, signaling information from call;

extracting, by the system, a calling party number of the originating communication device from the retrieved signaling information; and

comparing, by the system, the extracted calling party number of the originating communication device to a database of known numbers of communication devices that are capable of internet protocol video messaging to determine if the originating communication device is capable of internet protocol video messaging.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising logging, by the system, a calling party number of the originating communication device in a database of known numbers of communication devices that are capable of internet protocol video messaging.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

submitting, by the system, a calling party number of the originating communication device to a telephone number mapping server;

receiving, by the system, a second session initiation protocol message from the telephone number mapping server with a uniform resource identifier for the originating communication device; and

inquiring, by the system, if the originating communication device is capable of internet protocol video messaging by sending a third session initiation protocol message according to the uniform resource identifier for the originating communication device.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

receiving, by the system, a notification from the originating communication device that it is capable of internet protocol video messaging; and

responsive to the notification that is received, logging, by the system, the calling party number of the originating communication device in a database of known numbers of communication devices that are capable of internet protocol video messaging.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the originating communication device comprises a public switched telephone network port and a broadband port.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the originating communication device operates on a public switched telephone network.

8. A communication device, comprising:

a transceiver comprising;

a first port; and

a second port;

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

initiating communications with a voicemail system over the first port;

receiving from the voicemail system by way of a broadband port an invitation to switch to a video call over the second port;

transmitting a session initiation protocol message to establish video communications with the voicemail system; and

transmitting to the voicemail system a video message to be recorded by the voicemail system as a video voicemail message.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising facilitating establishment of communications with the voicemail system over the first port responsive to a redirection of a public switched telephone network call initiated by the communication device.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the voicemail system transmits the invitation responsive to the voicemail system determining that the communication device is video capable according to a calling party number retrieved from the public switched telephone network call.

11. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising:

receiving a second session initiation protocol message from the voicemail system to determine whether the communication device is capable of internet protocol video messaging; and

transmitting to the voicemail system a third session initiation protocol message indicating that it is capable of internet protocol video messaging.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising:

receiving from the voicemail system a fourth session initiation protocol message to switch to video communications over the second port of the communication device; and

terminating communications with the voicemail system over a public switched telephone network port responsive to facilitating establishment of video communications with the voicemail system over the second port.

13. The communication device of claim 8, comprising a user interface, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising presenting a notification of the invitation that is received by way of the user interface.

14. The communication device of claim 13, wherein the user interface comprises a display and one of an illuminable tactile button, a touch-sensitive button, an illuminable softkey button, or combinations thereof, presented at the display.

15. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first port comprises a public switched telephone network and the second port comprises a broadband port.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first session initiation protocol message from a voicemail system inquiring if an originating communication device from a call session is capable of video messaging;

sending a notification to the voicemail system acknowledging that the originating communication device is capable of video messaging responsive to determining a video processing capability of the originating communication device; and

sending a second session initiation protocol message to the voicemail system with a uniform resource identifier of the originating communication device for the voicemail system to initiate an internet protocol video communication session with the originating communication device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising logging a calling party number of the originating communication device in a database of known numbers of communication devices that are capable of internet protocol video messaging.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending a second notification to the voicemail system that the originating communication device is not capable of video messaging responsive to determining the video processing capability of the originating communication device; and

logging a calling party number of the originating communication device in a database of known numbers of communication devices that are not capable of internet protocol video messaging.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the originating communication device comprises a public switched telephone network port and a broadband port.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the originating communication device communicates via a public switched telephone network.