Messaging system with content-based dynamic menu generation

• US 9,292,834 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Labhesh, Kumar, Sanjeev, Jain, Mukul, Khouri, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chacko, Joe
• Application Number:
  US11/346,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,701 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• 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 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A unified messaging system for an enterprise includes a messaging module operable to store a message sent by a first user to a second user in a first media type, and to deliver the message to the second user in either the first type or a second media type. A natural language speech parsing (NLSP) module coupled with the messaging module is operable to detect an actionable item contained within the message, the messaging module dynamically modifying a response menu to include an option corresponding to the actionable item, and then presenting the modified response menu to the second user concurrent with or following delivery of the message. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A computer-readable memory encoded with a computer program for unified messaging operable to:

store a voicemail or email message sent by a sender to a recipient;

deliver the voicemail or email message to the recipient;

detect that a telephone number and a call back time for the telephone number is mentioned by the sender in the voicemail or email message and the identity of the telephone number and call back time by parsing the voicemail or email message with a natural language semantic parser module or by using an automatic speech recognition module;

prompt the recipient to have a call scheduled to the telephone number mentioned in the voicemail or email message at the call back time mentioned in the voicemail or email message; and

;

schedule the call to the telephone number in response to an indication from the recipient that the call should be scheduled.

2. The computer-readable memory of claim 1 wherein the prompt is presented to the recipient as audible speech.

3. The computer-readable memory of claim 1 further operable to determine a context of the telephone number from the content of the voicemail or email message, and parse one or more action parameters from the context.

4. The computer-readable memory of claim 1 further operable to convert the voicemail message to text, and convert the email message to speech.

5. A computer-readable memory encoded with a computer program for unified messaging operable to:

store a message sent by a sender to a recipient in a first media type;

deliver the message to the recipient in either the first media type or a second media type;

detect that a telephone number and a proposed time for a call is mentioned by the sender in the message and the identity of the telephone number and call back time by parsing the voicemail or email message with a natural language semantic parser module or by using an automatic speech recognition module; and

access a schedule manager of the recipient and determine availability of the recipient to conduct the call to the telephone number at the proposed time.

6. The computer-readable memory of claim 5 further operable to automatically execute a specific action responsive to selection of the option by the recipient from the response menu.

7. A processor-implemented method for messaging in an enterprise, comprising:

storing a message sent by a sender addressed to a recipient;

detecting that a telephone number and a call back time for the telephone number is mentioned by the sender in the message with a natural language semantic parser module or by using an automatic speech recognition module

prompting the recipient to have a call scheduled to the telephone number mentioned in the voicemail or email message at the call back time mentioned in the voicemail or email message; and

;

scheduling the call to the telephone number in response to an indication from the recipient that the call should be scheduled.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising notifying the recipient that the specific action has been executed.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the message comprises an email message or a voicemail message.

10. The processor-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising learning common actionable items based on a history of usage from other users.

11. The processor-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the actionable item is one or more of a telephone number, an email address other than an email address of the recipient or the sender, a uniform resource locator (URL), or a verb.

12. A unified messaging system for an enterprise comprising:

a first computer-readable memory encoded with a computer program operable to store a message sent by a sender to a recipient in a first media type, and to deliver the message to the recipient in either the first media type or a second media type;

a second computer-readable memory encoded with a computer program operable to detect that a telephone number and a time for a call is mentioned by the sender in the message; and

access a schedule manager of the recipient and determine availability of the recipient to conduct the call to the telephone number at the proposed time.

13. The unified messaging system of claim 12 wherein the first media type comprises audible speech and the second media type comprises text.

14. The unified messaging system of claim 12 wherein the first media type comprises text and the second media type comprises audible speech.

15. The unified messaging system of claim 12 wherein the message comprises an email message or a voicemail message.