Dynamic voicemail receptionist system

• US 9,350,842 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swanburg, Scott, Okada, Andre, Hanson, Paul, Young, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAHEED, KHALID W
• Application Number:
  US12/053,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20090022285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,986 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.19, 379/67.1, 455/414, 455/415, 455/413, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• 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: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/705 Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 : Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 : Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 : including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 : where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 : where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 : where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 : Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 : Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 : for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 : Message receiving aspects
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 : Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A voicemail receptionist system includes a memory and a processor. The memory can store data relating to one or more users. An incoming communication can be handled by the voicemail receptionist system and provided with functionality based upon a user'"'"'s preferences, for example. The data stored by the voicemail receptionist system can be updated at any time, or automatically updated upon updating of the data, or upon occurrence of a trigger event. Voicemail receptionist functionality can include standard voicemail system functionality as well as functionality relating to email, text messaging, MMS messaging, calendar features, schedule announcements, location data, as well as other features.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server comprising a processor, a communication from a wireless communications device associated with a calling party, the communication directed to a user;

retrieving, by the processor, user data associated with the user, wherein the user data comprises user preferences and calendar data;

generating, by the processor, menu options for the calling party based on the user data associated with the user, wherein the menu options comprise a first menu option allowing the calling party to access the calendar data associated with the user and a second menu option allowing the calling party to listen to a schedule associated with the user, wherein the calendar data comprises data indicating at least one of an appointment associated with the user, free time associated with the user, busy time associated with the user, or vacation time associated with the user; and

transmitting, by the server comprising the processor, the menu options to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party for display at the wireless communications device, wherein at least a portion of the calendar data is provided to the calling party in response to a selection of the first menu option.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data further comprises location data, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to access location information associated with the user, and wherein at least a portion of the location data is provided to the calling party in response to a selection of the third menu option.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data further comprises account data associated with the user, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting, by the processor, at least a portion of the menu options provided to the calling party based on the account data associated with the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication from the calling party to the user is a voice communication, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving call data associated with the calling party;

determining, based on the call data associated with the calling party, that the wireless communications device associated with the calling party does not support simultaneous voice and data communications; and

in response to determining that the wireless communications device associated with the calling party does not support simultaneous voice and data communications,

terminating the voice communication,

initiating a data session with the wireless communications device of the calling party, and

transmitting the menu options to the wireless communications device of the calling party using the data session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to provide contact information associated with the calling party to the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response from the calling party;

determining whether the response from the calling party corresponds to one of the menu options transmitted to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party; and

if the response does not correspond to one of the menu options transmitted to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party, informing the calling party that the response is unavailable.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to send a voicemail message to the user, a fourth menu option allowing the calling party to send an email message to the user, and a fifth menu option allowing the calling party to send a short message service message to the user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the user data further comprises location data, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to access location information associated with the user, and wherein at least a portion of the location data is provided to the calling party in response to a selection of the third menu option.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication from the calling party to the user is a voice communication, and wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

receiving call data associated with the calling party;

determining, based on the call data associated with the calling party, that the wireless communications device associated with the calling party does not support simultaneous voice and data communications; and

in response to determining that the wireless communications device associated with the calling party does not support simultaneous voice and data communications,

terminating the voice communication,

initiating a data session with the wireless communications device of the calling party, and

transmitting the menu options to the wireless communications device of the calling party using the data session.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to provide contact information associated with the calling party to the user.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to send a voicemail message to the user, a fourth menu option allowing the calling party to send an email message to the user, and a fifth menu option allowing the calling party to send a short message service message to the user.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

retrieving, in response to receiving a communication from a wireless communications device associated with a calling party to a user, user data associated with the user, wherein the user data comprises user preferences and calendar data,

generating menu options for the calling party based on the user data associated with the user, wherein the menu options comprise a first menu option allowing the calling party to access the calendar data associated with the user and a second menu option allowing the calling party to listen to a schedule associated with the user, wherein the calendar data comprises data indicating at least one of an appointment associated with the user, with the user, and

transmitting the menu options to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party for display at the wireless communications device, wherein at least a portion of the calendar data is provided to the calling party in response to a selection of the first menu option.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the user data further comprises account data associated with the user, and wherein the operations further comprise adjusting at least a portion of the menu options provided to the calling party based on the account data associated with the user.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a response from the calling party;

determining whether the response from the calling party corresponds to one of the menu options transmitted to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party;

if the response does not correspond to one of the menu options transmitted to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party, informing the calling party that the response is unavailable; and

if the response does correspond to one of the menu options, executing the response.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

retrieving, in response to receiving a communication from a wireless communications device associated with a calling party to a user, user data associated with the user, wherein the user data comprises user preferences and calendar data;

generating menu options for the calling party based on the user data associated with the user, wherein the menu options comprise a first menu option allowing the calling party to access the calendar data associated with the user and a second menu option allowing the calling party to listen to a schedule associated with the user, wherein the calendar data comprises data indicating at least one of an appointment associated with the user, free time associated with the user, busy time associated with the user, or vacation time associated with the user; and

transmitting the menu options to the wireless communications device associated with the calling party for display at the wireless communications device, wherein at least a portion of the calendar data is provided to the calling party in response to a selection of the first menu option.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the user data further comprises location data, wherein the menu options further comprise a third menu option allowing the calling party to access location information associated with the user, and wherein at least a portion of the location data is provided to the calling party in response to a selection of the third menu option.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the user data further comprises account data associated with the user, and wherein the operations further comprise adjusting at least a portion of the menu options provided to the calling party based on the account data associated with the user.