System and method for augmenting features of visual voice mail

• US 9,596,351 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• 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: Shaw, Venson M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US13/936,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20130294591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8828
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/185 wireless packet-switched
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A method for delivery of a voice mail message to a recipient. The method includes determining content of the voice mail message, identifying a recipient of the voice mail message based on the determining step, converting the voice mail message to a format for delivery based on the identifying step, and delivering the converted voice mail message to the recipient. The method further includes identifying a voice mail box of the recipient and caching voice mail box information at a voice mail server.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

parsing an audio portion of a voice mail message to determine content of the audio portion;

identifying a plurality of intended recipients of the voice mail message based on the content;

determining a message format preference for each recipient of the plurality of intended recipients;

creating text based on the content;

converting the text to a format that is compatible with the message format preference of each recipient of the plurality of intended recipients; and

distributing the converted text to the plurality of intended recipients by using a lightweight data access protocol.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message format preference comprises at least one of a text message format, an email message format, or a short message service (SMS) message format.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

identifying a voice mail box of the plurality of intended recipients; and

caching voice mail box information at a voice mail server.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving visual voice mail information for a plurality of intended recipients;

determining content based on an audio portion of the visual voice mail information;

identifying each intended recipient of the plurality of intended recipients based on the content;

determining address destination information for each intended recipient comprising a destination network and location of each intended recipient;

caching the address destination information for each intended recipient to a visual voice mail server in a respective profile of each intended recipient; and

distributing the visual voice mail information to the plurality of intended recipients by using a lightweight data access protocol (LDAP).

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the operations further comprising:

creating text based on the content; and

converting the text to one or more message formats comprising a respective message format for delivery to each intended recipient of based on a respective preference[s] of each intended.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the respective preference of each intended recipient is based on the respective profile.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of intended recipients includes at least one group of intended recipients.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein members of the at least one group of intended recipients share a common attribute.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the group of intended recipients comprises at least one of family members, neighbors, friends, or business colleagues.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, the operations further comprising associating each intended recipient with a respective LDAP address or a respective Domain Name System (“

DNS”

) server address for future delivery of other visual voice mail information to the plurality of intended recipients.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that cause a processor executing the executable instructions to effectuate operations comprising:

receiving visual voice mail information for a plurality of intended recipients;

determining content of an audio portion of the visual voice mail information;

identifying each intended recipient of the plurality of intended recipients based on the content;

determining an address destination of each intended recipient, the address information comprising a destination network and location of each intended recipient;

caching the address destination information for each intended recipient to a visual voice mail server in a respective profile of each intended recipient; and

distributing the visual voice mail information to the plurality of intended recipients by using a lightweight data access protocol.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

converting the audio portion to one or more message formats for delivery to each intended recipient based on at least a respective preference of each intended recipient.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the respective preference of each intended recipient is based on at least the respective profile.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the plurality of intended recipients includes at least one group of intended recipients.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein members of the at least one group of intended recipients share a common attribute.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the group of intended recipients comprises at least one of family members, neighbors, friends, or business colleagues.