Voicemail management with multi-number phones

• US 9,706,044 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hearsay Social, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mast Mobile, Inc. (Hearsay Social, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dawson, David, Messenger, David, Lurie, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US14/887,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20160381225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27457 Management thereof, e.g. manual editing of data
• 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 15/32 Charging, billing or metering arrangements for satellites or concentrators which connect one or more exchange lines with a group of local lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/67 Transmitting arrangements for sending billing related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/705 Account settings, e.g. limits or numbers or payment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/72 by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/45 related to voicemail messaging
• 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 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42034 Calling party identification service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 : Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 : Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53358 : Message preview
• 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: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 : Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for managing voicemails includes receiving, at an intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first contact group and a second phone number corresponding to a second contact group, a request to receive an incoming call associated with a caller phone number. The intermediate server identifies a contact group associated with the request. The identified contact group comprises the first contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the first phone number, and the identified contact group comprises the second contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the second phone number. The intermediate server selects a voicemail setting based on the identified contact group. In response to determining to route the incoming call to voicemail, the voicemail is configured based at least in part on the selected voicemail setting.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing voicemail, comprising:

receiving, at an intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first contact group and a second phone number corresponding to a second contact group, a request to receive an incoming call associated with a caller phone number, the request corresponding to the first phone number or the second phone number;

in response to receiving the request to receive the incoming call, identifying, by the intermediate server, a contact group associated with the request, the identified contact group comprising the first contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the first phone number and the second contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the second phone number, the first contact group and the second contact group each including one or more phone numbers;

identifying, by the intermediate server, a voicemail setting associated with the identified contact group, the voicemail setting configured by a user of the mobile device in advance of receiving the request, the voicemail setting defining a first notification for playback to the user and a second notification for playback to a caller;

modifying, by the intermediate server, the request to receive the incoming call to include the voicemail setting; and

in response to a determination to route the incoming call to voicemail, configuring the voicemail based at least in part on the voicemail setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first phone number comprises a phone number corresponding to hardware of the mobile phone, and wherein the second phone number comprises a virtual phone number assigned to the mobile phone by the intermediate server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the contact group associated with the request comprising identifying the contact group associated with the phone number which the request corresponds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second notification comprises a first voicemail greeting message in response to the identified contact group comprising the first contact group and a second voicemail greeting message in response to the identified contact group comprising the second contact group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first notification comprises a determination to immediately route the incoming call to voicemail without first routing the incoming call to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first notification comprises a type of notification signal for the mobile device to emit to indicate that a voicemail message corresponding to the incoming call is received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first notification comprises a determination of whether or not the mobile phone emits a voicemail notification signal in response to receiving a voicemail message corresponding to the incoming call.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions for managing voicemail, the instructions, when executed by a hardware processor, configured to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at an intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first contact group and a second phone number corresponding to a second contact group, a request to receive an incoming call associated with a caller phone number, the request corresponding to the first phone number or the second phone number;

in response to receiving the request to receive the incoming call, identifying, by the intermediate server, a contact group associated with the request, the identified contact group comprising the first contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the first phone number and the second contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the second phone number, the first contact group and the second contact group each including one or more phone numbers;

identifying, by the intermediate server, a voicemail setting associated with the identified contact group, the voicemail setting configured by a user of the mobile device in advance of receiving the request, the voicemail setting defining a first notification for playback to the user and a second notification for playback to a caller;

modifying, by the intermediate server, the request to receive the incoming call to include the voicemail setting; and

in response to a determination to route the incoming call to voicemail, configuring the voicemail based at least in part on the voicemail setting.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first phone number comprises a phone number corresponding to hardware of the mobile phone, and wherein the second phone number comprises a virtual phone number assigned to the mobile phone by the intermediate server.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein identifying the contact group associated with the request comprising identifying the contact group associated with the phone number which the request corresponds.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the second notification comprises a first voicemail greeting message in response to the identified contact group comprising the first contact group and a second voicemail greeting message in response to the identified contact group comprising the second contact group.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first notification comprises a determination to immediately route the incoming call to voicemail without routing the incoming call to the mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first notification comprises a type of notification signal for the mobile device to emit to indicate that a voicemail message corresponding to the incoming call is received.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first notification comprises a determination of whether or not the mobile phone emits a voicemail notification signal in response to receiving a voicemail message corresponding to the incoming call.

15. A system for managing voicemail, comprising:

an intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first contact group and a second phone number corresponding to a second contact group, the intermediate server comprising one or more hardware processors configured to;

receive a request to receive an incoming call associated with a caller phone number, the request corresponding to the first phone number or the second phone number;

in response to receiving the request to receive the incoming call, identify a contact group associated with the request, the identified contact group comprising the first contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the first phone number and the second contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the second phone number, the first contact group and the second contact group each including one or more phone numbers;

identify a voicemail setting associated with the identified contact group, the voicemail setting configured by a user of the mobile device in advance of receiving the request, the voicemail setting defining a first notification for playback to the user and a second notification for playback to a caller;

modify the request to receive the incoming call to include the voicemail setting; and

in response to a determination to route the incoming call to voicemail, configure the voicemail based at least in part on the voicemail setting.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first phone number comprises a phone number corresponding to hardware of the mobile phone, and wherein the second phone number comprises a virtual phone number assigned to the mobile phone by the intermediate server.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein identifying the contact group associated with the request comprising identifying the contact group associated with the phone number which the request corresponds.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the second notification comprises a first voicemail greeting message in response to the identified contact group comprising the first contact group and a second voicemail greeting message in response to the identified contact group comprising the second contact group.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first notification comprises a determination to immediately route the incoming call to voicemail without routing the incoming call to the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first notification comprises a type of notification signal for the mobile device to emit to indicate that a voicemail message corresponding to the incoming call is received.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the first notification comprises a determination of whether or not the mobile phone emits a voicemail notification signal in response to receiving a voicemail message corresponding to the incoming call.