Message exchange

• US 9,876,915 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Value-Added Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Value-Added Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen, Woody, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US14/626,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20150201081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Disclosed is a voice message exchange system and method for improving communication between an inmate and a third party by enabling the inmate to leave a message when a call is not answered and further allowing the third party who receives the message to reply with a message to the inmate. Additionally, outside parties that meet the institution'"'"'s requirements can leave messages for inmates at any time. The present invention can be used as an add-on to legacy inmate call management systems or incorporated internally into an inmate call management system. The system also provides monitoring, controlling, recording, and billing means.

Claims

1. A platform for processing messages between a message creator and a message recipient, the platform comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor and/or circuit coupled to the memory, the at least one processor and/or circuit configured to;

provide a list of available notification options to the message recipient;

receive, from the message recipient, a selection indicating the plurality of notification options associated with the message recipient;

store the plurality of notification options in the memory in association with the message recipient;

receive the message from the message creator that is designated for the message recipient;

store the message in the memory in association with the message recipient;

carry out a first notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the platform;

carry out a second notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the platform, upon a failure of the first notification option to successfully notify the message recipient,

wherein the first notification option is different from the second notification option.

2. The platform of claim 1, wherein the first notification option includes calling the message recipient in order to provide a verbal notification of the message.

3. The platform of claim 1, wherein the verbal notification is an automated message by an interactive voice response system.

4. The platform of claim 1, wherein the plurality of notification options include at least one of calling the message recipient, sending a Short Message Service (SMS) text message to the message recipient, sending an email to the recipient, and publicly displaying a notification.

5. The platform of claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of notification options includes functionality to allow the message recipient to review the message via the at least one of the plurality of notification options.

6. The platform of claim 1, wherein the message is a voice message, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of notification options includes converting the voice message to text.

7. The platform of claim 1, wherein the message is a text-based message, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of notification options includes converting the text-based message to audio.

22. The platform of claim 1, wherein the selection received from the message recipient is ranked according to preference, and wherein the first notification option and the second notification options are selected according to their respective ranks.

8. A method for processing messages between a message creator and a message recipient, the method comprising:

providing a list of available notification options to the message recipient;

receiving, from the message recipient, a selection indicating a plurality of notification options to be associated with the message recipient;

storing the plurality of notification options in a memory in association with the message recipient;

receiving a message from the message creator that is designated for the message recipient;

storing the message in the memory;

identifying the plurality of notification options based on at least one of the message creator and the message recipient;

performing a first notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the memory;

performing a second notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the memory, upon a failure of the first notification option to successfully notify the message recipient,

wherein the first notification option is different from the second notification option.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first notification option includes calling the message recipient in order to provide a verbal notification of the message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the verbal notification is an automated message by an interactive voice response system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of notification options include at least one of calling the message recipient, sending a Short Message Service (SMS) text message to the message recipient, sending an email to the recipient, and publicly displaying a notification.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of notification options includes functionality to allow the message recipient to review the message via the at least one of the plurality of notification options.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the message is a voice message, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of notification options includes converting the voice message to text.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the message is a text-based message, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of notification options includes converting the text-based message to audio.

15. A messaging platform, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor and/or circuit coupled to the memory, the at least one processor and/or circuit configured to;

provide a list of available notification options to the message recipient;

receive, from the message recipient, a selection indicating the plurality of notification options associated with the message recipient;

store the plurality of notification options in the memory in association with the message recipient;

receive the message from the message creator, the message being designated by the message creator for the message recipient;

store the message in the memory in association with the message recipient;

call the message recipient in order to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the messaging platform;

carry out a selected notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the messaging platform, upon a failure of the call to successfully notify the message recipient.

16. The messaging platform of claim 15, wherein the failure of the call is defined by the message recipient not answering the call.

17. The messaging platform of claim 15, wherein the failure of the call is defined by the message recipient failing to review the stored message within a predetermined time of the call.

18. The messaging platform of claim 15, wherein the plurality of notification options include at least one of calling the message recipient, sending a Short Message Service (SMS) text message to the message recipient, sending an email to the recipient, and publicly displaying a notification.

19. The messaging platform of claim 15, wherein the call is carried out at regular intervals so as to repeatedly attempt to notify the message recipient of the message.

20. The messaging platform of claim 15, wherein the message creator is an inmate of a controlled facility, and

wherein the message recipient is an outside party that is not an inmate of the controlled facility.

21. A platform for processing messages between a message creator and a message recipient, the platform comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor and/or circuit coupled to the memory, the at least one processor and/or circuit configured to;

receive the message from the message creator that is designated for the message recipient;

store the message in the memory in association with the message recipient;

carry out a first notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the platform;

carry out a second notification option from among the plurality of notification options in order to attempt to notify the message recipient that the message awaits retrieval by the message recipient from the platform, upon a failure of the first notification option to successfully notify the message recipient;

receive a message access attempt from a purported recipient;

receive identifying information of the purported recipient;

authenticate the purported recipient as being the message recipient; and

provide the message to the message recipient in response to the authentication,

wherein the first notification option is different from the second notification option.