Identification and management of automatically-generated voicemail notifications of voicemail and electronic mail receipt

• US 20050100143A1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James Carlton Sr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.120
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for utilizing voicemail messages to notify a subscriber of electronic mail receipt. A message notification and consolidation module monitors e-mail received, read, deleted or otherwise disposed of by an e-mail receiver (subscriber). Upon receipt of an e-mail message, the message notification and consolidation module constructs an e-mail notification message for depositing into the subscriber'"'"'s voicemail system for alerting the subscriber that the subscriber has received an electronic mail message. At the beginning of the notification message, a unique identification tone is provided for identifying and locating the notification message. If the e-mail receiver disposes of a given e-mail message, or if the e-mail receiver receives a subsequent e-mail message, the message notification and consolidation module may use the identification tone to locate a previous notification message deposited in the subscriber'"'"'s voicemail box to either delete the notification message or to deposit a consolidated notification message containing information regarding multiple e-mail messages received by the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of notifying an electronic mail recipient of electronic mail receipt via voicemail messaging, comprising:

receiving a first electronic mail (e-mail) message at a subscriber e-mail box;

constructing a first e-mail received notification message;

annotating the first e-mail received notification message with a unique identification tone for identifying the first e-mail received notification message;

transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box;

if the first e-mail message is disposed of, locating the first e-mail received notification message in the subscriber voicemail box via the unique identification tone; and

deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box prior to determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box.

3. The method of claim 2, whereby if the second e-mail message is received at the subscriber e-mail box prior to disposition of the first e-mail message in the subscriber e-mail box, deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box.

4. The method of claim 3, whereby deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box includes searching the subscriber voicemail box for a voicemail message having the unique identification tone.

5. The method of claim 4, whereby after deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box, further comprising:

constructing a second e-mail received notification message containing notification information from both the first e-mail message and the second e-mail message;

annotating the second e-mail received notification message with a second unique identification tone for identifying the second e-mail received notification message; and

transmitting the second e-mail received notification message voicemail box.

6. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving the first electronic mail message at the subscriber e-mail box, includes receiving the first e-mail message via an e-mail provider system.

7. The method of claim 6, prior to the step of receiving a first e-mail message at a subscriber e-mail box, further comprising monitoring the subscriber e-mail box via the e-mail provider system.

8. The method of claim 7, after receiving the first e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box, obtaining a telephone directory number for the subscriber voicemail box.

9. The method of claim 8, after obtaining the telephone directory number for a subscriber voicemail box, obtaining an electronic messaging address for the subscriber voicemail box.

10. The method of claim 1, after transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to the subscriber voicemail box, activating a voicemail received indication at the subscriber voicemail box.

11. The method of claim 10, whereby activating a voicemail received indication at the subscriber voicemail box includes activating a voicemail received indication at a subscriber voicemail box access device.

12. The method of claim 11, whereby the voicemail box access device includes a telephone.

13. The method of claim 11, whereby the voicemail box access device includes a personal digital assistant.

14. The method of claim 7, whereby monitoring the subscriber e-mail box by the e-mail provider system includes monitoring a disposition status of the first e-mail message.

15. The method of claim 14, whereby monitoring the disposition status of the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box.

16. The method of claim 15, whereby determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box includes determining the first e-mail message has been deleted from the subscriber e-mail box.

17. The method of claim 15, whereby determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box includes determining the first e-mail message has been read.

18. The method of claim 1, prior to deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box, searching the subscriber voicemail box for the first e-mail notification message by searching for a voicemail message having the unique identification tone.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first e-mail received notification message at the subscriber voicemail box;

and

reviewing the first e-mail received notification message by the subscriber.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving the second e-mail received notification message at the subscriber voicemail box;

and

reviewing the second e-mail received notification message by the subscriber.

21. A system for notifying an electronic mail recipient of electronic mail receipt via voicemail messaging, comprising:

a subscriber e-mail provider system operative

to receive a first electronic mail (e-mail) message at a subscriber e-mail box;

a message notification and consolidation module operative

to monitor receipt of the first electronic mail (e-mail) message at a subscriber e-mail box;

to construct a first e-mail received notification message;

to annotate the first e-mail received notification message with a unique identification tone for identifying the first e-mail received notification message;

to transmit the first e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box;

to determine whether the first e-mail message is disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box;

to locate the first e-mail received notification message in the subscriber voicemail box via the unique identification tone; and

to delete the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box.

22. The system of claim 21, the message notification and consolidation module being further operative

to detect the receipt of a second e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box prior to the disposition of the first e-mail message in the subscriber e-mail box;

to search the subscriber voicemail box for a voicemail message having the unique identification tone; and

to delete the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box if the second e-mail message is received at the subscriber e-mail box prior to disposition of the first e-mail message in the subscriber e-mail box.

23. The system of claim 22, the message notification and consolidation module being further operative after deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box,

to constrict a second e-mail received notification message containing notification information from both the first e-mail message and the second e-mail message;

to annotate the second e-mail received notification message with a second unique identification tone for identifying the second e-mail received notification message; and

to transmit the second e-mail received notification message voicemail box.

24. A method of notifying an electronic mail recipient of electronic mail receipt via voicemail messaging, comprising:

receiving a first electronic mail (e-mail) message at a subscriber e-mail box;

constructing a first e-mail received notification message;

annotating the first e-mail received notification message with a unique identification tone for identifying the first e-mail received notification message;

transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box;

if the first e-mail message is disposed of, locating the first e-mail received notification message in the subscriber voicemail box via the unique identification tone, and deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box;

monitoring the subscriber e-mail box for receipt of additional e-mail messages; and

if additional e-mail messages are received at the subscriber e-mail box prior to disposition of the first e-mail message in the subscriber e-mail box, deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box, and transmitting to the subscriber voicemail box a consolidated e-mail received notification message containing notification information from both the first e-mail message and the additional e-mail messages.

25. The method of claim 24, whereby after prior to transmitting the consolidated e-mail received notification message, annotating the consolidated e-mail received notification message with a second unique identification tone for identifying the consolidated e-mail received notification message.

26. A method of notifying a voicemail receiver of an event or other item of interest via voicemail messaging, comprising:

constructing a first notification message for notifying the voicemail receiver of the event or other item of interest;

annotating the first notification message with a unique identification tone for identifying the first notification message;

transmitting the first notification message to a subscriber voicemail box;

locating the first notification message in the subscriber voicemail box via the unique identification tone; and

modifying the first notification message.

27. The method of claim 26, whereby modifying the first notification message includes deleting the first notification message.

28. The method of claim 26, whereby modifying the first notification message includes replacing the first notification message with a second notification message.