Systems and methods for registration and retrieval of voice mail contact information

• US 20060159242A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Inventors: Clark, David William, Murray, Sean M., Johnston, David Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,864,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.190
• 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 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and computer-readable media for registering and retrieving contact information associated with a potential calling party. The registration method comprises receiving an originating address associated with the potential calling party, receiving contact information associated with the potential calling party and storing the originating address associated with the potential calling party in an originating address field of a record associated with the potential calling party and storing the contact information associated with the potential calling party in a contact information field of the record associated with the potential calling party. This increases the variety of contact information that can be left by the potential calling party, contributes to a greater efficiency with which the eventual called party may retrieve contact information associated with a voice mail message and also accelerates the process by which an actual calling party can leave contact information for the called party.

Claims

1. A method of registering contact information associated with a potential calling party, comprising:

receiving an originating address associated with the potential calling party;

receiving contact information associated with the potential calling party;

storing the originating address associated with the potential calling party in an originating address field of a record associated with the potential calling party and storing the contact information associated with the potential calling party in a contact information field of the record associated with the potential calling party.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the contact information includes at least one of a name, a telephone number, an alternate telephone number, a fax number, an email address, a web page address (URL), a salutation, a slogan and a confidentiality notice.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the contact information includes at least one of a logo, an image and a file attachment.

4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein receiving an originating address associated with the potential calling party comprises interacting with the potential calling party to elicit input from the potential calling party specifying the originating address associated with the potential calling party.

5. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the originating address associated with the potential calling party comprises a telephone number input by the potential calling party.

6. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the originating address associated with the potential calling party comprises an IP address input by the potential calling party.

7. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the originating address associated with the potential calling party comprises a code input by the potential calling party.

8. A server executing the method defined in claim 1.

9. A registration entity for registering contact information associated with a potential calling party, the registration entity comprising:

a database of records including a record associated with the potential calling party;

an input for receiving an originating address associated with the potential calling party and contact information associated with the potential calling party;

a processing entity for storing the originating address associated with the potential calling party in an originating address field of the record associated with the potential calling party and storing the contact information associated with the potential calling party in a contact information field of the record associated with the potential calling party.

10. Computer-readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method of registering contact information associated with a potential calling party, the method comprising:

receiving an originating address associated with the potential calling party;

receiving contact information associated with the potential calling party;

storing the originating address associated with the potential calling party in an originating address field of a record associated with the potential calling party and storing the contact information associated with the potential calling party in a contact information field of the record associated with the potential calling party.

11. A method of retrieving stored contact information associated with a calling party, comprising:

receiving an originating address associated with the calling party;

accessing a database of records associated with respective potential calling parties, each of the records in the database comprising a respective originating address field and a respective contact information field, the originating address field of the record associated with a given potential calling party containing an originating address associated with the given potential calling party and the contact information field of the record associated with the given potential calling party containing contact information associated with the given potential calling party;

wherein accessing the database of records comprises attempting to identify a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field corresponds to the originating address associated with the calling party;

responsive to successful identification of a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field matches the originating address associated with the calling party, retrieving the contact information contained in the contact information field of the particular record;

wherein the contact information contained in the contact information field of the particular record corresponds to previously stored contact information associated with the calling party.

12. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said originating address associated with the calling party is received from a voice message taking entity that interacts with the calling party.

13. The method defined in claim 12, further comprising returning the retrieved contact information to the voice message taking entity.

14. The method defined in claim 13, further comprising authenticating the calling party prior to returning the retrieved contact information to the voice message taking entity.

15. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said originating address associated with the calling party is passively determined based on information obtained during communication with the calling party.

16. The method defined in claim 15, wherein said information obtained during communication with the calling party comprises a directory number associated with the calling party.

17. The method defined in claim 15, wherein said information obtained during communication with the calling party comprises an IP address associated with the calling party.

18. The method defined in claim 12, wherein said originating address associated with the calling party is passively determined by the voice message taking entity during interaction with the calling party.

19. The method defined in claim 11, wherein said originating address associated with the calling party is determined by interacting with the calling party to elicit input from the calling party specifying the originating address associated with the calling party.

20. The method defined in claim 19, wherein said input from the calling party comprises a code.

21. The method defined in claim 12, wherein said originating address is determined by the voice message taking entity interacting with the calling party to elicit input from the calling party specifying the originating address associated with the calling party.

22. A network entity, comprising:

a database of records, each of the records being associated with a respective potential calling party and including (I) an originating address field containing an originating address associated with the respective potential calling party and (II) a contact information field containing previously stored contact information associated with the respective potential calling party;

an input for receiving an originating address associated with a calling party;

a processing entity in communication with the input and operative for;

(a) accessing the database of records in an attempt to identify a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field corresponds to the originating address associated with the calling party;

(b) responsive to successful identification of a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field matches the originating address associated with the calling party, retrieving the contact information contained in the contact information field of the particular record;

an output for releasing the retrieved contact information.

23. A system, comprising:

a contact information server comprising a database of records, each of the records being associated with a respective potential calling party and including (I) an originating field containing an originating address associated with the respective potential calling party; and

(II) a contact information field containing previously stored contact information associated with the respective potential calling party;

a voice message taking entity comprising a plurality of mailboxes associated with respective mailbox owners, the voice message taking entity being operable for executing a reconnaissance process to (I) determine an originating address associated with a particular calling party attempting to reach an owner of a particular mailbox; and

(II) supply the originating address associated with the particular calling party to the contact information server;

the contact information server being adapted for;

responsive to receipt of the originating address associated with the particular calling party from the voice message taking entity, accessing the database of records in an attempt to identify a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field corresponds to the originating address associated with the particular calling party;

responsive to successful identification of a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field matches the originating address associated with the particular calling party, retrieving the contact information contained in the contact information field of the particular record;

returning the retrieved contact information to the voice message taking entity for delivery to the owner of the particular mailbox.

24. A method of retrieving stored contact information associated with a calling party making a call, comprising:

receiving an originating address associated with the calling party;

accessing a database of records associated with respective potential calling parties, each of the records in the database comprising a respective originating address field and a plurality of respective contact information fields, the originating address field of the record associated with a given potential calling party containing an originating address associated with the given potential calling party and each of the contact information fields of the record associated with the given potential calling party containing respective contact information associated with the given potential calling party;

receiving a contact information selection associated with the call;

wherein accessing the database of records comprises attempting to identify a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field corresponds to the originating address associated with the calling party;

responsive to successful identification of a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field matches the originating address associated with the calling party, retrieving the contact information contained in a selected one of the contact information fields of the particular record, the selected one of the contact information fields being related to the contact information selection associated with the call;

wherein the contact information contained in the selected one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to previously stored contact information associated with the calling party.

25. The method defined in claim 24, wherein the respective contact information contained in a first one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to personal contact information associated with the calling party and wherein the respective contact information contained in a second one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to business contact information associated with the calling party.

26. The method defined in claim 24, wherein the step of receiving a contact information selection associated with the call is performed subsequent to navigation by the calling party through the plurality of contact information fields of the particular record.

27. The method defined in claim 26, wherein the respective contact information contained in a first one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to a first file attachment and wherein the respective contact information contained in a second one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to a second file attachment.

28. The method defined in claim 24, wherein the respective contact information contained in different ones of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to different previously stored contact information associated with the calling party.

29. The method defined in claim 28, wherein the respective contact information contained in a first one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to business contact information and the respective contact information contained in a second one of the contact information fields of the particular record corresponds to personal contact information.

30. The method defined in claim 28, further comprising:

releasing the contact information contained in the selected one of the contact information fields of the particular record.

31. The method defined in claim 30, further comprising authenticating the calling party prior to releasing the contact information contained in the selected one of the contact information fields of the particular record.

32. The method defined in claim 28, wherein receiving an originating address associated with the calling party comprises receiving said originating address from a voice message taking entity interacting with the calling party.

33. The method defined in claim 28, wherein receiving an originating address associated with the calling party comprises passively determining the originating address based on information related to communication with the calling party.

34. The method defined in claim 33, wherein the information related to communication with the calling party comprises a directory number associated with the calling party.

35. The method defined in claim 33, wherein the information related to communication with the calling party comprises an IP address associated with the calling party.

36. The method defined in claim 28, wherein receiving an originating address associated with the calling party comprises interacting with the calling party to elicit input from the calling party specifying the originating address associated with the potential calling party.

37. A network entity, comprising:

a database of records, each of the records being associated with a respective potential calling party and including (I) an originating address field containing an originating address associated with the respective potential calling party and (II) a plurality of contact information fields each containing previously stored contact information associated with the respective potential calling party;

an input for receiving (I) an originating address associated with a calling party and (II) a contact information selection associated with the call;

a processing entity in communication with the input and operative for;

(a) accessing the database of records in an attempt to identify a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field corresponds to the originating address associated with the calling party;

(b) responsive to successful identification of a particular record in the database for which the originating address contained in the respective originating address field corresponds to the originating address associated with the calling party, retrieving the contact information contained in a selected one of the contact information fields of the particular record, the selected one of the contact information fields being related to the contact information selection associated with the call;

an output for releasing the retrieved contact information.