System and method for the playing of key phrases in voice mail messages

• US 20060182232A1
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerr, Jim M., Chestnut, Kevin L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A method is provided for playing one or more key portions of a voice communication. The method includes storing, in a memory, a communication that includes one or more speech signals and a tag identifying a key portion of the one or more speech signals. The communication and the tag are retrieved from the memory. The key portion of the communication identified by the tag is played for a first end user

Claims

1. A method for playing one or more key portions of a voice communication, comprising:

storing a communication comprising one or more speech signals and a tag identifying a key portion of the one or more speech signals in a memory;

retrieving the communication and the tag from the memory; and

playing the key portion of the communication identified by the tag for a first end user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a voice mail message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the key portion is selected from a group consisting of call back information, a number, a string of numbers, a date, or a time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the communication from a second end user;

scanning the communication to identify the key portion of the speech signals; and

associating the tag with the key portion of the speech signals.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

converting the one or more speech signals from an analog format to a digital format to result in one or more digitized speech signals;

converting the digitized speech signals to a series of patterns; and

comparing the series of patterns to a set of stored modules to identify the key portion of the speech signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the tag identifying the key portion comprises storing a starting position of the key portion of the speech signals within the communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein storing the tag identifying the key portion further comprises storing an ending position of the key portion of the speech signals within the communication.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein storing the tag identifying the key portion further comprises storing an amount of time associated with the key portion of the speech signals, the amount of time measured from the beginning of the key portion to the ending of the key portion.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing the stored communication in its entirety for a first end user before playing the key portion of the communication.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing the stored communication in its entirety for a first end user after playing the key portion of the communication.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command from the first end user; and

playing the key portion of the communication in response to receiving the command.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the key portion of the communication comprises playing the key portion at a speed that is slower than a recorded speed.

13. A system for playing one or more key portions of a voice communication, comprising:

a memory operable to store;

a communication comprising one or more speech signals; and

a tag identifying a key portion of the one or more speech signals; and

a processor in communication with the memory and operable to;

retrieve the communication and the tag from the memory;

play the key portion of the communication identified by the tag for a first end user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication comprises a voice mail message.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the key portion is selected from a group consisting of call back information, a number, a string of numbers, a date, or a time.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to:

receive the communication from a second end user;

scan the communication to identify the key portion of the speech signals; and

associate the tag with the key portion of the speech signals.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further operable to:

convert the one or more speech signals from an analog format to a digital format to result in one or more digitized speech signals;

convert the digitized speech signals to a series of patterns; and

compare the series of patterns to a set of stored modules to identify the key portion of the speech signals.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to store the tag identifying the key portion by storing a starting position of the key portion of the speech signals within the communication.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable to store the tag identifying the key portion by storing an ending position of the key portion of the speech signals within the communication.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable to store the tag identifying the key portion by storing an amount of time associated with the key portion of the speech signals, the amount of time measured from the beginning of the key portion to the ending of the key portion.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to play the stored communication in its entirety for a first end user before playing the key portion of the communication.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to play the stored communication in its entirety for a first end user after playing the key portion of the communication.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to:

receive a command from the first end user; and

play the key portion of the communication in response to receiving the command.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to play the key portion at a speed that is slower than a recorded speed.

25. A system for playing one or more key portions of a voice communication, comprising:

means for storing a communication comprising one or more speech signals and a tag identifying a key portion of the one or more speech signals in a memory;

means for retrieving the communication and the tag from the memory; and

means for playing the key portion of the communication identified by the tag for a first end user.

26. Logic embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium comprising code operable to:

store a communication comprising one or more speech signals and a tag identifying a key portion of the one or more speech signals in a memory;

retrieve the communication and the tag from the memory; and

play the key portion of the communication identified by the tag for a first end user.