USER INTERFACE WITH VOICE MESSAGE SUMMARY

• US 20090252305A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruge, Alison, Ratzlaff, Cordell, Sichart, Johannes von, Rohde, Ruben
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• 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 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

In one embodiment, a graphics user interface is provided. The graphics user interface includes a plurality of graphical representations. Each of the plurality of graphical representations identifies a separate voice message. A summary of content of each of the separate voice messages is displayed for each of the plurality of graphical representations, respectively. Each of the plurality of graphical representations is configured to be selected for playback of the respective voice message.

Claims

1. A graphics user interface comprising:

a plurality of graphical representations, each of the plurality of graphical representations identifying a separate voice message; and

a summary of content of each of the separate voice messages displayed for each of the plurality of graphical representations, respectively,

wherein each of the plurality of graphical representations is configured to be selected for playback of the respective voice message.

2. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein the summary comprises identified words of the respective voice message.

3. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein the plurality of graphical representations are displayed on a screen of a user device.

4. The graphics user interface of claim 3, wherein the user device comprises a telephone, a computer, or a personal digital assistant.

5. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations are displayed in a list format.

6. The graphics user interface of claim 5, wherein the summary of each of the separate voice messages is displayed within a border of the respective graphical representation, the summaries being visually present when the respective graphical representations are listed.

7. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations comprises a substantially rectangular shape.

8. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations illustrates a name corresponding to the respective voice message.

9. The graphics user interface of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical representations illustrates a time corresponding to the respective voice message.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a voice signal;

storing the voice signal as a voice message, the voice message being one of a plurality of voice messages that are represented as a plurality of icons; and

transmitting textual summaries of the voice messages to a user interface corresponding to the respective plurality of icons.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the textual summaries comprises at most about ten words.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the textual summaries comprises a phrase or words corresponding to a gist of the entire respective voice message and is displayed with the respective icon.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the textual summaries comprises identified words from the respective voice message that correspond to a predetermined list of words or indicators.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of icons are listed in a chronological order.

15. A method comprising:

displaying a first image object;

displaying a second image object, the first image object and the second image object identify separate voice messages, respectively;

displaying a summary of content of each voice message for the first image object and the second image object, respectively; and

receiving selection of the first image object or the second image object for playback of the respective voice message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first image object and the second image object are displayed on the same screen shot and the respective summary is displayed within the first and second image objects.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the summaries of each voice message comprises a phrase or words identified from the respective voice message.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the playback of the respective voice message comprises an audio output of the respective voice message.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a server operable to monitor voice data between a plurality of devices;

the server further operable to obtain a textual summary of a voice message corresponding to one of the plurality of devices, the one of the plurality of devices including a user interface having an icon representing the voice message; and

the server further operable to transmit the textual summary to the one of the plurality of devices, the textual summary displayed within the icon,

wherein the icon is configured to be selected for playback of the voice message.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the server comprises a network access server.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the textual summary comprises a phrase or words identified from the voice message.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, the icon illustrates a phone number corresponding to the voice message.