Enhanced Messaging With Language Translation Feature

• US 20100159891A1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rainer, Brian Keith, Zubas, Michael Robert, Sigmund, William Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4518 Attachments to voicemail messages including annexed information, e.g. Attachments, in packet switching networks H04L51/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4545 Message forwarding selective message forwarding in packet switching networks H04L51/214
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A method (400) for creating and managing a distribution list can include creating a distribution list (410) at a voicemail system. The distribution list can include at least one recipient and at least one language preference for one or more of the at least one recipients. The method can further include selecting the created distribution list (504) and recording an audio message (508) to be sent to the at least one recipient. Translating the audio message (510) into the at least one language preference for one or more of the at least one recipients thereby creating at least one translated audio message and sending the at least one translated audio message (512) to the at least one recipient.

Claims

1. A method for creating and managing a distribution list, the method comprising:

creating a distribution list at a voicemail system (410), the distribution list comprising at least one recipient and at least one language preference for one or more of the at least one recipients;

selecting the created distribution list (504);

recording an audio message (508);

translating the audio message (510) into the at least one language preference for each of the at least one recipients thereby creating at least one translated audio message, if the audio message is not in the language identified by the at least one language preference; and

sending the at least one translated audio message to the at least one recipient (512).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the distribution list at a voicemail system (410) comprises creating the distribution list at a network voicemail system (110).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein creating the distribution list (410) at the network voicemail system (110) comprises creating the distribution list at a network plain old voicemail system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein creating the distribution list (410) at the network voicemail system (110) comprises creating the distribution list at a network visual voicemail system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the distribution list (410) at a voicemail system comprises creating the distribution list at a voicemail application (608) stored in a memory (606) of a user device (600).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the at least one translated audio message to the at least one recipient (512) comprises sending the at least one translated audio message as a voicemail message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the at least one translated audio message to the at least one recipient (512) comprises sending the at least one translated audio message as a multimedia message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein recording includes recording a video portion.

9. A method for creating and managing a message, the method comprising:

creating a message (202);

selecting at least one recipient (204) and at least one language preference (206, 208) for one or more of the at least one recipients;

translating the message (210) into the at least one language preference for one or more of the at least one recipients thereby creating at least one translated message; and

sending the at least one translated message (212) to the at least one recipient.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein creating the message (202) comprises creating at least one translated message as at least one of an audio message, a text message, a video message, and a voicemail message.

11. A method for operating a voicemail system, the method comprising:

receiving a call at a voicemail system (302), the voicemail system comprising at least one language preference for the called party;

prompting a calling party to create a message (304);

creating the message (306);

translating the message (312) into the at least one language preference thereby creating at least one translated message, if the message is not in the language identified by the at least one language preference; and

storing the at least one translated message (314).

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising prompting the calling party to select the at least one language preference (310).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the call at the voicemail system (302) comprises receiving the call at a network voicemail system (110), the network voicemail system (110) comprising a plain old voicemail system.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the call at the voicemail system (302) comprises receiving the call at a network voicemail system (110), the network voicemail system (110) comprising a visual voicemail system.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the call at the voicemail system (302) comprises receiving the call at a voicemail application (608) stored in a memory (606) of a user device (600).

16. The method of claim 11, wherein creating the message (306) comprises creating at least one of an audio message, a video message, a text message, and a voicemail message.

17. A method for handling an incoming message, the method comprising:

receiving a message (214) at a called party device (108), the called party device (108) comprising a language preference setting identifying at least one language preference for the called party; and

translating the message into the at least one language preference (220) thereby creating at least one translated message, if the message is not in the language identified by the at least one language preference; and

storing the at least one translated message (218).

18. An enhanced voicemail system, the enhanced voicemail system comprising:

a memory (120, 606) for storing at least one voicemail account and at least one voicemail message associated therewith, the at least one voicemail account comprising at least one language preference; and

a translation module (122, 608) for translating the at least one voicemail message from a first language to at least a second language defined by the at least one language preference, if the at least one voicemail message is not in the language identified by the at least one language preference.

19. The enhanced voicemail system of claim 18 wherein the enhanced voicemail system is a network voicemail system (110) comprising at least one of a plain old voicemail system and a visual voicemail system.

20. The enhanced voicemail system of claim 18 wherein the enhanced voicemail system is a voicemail application (614) stored in a memory (606) of a user device (600).