System and method for selectively retrieving messages stored on telephony and data networks

• US 6,519,327 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lustgarten, Paul C., Collyer, Geoffrey Allen, Cannon, Thomas Calvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/363,928
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 379/88.25, 379/88.27, 379/93.24, 379/93.26
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems

Abstract

A system and method for selectively retrieving voice-mail and electronic mail messages from a plurality of message storage devices residing on a telephony network and a data network and storing such retrieved messages in a common message storage device from which the retrieved messages can be accessed, edited and deleted.

Claims

1. A system for selectively retrieving a plurality of voice-mail and electronic mail messages from a plurality of telephony network-based and data network-based message storage devices and storing the plurality of retrieved messages on a single common message storage device, comprising:

a server for retrieving and storing the plurality of retrieved messages retrieved from a plurality of telephony network-based and data network-based message storage devices wherein the server uses an energy level detection algorithm, a tone detection algorithm and a speech processing algorithm to communicate with and retrieve those messages of the plurality of retrieved messages from the telephony network-based message storage devices and wherein the energy level detection algorithm, the tone detection algorithm and the speech processing algorithm delete extraneous leading and trailing prompts and pauses from said those messages.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the energy level detection algorithm, the tone detection algorithm and the speech processing algorithm identify the beginning and end of each one of said those messages.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the server communicates with and retrieves at least one of said those messages via a public switch telephone network.

4. The system according to claim 1, where the server communicates with and retrieves at least one of the plurality of retrieved messages from the data network-based message storage devices via an Internet.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is programmed to selectively retrieve the plurality of voice-mail and electronic mail messages from the telephony network-based and data network-based message storage devices at a predetermined time.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is programmed to selectively retrieve the plurality of voice-mail and electronic mail messages from the telephony network-based and data network-based message storage devices at a predetermined frequency.

7. A system for retrieving messages from telephony network-based and data network-based message storage devices and storing the retrieved message on a single message storage device, comprising:

a first server for retrieving a plurality of messages from a telephony network-based message storage device and from a data network-based message storage device;

a second server networked to the first server, the second server storing the plurality of retrieved messages and enabling the plurality of retrieved messages to be accessed, edited and deleted;

a third server networked to the second server, the third server having speech processing algorithms stored thereon which enable the first server to recognize and record human speech to communicate with and retrieve voice messages of the plurality of messages from the telephony network-based message storage devices; and

a fourth server networked to the third server, the fourth server deleting both extraneous leading and trailing prompts and pauses from the voice messages retrieved by the first server to create edited messages.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a fifth server networked to the fourth server, the fifth server copying the edited messages and then transferring the edited messages to the second server.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first server uses an energy level detection algorithm, a tone detection algorithm and an automatic speech recognition algorithm stored thereon to communicate with and retrieve the plurality of messages from the telephony network-based and data network-based message storage devices.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the energy level detection algorithm, the tone detection algorithm and the automatic speech recognition algorithm identify the beginning and end of each one of the voice messages.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the voice messages stored on the second server are listened to, read, edited and deleted by means of a voice user interface.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of messages are retrieved from the telephony network and data network-based message storage devices at a predetermined time.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of messages are retrieved from the telephony network and data network-based message storage devices at a predetermined frequency.

14. The system according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of messages is a voice-mail message.

15. The system according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of messages is an electronic mail message.

16. A method for selectively retrieving voice-mail messages from a plurality of telephony network-based message storage devices and electronic mail messages from data network-based message storage devices, comprising the steps of:

using an energy level detection algorithm, a tone detection algorithm and a speech processing algorithm to retrieve and copy the voice-mail messages from the telephony network-based message storage devices and delete extraneous leading and trailing prompts and pauses from the voice-mail messages;

retrieving and copying electronic messages from the data network-based message storage devices; and

storing the retrieved and copied voice-mail messages and electronic messages on a single common message storage device from which the retrieved and copied messages can be accessed, edited and deleted.