System and method for notification upon successful message delivery

• US 6,535,585 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, Douglas J., Hanson, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US09/538,768
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/69, 379/70, 379/88-1-, 379/90.01, 379/91.01, 379/91.02, 379/114, 379/115, 379/119, 379/133, 379/134, 379/135, 379/201, 379/207, 379/209, 379/210, 379/214, 379/218, 379/201.01, 379/207-4-2, 379/209.01, 379/210.01, 379/214.01, 379/218.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A method and related apparatus for delivering a message from a calling party at a calling station to a called party at a called station, the method including: in response to an unsuccessful attempt to communicate from the calling station to the called station, storing a message from the calling station, using a messaging system, for later delivery to the called station; obtaining address information, using the messaging system, for the calling party and for the called station, from the calling station; attempting to deliver the message, using the messaging system, to the called station by initiating a communication from the messaging system to the called station using the address information for the called station that was obtained from the calling station; determining, using the messaging system, whether the message delivery attempt was successful; and, in response to successful delivery of the message, attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a message from a calling party at a calling station to a called party at a called station, the method comprising:

in response to an unsuccessful attempt to communicate from the calling station to the called station, storing a message from the calling station, using a messaging system, for later delivery to the called station;

obtaining address information for the calling party, from a user contact database configured to store a plurality of addresses for the calling party and a communication technique associated with each of the plurality of addresses, said user contact database being further configured to store periods of time when said each of the plurality of addresses can contact the calling party, and obtaining address information for the called station, from the calling station;

attempting to deliver the message, using the messaging system, to the called station by initiating a communication from the messaging system to the called station using the address information for the called station that was obtained from the calling station;

determining, using the messaging system, whether the message delivery attempt was successful; and

in response to successful delivery of the message, attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered, said notification attempt being sent to at least one of the plurality of addresses of the calling party based on the time the notification attempt was sent.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message was successfully delivered comprises sending an e-mail message.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was successfully delivered comprises sending a page to a pager.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was successfully delivered comprises initiating a phone call to the calling party.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message was successfully delivered comprises initiating a phone call to the calling party using voice over IP.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message was successfully delivered comprises initiating a call and playing a voice message to the calling party.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message was successfully delivered comprises attempting to send a code identifying the delivered message to the calling party.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising, in response to cancellation of delivery of the message, attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was not successfully delivered.

9. A system for delivering a message from a calling party at a calling station to a called party at a called station, the system comprising:

a voice message system configured to store a message from the calling station, for later delivery to the called station, in response to an unsuccessful attempt to communicate from the calling station to the called station;

a user contact database configured to store a plurality of addresses for the calling party and a communication technique associated with each of the plurality of addresses with which to attempt to contact the calling party to provide information concerning the status of delivery of the message to the called station, said user contact database being further configured to store periods of time when each of the plurality of addresses can contact the calling party;

a processor configured to attempt to deliver the message to the called station by initiating a communication to the called station, the processor being configured to determine whether the message delivery attempt was successful and, in response to successful delivery of the message, to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered, said notification attempt being sent to at least one of the plurality of addresses of the calling party based on the time the notification attempt was sent.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to send an e-mail message to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.

11. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to send a page to a pager to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.

12. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a phone call to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.

13. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a call and play a voice message to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.

14. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to cancellation of delivery of the message, attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was not successfully delivered.

15. A method of delivering voice mail messages from a caller placing a collect call from a calling station to a called party at a called station, the method comprising:

coupling the collect call from the calling station to a messaging platform via a bridging switch;

collecting, at the messaging platform, information identifying the called station of the collect call from the caller;

originating a completion call from the messaging platform to the called station using a public switched telephone network, based on the collected information identifying the called station;

detecting at the messaging platform whether the completion call is answered by the called station;

obtaining at the messaging platform a voice message from the caller if the completion call is not answered;

attempting to deliver the message to the called party from the messaging platform by originating a call from the messaging platform to the called station;

billing the called party for the voice message, if the called party accepts the voice message; and

in response to successful delivery of the message, attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was successfully delivered by originating a message from the messaging platform to the calling station.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein attempting to deliver the message to the called party from the messaging platform comprises:

originating a message delivery call from the messaging platform to the called station;

prompting the called party to accept delivery of the voice message, if the called party answers the message delivery call; and

delivering the voice message, if the called party accepts delivery of the voice message.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15 and further comprising, in response to failure of delivery of the message, attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered comprises sending an e-mail message.

19. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered comprises sending a page to a pager.

20. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered comprises initiating a phone call to the calling party.

21. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered comprises initiating a phone call to the calling party using voice over IP.

22. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered comprises initiating a call and playing a voice message to the calling party.

23. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein the step of attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered comprises:

automatically determining an address of the calling station; and

attempting to inform of the unsuccessful message delivery based on the determined address.

24. A method in accordance with claim 23 wherein the step of automatically determining the address of the calling station comprises using automatic number identification (ANI).

25. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein the step of attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was successfully delivered comprises:

automatically determining an address of the calling station; and

attempting to inform of the successful message delivery based on the determined address.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein the step of automatically determining the address of the calling station comprises using automatic number identification (ANI).

27. A system for delivering voice mail messages from a caller placing a collect call from a calling station to a called party at a called station, the system comprising:

a messaging platform;

a bridging switch configured to couple the collect call from the calling station to the messaging platform, the messaging platform being configured to collect information identifying the called station of the collect call from the caller, originate a completion call from the messaging platform to the called station using a public switched telephone network, based on the collected information identifying the called station, detect whether the completion call is answered by the called station, obtain a voice message from the caller if the completion call is not answered, attempt to deliver the message to the called party by originating a call from the messaging platform to the called station, and in response to successful delivery of the message, attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was successfully delivered by originating a message from the messaging platform to the calling station; and

a billing system configured to extract billing information from said bridging switch for billing the called party for the voice message, if the called party accepts the voice message.

28. A system in accordance with claim 27 wherein the messaging platform is further configured to, in response to failure of delivery of the message, attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered.

29. A system in accordance with claim 28 wherein the messaging platform is configured to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered by sending an e-mail.

30. A system in accordance with claim 28 wherein the messaging platform is configured to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered by sending a page to a pager.

31. A system in accordance with claim 28 wherein the messaging platform is configured to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered by initiating a phone call.

32. A system in accordance with claim 28 wherein the messaging platform is configured to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered by initiating system in accordance with claim 28 wherein the messaging platform is configured to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called party was not successfully delivered by initiating a phone call and playing a voice message.

33. A system in accordance with claim 28 wherein the messaging platform is further configured to automatically determine an address of the calling station;

and

attempt to inform of the unsuccessful message delivery based on the determined address.

34. A system in accordance with claim 33 wherein the messaging platform is further configured to automatically determine the address of the calling station using automatic number identification (ANI).

35. A system in accordance with claim 27 wherein the messaging platform is further configured to automatically determine an address of the calling station;

and

attempt to inform of the successful message delivery based on the determined address.

36. A system in accordance with claim 35 wherein the messaging platform is further configured to automatically determine the address of the calling station using automatic number identification (ANI).