Instant messaging via telephone interfaces

• US 6,757,365 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tellme Networks Incorporated ([24]7.ai, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bogard, Travis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/691,606
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.22, 379/67.1, 379/265.01, 704/270.1, 709/206
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• 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 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling users of a phone based speech activated system such as a voice portal to communicate with users of an Internet based instant messenger (IM) service is described. Phone based users are able to send and receive IMs. Incoming messages can cause an asynchronous notification in the user'"'"'s current voice application and the user can (if they desire) switch contexts to hear the IM and respond. Sent messages may be expeditiously sent to users of the GUI as a hypertext link to a recorded audio. Other sending formats are also possible; similarly, buddy lists can be supported.

Claims

1. A system for supporting access to an instant messaging service from a telephone over a network, the network supporting the instant messaging service, the system comprising:

a telephone interface, the telephone interface supporting transmission and receipt of audio from a telephone;

a computer system, the computer system coupled in communication with the telephone interface and the network, the computer system including;

a first program code for searching an availability list for a user requested by a telephone user, the availability list including users currently accessing the instant messaging service;

a second program code for verbally indicating to the telephone user whether a requested user is available;

a third program code for generating a first instant message from the telephone user to an available requested user;

a fourth program code for presenting content over the telephone interface to the telephone user;

a fifth program code for receiving a second instant message from a user over the network, wherein the user is one of the available requested user and another user on the availability list, and notifying the telephone user with an audio signal over the telephone interface of receipt of the second instant message during the presenting content; and

a sixth program code for allowing the telephone user to respond to the second instant message over the telephone interface to the instant messaging service via the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system further includes a seventh program code for presenting the second instant message as audio over the telephone interface in response to an audio signal received over the telephone interface.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the seventh program code further supports receipt of a second audio signal over the telephone interface and translation of the second audio signal into a format suitable for transmission to the user over the network using the instant messaging service.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer system further includes an eighth program code for performing speech recognition on an audio signal, and wherein the format comprises a text corresponding to the second audio signal, the text generated using the eighth program code.

4. A system for supporting access to an instant messaging service from a telephone over a network, the network supporting the instant messaging service, the system comprising:

a telephone interface, the telephone interface supporting transmission and receipt of audio from a telephone;

a computer system, the computer system coupled in communication with the telephone interface and the network, the computer system including;

a first program code for presenting content over the telephone interface to a telephone user;

a second program code for receiving an instant message from a sender over the network and notifying the telephone user with an audio signal over the telephone interface of receipt of the instant message during the presenting content;

a third program code for allowing the telephone user to respond to the instant message from the sender over the telephone interface to the instant messaging service via the network; and

a fourth program code for presenting the instant message as audio over the telephone interface in response to an audio signal received over the telephone interface, and further supporting receipt of a second audio signal over the telephone interface and translation of the second audio signal into a format suitable for transmission to the sender over the network using the instant messaging service, wherein the format comprises text including a uniform resource locator (URL), the URL identifying a location where the second audio signal can be retrieved.

6. A method of sending an instant message to an instant messaging service using a telephone interface, a computer system and a packet switched network, the method comprising:

receiving the instant message as an audio signal over the telephone interface on the computer system;

converting the instant message into a first format selected from the set of formats supported by the instant messenger service; and

sending the instant message in the first format from the computer system to an instant messaging server over the packet switched network,

wherein the first format includes a textual representation of the instant message generated from applying one or more speech recognition programs to the audio signal, further wherein the first format includes a uniform resource locator (URL), the URL corresponding to a location where the audio signal can be retrieved.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

a second instant message from the requested user to the telephone caller, the second instant message including a textual message; and

playing back the textual message to the telephone caller as an audio signal over the telephone interface using a text-to-speech process on the computer system.