Instant video- and voicemail messaging method and means

• US 7,113,767 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Suinno Oy
• Inventors: Väänänen, Mikko Kalervo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh K.
• Application Number:
  US10/344,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20040014456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,863 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/413, 455/550.1, 379/88.13, 379/88.24, 379/93.28, 709/201, 709/203, 709/206
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• 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: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of instant messaging. More specifically the invention relates to a server centric method and unit for instant voice and video mail messaging. Even more particularly the invention relates to voicemail messaging with mobile terminals. The inventive methods and units under study allow faster voice messaging and enable similar, but not identical audio/video message “ping ball”. The sending of voicemail in accordance with the invention is instantaneous and involves no different telephone numbers for the sender to remember. The reception of messages is always instantaneous, provided the recipient is available, and only if not available, may the delivery of the messages be delayed.

Claims

1. A mobile video- and/or voicemail messaging method, comprising at least one mobile subscriber terminal and at least one server, said method comprising the steps of:

choosing at least one message recipient or a group at a mobile subscriber terminal;

forming at least one packet switched wireless communications connection between said mobile subscriber terminal and at least one server;

transferring at least one contact directory of at least one recipient to said at least one server via said packet switched wireless connection;

recording at least one voice/video message to at least one data file on said at least one server via said at least one packet switched wireless communications connection;

disconnecting said packet switched wireless connection to said at least one server; and

said at least one server relaying the data file message to at least one recipient terminal via telephony network or the Internet.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein undelivered messages are stored at the SFSN or the server, and attempts to resend said at least one data file message to said at least one recipient are made, and/or attempts to resend to alternative contact directories of said at least one recipient are made.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein undelivered messages are stored at the SFSN or the server for a given time, after which they are deleted.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said recipient contact directory may be a telephone number, ISDN number, URL-address, email, IP-address, and the recipient contact information is readily and transparently converted from one directory to the next in accordance with message delivery requirements.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein charging and/or billing for the message delivery may be realized during, before, in between or after any of the steps, and may be fixed price, cost per connection minute or cost per transmitted bit based.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during, before, in between or after any of the steps, at least one of the sender and said at least one recipient may reply, save and/or forward messages on the network, the server and/or a subscriber terminal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein communications connections used between said at least one terminal and said at least one server or in the SFSN are dial connections, data connections or packet switched connections, compliant with:

SS7-, GSM-, H323-, HTTP-, GSM-data, IP-RAN-, UMTS-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-data-, WCDMA-data-, SMS-, MMS-, USSD-, email-LAN-, TCP/IP-, UDP-, POTS-, NDC-, PDC-, imode-, Globalstar- and/or WLAN-connections.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one subscriber terminal and at least one server form a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

2. A mobile video- and/or voicemail messaging method, comprising at least one mobile subscriber terminal and at least one server, said method comprising the steps of:

choosing at least one message recipient or a group;

forming at least one packet switched wireless communications connection between a mobile subscriber terminal and a server;

transferring at least one contact directory of at least one recipient to said server via said at least one packet switched wireless connection;

recording at least one voice/video message to at least one data file on said server via said at least one packet switched wireless communications connection;

disconnecting the packet switched wireless connection to said server;

transferring at least one said data file message and at least one said contact directory to a Store and Forward Server Network (SFSN); and

at least one server in the SFSN or said server relaying said at least one data file message to at least one recipient terminal device through the Internet or a telephony network.

14. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein undelivered messages are stored at the SFSN or the server, and attempts to resend at least one message to at least one recipient are made, and/or attempts to resend to alternative contact directories of at least one recipient are made.

15. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein undelivered messages are stored at the SFSN or the server for a given time, after which they are deleted.

16. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein recipient contact directory may be a telephone number, ISDN number, URL-address, email, IP-address, and the recipient contact information is readily and transparently converted from one directory to the next in accordance with message delivery requirements.

17. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein charging and/or billing for the message delivery may be realized during, before, in between or after any of the steps, and may be fixed price, cost per connection minute or cost per transmitted bit based.

18. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein during, before, in between or after any of the steps, the sender and/or at least one recipient may reply, save and/or forward messages on the network, the said server and/or a subscriber terminal.

19. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein communications connections used between at least one terminal and at least one server or in the SFSN are dial connections, data connections or packet switched connections, typically compliant with:

SS7-, GSM-, H323, HTTP-, GSM-data, IP-RAN-, UMTS-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-data-, WCDMA-data-, SMS-, MMS-, USSD-, email-LAN-, TCP/IP-, UDP-, POTS-, NDC-, PDC-, imode-, Globalstar- and/or WLAN-connections.

20. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one subscriber terminal and at least one server form a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

10. A video- and/or voicemail messaging server, comprising:

at least one media player and/or a DSP and at least one data storage means and communications connections in and out of a telephony network, SFSN and/or the Internet, wherein

a recording is arranged to be made to at least one of the media player and DSP through an established packet switched communications connection from a mobile subscriber terminal;

a capture of recipient contact information and/or other message attributes from the mobile subscriber terminal is arranged wirelessly via said packet switched connection on a server, and the contact information is arranged to be stored to the storage means;

at least one media player and/or DSP is arranged to store the recording to a data file;

at least one data file is arranged to be stored on the data storage means;

at least one data file, or at least one copy of the data file is arranged to be sent to another server in the SFSN and/or a connection is arranged to be formed to at least one recipient.

11. The video- and/or voicemail messaging server as claimed in claim 10, wherein said storage means is a database associated with a data management utility.

12. A video- and/or voicemail messaging mobile subscriber terminal, wherein

a user of the mobile subscriber terminal is arranged with the possibility to select at least one recipient from the mobile subscriber terminal;

at least one packet switched wireless communications connection is arranged to be formed to a server upon selection of said at least one recipient;

recipient contact information is arranged to be sent wirelessly via said packet switched wireless communications connection to the server;

the terminal is arranged to relay at least one video and/or audio signal to the server for recording to a data file via said at least one packet switched wireless connection; and

the packet switched wireless communication connection is arranged to be disconnected upon a dedicated action or upon the fulfillment of dedicated criteria.

13. The video- and/or voicemail messaging mobile subscriber terminal as claimed in claim 12, wherein the mobile subscriber terminal is a PC, PDA-mobile station and/or a Apple Macintosh computer with a wireless communication connection compliant with at least one of the following:

SS7-, GSM-, H323-, HTTP-, GSM-data, IP-RAN-, UMTS-, WAP-, Teldesic-, Inmarsat-, Iridium-, GPRS-, CDMA-data, WCDMA-data, SMS-, MMS-, USSD-, email-LAN-, TCP/IP-, UDP-, POTS-, PDC-, NDC-, imode-, Globalstar- and/or WLAN-connections.