Method and system for returning a call based on information in a voicemail message

• US 7,251,313 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2004
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Thenthiruperai, Balaji S., Miller, Robert H., Roche, Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US10/823,363
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.04, 379/88.08, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/281, 704/270, 704/275, 704/276
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A method for returning a phone call based on information contained in a voicemail message. The method comprises receiving the voicemail message and applying service logic to analyze the voicemail message to extract a spoken phone number included in the voicemail message. The method further comprises associating the extracted phone number with the voicemail message and, in conjunction with retrieving the voicemail message, providing a recipient of the voicemail message with an option to dial the extracted phone number.

Claims

1. A method for returning a phone call based on information in a voicemail message corresponding with the phone call, the method comprising:

receiving the voicemail message;

applying service logic to analyze the voicemail message to extract a spoken phone number included in the voicemail message;

associating the extracted phone number with the voicemail message;

in conjunction with retrieving the voicemail message, providing a recipient of the voicemail message with an option to dial the extracted phone number;

determining an originating phone number associated with the phone call, wherein associating the extracted phone number with the voicemail message comprises comparing the extracted phone number with the originating number;

in the event the extracted number matches the originating number, responsively determining nor to provide the recipient of the voicemail message with a duplicate option to dial the originating number;

comparing the extracted phone number with an alternative number associated with the originating number; and

in the event the extracted number marches the alternative number, responsively determining not to provide the recipient of the voicemail message with a duplicate option to dial the alternative number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising responsively dialing the extracted phone number as a result of the recipient selecting the option to dial the extracted phone number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein dialing the extracted phone number comprises dialing the extracted phone number with a speech recognition dialer.

4. The method claim 2, wherein the recipient selects the option by one of depressing a specific key or speaking an appropriate response corresponding with the option.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an originating phone number associated with the phone call; and

providing the recipient of the voicemail message with an option to dial the originating phone number.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising responsively dialing the originating phone number as a result of the recipient selecting the option to dial the originating phone number.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing the recipient of the voicemail message with an option to dial an alternative phone number associated with originating phone number.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising responsively dialing the alternative phone number as a result of the recipient selecting the option to dial the alternative phone number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein applying service logic to analyze the voicemail message comprises:

analyzing the voicemail message using a set of machine executable instructions implementing a speech recognition engine, the speech recognition engine employing a set of grammars for extracting the spoken phone number from the voicemail message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the voicemail message comprises determining the presence of, and extracting at least one of:

a seven digit phone number, a ten digit phone number, an eleven digit phone number and an international phone number.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the voicemail message comprises employing the grammars to determine the presence of two, three and four digit numbers in the voicemail message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the voicemail message comprises employing the grammars to associate the numeral zero with an utterance corresponding with the letter “

O”

when extracting the spoken phone number.