Saving information from information retrieval systems

• US 7,286,653 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Short, Shannon M., Hartselle, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US10/852,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20040213385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.22, 379/88.17, 379/67.1, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.23, 379/201.1, 379/213.01, 379/218.01, 704/245, 704/246, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements

Abstract

A method and system are provided for allowing a calling party to save for subsequent retrieval and review information obtained from an information retrieval system. A calling party places a call to either an interactive voice information retrieval system or to a telephone directory number that is associated with a telecommunications network-based voice mail system that provides interactive information to calling parties. The call is either routed directly to the general information retrieval system or via the telecommunications network to the network-based voice mail system. Once the calling party receives desired information, the calling party may select a number of options to save the information to a memory location from which the calling party may subsequently retrieve and review the information. The information may be sent to and stored at the calling party'"'"'s own network-based voice mail system, or the calling party may have the information sent to and stored at a temporary voice mail box provided by the information provider. The information may be saved to an Internet-based website from which the calling party may subsequently retrieve the information. The information may be forwarded to a separate telephone directory number for receipt by a third person or for storing on a remote voice mail system. Additionally, the information may be electronically mailed to the calling party'"'"'s electronic mail address for subsequent retrieval.

Claims

1. A method of saving to a designated memory location information obtained from a telephony-based voice information retrieval system for subsequent retrieval of the saved information, comprising:

receiving a call from a calling party requesting voice information;

directing the call to an interactive voice information retrieval system operatively associated with the receiver of the call, to obtain the requested voice information;

providing information saving options to the calling party;

giving the calling party an option either only to hear the voice information, or to hear the voice information and save the voice information;

if the calling party opts to save the voice information, storing the voice information at a web site accessible by the calling party for subsequent retrieval by the calling party; and

providing the calling party with the web site address and a password for enabling the calling party to access the web site to retrieve the saved voice information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing the voice information as an audio file to the calling party after saving the voice information to the web site, in response to the calling party opting to hear and save the voice information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the web site to retrieve the stored voice information after the call is ended; and

retrieving the stored voice information.

3. An information retrieval system for saving to a designated memory location information obtained from a telephony-based voice information retrieval system, comprising:

means for receiving a call from a calling party requesting voice information;

means for, directing the call to an interactive voice information retrieval system to obtain the voice information requested by the calling party;

means for providing information saving options to the calling party;

means for giving the calling party an option either only to hear the voice information, or to hear the voice information and store the voice information to a web site for subsequent retrieval by the calling party;

means providing the calling party with the web site address and a password for allowing the calling party access to the web site to retrieve the stored voice information; and

means for allowing retrieval of the stored voice information.

4. The system of claim 3, whereby the information retrieval system includes a network-based voice mail system to which the call is directed.

5. A computer-readable medium for performing a method of saving to a designated memory location information obtained from a telephony-based voice information retrieval system, the method comprising:

receiving a call from a calling party requesting voice information;

directing the call to an interactive voice information retrieval system operatively associated with the receiver of the call, to obtain the requested voice information;

providing information saving options to the calling party;

giving the calling party an option either only to hear the voice information, or to hear the information and save the voice information to a web site for subsequent retrieval by the calling party;

providing the calling party with the web site address and a password for retrieving the saved information from the web site; and

thereafter accessing the web site to retrieve the stored voice information; and

retrieving the stored voice information.

7. A method of saving to a designated memory location information obtained from a telephony-based information retrieval system, comprising:

receiving a call from a calling party for obtaining information;

obtaining information from an information retrieval system associated with the receiver of the call;

providing information saving options to the calling party, including allowing the calling party to save the information obtained from the information retrieval system to an Internet-based web site;

saving the information to a web site designated by the calling party for subsequent retrieval by the calling party; and

providing the calling party with the web site address and a password for retrieving the saved information from the designated web site.