Message delivery using a voice mail system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of message delivery using a voice mail message system, comprising:
- receiving from a party at said voice mail message system, a voice mail message and a category designation for said message;
storing said message in a storage area, said storage area accessed by said voice mail message system and corresponding to said category designation for said message;
retrieving messages from said storage area based on a user of said voice mail message system choosing said category designation;
presenting said messages to said user;
providing a first choice for said user to place a call to said party;
providing a second choice for said user to subscribe to future messages from said party when said message is presented to said user;
identifying said future messages received at said message system from said party as subscribed to messages for said user, when said user chooses said second choice; and
retaining access by other users of said voice mail message system to said message after said user deletes said message which restricts further communication on said message between said user and said party, whereby subsequent retrieval of said message by said user is restricted while subsequent retrieval of said message by any of said other users is not restricted.
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Abstract
Voicemail systems and methods can provide a user with means for receiving categorized messages from parties. The categories can be independent of the intended recipients of the messages, such that multiple users can receive the same message. A user can subscribe to receive categorized messages within selected categories or from selected parties. A registered party, including a merchant, an organization, a government agency and/or another party, can input messages to selected categories and can input distribution parameters for the messages. Expiration dates can be associated with the messages such that messages can be deleted once expired.
31 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method of message delivery using a voice mail message system, comprising:
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receiving from a party at said voice mail message system, a voice mail message and a category designation for said message; storing said message in a storage area, said storage area accessed by said voice mail message system and corresponding to said category designation for said message; retrieving messages from said storage area based on a user of said voice mail message system choosing said category designation; presenting said messages to said user; providing a first choice for said user to place a call to said party; providing a second choice for said user to subscribe to future messages from said party when said message is presented to said user; identifying said future messages received at said message system from said party as subscribed to messages for said user, when said user chooses said second choice; and retaining access by other users of said voice mail message system to said message after said user deletes said message which restricts further communication on said message between said user and said party, whereby subsequent retrieval of said message by said user is restricted while subsequent retrieval of said message by any of said other users is not restricted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of receiving messages, comprising:
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accessing a message system having a plurality of messages stored in categorized storage areas, wherein categories of said categorized storage areas are independent of intended recipients of said messages; choosing at least one of said categories to obtain at least one chosen category; retrieving messages from said at least one chosen category thereby obtaining retrieved messages; incrementing counters for said retrieved messages when said retrieved messages are retrieved, each of said counters associated with one of said retrieved messages input to said message system by a party, each of said counters accessible by said party for determining a number of times said one of said retrieved messages is retrieved; optionally subscribing to receive future messages from said party when a user of said message system retrieves said one of said retrieved messages input by said party; and retaining access by other users of said message system to said one of said retrieved messages after said user deletes said one of said retrieved messages which restricts further communication about said one of said retrieved messages between said user and said party, whereby subsequent retrieval of said one of said retrieved messages by said user is restricted while subsequent retrieval of said one of said retrieved messages by any of said other users is not restricted. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A voice-mail message system for providing message delivery, comprising:
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an input controller configured to receive voice mail messages from a subscriber to said message system and to categorize said messages to obtain categorized messages; a plurality of categorized storage areas for storing respectively categorized messages; and an access controller configured to receive, from a user of said message system, a selection of at least one of said categorized storage areas to obtain a selected categorized storage area, to retrieve said respectively categorized messages from said selected categorized storage area, and to present said respectively categorized messages to said user whereupon said user can optionally subscribe to receive future messages from said subscriber to said message system, said access controller permitting access by other users of said message system to said respectively categorized messages after said user deletes at least one of said respectively categorized messages which restricts further communication about said at least one of said respectively categorized messages between said user and said subscriber to said message system, whereby subsequent retrieval of said at least one of said respectively categorized messages by said user is restricted while subsequent retrieval of said at least one of said respectively categorized messages by any of said other users is not restricted. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to deliver voice mail messages by:
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receiving a voice mail message from a party and a category designation for said message from said party; storing said message in a storage area corresponding to said category designation for said message; retrieving messages from said storage area based on a user selection of said category designation; presenting said messages to said user; providing a choice for said user to subscribe to future messages from said party when executing said instructions for said presenting said messages to said user; and retaining access by other users to all of said messages after said user deletes any of said messages presented to said user which restricts further communication on said any of said messages between said user and said party, whereby subsequent retrieval by said user of said any of said messages presented to said user is restricted while subsequent retrieval of said all of said messages by any of said other users is not restricted. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification