Identification and management of automatically-generated voicemail notifications of voicemail and electronic mail receipt

• US 7,609,820 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• 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: Bedingfield, James Carlton Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US10/706,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20050100143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for utilizing voicemail messages to notify a subscriber of electronic mail receipt. A message notification and consolidation module monitors e-mail received, read, deleted or otherwise disposed of by an e-mail receiver (subscriber). Upon receipt of an e-mail message, the message notification and consolidation module constructs an e-mail notification message for depositing into the subscriber'"'"'s voicemail system for alerting the subscriber that the subscriber has received an electronic mail message. At the beginning of the notification message, a unique identification tone is provided for identifying and locating the notification message. If the e-mail receiver disposes of a given e-mail message, or if the e-mail receiver receives a subsequent e-mail message, the message notification and consolidation module may use the identification tone to locate a previous notification message deposited in the subscriber'"'"'s voicemail box to either delete the notification message or to deposit a consolidated notification message containing information regarding multiple e-mail messages received by the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of notifying an electronic mail recipient of electronic mail receipt via voicemail messaging, comprising:

receiving a first electronic mail (e-mail) message at a subscriber e-mail box;

constructing a first e-mail received notification message, wherein constructing the first e-mail received notification message comprises converting information from the first e-mail message into a voicemail message;

annotating the first e-mail received notification message with a unique identification tone for identifying the first e-mail received notification message;

transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box;

receiving a second e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box prior to determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box, wherein if the second e-mail message is received at the subscriber e-mail box prior to disposition of the first e-mail message in the subscriber e-mail box, deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box; and

if the first e-mail message is disposed of, locating the first e-mail received notification message in the subscriber voicemail box via the unique identification tone;

deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box, wherein deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box includes searching the subscriber voicemail box for a voicemail message having the unique identification tone, and wherein after deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box;

constructing a second e-mail received notification message containing notification information from both the first e-mail message and the second e-mail message;

annotating the second e-mail received notification message with a second unique identification tone for identifying the second e-mail received notification message; and

transmitting the second e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving the first electronic mail message at the subscriber e-mail box, includes receiving the first e-mail message via an e-mail provider system.

3. The method of claim 2, prior to the step of receiving a first e-mail message at a subscriber e-mail box, further comprising monitoring the subscriber e-mail box via the e-mail provider system.

4. The method of claim 3, after receiving the first e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box, obtaining a telephone directory number for the subscriber voicemail box.

5. The method of claim 4, after obtaining the telephone directory number for a subscriber voicemail box, obtaining an electronic messaging address for the subscriber voicemail box.

6. The method of claim 1, after transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to the subscriber voicemail box, activating a voicemail received indication at the subscriber voicemail box.

7. The method of claim 6, whereby activating a voicemail received indication at the subscriber voicemail box includes activating a voicemail received indication at a subscriber voicemail box access device.

8. The method of claim 7, whereby the voicemail box access device includes a telephone.

9. The method of claim 7, whereby the voicemail box access device includes a personal digital assistant.

10. The method of claim 3, whereby monitoring the subscriber e-mail box by the e-mail provider system includes monitoring a disposition status of the first e-mail message.

11. The method of claim 10, whereby monitoring the disposition status of the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box.

12. The method of claim 11, whereby determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box includes determining the first e-mail message has been deleted from the subscriber e-mail box.

13. The method of claim 11, whereby determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box includes determining the first e-mail message has been read.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first e-mail received notification message at the subscriber voicemail box;

and reviewing the first e-mail received notification message by the subscriber.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving the second e-mail received notification message at the subscriber voicemail box;

and reviewing the second e-mail received notification message by the subscriber.