Voicemail filtering and transcription

• US 8,064,576 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Skakkebaek, Jens Ulrik, FitzGerald, Cary W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins; Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/709,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 455/466, 704/260
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

Systems and methods for voicemail filtering and transcription are described herein. According to various embodiments, an integrated communication system performs filtering and transcription of voicemail messages (“voicemails”) and forwards the voicemails via email to a user'"'"'s email-capable device. Filtering includes generating a priority flag based on a word search of the voicemail. The integrated communication system further performs a rough transcription of the voicemail, either automatically or on demand as specified by the user. According to embodiments, the rough transcription is entered as text in an email that is sent to the user. In an embodiment, a user may request a refined transcription of the voicemail by pressing a button on the user'"'"'s device. In an embodiment, the rough transcription is replaced by the refined transcription in the original email and the original is marked “unread” in the user'"'"'s email inbox on the user'"'"'s device.

Claims

1. An integrated messaging system, comprising:

a messaging server coupled to at least one network; and

an integrated communication server in communication with networks of different types, and further in communication with the messaging server, the integrated communication server comprising a filter/transcribe module, the filter/transcribe module configured to;

receive a voicemail message from a first network;

perform a filtering operation on the voicemail message from a caller to a user comprising searching for predetermined words;

perform a rough transcription of the voicemail message;

generate an email message containing the rough transcription;

receive a request from the user to provide a refined transcription of the voicemail message;

request the refined transcription to be performed, wherein requesting comprises sending an audio file of the voice message, via one of the networks, to an entity to perform the refined transcription.

2. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to send the refined transcription to the user as a new email message.

3. The integrated messaging system of claim 2, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to send the email message to at least one user device.

4. The integrated messaging server of claim 3, wherein the generated email further contains an audio file of the voicemail message.

5. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to filter the voicemail message, wherein filtering comprises searching for predetermined words.

6. The integrated messaging system of claim 5, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to generate an email priority flag based on the filtering.

7. The integrated messaging system of claim 6, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to generate an email message containing the rough transcription and the priority flag.

8. The integrated messaging system of claim 7, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to generate an email message containing the rough transcription, the audio file, and the priority flag.

9. The integrated messaging system of claim 7, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to send the email message to at least one user device.

10. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the entity is a third party not associated with the integrated communication server.

11. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the rough transcription transcribes a portion of the voice message.

12. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to receive the refined transcription from the entity;

and substitute the refined transcription for the rough transcription in the email.

13. The integrated messaging system of claim 12, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to reset a status of the email to be “

unread”

.

14. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the messaging server and the integrated communication server are coupled via a WAN.

15. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the messaging server and the integrated communication server are coupled via the Internet.

16. The integrated messaging system of claim 1, wherein the messaging server and the integrated communication server are coupled via a LAN in an enterprise.

17. The integrated messaging system of claim 16, wherein the integrated communication server further comprises an interface module configured to interface with the messaging server.

18. The integrated messaging system of claim 17, wherein the messaging server hosts an enterprise groupware application.

19. The integrated messaging system of claim 18, wherein the groupware application comprises a directory service that includes user information for members of the enterprise.

20. The integrated messaging system of claim 19, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to perform filtering using the user information.

21. An integrated communication system, comprising:

a communication server that couples among networks of different types, the communication server configured to receive audio data via a first network, wherein the audio data comprises a voicemail message sent to a user of the communication server configured to transform the audio data to text, the communication server comprising;

a memory;

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor operable to execute a filter/transcribe module, the filter/transcribe module configured to;

perform a filtering operation on the voicemail message from a caller to a user comprising searching for predetermined words;

perform a rough transcription of the voicemail message;

generate an email message to the user containing the rough transcription;

receive a request to provide a refined transcription of the voicemail message;

request the refined transcription to be performed, wherein requesting comprises sending an audio file of the voicemail message, via one of the networks, to an entity to perform the refined transcription; and

an interface module that couples to the communication server, wherein the interface module pulls a plurality of user information from a messaging server of a network, wherein the user information includes information relevant to at least the network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein performing a filtering operation includes comparing words in the audio data to one or more items of the plurality of user information.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the filter/transcribe module is further configured to cause a refined transcription of the audio data to be performed based on predetermined preferences that indicate the refined transcription is to be performed automatically.

24. A multi-media communication method, comprising:

receiving a voicemail message from a first network;

performing a filtering operation on the voicemail message from a caller to a user comprising searching for predetermined words;

performing a rough transcription of the voicemail message;

generating an email message containing the rough transcription;

refining the rough transcription of the voicemail message into a refined transcription; and

requesting the refined transcription to be performed, wherein requesting comprises sending an audio file of the voicemail message, via one of the networks, to an entity to perform the refined transcription.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving the refined transcription from the entity;

substituting the refined transcription for the rough transcription in the email; and

resetting a status of the email to be “

unread”

.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the refined transcription of the audio data is performed based on at least one of a user request and predetermined preferences that indicate the refined transcription is to be performed automatically.