Systems and methods for push-to-email communication with location information

• US 8,140,627 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TeamConnect, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pacific Datavision Incorporated
• Inventors: Lasensky, Peter Joel, Fehrenbach, Mark Everett, Rohmann, Richard Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US12/062,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/88.12, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 455/412.1, 455/433
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A push-to-email system comprises a mobile communication device configured to generate a voice message and transmit the voice message to a message authority via, e.g., a single transmit action, such as a push-to-talk transmit action. The system can also comprise a message authority configured to receive the voice message, a time stamp associated with the voice message and location information related to the location of the mobile device when the message was sent. The message authority can then generate a data message intended for a recipient associated with the voice message, such as an email message and embed the voice message, time stamp and location information, or a link to the voice message, time stamp and location information. Alternatively, the mobile communication device can be configured to generate the data message.

Claims

1. A method for generating a data message with location information in a message authority, the message authority comprising a server system have a collector, a data center and a communication server, the method comprising:

receiving a voice message from a mobile communication device, the mobile device being associated with a reply path;

receiving position information associated with the mobile communication device;

a processor storing the voice message and position information;

a processor associating a reply path identifier associated with the reply path of the mobile communication device with one of a plurality of intermediate addresses associated with the message authority; and

transmitting a data message to an intended recipient, the data message allowing the recipient to access the voice message and position information,

wherein the data message includes an identifier that can be used in combination with the intermediate address to determine the reply path associated with the mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating location information based on the position information and storing the location information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a message address for the intended recipient associated with the voice message based on information included in the received message; and

transmitting the data message to the recipient via the determined message address.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message address is an email account and the data message is an email message, and wherein determining a message address for the intended recipient comprises determining a path associated with an email account based on an identifier included with the received voice message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a time stamp and associating the time stamp with the received voice message; and

storing the time stamp, and wherein the data message allows the recipient to also access the time stamp.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the time stamp is generated by the message authority.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the time stamp is generated based on information received with the voice message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the position information to location information and storing the location information, and wherein the data message allows the recipient to also access the location information or to access the location information in lieu of the position information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein converting the position information to location information comprises generating a map and highlighting the position of the mobile communication device on the map using the location information, and wherein the method comprises embedding the map or a link to the map in the data message.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the position information comprises latitude and longitude information associated with the position of the mobile communication device, and wherein converting the position information into location information comprises determining a physical address on a map associated with the position information and associating the address with the mobile communication device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating a map of the area around the address, highlighting the address on the map, and embedding the map or a link to the map in the data message.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a confirmation to the mobile communication device once the voice message has been received by the message authority.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a confirmation to the mobile communication device once the data message has been road or received by the intended recipient.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the voice message to text.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an election associated with the intended recipient indicating whether to allow the recipient to access the position information, and making the position information available to the recipient only if the selection indicates the recipient is allowed access.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein making the voice message and position information available comprises embedding it into the data message.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein making the voice message and position information available comprises embedding a link to the stored voice message and position information into the data message.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving an indication that the link has been selected and serving a web page to the recipient that includes the voice message and location information.

19. A message authority configured to generate a data message with a location stamp, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a voice message from a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device being associated with a reply path;

a receiver configured to receive position information associated with the mobile communication device;

a processor configured to store the voice message and position information and configured to associate a reply path identifier associated with the reply path of the mobile communication device with one of a plurality of intermediate addresses associated with the message authority; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a data message to an intended recipient, the data message allowing the recipient to access the voice message and position information,

wherein the data message includes an identifier that can be used in combination with the intermediate address to determine the reply path associated with the mobile communication device.

20. The message authority of claim 19, further comprising a receiver configured to receive location information based on the position information, and wherein the processor is further configured to store the location information.

21. The message authority of claim 20, wherein the location information further comprises a map that highlights the position of the mobile communication device on the map using the location information, and wherein the processor is further configured to embed the map or a link to the map in the data message.

22. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a message address for the intended recipient associated with the voice message based on information included in the received message, and wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the data message to the recipient via the determined message address.

23. The message authority of claim 22, wherein the destination address is an email account and the data message is an email message, and wherein determining a message address for the intended recipient comprises determining a reply path associated with an email account based on an identifier included with the received voice message.

24. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a time stamp and associating the time stamp with the received voice message;

and store the time stamp, and wherein the data message allows the recipient to also access the time stamp.

25. The message authority of claim 24, wherein the time stamp is generated by the processor based on information received with the voice message.

26. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the position information comprises latitude and longitude information associated with the position of the mobile communication device.

27. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to send a confirmation to the mobile communication device once the voice message has been received by the message authority.

28. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to send a confirmation to the mobile communication device once the data message has been read or received by the intended recipient.

29. The message authority of claim 19. wherein the processor is further configured to convert the voice message to text.

30. The message authority of claim 19, further comprising a receiver configured to receive an election associated with the intended recipient indicating whether to allow the recipient to access the position information, and wherein the message authority is configured to make the position information available to the recipient only if the selection indicates the recipient is allowed access.

31. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to make the voice message and position information available by embedding it into the data message.

32. The message authority of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to make the voice message and position information available by embedding a link to the stored voice message and position information into the data message.

33. The message authority of claim 32, further comprising a receiver configured to receive an indication that the link has been selected, and a server configured to serve a web page to the recipient that includes the voice message and location information when such as selection has been received.

34. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a microphone;

a position determination circuit configured to determine the position of the mobile communication device;

an email client configured to generate an email message for an intended recipient;

a voice recorder configured to record a voice message spoken into the microphone; and

a processor configured to;

receive a selection of email recipient,

generate a timestamp associated with a voice message recorded using the voice recorder,

generate an email containing the voice recording, position information, and time stamp using the email client; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the email,

wherein the email message includes an identifier that can be used to determine a reply path associated with the mobile communication device.

35. The mobile communication device of claim 34, further comprising a voice message input mechanism configured to cause the voice recorder to start recording a voice message.

36. The mobile communication device of claim 35, wherein the voice message input mechanism is a push-to-talk input mechanism.