Voice and text mail application for communication devices
First Claim
1. A messaging method for communicating on a client communication device, the method comprising:
- simultaneously and progressively storing media of an incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming message is received at the client communication device of a first party over a network; and
providing a rendering option for rendering the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the incoming media of the message is received at the client communication device;
invoking a catch up to the most recently received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message while continuing progressively storing media of the incoming message as the media of the incoming message is progressively received, the catch up to the most recently received media rendering option causing;
(i) rendering on the client communication device in a time-shifted mode the previously received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message out of storage at a rate faster relative to when the media of the incoming message was originally encoded; and
(ii) seamlessly transitioning the rendering of the incoming media from the time-shifted mode to a real-time mode when the rendering of the previously received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message out of storage at the faster rate has caught up to and coincides with the media of the incoming message as the media is received over the network, the rendering of the media in the real-time mode occurring progressively as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is progressively received;
enabling a live conversation, in the real-time mode, between the client communication device and a remote communication device of a second party sending the incoming asynchronous message;
in the real-time mode, simultaneously and progressively storing incoming media received at the client communication device from the remote communication device; and
in the real time mode, simultaneously and progressively storing outgoing media transmitted from the client communication device to the remote communication device.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A voice and text mail application method and apparatus capable of supporting both synchronous and asynchronous voice communication. The application is configured to (i) simultaneously and progressively store media of an incoming message as the media is received at a communication device over the network and (ii) provides a “catch up” rendering option which enables the rendering of previously received media of the message starting at any previous point of the message and to catch up the rendering to the current point or head of the message as the media of the message is being received. By rendering the previously received media of the incoming message out of storage at a rate faster relative to when the media of the incoming message was originally encoded, eventually the rendering will catch up and seamlessly transition the rendering from an asynchronous time-shifted mode out of storage to a synchronous mode as the media of the message is received over the network. In various alternative embodiments, the application also enables the (a) screening of the media of the incoming message as the media is received over the network; (b) the ability to join a live conversation with the sender of the incoming message as the media of the incoming message is received over the network, and/or (c) the option to ignore the media of the incoming message.
136 Citations
53 Claims
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1. A messaging method for communicating on a client communication device, the method comprising:
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simultaneously and progressively storing media of an incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming message is received at the client communication device of a first party over a network; and providing a rendering option for rendering the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the incoming media of the message is received at the client communication device; invoking a catch up to the most recently received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message while continuing progressively storing media of the incoming message as the media of the incoming message is progressively received, the catch up to the most recently received media rendering option causing; (i) rendering on the client communication device in a time-shifted mode the previously received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message out of storage at a rate faster relative to when the media of the incoming message was originally encoded; and (ii) seamlessly transitioning the rendering of the incoming media from the time-shifted mode to a real-time mode when the rendering of the previously received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message out of storage at the faster rate has caught up to and coincides with the media of the incoming message as the media is received over the network, the rendering of the media in the real-time mode occurring progressively as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is progressively received; enabling a live conversation, in the real-time mode, between the client communication device and a remote communication device of a second party sending the incoming asynchronous message; in the real-time mode, simultaneously and progressively storing incoming media received at the client communication device from the remote communication device; and in the real time mode, simultaneously and progressively storing outgoing media transmitted from the client communication device to the remote communication device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A messaging method for communicating on a client communication device, the method comprising:
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simultaneously and progressively storing media of an incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming message is received at the client communication device of a first party over a network; and providing on the communication device one or more options for responding to the incoming asynchronous voice message, the one or more options including; (i) rendering the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message from storage; (ii) screening the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media is received over the network; (iii) joining a live conversation with the sender of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming message is received over the network and simultaneously and progressively storing media associated with the live conversation received at the client communication device; (iv) invoking a catch up to the most recently received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message while continuing progressively storing media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is progressively received, the catch up causing rendering the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message previously received from storage at a rate faster than the media was originally encoded in a time-shifted mode and then seamlessly transitioning the rendering of the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media is received over the network when the rendering from storage has caught up to and coincides with the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as it is received over the network, the rendering of the media in a real-time mode occurring progressively as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is progressively received, enabling a live conversation, in a real-time mode, between the client communication device and a remote communication device of a second party sending the incoming asynchronous message, and simultaneously and progressively storing media associated with the conversation in the real-time mode; and (v) ignoring the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39)
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38. A messaging method for communicating on a client communication device, the method comprising:
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receiving an incoming asynchronous voice message over a network at the client communication device of a first party; notifying on the communication device an indicator indicating the receipt of the incoming asynchronous voice message at the client communication device before the incoming message is received in full at the client communication device; simultaneously and progressively storing media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is received at the client communication device over the network; and providing on the client communication device one or more options for responding to the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message, the one or more options including; (i) rendering the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message from storage; (ii) screening the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media is received over the network; (iii) joining a live conversation with the sender of the incoming asynchronous voice message as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is received over the network and simultaneously and progressively storing media associated with the live conversation received at the client communication device; (iv) invoking a catch up to the most recently received media of the incoming asynchronous voice message while continuing progressively storing media of the incoming message as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is progressively received, the catch up causing rendering the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message previously received from storage at a rate faster than the media was originally encoded in a time-shifted mode and then seamlessly transitioning the rendering of the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message “
live”
in a real-time mode as the media is received over the network when the rendering from storage has caught up to and coincides with the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as it is received over the network, the rendering of the media in the real-time mode occurring progressively as the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message is progressively received, enabling a live conversation, in a real-time mode, between the client communication device and a remote communication device of a second party sending the incoming asynchronous message, and simultaneously and progressively storing media associated with the conversation in the real-time mode; and(v) ignoring the media of the incoming asynchronous voice message. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification