Delivery of visual voice mail

• US 9,258,683 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, Md S
• Application Number:
  US13/951,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20130308500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 379/100.13, 379/142.14, 379/210.02, 379/900, 379/67.1, 379 8822- 8826, 379/88.27, 709/206, 370/355, 455/413
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Delivery of a text message and/or voice mail message may include identifying a recipient of the message, receiving a notification indicative of one of the subscriber'"'"'s availability, the subscriber'"'"'s presence and the subscriber'"'"'s location, recording the message, selectively converting a voice mail message to a text message based on the notification, and delivering either the text message or the voice mail message to a device of the recipient based on the notification. The text message and/or voice mail message may be delivered via a map, wherein selection of a location on the map may retrieve the text message and/or voice mail message.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

determining that a sender has generated a voice mail message, the voice mail message including an indicator of a geographic location identified by the sender;

generating a map indicating the voice mail message at a map location corresponding to the geographic location; and

providing instructions to a first intended recipient of the voice mail message to retrieve the voice mail message based on selecting, on the map, the map location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising providing the map.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising providing the map via a packet switched network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising providing the map to multiple designated devices based on a distribution list.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

providing the map to the first intended recipient, wherein the voice mail message is retrievable by selecting the map location.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the operations further comprising providing the map via a circuit switched network when a packet switched network is unavailable.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location comprises a destination.

8. A method comprising:

determining that a sender has generated a voice mail message, the voice mail message including an indicator of a geographic location identified by the sender;

generating, by a device, a map indicating the voice mail message at a map location corresponding to the geographic location; and

providing instructions to a first intended recipient of the voice mail message to retrieve the voice mail message based on selecting, on the map, the map location.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the map.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the map via a packet switched network.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the map to multiple designated devices based on a distribution list.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing the map to the first intended recipient, wherein the voice mail message is retrievable by selecting the map location.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the map via a circuit switched network when a packet switched network is unavailable.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the geographic location comprises a destination.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:

determining that a sender has generated a voice mail message, the voice mail message including an indicator of a geographic location identified by the sender;

generating a map indicating the voice mail message at a map location corresponding to the geographic location; and

providing instructions to a first intended recipient of the voice mail message to retrieve the voice mail message based on selecting, on the map, the map location.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising providing the map.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising providing the map via a packet switched network.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising providing the map to multiple designated devices based on a distribution list.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

providing the map to the first intended recipient, wherein the voice mail message is retrievable by selecting the map location.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the geographic location comprises a destination.