System and method for augmenting features of visual voice mail

• US 9,876,911 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2017
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US15/414,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20170134583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 379 671, 379 8813, 379 8817, 379 8818, 379 8822, 379 8825, 455415, 726 11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• 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 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/185 wireless packet-switched
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A method for delivery of a voice mail message to a recipient. The method includes determining content of the voice mail message, identifying a recipient of the voice mail message based on the determining step, converting the voice mail message to a format for delivery based on the identifying step, and delivering the converted voice mail message to the recipient. The method further includes identifying a voice mail box of the recipient and caching voice mail box information at a voice mail server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

parsing, by a server connected to a network, at least some of an audio portion of a voice mail message to determine a content of the at least some of the audio portion;

identifying, by the server, a plurality of intended recipients of the voice mail message based on the content;

creating, by the server, a text based on the content; and

distributing, via the network, the text to the plurality of intended recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the text to a format that is compatible with a message format preference of each recipient of the plurality of intended recipients, wherein distributing the text comprises distributing the converted text.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the format comprises a short message service (SMS) format.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the format comprises an email format.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the message format preference of a first subset of the plurality of intended recipients differs from the message format preferences of a second subset of the plurality of intended recipients.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the text to a format that is compatible with a message format preference of the plurality of intended recipients, wherein distributing the text comprises distributing the converted text.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the format comprises a short message service (SMS) format.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the format comprises an email format.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that cause the processor to effectuate operations, the operations comprising;

parsing at least some of an audio portion of a voice mail message to determine a content of the at least some of the audio portion;

identifying a plurality of intended recipients of the voice mail message based on the content;

creating a text based on the content; and

distributing the text to the plurality of intended recipients.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the operations further comprising converting the text to a format that is compatible with a message format preference of each recipient of the plurality of intended recipients, wherein distributing the text comprises distributing the converted text.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the format comprises a short message service (SMS) format.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the format comprises an email format.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the message format preference of a first subset of the plurality of intended recipients differs from the message format preferences of a second subset of the plurality of intended recipients.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising converting the text to a format that is compatible with a message format preference of the plurality of intended recipients, wherein distributing the text comprises distributing the converted text.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the format comprises a short message service (SMS) format.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the format comprises an email format.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein identifying the plurality of intended recipients comprises conducting a destination look-up.

18. A method comprising:

parsing, by a server connected to a network, at least some of an audio portion of a voice mail message to determine a content of the at least some of the audio portion;

identifying, by the server, a plurality of intended recipients of the voice mail message based on the content; and

distributing, via the network, the content to the plurality of intended recipients.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a preferred message format of at least one of the plurality of intended recipients,

wherein distributing the content comprises;

converting the content into the preferred message format; and

distributing the converted content to the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the converted content comprises a text message.