MXPA00005318A - Method and system for providing integrated wireline/wireless voice messaging service - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and system (10) for providing integrated wireline/wireless voice messaging for a subscriber having a wireline telephone (16) and a wireless handset (28) utilizes a wireline switch (12) supporting the wireline telephone and a wireless switch (30), in communication with the wireline switch (12), supporting the wireless handset (28). A voice message unit (22) is coupled to the wireline switch (12) and the wireless switch (30) for receiving a voice message from a calling party for one of the wireline telephone (16) and the wireless handset (28) associated with the subscriber. The voice message unit then forwards the voice message to an integrated mailbox for storage therein (116) and transmits a notification message (120, 124) upon receipt of the voice message to provide indication to the subscriber at both the wireline telephone (16) and wireless handset (28) of the stored voice message.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM TO PROVIDE A WIRELESS / WIRELESS INTEGRATED SENDING SERVICE OF VOICE MESSAGES Technical Field This invention relates to methods and systems for providing integrated wired / wireless voice message delivery services.

Previous Technique Voice message systems, also known as voice mail systems, have become common modes of communication between business people and consumers in the same way. If a connection from a caller to a subscriber of a voice mail system is not completed, the call is sent to the voice mail system where the caller can leave a voice message in a '' mailbox '' that has an address that corresponds to the telephone number that has been called. Subscribers, however, typically have two mailboxes; one for your wireless combo micro phone and one for your corded phone.

REF .: 119746 When a caller makes a call to a telephone number to his associate with the subscriber's wireline and is unable to connect to the subscriber, the caller can leave a voice message for the subscriber. At this time, the service provider serving the wired telephone provides an indication to the subscriber that he / she has a voice message in their wired mailbox. Similarly, when the caller makes a call to a telephone number associated with the subscriber's cordless telephone and is unable to connect with the subscriber, the caller can leave a voice message to the subscriber which is stored in a subscriber. wireless mailbox. The wireless service provider then provides the subscriber with a separate indication, different from the wire indication, that he / she has a voice message in their wireless mailbox.

In order to retrieve messages that are left, either in any mailbox, the subscriber must access each mailbox separately. That is, the subscriber must dial a wired access number to retrieve messages associated with his / her wireless phone, as well as a wireless access number in order to retrieve the messages associated with his / her wireless micro phone combination. . This is slow and inefficient.

Thus, there is a need to allow a subscriber to efficiently retrieve the associated voice messages, either with the wired telephone or his / her wireless combo micro phone.

Description of the invention It is a general object of the invention to provide a method and system for providing integrated wired / wireless voice message delivery services that allow a subscriber to retrieve the voice messages associated with either the wired telephone or the combined micro phone Wireless from him / her from a single mailbox, using for this a unique access number.

To carry out the above objective and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, a method is provided for providing an integrated wired / wireless voice message delivery for a subscriber having a wired telephone and a wireless composite telephone mic. The method includes the step of receiving a voice message from a calling party by telephone for one of the wired telephones and the wireless composite telephone mic associated with the subscriber. The method also includes the step of sending the voice message to an integrated mailbox for storage there. Finally, the method includes the step of transmitting the message of the notification upon receipt of the voice message in the integrated mailbox to provide an indication to the subscriber in both the wired telephone and the wireless composite telephone microphone of the stored voice message.

Further carrying out the above objective and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, a system is also provided to carry out the steps of the method described above. The system includes a wired switch that provides telecommunications services to the wired telephone and a wireless switch, in communication with the wired switch, which provides telecommunications services to the wireless composite telephone mic. The system also includes a voice message unit coupled to the wired switch and the wireless switch to receive a voice message from a calling party by telephone for one of the wired telephone and the wireless composite telephone mic associated with the subscriber, to send the message voice to an integrated mailbox for storage there, and transmit a notification message upon receipt of the voice message in the integrated mailbox to provide an indication to the subscriber in both the cordless telephone and the wireless composite telephone mic over the message of stored voice The above objective and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the system of the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow chart showing the general sequence of associated steps for leaving a message for a subscriber of the present invention and Figure 3 is a flow diagram showing the general sequence of steps associated with the retrieval of a voice message by a subscriber of the present invention.

Improved Methods for Carrying Out the Invention Turning now to Figure 1, a schematic diagram illustrating the telecommunications network system of the present invention, generally designated by the reference number 10, is shown. The system 10 includes at least one wired switch 12 to provide wireline services to the subscribers, such as a wired telephone 16. Each of the wired switches 12 are each connected by telephone trunk lines between offices 14 to carry the voice traffic between each of the wired switches 12.

The system 10 also includes a signaling service system 7 Signaling Service System (SS7), Service Transfer Point Switch (STP) connected to each of the wired switches 12 and wireless switches 30 via SS7 links 20 The STP 18 regulates the messages between the wired switches 12 and the wireless switches 30. The main function of the STP 18 is to route the SS7 messages to the correct output signaling link, based on the information contained in the location fields of SS7 messages The system 10 furthermore includes a voice message unit 22 connected to one of the wired switches 12. The voice message unit 22 is connected to a wired switch 12 by means of voice lines 24 to receive and reproduce the messages of voice for subscribers. The voice message unit 22 includes a logical control unit 23 for determining to which mailbox to put the voice message and for generating messages to be received by a wired switch 12 and a wireless switch 30, instructing them to provide a notification of a message of voice to the subscriber.

The voice message unit 22 is also connected to the wired switch 12 by means of a Simplified Desktop Message Interconnect (SMDI) link, which is well known in the telecommunications art. The SMDI link 26 is a two-way data link that. transmits the telephone number of the subscriber to the voice message unit 22 when a calling party on the telephone is transferred to the voice message unit 22 to leave a message to the subscriber and translates the telephone number into the subscriber's mailbox number .

Therefore, any switch 12 connected to the STP 18 can route the calls to any switch 12 in the system 10 and pass the call information to the voice message unit 22 via an SMDI link 26, as well as the messages of voice through the voice lines 24.

The SMDl link 26 also serves to provide an indication to the subscriber that he / she has a voice message in his / her mailbox. Upon receiving the voice message, the voice message unit sends a message back to the system 10 via a SMDI link 26 and SS7 links 20, instructing the switch 12 serving the wireless telephone 16 to activate the tone of the voice. call or provide any other similar indicator such as activating a voice message light connected to the telephone 16.

To integrate the sending of voice messages for a combined wireless handset 28 with the voice message unit 22 associated with the wired telephone 16, a wireless switch 30 serving the wireless composite handset 28 is connected to the wired switch 12 interconnected with the voice message unit 22.

When it is intended to leave a voice message for a subscriber of the wireless composite handset 28, the system 10 operates in the same manner as the wired telephone 16. However, in order to provide an indication on the wireless combined handset 28 of a wireless message. voice in the voice message unit 22, a data link by rigid cable 32 is provided between the voice message unit 22 and the wireless switch 30. That is, a voice message unit 22, upon receipt of a voice message. voice for a wireless composite handset 28, sends a message to the wireless switch 30 via a data link 32. The wireless switch 32 then interprets the message and similarly activates an indication on the wireless composite handset 28 'to notify the subscriber that You've got a message.

Turning now to Figure 2, a flow chart illustrating the general sequence of steps associated with leaving a voice message for a subscriber of the present invention is shown. Since there is no answer from the subscriber, the incoming call, either from a wired telephone or a wireless composite handset, is sent to the voice message unit 22, as shown in block 100. The voice message unit 22 receives the voice portion of the message via voice lines 24 and the portion of the telephone number of the message via an SMDI link 26. The portion of the telephone number of the message is sent to the wired switch 12 for either another wired switch 12 or the wireless switch 30 by means of links STP 18 and SS7 20.

The logical control unit 23 of the voice message unit 22 then determines the mailbox number for the calling party by telephone, as shown in block 110. This is done by comparing the called number with a list of numbers in the mailbox to determine the mailbox number associated with the party that has been called by telephone.

A determination is then made by the logic control unit 23, whether or not the mailbox number is a wireless mailbox associated with a wired mailbox, as shown in conditional block 112. This system can be set so that the number wireless telephone has a transfer mailbox associated with it where, once the wireless mailbox is identified, a wire transfer is made to the wired mailbox, as shown in block 114. This may be the case when a voice message system wireless is integrated with an existing wired voice message system. Alternatively, the system can also be set in an inverse manner, where the wired telephone number has a transfer mailbox associated with it.

The voice message is placed in the corresponding mailbox, as shown in block 116. If the mailbox is associated with a wire number, a notification message is transmitted by the logic control unit 23 for reception by means of a switch wired 12 via a SMDI link 26, as shown in conditional block 118 and block 120. If the mailbox is associated only with a wireless number, or in addition to being associated with a wired number, a notification signal is transmitted to wireless switch 30 via a data link 32, as shown in conditional block 122 and block 124.

Turning now to Figure 3, a flow chart is shown which shows the general sequence of steps associated with retrieving a recorded message to the subscriber. Upon accessing the voice message unit 22, the logic control unit 23 determines the telephone number of the calling party by telephone, as shown in block 200. This can be achieved using an Automatic Number Identifier (ANI) or by instructing the calling party to enter their telephone number, or any other similar method.

Then, the logic control unit 23 determines whether or not the telephone number has a wireless mailbox associated with a wired mailbox, as shown in the conditional block 210. This is achieved by comparing the telephone number with a look-up table to determine the type of mailbox associated with this. If the telephone number does have a wired mailbox associated with it, the method proceeds to determine the wired telephone number, as shown in block 212.

The subscriber is then placed in his mailbox, as shown in block 214. After the subscriber has retrieved a message, the logical control unit 23 determines whether or not the subscriber has recovered all of his messages, as shown in conditional block 216. If not, no other action is taken. However, if all messages have been retrieved, a message terminating the notification is transmitted as follows. First, it is determined whether the mailbox is associated with a wire number, as shown in the conditional block 218. If so, the end message of the notification is sent to the wired switch 12 via a SMDI link 26, as shown in FIG. shows in block 220. This message instructs switch 12 to deactivate its voice message notification since the subscriber no longer has any messages in his mailbox.

The method proceeds to determine if the mailbox has a wireless number associated with it, as shown in conditional block 222. If not, the program returns and no other action is taken. If so, then the termination message of the notification is also sent to the wireless switch 30 via a data link 32, as shown in block 224.

Therefore, the present invention allows subscribers not only to recall a single access number to call in order to retrieve their voice messages. Furthermore, the present invention allows an economic backup of wired and wireless platforms for sending voice messages.

While the best methods for carrying out the invention have been described in detail, those familiar with the technique to which this invention relates recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.

It is noted that in relation to this date, a method known to the applicant to carry out the said invention is that which is clear from the description of the invention.

The invention having been described as antecedent as property contained in the following.

Claims (13)

1. - A method for providing a wired / wireless integrated voice message delivery to a subscriber which has a wired telephone that is serviced by a wired commutator and a combined wireless micro telephone that is serviced by a wireless switch , characterized in that the method comprises: receiving a voice message from a calling party by telephone for one of the wired telephones and the combined wireless micro telephone associated with the subscriber; send the voice message to an integrated mailbox to store it there, where sending the voice message includes determining the telephone number that the calling party has called by telephone, determining whether the telephone number to which the calling party has called telephone call is a wireless telephone number that corresponds to the wireless combined handset or a wired telephone number corresponding to the wired telephone, and determining a wired telephone number based on the wireless telephone number or a wireless telephone number based on a wired telephone number : Y transmitting a notification message upon receipt of the voice message in the integrated mailbox to provide an indication to the subscriber in both the wired telephone and the wireless combined handset of the stored voice message.

2. - The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that transmitting the notification message comprises: transmitting a wireless notification message to the wireless switch; Y transmitting a wireless notification message to the wired switch;

3. - The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: receiving a recovery signal indicating to the subscriber that he has recovered all the voice messages in the integrated mailbox; Y transmit a message of termination of the notification upon receipt of the recovery signal, in order to disconnect the notifications of the voice messages stored for the subscriber.

4. - The method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that transmitting the notification term message comprises: transmitting a wireless message of the term of the notification to a wireless switch; Y transmit a wireless message terminating the notification to a wired switch.

5. A system for providing an integrated wired / wireless voice message delivery for a subscriber having a wired telephone and a wireless composite telephone mic, characterized in that the system comprises: a wired switch that provides telecommunications services to the wired telephone; a wireless switch that provides telecommunications services to the wireless composite handset and is in communication with the wired switch; a voice message unit coupled to the wired switch and the functional wireless switch to receive a voice message from a calling party by telephone for one of the wired telephones and the wireless composite handset associated with the subscriber, to send the message of voice to an integrated mailbox for storage there by determining the telephone number that the calling party has called by telephone, determining whether the telephone number the calling party is a wireless telephone number corresponding to the wireless composite handset or a wired telephone number corresponding to a wired telephone, and determining a wired telephone number based on the wireless telephone number or a wireless telephone number based on a wired telephone number, and transmitting a notification message upon receiving the voice message in the mailbox integrated to provide an indication to the subscriber in both the wired telephone and the wireless composite handset over the stored voice message.

6. - The system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the voice message unit, in transmitting the message of the notification, is further functional to transmit a wireless notification message to the wireless switch and transmit a notification wireless message to the wired switch.

7. - The system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the voice message unit is further functional to receive a recovery signal indicating that the subscriber has recovered all the voice messages in the integrated mailbox and to transmit a message. Notification message upon receiving the recovery signal to deactivate the notification of voice messages stored for the subscriber.

8. - The system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the voice message unit, when transmitting the notification message, is also functional to transmit a wireless message terminating the notification to the wireless switch and transmitting a wire message of notification term to the wired switch.

9. - The system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the voice message unit is coupled to the wired switch by means of a physical data link of two guides to transmit and receive the signaling data to and from the switch wired and from the wireless switch.

10. - The system as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the two-way data link is an SMDI data link.

11. - The system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the voice message unit is coupled to the wireless switch by means of a physical data link to transmit the signaling data to the switch.

12. - The system as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the physical data link is a data link x.25.

13. - The system as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the data link x.25 is an SMS data link. MÉT D DE ENVIÓ INTEGRADO WIRELESS / WIRELESS VOICE MESSAGES SUMMARY A method and system for providing an integrated wired / wireless voice message delivery for a subscriber having a wired telephone and a wireless composite handset utilizing a wired switch that supports the wireless composite handset. A voice message unit which is coupled to the wired switch and the wireless switch to receive a voice message from a calling party by telephone for one of the wired telephones and the wireless composite handset associated with the subscriber. The voice message unit then sends the voice message to an integrated mailbox for storage there and transmits a notification message upon receipt of the voice message to provide the subscriber with an indication of the voice message stored in both the wired telephone and in the wireless composite handset.