WO2001011824A2 - Procede et systeme d'echange vocal et de distribution vocale - Google Patents

Procede et systeme d'echange vocal et de distribution vocale Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001011824A2
WO2001011824A2 PCT/US2000/021555 US0021555W WO0111824A2 WO 2001011824 A2 WO2001011824 A2 WO 2001011824A2 US 0021555 W US0021555 W US 0021555W WO 0111824 A2 WO0111824 A2 WO 0111824A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
voice
messages
message
server
agent
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/021555
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2001011824A3 (fr
Inventor
Herbert Zydney
T. Barton Wolman
F. Donald Tydeman
L. Steven Rummer
Original Assignee
Ecall Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ecall Inc. filed Critical Ecall Inc.
Priority to AU65272/00A priority Critical patent/AU6527200A/en
Publication of WO2001011824A2 publication Critical patent/WO2001011824A2/fr
Publication of WO2001011824A3 publication Critical patent/WO2001011824A3/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
    • H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
    • H04M3/533—Voice mail systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L51/00—User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
    • H04L51/04—Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
    • H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
    • H04M3/533—Voice mail systems
    • H04M3/53308—Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
    • H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
    • H04M3/533—Voice mail systems
    • H04M3/53366—Message disposing or creating aspects

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the field of packet communications, and more particularly to voice packet communication systems.
  • the present invention is a system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution utilizing a voice container. Based on states, rules and type of devices provided, voice containers can be stored, transcoded and routed to the appropriate recipients instantaneously or stored for later delivery.
  • the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution allows a software agent with a user interface in conjunction with a central server to send, receive and store messages using voice containers.
  • the present invention for voice exchange and voice distribution provides the ability to store messages both locally and centrally at the server whenever the recipient is not available for a prescribed period of time.
  • the present invention allows manual or pre-programmed control of the origination, distribution and listening to these messages, and also offers the options of ringing a pre-configured phone number at the recipient's request for the delivery of the message or forwarding the message to another Internet or voice container enabled device.
  • FIG. 1 is a high level functional block diagram of the system for voice exchange and voice distribution
  • FIG. 1A is the high level functional block diagram of FIG. 1 including a voice format detection and translation system
  • FIG. 2 is a high level overview of the system architecture
  • FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of the voice container structure
  • FIG. 4 is a high level flow chart for PC to PC and PC to network communications utilizing the system for voice exchange and voice distribution
  • FIG. 5 is a high level flow chart for dial in emulation from a telephone utilizing the system for voice exchange and voice distribution;
  • FIG. 6 is a high level flow chart for spot calling utilizing the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution
  • FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system with respect to the originator
  • FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system with respect to the central server
  • FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system with respect to the recipient.
  • FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator of a voice spot;
  • FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for a voice spot;
  • FIG. 12 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the recipient of a voice spot;
  • FIG. 13 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator and recipient for an anonymous voice communication
  • FIG. 14 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for an anonymous voice communication
  • FIG. 15 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for emulation through a telephone system;
  • FIG. 16 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator of a voice container with multimedia attachments;
  • FIG. 17 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for a voice container with multimedia attachments;
  • FIG. 18 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the recipient of a voice container with multimedia attachments;
  • FIG. 19 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to preparing a voice container without a PC;
  • FIG. 20 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment illustrating the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to playing a voice container on a non-PC based appliance.
  • the present invention a method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution, is particularly well suited for use in connecting Internet users and shall be so described, the present invention is equally well suited for use in other network communication systems such as an Intranet, Extranet and interworking with traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). While the present invention is particularly well suited for voice exchange it is equally well suited for any form of audio message exchange.
  • PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
  • a method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution is accessed by a communication device through a non-packet link, the voice packet (voice container) is converted into the corresponding protocol and form necessary for communication with the communication device as well as to cross through the non-packet link.
  • TCP/IP Transaction Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
  • Domain names direct where e-mail is sent, files are found, and computer resources are located. They are used when accessing information on the World Wide Web (Web or WWW) or connecting to other computers through Telenet.
  • Internet users enter the domain name, which is automatically converted to the Internet Protocol address by the Domain Name System (DNS).
  • DNS Domain Name System
  • the DNS is a service provided by TCP/IP that translates the symbolic name into an IP address by looking up the domain name in a database.
  • E-mail was one of the first services developed on the Internet. Today, e-mail is an important service on any computer network, not just the Internet. E-mail involves sending a message from one computer account to another computer account. E-mail is used to send textual information as well as files, including graphic files, executable file, word processing and other files. E-mail is becoming a popular way to conduct business over long distances. Using e-mail to contact a business associate can be faster than using a voice telephone, because the recipient can read it at a convenient time, and the sender can include as much information as needed to explain the situation.
  • SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
  • Internic RFC #821 entitled “Simple Mail Transfer Protocol” dated August 1982 (http://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc821.txt), which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • a transport service provides an interprocess communication environment (IPCE).
  • IPCE may cover one network, span several networks, or a subset of a network. IPCEs are not one-to-one connections, but may communicate through another process, such as a mutually known IPCE.
  • E-mail is a use of interprocess communications. E-mail can be communicated between processes in different IPCEs by relaying them through a process connecting two or more IPCEs. Therefore e-mail can be relayed between hosts on different transport systems by a host on both transport systems.
  • a browser is an application which knows how to interpret and display hypertext documents that are located on the Web.
  • Hypertext documents contain commands, references and links to other text and documents. This allows a reader to quickly access related text.
  • many documents contain graphics, audio and animation.
  • HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol
  • IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
  • HyperText Markup Language is an authoring software language used to create Web pages. HTML is basically ASCII text surrounded by HTML commands in angle brackets, which are then interpreted by a browser.
  • Standard Generalized Markup Language SGML
  • SGML Standard Generalized Markup Language
  • Extensible Markup Language is a pared-down version of SGML, designed especially for Web documents. It enables designers to create their own customized tags to provide functionality not available with HTML.
  • a Uniform Resource Locators is a pointer or link to a location.
  • the URL contains a transmission protocol, such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a domain name of the target computer system, a page identifier and a bookmark.
  • HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol
  • the WWW is the graphical data transfer area of the Internet. This is the area of the Internet Home Pages and web sites are found.
  • the WWW has become a popular place to advertise businesses, but it can also be used as a front end for electronic commerce (e-commerce). Many companies have on-line ordering on their web sites. While this segment of the web is not growing as fast as many analysts predicted, it is still gaining wide acceptance as the public's trust of web security grows.
  • An Intranet is similar to the Internet except it is used to disseminate information within a company's network and is protected from the general public through the use of a Firewall. Sometimes, the users on an Intranet will have access to sites on the Internet, but unregistered users on the Internet do not have access to the Intranet.
  • An Internet Browser is a program that is able to read HTML and follow Hyperlinks in order to present the information included on a World Wide Web site.
  • a browser has the capability of entering data on forms included on those web sites and has the capability to download information off of a web site.
  • Most Internet browsers increase the speed of data transmission by sending downloaded data to a cache directory, where it can be accessed again the next time the data is requested rather than downloading it off the web site again.
  • On-line commerce uses the Internet, of which the World Wide Web is a part, to transfer information about goods and services in exchange for payment or customer data needed to facilitate payment.
  • Potential customers can supply a company with shipping and invoicing information without having to tie up sales staff.
  • the convenience offered to the customer is that they don't have to drive around town all day looking for the product they want.
  • An intelligent agent must have the capability to take actions leading to the completion of a task or objective, such as accessing security databases for validation of credit card information, reading e-mail, determining status of a recipient of a message, validation of message addressing, etc., without trigger or input from an end- user.
  • the details of the programming of the intelligent agent are known to those skilled in the art.
  • the functioning and design of intelligent software agents are described in "Software Agents: An Overview" by Hyacinth S. Nwana, Knowledge Engineering Review, Vol. 11, No.
  • the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution between computers, telecommunication devices and Internet appliances provides the ability to communicate spontaneously, in the user's own voice, without the limitations of written communications for natural expression.
  • the present invention for voice exchange and voice distribution provides a voice intercom system with instant messaging, distributed over the Internet.
  • the present invention is like a voice intercom system in that one of the parties in the conversation may speak or listen, but not both at once.
  • FIG. 1 there is illustrated a high level functional block diagram of the system for voice exchange and voice distribution.
  • the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution 20 allows a software agent 22 with a user interface in conjunction with a central server 24 to send, receive and store messages using voice containers illustrated by transmission line 26 in a pack and send mode of operation to another software agent 28.
  • a pack and send mode of operation is one in which the message is first acquired, compressed and then stored in a voice container 26 which is then sent to its destination(s).
  • the present invention for voice exchange and voice distribution provides the ability to store messages 30 both locally and centrally at the server whenever the recipient is not available for a prescribed period of time.
  • the present invention allows users to send and receive voice messages via convention analog phones 32 and 34 in which case the user's agent 36 is located remote to the user and preferably proximate to or integrated with the server.
  • the remote agent allows manual or pre-programmed control of the origination, distribution and listening to these messages, and also offers the options of ringing a pre-configured phone number at the recipient's request for the delivery of the message or forwarding the message to another Internet or voice container enabled device.
  • the present invention is designed to adapt to the voice and data compression capabilities of the user's existing hardware and software platform. More specifically, the agent of the present invention may be adapted to work on a personal computer, wireless handheld computer such a personal data assistant (PDA), digital telephone, or beeper. In each case different voice and compression applications and data formats may be available as dictated by the hardware platform and software residing thereon.
  • the present invention includes a voice/compression software detector 38 and 40 that communicates the format of the voice data to be transmitted and/or received. Voice data is transmitted to the server in the format provided by the agent . Where the Personal Computer includes several voice compressions formats the agent may include a hierarchical list of preferred formats in which the most preferred format is selected.
  • Criteria for selecting the format may include transmission bandwidth, lossy versus lossless compression and voice quality parameters such as sampling rates.
  • the voice data is transmitted in a voice container.
  • voice containers refers to a container object that contains no methods, but contains voice data or voice data and voice data properties. In the latter case, voice data properties may be tailored to the use desired by the user or may be inherent from the voice data and/or hardware platform upon which the agent is reusing. For example, the agent when reusing from a PDA may only have one voice data format available. In later versions of the Windows 95, 98, 2000 and NT operating system by Microsoft, the GSM data compression or codec is included.
  • the server is adapted to recognized the voice format of voice data contained in the voice containers, this information may be communicated by the agent prior to a voice container transmission, included in the voice container or provided to the server from the agent when polled by the server.
  • the data format available is provided to the server upon the initial session communication between the agent and the server.
  • Voice containers transmitted from a sending agent to a receiving agent have different data formats are routed through the server in which a translator 42 converts the voice data in the voice containers from the sender's data format to the receiver's data format.
  • a Software Agent utilized by the sender of the voice container provides the following functionality: log on to a central server 46; authenticate to the central server 48; address the recipient(s) and pack message into a voice container or multiple voice containers 50; and, enable transport 52 of the voice container to the recipient or the central server.
  • a central server is made up of several sub-components including an authentication server 54, a message server 56, a notification server 58, a registration server 60, a proxy server 62, an OA&M Server 64, a capabilities exchange 66, a compression engine 68, a transcoding server (translator) 70 and transport server 72.
  • an authentication server 54 a message server 56, a notification server 58, a registration server 60, a proxy server 62, an OA&M Server 64, a capabilities exchange 66, a compression engine 68, a transcoding server (translator) 70 and transport server 72.
  • the Central Server provides the following functionality: register and authenticate the senders and receivers; control the identifiers of software agents; maintain and provide the status of all software agents; store the voice container if the recipients are not available; converts the voice container for PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network); and, generate outgoing calls and emulate the software agent when the sender or recipient is a traditional phone or other voice container enabled device.
  • PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
  • a Software Agent utilized by the recipient provides the following functionality: log on to the central server; authenticate to the central server; retrieve any undelivered voice containers; and, unpack the voice container and play the message.
  • the Connection Service Description
  • the central server in conjunction with the software agent controls, stores and switches the voice containers to the appropriate recipients.
  • the server will initially register and authenticate the software agent. It will track and maintain the status of all software agents. It will notify the software agent to send the voice container directly to the recipient if the recipient is available or it will store the voice container for the intended recipient if the recipient is not available. In addition, it will also convert the voice container for delivery over traditional phone networks if the recipient is a phone or to other voice container enabled devices.
  • Software Agent - Recipient If the recipient is not on-line, the messages will be transported to them when they log on to a network. The software agent will open the voice container upon arrival and play the message to the user.
  • the originator selects one or more intended recipients from a list of names that have been previously entered into the software agent.
  • the agent permits a number of distinct modes of communication based on the status of the recipient.
  • the status of all recipients entered into the software agent is frequently conveyed to the software agent by the central server. This includes whether the core states of whether the recipient is online or offline, but also offers related status information, for example whether the recipient does not want to be disturbed.
  • the software agent is also notified on the recipient's Internet Protocol (IP) address.
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • the software agent offers the originator alternative ways to communicate with the recipient. This choice can either be dictated by the originator or automatically selected by the software agent, according to rules that are stored. More than two choices are available when all the status information is considered.
  • the originator can either begin a real-time "intercom" call which simulates a telephone call or a voice instant messaging session, which allows for an interruptible conversation.
  • the choice of these modes depends on the activities of both parties, the intended length of conversation and the quality of the communications path between the two individuals, which is generally not controlled by either party.
  • the previously stored IP address is used to enable direct, peer-to-peer communications.
  • the originator can either begin a voice mail conversation that will be delivered the next time the recipient logs in or can be delivered to the recipient's e- Mail as a digitally encoded MTME attachment. Again, the choice of delivery options is based on the interests of both parties and whether the recipient is sufficiently mobile that access to the registered computer is not always available. For these cases, the voice containers are delivered to the central server to manage the ultimate delivery to the recipient. Once the delivery mode has been selected, the originator digitally records messages for one or more recipients using a microphone-equipped device and the software agent. The software agent compresses the voice and stores the file temporarily on the PC if the voice will be delivered as an entire message.
  • the agent decides on whether to transport the voice containers to a central file system and/or sends it directly to another software agent using the IP address previously stored in the software agent. If the intended recipient has a compatible active software agent on line after log on, the central server downloads the voice recording almost immediately to the recipient. The voice is uncompressed and the recipient can hear the recording through the speakers or headset attached to their computer. The recipient can reply in a complementary way, allowing for near real-time communications.
  • the voice recording is stored in the central server until the recipient's software agent is active. In both cases, the user is automatically notified of available messages once the voice recordings have been downloaded to storage on their computer.
  • the central server coordinates with software agents on all computers continuously, updating addresses, uploading and downloading files and selectively retaining voice recordings in central storage.
  • the originator can include and reference other Internet and file based information, by including that in the data elements of the format.
  • an e-Mail recipient could choose to reference the e-Mail but respond with voice to one or more addressees of the e-Mail.
  • the forwarded recipients could either receive this in the software agent, which can portray the original e-Mail, or as a standard MTME attachment to e-Mail, or in both ways depending on administrative settings.
  • Telephone connections can emulate the basic service, allowing users on any telephone connection to send voice recordings to others or to receive their own recordings.
  • Calls may be originated from the central server to one or more telephones, based on rules and preferences provided by the recipient, when a voice container is completed.
  • the central server will transcode the voice component to commonly used network formats. It will then ring (or otherwise alert) the distant telephone and allow the individual who answers to either listen to the voice container or let it remain in storage.
  • the answerer can be given the option of speaking a voice destined for the originator, which will again be transcoded and returned to the subject system, for delivery to the originator.
  • mobile users can call into the central server and request to hear messages pending delivery to their system address.
  • the addresses may be assigned by individuals based on their own choice of "name", allowing anonymous voice communications to occur.
  • voice recordings may be exchanged based on personal profiles of people with similar interests.
  • Interworking with other services the customer utilizes can be provided. This includes converting the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution voice containers to and from conventional voice mail services; attaching voice containers to e-mail messages; and converting e-mail text to voice for delivery by the present invention.
  • An important application of the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution includes the ability for large numbers of people to voice communicate with one person or others in a large group with high voice fidelity and either local or centralized control.
  • a single person such as a seller in an on line auction, can communicate with others in a controlled bidding group in natural voice communications.
  • a visual presentation of messages from bidders allows the listener to hear them in any order, to repeat them to others participating in the conversation, or to flow the messages to one or more of the other participants. Either through manual means or through programmed means, this allows a near real-time dynamic exchange of information.
  • Conventional telephonic solutions require both complex hardware and careful sound adjustments. They also offer limited control of who can hear and be heard. By using the address list and the rely function, the sender can select one or multiple recipients for the message.
  • voice containers may have digitized greeting cards appended to them to present a personalized greeting.
  • the voice container has the ability to have other data types attached to it and thus be transported to the recipient.
  • the voice container can formatted using industry standards such as Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) format.
  • MIME Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension
  • This extension allows non-textual messages and multipart message bodies attachments to be specified in the message headers.
  • MIME was developed and adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
  • IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
  • the MIME protocol which is an extension of SMTP, covers binary, audio and video data.
  • RFC 1342 MIME Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions: Mechanisms for Specifying and Describing the Format of Internet Message Bodies. N. Borenstein, N. Freed. June 1992; RFC 1344 Implications of MIME for Internet Mail Gateways. N. Borenstein. June 1992; RFC 1426 SMTP Service Extension for 8bit-MTMEtransport. J. Klensin, WG Chair, N. Freed, Editor, M. Rose, E. Stefferud & D. Crocker. February 1993; RFC 1428 Transition of Internet Mail from Just-Send-8 to 8bit-SMTP/MIME. G. Vaudreuil.
  • Another application of the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution is permitting the recording of one or more voice packet messages on a personal computer, voice container enabled device or by telephone emulation to be heard on a networked computer.
  • Another computer displaying a Web page with an embedded icon for voice container, can request the delivery of an appropriate voice recording, which in turn can be played through the PC speakers.
  • the software agent can then accept voice response from the Web page viewer and allow a live or stored conversation to be exchanged.
  • This process is enabled by the Web page directing an HTTP-encoded message to the Web server containing the UserlD of the Web page owner.
  • the Web server enquires of the machine that contains the software agent using existing Web commands This permits the proxy server to direct the Web owner's voice to the approp ⁇ ate software agent.
  • An example is a real estate ad, in which an agent's voice explains important features of a property when the page is loaded on a PC. Additionally, more than one voice packet message can be tailored to the page for a visitor, based on information obtained at log in, through stored information in the personal computer, or based on dynamic information accumulated by the host service provider du ⁇ ng a particular user's session For example, a real estate visitor might view small and large apartment ads At a particular site, a pre-determmed filter could ask for a voice packet message emphasizing the consumer benefits of the larger apartments when they are visited Alternatively, new messages can be quickly recorded and replace older messages if, for example, there is a p ⁇ ce change or demand leaves only a few remaining units.
  • the voice recordings that are made via a microphone or converted by text-to- speech software can be used for many other purposes.
  • These voice files can be played and recorded using voice container enabled devices
  • These devices include Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), microprocessor based appliances, such as set-top boxes, or audio play-back devices, such as MPEG Layer-3 (MP3) audio play-back devices.
  • PDAs Personal Digital Assistants
  • MP3 MPEG Layer-3
  • the result is a connection between the Internet and voice-playback devices useful for many practical applications including but not limited to. talking road maps - an Internet- generated voice road map played through a tape player or MP3 player, talking calendars - an Internet-coordinated voice calendar reminder system; and, talking schedules - an Internet-driven voice scheduler, for wake up calls or TV programs.
  • These capabilities include: how long voice containers are stored in the central server; how quickly voice containers are accepted and delivered; the elapsed time of any given voice container; the number of parties that may simultaneously send and receive voice containers in a session; the degree of interworking between the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution and other systems; the inclusion of system- generated messages which present audible advertising that generate revenues for the service provider; and, the number and type of attachments that can accompany a voice container message.
  • Voice container structural components Referring to FIG. 3 there is illustrated an exemplary embodiment of the voice container having voice data and voice data properties components.
  • Voice container components include an originator's code 302 (which is a unique identifier), one or more recipient's code 304, originating time 306, delivery time(s) 308, number of "plays" 310, voice container source 312 which may be a PC, telephone agent, non-PC based appliance, or other, voice container reuse restrictions 314 which may include one time and destroy 316, no forward 318, password retrieval 320, delivery priority 322, session values 324, session number 326, sequence number for partitioned sequences, 328, repeating information 330, no automatic repeat 332, repeat times 334, and a repeat schedule 336. Additionally, the voice container will have information concerning codec type, size, sample rate, and data. The voice container will be sent using standard TCP/IP transport.
  • the central server consists of many components. These components can reside in a single physical hardware server or across multiple servers. No dependency exists on the operating system, hardware, database mechanism, or transport for the
  • the registration server assigns the software agent a unique address. This address is used for all communications from the software agent to the server, it components and between other software agents. The address assigned will be maintained in a data store. Each software agent may have multiple e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, name aliases, or other identifiers that may be associated with the unique id of the software agent.
  • the authentication server will permit or deny access to software agents based on the unique id of the software agent and a user name and password.
  • the protocol between the software agent and the authentication server will be sent through a proxy server. This helps insure a high degree of security.
  • Authentication is currently assumed to be through an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) mechanism to a Structured Query Language (SQL) server. Future solutions may be using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Version 3.0. Authentication will be done in the authentication server.
  • ODBC Open Database Connectivity
  • SQL Structured Query Language
  • LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
  • the proxy server permits software agents accesses to backend servers and to retrieve/store voice files in the backend servers.
  • the proxy server feature provides the capability to authenticate users through authentication servers and then switch incoming requests from the authenticated users to backend servers through a Firewall.
  • Software agents will gain access to the system through the log on process which interfaces with the notification server. Once authenticated, software agents will have access to the features and functions of the rest of the system. When a software agent has been authenticated all other software agents that are in the specific group or community of the authenticated software agent will be notified that the other agent(s) are on line. Should a software agent log off the system then a notification of such will be sent to all interested software agents. The software agent will notify the server with the Internet address that they are currently using for the session to identify where the messages should be sent. The message server will be the repository for messages sent to software agents that are not logged onto the system. Once a software agent has been authenticated all messages that have been stored on the message server will be sent to the appropriate software agent.
  • a software agent If a software agent is on-line, i.e. has been authenticated with the system and has notified other software agents via the notification server that they are on-line, the messages will be sent from each software agent to the other software agent that have their status set to available for receipt of messages.
  • Another feature of the message server is the ability for the messages to be played or retrieved from other devices such as a telephone, PDA, the Web or sound enabled devices.
  • the voice containers will contain messages that have been recorded by a codec.
  • GSM Global System for Mobile communications
  • Other codecs, such as G.723 and G.729 are also supported. Other codes may be used as they may be dependent upon the platform on which the agent is running on.
  • the Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OA&M) server will communicate with the software agent, telephone devices, and other Internet based agent to manage many functions and services. These will be detailed in the below.
  • the software agent will on log-in and authentication with the system negotiate the version number of the agent with the server. If the version of the software agent is older than the version that the server sees as the most current version than the newest version will be downloaded to the software agent and dynamically be replaced. This will be done as a background process or as a response to the user permitting the download to occur.
  • the server and the software agent communicate over a set of well-known ports. These are ports are known to the server and the software agent. It may become necessary for security, load balancing, firewalls or other purposes to change the port numbers. Port numbers will be able to be changed dynamically between the software agent and the server.
  • the OA&M protocol supports the capability of a guest log-in. At the tie of a guest log-in the server will download messages for viewing at the software agent. Special processing will occur on the software agent. This will be detailed in a later section.
  • the server will maintain a unique set of lists for each software agent. These lists will contain the identifiers of the other software agents that are permitted to send and receive voice containers and other media, types.
  • the server will maintain the current list of agents and be able to create, delete, and modify those lists based on software agent requests or web based administration.
  • a software agent will also have the ability to block of filter unwanted messages by sending a command to the server.
  • the software agent and the server will be able to set and manage the bandwidth and the number of sessions that they can manage. This will be based on the connection that is available to the device, the transport being used, and the size and basis of the messages that are being sent.
  • the software agent and the server will be able to set on a system wide or message by message basis the various privacy features of the messages. This will include the forwarding of messages from one agent or another and the denial of forwarding of the messages.
  • Each software agent that has been loaded and registered with the system will in addition to the standard codec used for the encryption and decryption of the voice containers detail the other codecs that the software agent may have access to on the system.
  • the information about the codecs will be retained in the server. The information that will be retained includes the codec name, associated numbers, format, sampling rate, and number of bits.
  • voice containers may be delivered from the server to the software agent. These include advertisements, administrative messages from the present invention system and method for voice exchange and voice distribution, faxes, images, and interconnection with other real time services such as H.323. SIP, and
  • the server will also maintain the current address and/or priority of the delivery of the messages for the software agent and other devices that the message should be delivered to for the end user.
  • the message server will download all messages to the software agent and/or retain copies of the messages based on administrative settings from the user.
  • the software agent When the software agent registers with the server it will send information on the capabilities of the hardware and software of the system onto which it has been installed.
  • the information will include all of the codecs, real time services, standards based services, and products that the software agent can interface and operate with on the device.
  • the server will have the ability to transcode the voice container that has been recorded with the default codec.
  • Other codec formats may be supported on other devices. This will enable the other device to have the ability to play or record messages to registered user population in formats that they can decode.
  • An example of this would be the ability to send a voice container that has been sent from the software agent to the server and then sent as an e-mail attachment to a larger end user population.
  • the software agent needs to be able to be operate under multiple operating system platforms.
  • a user or company may want to block access to services provided by the present invention. If the service is blocked by a Firewall the security policy in place will be honored.
  • the design should take into account potential software agents behind other firewalls and enable the software agent to communicate when a Firewall is in place with the server if permitted by the security policies of the Firewall.
  • the software agent can be changed to use other available ports, most notably the ports used for generic request-response traffic for the World Wide Web.
  • the software agent-server-proxy protocol set of functions are a byte oriented, acknowledged protocol.
  • the transport mechanism for all communications will be over TCP/IP, Universal Data Protocol (UDP), and the PSTN between all software agents and the server. This will be dependent on the devices supported.
  • Each software agent on the system will have a 32-character agentlD.
  • the emaillD of the user can be the same as this agentlD. If the emaillD is not 32 characters, the software agent should appropriately expand it to a 32-character ID.
  • all of the known and supported codec as well as the default codec will be interrogated and reported to the server. This will be retained for coding optimization, transcoding, system performance, and quality going forward.
  • Data report from the software agent and the host system include capabilities such as sound enabled, microphone enabled, and other compatible software programs and utilities that may exist.
  • the software agent will start a log on process with the authentication server through the proxy server every time the system is started, re-started, or if the user logs off from the system.
  • the log-on process will consist of the user identifier and password that was established during the initial registration process. If the user is at the device or machine where the software agent id was originated the user will be able to perform all of the functions that the system provides.
  • a successful log-in will result in all of the user messages waiting in the message server being downloaded to the software agent. The user may have elected to retain copies on the message server. If this is the case the messages will be retained at the server until they have been aged off by administrative settings.
  • the agent can be administered to repeat the login process repeatedly over Firewall ports that are normally open, such as the port for the World Wide Web.
  • the request from the software agent will be received by the proxy server, and all notification information (such as who else is on line in the users "buddy list") as well as downloading all available messages.
  • all agent-stored messages will be delivered to the server.
  • the timing for this process can be dynamically adjusted so that the user perceives little or no delays for the exchange of voice containers with other online agents.
  • the user may also be an another machine where they can perform a guest log-in.
  • guest log-on from the software agent and then inputting their user id and password the message server will download the messages to the software agent.
  • Users will also be able to log onto the system by dialing into a telephone numbers and by using voice recognition, touch-tone entry or other means be able to retrieve their voice containers.
  • Authentication server refers to a software agent connecting through a proxy to the server used for verifying the userlD and password of a user trying to log onto the system.
  • the software agent will authenticate through the proxy serer using a well defined secure protocol.
  • the software agent will send a copy of the currently logged on Internet address to the notification server for purposes of notifying other software agents of its status and receiving messages.
  • control messages from a client machine to the proxy server (which are forwarded by the proxy server to the backend server) are encrypted.
  • the messages from the proxy server to the authentication server/backend servers are also encrypted.
  • the proxy server may listen on several ports for connection requests from clients. Against each port the proxy server listens on, there will be only one authentication server to which the proxy sends the client information for authentication.
  • the authentication server should keep track of which user in its database belongs to which backend server. If a user is moved from one backend server to another backend server, the backend server should update the authentication server with the new information.
  • the software agent can be designed to allow different parties to change the UserlD and password and reuse the same machine, at different times.
  • the software agent After the software agent has logged onto the system and has been authenticated they will have access to the system. During the authentication process the Internet address of the newly authenticated software agent will be made known to all other interested software agents and retained in the proxy server. The notification process will also query the server to find out the other registered software agents that are currently logged onto the system and send the Internet address of the other logged on software agents to the authenticated, newly logged on software agent.
  • Software agents may also be in other states that will be communicated to the other logged on software agents. These states would be the following: Available - available for messages or live talking; Do Not Disturb - available for messages but not live talking; Not Available - system is logged on but not accepting messages or live talk; Will return - Stepped out of the office and is accepting messages; Out to Lunch - Stepped out to lunch and is accepting messages; Not logged on - Message will be sent to the message server
  • Messages will be created on the software agent using the default codec or another codec available on the system. This codec can be automatically selected based on service parameters. For example, less efficient codecs may be selected where they are known to have more universal support in some applications.
  • Messages will be stored on the server until the software agent has gone on line and authenticated. Once authenticated all of the messages for that software agent will be sent to the software agent. A copy of the messages may be retained at the message server. Other software agents will be able to send messages directly to the software agent that has authenticated. This will be done on a peer-to-peer software agent basis. Multiple software agents may be sent a copy of the message. Software agents that are not logged onto the system will receive a copy in the message server.
  • a delayed message that can be sent or received to/from other software agents and a live talk mode.
  • the live talk mode will send the voice container to another software agent to be decoded in real time.
  • Both the live talk and messaging capabilities will be influenced by the state of the software agent as described in notification process section above.
  • the message server can also send the voice container to a user that is or is not using a registered software agent as an e-mail attachment.
  • the recipient can be specified from within the software agent and can be part of the software agents' list without being registered as a user on the system.
  • Each message will have a unique identifier that will encode the sending software agents identifier, the destination software agents and non-registered users, the codec used, date and time of the message, the forwarding rules and permissions, body of the message, and whether the message was received, played, or deleted without listening. Since a message may go from one peer to another without the messaging server being involved a message will be sent to the server with all of the pertinent information about the message but not the body. This information will be used for monitoring of the service, guaranteeing service levels, and verifying end user software agent functions.
  • FIG. 4 there is a high level flow chart for PC to PC and PC to network communications utilizing the system for voice exchange and voice distribution.
  • FIG. 5 there is a high level flow chart for dial in emulation from a telephone utilizing the system for voice exchange and voice distribution.
  • FIG. 6 a high level flow chart for spot calling utilizing the system for voice exchange and voice distribution.
  • FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator.
  • FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server.
  • FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the recipient.
  • FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the recipient.
  • FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator of a voice spot.
  • FIG. 11 there is shown a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for a voice spot.
  • FIG. 12 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the recipient of a voice spot.
  • FIG. 13 there is shown a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator and recipient for an anonymous voice communication.
  • FIG. 14 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for an anonymous voice communication.
  • FIG. 14 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for an anonymous voice communication.
  • FIG. 15 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for emulation through a telephone system.
  • FIG. 16 there can be seen a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the originator of a voice container with multimedia attachments.
  • FIG. 17 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the central server for a voice container with multimedia attachments.
  • FIG. 18 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to the recipient of a voice container with multimedia attachments.
  • FIG. 19 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to preparing a voice container without a PC.
  • FIG. 20 there is shown a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution with respect to playing a voice container on a non-PC based appliance.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
  • Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
  • Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé d'échange vocal et de distribution vocale entre des usagers d'un réseau informatique. Le procédé consiste à créer un message dans une boîte vocale; à contacter un serveur central pour localiser un destinataire du message; à transmettre le message au destinataire s'il est disponible; à stocker le message si le destinataire n'est pas disponible. Le procédé permet en outre de contrôler l'origine, la distribution et l'écoute des messages; il offre également au destinataire qui en fait la demande l'option de composer un numéro de téléphone préconfiguré pour se faire transmettre le message ou l'envoyer à un autre dispositif actif d'Internet ou de boîte vocale.
PCT/US2000/021555 1999-08-06 2000-08-07 Procede et systeme d'echange vocal et de distribution vocale WO2001011824A2 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU65272/00A AU6527200A (en) 1999-08-06 2000-08-07 Method and system for voice exchange and voice distribution

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US14761299P 1999-08-06 1999-08-06
US60/147,612 1999-08-06

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WO2001011824A2 true WO2001011824A2 (fr) 2001-02-15
WO2001011824A3 WO2001011824A3 (fr) 2001-08-30

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US7127047B2 (en) 2002-01-14 2006-10-24 Mitel Networks Corporation Method and apparatus for establishing and maintaining voice communication among a community of interest
US8903057B2 (en) 2008-09-29 2014-12-02 Microsoft Corporation Offline voicemail
US20210288807A1 (en) * 2018-07-10 2021-09-16 Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd. System and method for performing biometric authentication
CN113542260A (zh) * 2021-07-12 2021-10-22 宏图智能物流股份有限公司 一种基于分发方式的仓库用语音传输方法

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WO1999014918A1 (fr) * 1997-09-15 1999-03-25 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Appareil d'emission vocale pour messages parles dans un reseau de telecommunication
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WO1999014918A1 (fr) * 1997-09-15 1999-03-25 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Appareil d'emission vocale pour messages parles dans un reseau de telecommunication
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1280326A1 (fr) * 2001-07-25 2003-01-29 The Sound of Data B.V. Renvoi des messages vocaux comme des attachements de e-mail avec une interface contrôlée par la voix pour l'authentification
US7127047B2 (en) 2002-01-14 2006-10-24 Mitel Networks Corporation Method and apparatus for establishing and maintaining voice communication among a community of interest
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CN113542260A (zh) * 2021-07-12 2021-10-22 宏图智能物流股份有限公司 一种基于分发方式的仓库用语音传输方法

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WO2001011824A3 (fr) 2001-08-30

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