Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for assembling and presenting structured voicemail messages

US6240391A · kind A · utility

172Cited by
9References
50Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 25, 1999
Grant dateMay 29, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 25, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M2201/60
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The method for assembling and presenting a structured electronic message begins when the sender creates a voicemail message that includes a plurality of messaging elements that include embedded instructions that define a structure of the message. Other messaging elements may include textual fragments, audio fragments that refer to audio data files that are associated with the message, and/or references to textual fragments and/or audio fragments that are stored at specified locations. The instructions may define a hierarchical menu structure which, when the message is presented to the recipient by a messaging system, offers the recipient different navigational choices from which the recipient may select and thus effect the information content of what is presented. The structured message is sent by the sender to the recipient at an address on a messaging system that stores the message and is capable of interpreting and assembling the messaging elements in accordance with the embedded instruction and playing-out the message to the recipient when the recipient accesses the system and retrieves the message from storage. The structured message may also include links to a specific destin…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.