Octel Communications Corporation

Vmx, Incorporated

Henry C Hyde-Thomson

David J Ladd

Reid Thomas

A voice messaging system with non-user outcalling and auto-provisioning capabilities including an automatic means for configuring a telephone number to become a subscriber to a voice messaging service. The voice messaging system of the present invention facilitates the process of acquiring a voice mailbox by providing non-user outcalling and auto-provisioning. A voice messaging service user will be able to send a non-user voice messages using the voice messaging service, and, the non-user recipient desiring to subscribe to voice mailbox service can acquire a voice mailbox simply by responding to interactive queries after the reception of the voice message. The system also automatically establishes call forwarding at the appropriate central office switch and automatically creates a voice mailbox at the voice messaging system if a non-user recipient desires to become a subscriber to the voice messaging system.

Voice-messaging system with non-user outcalling and auto-provisioning

In a computer network having a plurality of interconnected terminals and a shared memory device for storing digital data, a message handling system for sending and retrieving both voice and text messages over the computer network. A voice message is input either through a phone associated with one of the computer terminals or via a remote phone. The voice message is converted into a digital voice file which is stored on the shared memory device corresponding to the intended recipient's mailbox. Thereby, one mailbox can contain both voice and text messages. The same message handling mechanism is used for handling both voice and text messages. A list of the messages currently stored for each mailbox can be pulled for display by their respective terminals. A selected voice message may be selected for playback over the phone. Likewise, a text message may be selected for display by the terminal. Call answering and remote playback functions are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

London, United Kingdom

Henry C Hyde-Thomson