Nortel Networks Corporation

Northern Telecom Limited

Apple Inc.

Avaya Inc.

Paul Michael Brennan

Lloyd Malcolm Florence

Robert A Williamson

Jason Adelman

Anne Grosman

Richard A Weiss

John C Myers

Pieter Groen

Steve Nixon

Todd Joseph Wongkee

Brian Cruickshank

John Eric Lumsden

Henry F Raud

Raymond M Mark

This invention provides an enhancement to messaging systems by providing a message notification feature which allows a user to manage only new messages for which a notification has not yet been cleared without having to access or download the entire set of messages. This management may be performed in single window that operates in conjunction with an application associated with the messaging system. The notification management permits manipulation of the message notifications without influencing the status of the messages themselves, while providing access to the data contained in these messages. This addresses the needs of those users who frequently check their incoming communications queues and need to determine very quickly which items need urgent attention and which ones can be deferred. The present invention further provides specific functionalities for handling a particular message when it does need urgent attention.

Enhanced unified messaging system with a quick view facility

Methods and apparatus for operating on a non-text (voice or fax) message include for each of a number of voice messages, searching each voice message for signal samples having one of a plurality of sets of pre-defined characteristics (such as any seven or ten digit number which is then assumed to be a telephone number). For each signal sample found to have one of the sets of pre-defined characteristics, the found signal sample is associated with an equivalent text string and this text string is stored in an envelope for the message. Based on a user input, the messages may be searched for a given text string and on finding a message envelope containing the given text string, such message may be operated upon.

Methods and apparatus for operating on non-text messages

The present invention provides a means for an end user to customize a speech-based user interface, such as those used in status and control for such applications as messaging, unified communications, automobile control, and many others. The invention consists of two major components: a graphical configuration component, and a run-time component. The graphical configuration component allows a user to quickly and efficiently: specify the information they wish to be included in spoken summaries; restructure command menus or vocabulary structures to meet their personal requirements, moving commonly-used commands to the 'top' of a hierarchy or vocabulary structure, and rarely-used commands to the bottom layers; create additional commands to access information relating to functions external to the system, e.g. access data from the web, or control another device or system, via the web; and save the customization for use by the run-time program. The run time program is embedded into the speech user interface module of the system, and effectively executes the customized speech based user interface. Some existing speech user interface modules may already be 'data driven', thus providing an excellent foundation for implementing the invention.

Speech based status and control user interface customisable by the user

The present invention allows Internet instant messaging to be accessed via a telephone. Instant messaging access from any telephone in the world may be provided via a telephone messaging system. Alternatively, access can be embodied independently as a stand-alone telephone service, for example provided by a telephone company, provided by a company network, or provided by a user's personal IVR service implemented on his PC. An advantage of the present invention is providing simple, cost effective and readily available access to data network instant messaging from a telephone.

Telephone based access to instant messaging

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for providing an addressee of a stored message with a graphical notification associated with a source of the stored message. In general terms, a communications device of the addressee is presented with the graphical notification in the form of an information signal which relates the stored message to at least one graphical image associated with the source of the stored message.

Graphical message notification

During a telephone call, a party to the call may signal (by, for example, sending certain DTMF tones (a wish to provide his or her location to the other party to the call. The central office responds to this request by accessing a subscriber record for the communication line (e.g., subscriber loop) terminating at the requesting party and sending location information in the subscriber record to the other party to the call. Depending upon the technology available, the location information may be supplied in-band or on a parallel datapath.

User controlled location sharing during a communication

When a caller calls a call busy called station, the caller may request that a message be provided to the called station while the caller waits. In such instance, the called station receives the message while busy with the other call. The message may be speech indications provided by the caller which are received by the called station at a volume normally associated with a whisper. The speech indications may be recorded from the caller and the caller given an opportunity to edit same before they are sent. The message may also be a text message where the called station supports text or has an associated text-based telephone appliance.

Call waiting messaging

Call processing software, methods and equipment providing enhanced notifications are disclosed. Personal agent call processing software executing at a personal agent processor uses existing calling line identification display and calling party name display (CLID/CPND) fields associated with telephony call signals provide these enhanced notification. For example, events that are unrelated to incoming calls may be signaled. Similarly, information derived from incoming CLID information in accordance with subscriber preferences may be provided to a destination. As well, the name or number of the called party and information derived from the CLID/CPND information of the calling party may be provided to a destination. Conveniently, existing telephone appliances capable of display of CLID/CPND information may thus be used to receive a wide variety of notifications.

Call processing software, methods and equipment providing enhanced notifications

Information systems which provide access over a variety of devices (e.g. telephones, automated banking machines, computers) typically require that passcodes be numeric to allow entry on all device types. Alphabetic characters are associated with the numeric digits on both telephones and automated banking machines, allowing users to use mnemonic words to remember their numeric passcodes. Computer terminals do not have this association, creating user difficulties. The invention translates text entry on a computer keyboard into the equivalent numeric digits according to an appropriate mapping.

Feature to facilitate numeric passcode entry

A call answering system or device for a telephone network provides a mechanism for an outbound message (typically a greeting in a call answering scenario) to be identified as semi-interruptible. An attempt to skip over a semi-interruptible message activates a warning message to alert the caller of the special status of the message. The caller may then choose to resume listening to the original message, or confirm their decision to skip it.

Semi-interruptible messages for telephone systems making voice

A speech recognition system having multiple recognition vocabularies, and a method of selecting an optimal working vocabulary used by the system are disclosed. Each vocabulary is particulary suited for recognizing speech in a particular language, or with a particular accent or dialect. The system prompts a speaker for an initial spoken response; receives the initial spoken response; compares the response to each of a set of possible responses in an initial speech recognition vocabulary to determine a response best matched in the initial vocabulary. A working speech recognition vocabulary is selected from a plurality of speech recognition vocabularies, based on the best matched response.

Speech recognition system and method

In a telephone system, if the telephone set of a called party is busy or an incoming call is not answered, the called party is unavailable. In this event an incoming call may progress to become intercepted at an attendant position or at a voice features server. A call take back feature permits the called party to be aware of an intercepted call progress so that the called party may retrieve the incoming call by going OFF HOOK and conversing directly with the calling party. A call screening feature is also available. The call screening feature permits the called party to hear the calling party's voice during an intercepted call progress via an audible link provided by the telephone system from the intercepted call. The called party may, at his discretion, retrieve the incoming call from the intercepted call progress by going OFF HOOK and conversing directly with the calling party.

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Toronto, Canada

Paul Michael Brennan