Glenayre Electronics, Inc.

Movius Interactive Corporation

Other

IP Unity Peach, Inc.

IP Unity Glenayre, Inc.

Sonny R Bettis

Philip Lowman

James H Spencer

Ian Moraes

Jon Plotky

Julio Cesar Gonzalez

Donald W Gayton

Randy T Tkatch

Brian G Laird

Donald B Espeut, Jr

Susan W Dai

Marc Fitzhugh

Hannah W Wang

Hanna W Wang

Phillip Lowman

Mark A Yaphe

Shandton Williams

Ian M Moraes

Philip L Lowman

Jon S Plotky

A voice messaging system comprises a common message store, a local data store located remotely from the common message store, and a media server. The media server is operable to receive a call directed to a number serviced by the media server, prompt the user for a voice message, direct the voice message to the local data store for temporary storage, notify the common message store that the voice message is present in the local data store, respond to a request to transfer the voice message to the common message store, and direct the local data store to erase the message upon receipt of a communication from the common message store that the voice message was successfully saved.

System and method for message storage assurance in a geographically distributed voice messaging system

A telephone system architecture enabling various components of a telephone system to be distributed geographically yet operates as a seamlessly integrated system. A signaling gateway interfaces to the PSTN and through an SS7 interface. The signaling gateway includes a telephony protocol server. At least one other component of the telephone system includes a telephony protocol client. The telephony protocol client and telephony protocol server communicate over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The telephony protocol server provides access to the PSTN to the component having the telephony protocol client. Any functions in the various components that require an SS7 interface to the PSTN are simply handled through the signaling gateway by the telephony protocol server.

Telephony protocol server and telephony protocol client in a distributed IP architecture telecommunications system

The playback of video content delivered over a wireless network can be controlled by the provision of various control functions that can be actuated by the user. The controlled playback can be implemented on a system level, in which the delivery of the video content is controlled in response to receiving control actuation signals from a receiver device or can be implemented at the receiver device level by storing the video content and controlling the rendering of the content based on user actuations. In either implementation, the playback control can include pausing, stopping, fast-forwarding, rewinding, reversing, fast-reversing and skipping of the video content.

Video mail and content playback control with cellular handset

A telecommunications system that supports the provision of video messaging, yet maintains compatibility and operation with user equipment that is not capable of processing, receiving or rendering video content. Based on the type of user equipment, as well as user selected options, network configurations and status, and class-of-service characteristics, the telecommunications systems can revise the manner in which content is provided to the user equipment. Variations in the content provision include providing synchronized audio and video content, audio content only, video content only, video content with closed-captioning and closed-captioning only.

Provision of messaging services from a video messaging system for video compatible and non-video compatible equipment

A mailbox system that has a distributed architecture is disclosed. The system includes an application server, a media server, and message storage system having subscriber mailboxes. Application messages may be stored in a subscriber's mailbox. When the subscriber accesses an application message, the application server uses the application message to create an application, which is then provided to the media server. The media server then executes the application for the subscriber.

Signed message based application generation and delivery

A voice mail system that allows for the delivery of voice messages by chunks, thereby optimizing the delivery of the information. When a subscriber attempts to listen to his or her voice mail message, the header information for the first voice mail message is down loaded and played back to the subscriber. While the subscriber listens to the header information, the next two blocks of data of the voice message are downloaded. Upon the completion of the playback of the header information, the first two blocks of the voice mail message are available for playback and the first block is immediately available for playback. As the subscriber listens to the voice mail message subsequent blocks of the first voice mail message, and optionally header information and blocks of subsequent voice mail messages are simultaneously down loaded. Thus, the subscriber is able to seamlessly listen to the voice mail messages without a delay in the retrieval of the voice mail messages regardless of the order the subscriber listens to the messages.

Audio chunking

A voicemail system enabling various components of the voicemail system to be distributed geographically yet operate as a seamlessly integrated system is disclosed. A signal gateway interfaces with a telephone network. In addition, one or more media servers interface with the signal gateway as well as the telephone network. The signal gateway is configured to block calls to malfunctioning media servers. The signal gateway monitors the media servers, and responsive to determining that a media server has malfunctioned, the signal gateway initiates auto-blocking such that the telephone network does not route calls to the malfunctioning media server. In addition, the signal gateway is configured to auto-detect a media server responsive to the media server being initialized. The voicemail system can include a variety of other elements, such as one or more system management units and one or more central data and message store systems. Each of the elements in the voicemail system communicate with each other over an internet protocol type network. Any functions in the various elements that require interfacing with the telephone network are simply handled through the signal gateway.

Auto block and auto discovery in a distributed communication system

An enhanced Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) based voicemail system that has a distributed architecture and methods for implementing enhanced VXML based voicemail systems are disclosed. The voicemail system includes a media server, which is in communication with a telephone network. The media server is adapted to invoke a voicemail service of the distributed voicemail system and adapted to render at least a first portion of a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) page. An application server, which is in communication with the media server, is adapted to generate a VXML page and provide the VXML page to the media server. The XVML page has a tag embedded therein, and the media server processes the tag. A voicemail-account monitorer, which monitors at least a portion of the voicemail system, is invoked by the media server processing the tag.

Employing VXML to provide enhanced voicemail system

The user interface to a video based telecommunications system is enriched by the provision of multi-media user interfaces. The user interface may include active video portions along with instructional audio or may be icons or thumbnails representing available video information. Menu structures can be animated by changing the color or characteristics of the menu items in synchronization with the audio information and responsive to actions taken by the user.

Video based interfaces for video message systems and services

A telecommunications system that supports the provision of video messaging to certain user devices, based on the calling line identifier or ANI associated with the user devices. Based on the CLID or the ANI, as well as user selected options, network configurations and status, and class-of-service characteristics, the telecommunications systems can revise the manner in which content is provided to the user equipment. Variations in the content provision include providing synchronized audio and video content, audio content only, video content only, video content with closed-captioning and closed-captioning only.

Provision of messaging services from a video messaging system based on ANI and CLID

A telecommunications platform that provides redundant interfaces to a telecommunications system for multiple IP based telecommunication devices. The telecommunications platform includes a gateway cluster with two or more signaling gateways. Each signaling gateway is assigned a point code for being accessed by devices in the telecommunications system. The gateway cluster is assigned a virtual point code. Any of the IP based telecommunications devices can be accessed by the telecommunications system by routing to the virtual point code through one of the signaling gateways in the gateway cluster. Thus, if one of the signaling gateways is not available, the IP based telecommunications devices can still be accessed through one of the other signaling gateways in the gateway cluster.

Distributed telecommunications architecture providing redundant gateways and IP device integration

A telephone system architecture enabling various components of a video based telephone system to be distributed geographically yet operates as a seamlessly integrated system. A transcoding gateway provides an interface to a third generation wireless network and received video messages in a plurality of formats. These video messages are converted to a single format and provided to the video media server. The video media server can store the video messages in a message store, separated as a video component and an audio component. The entire video message can be provided to compatible equipment over the third generation wireless network. For non-compatible equipment, the audio component of the video messages can be provided.

Distributed IP architecture for telecommunications system with video mail

Outbound calling from a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) based voicemail system, which has distributed architecture, is disclosed. The voicemail system includes a media server, which is in communication with a telephone network. The media server includes multiple communication termination-link components, and the communication termination-link components are adapted to couple to trunks that extend to the telephone network. The media server also includes a network interface that is adapted to receive and provide communications to components of the telecommunications platform. The media server also includes a link-selector, a browser module, and a processor. The link-selector is adapted to select a given communication termination-link component from the plurality of communication termination-link components. The browser module is adapted to provide a browser session, which is associated with the given communication termination link, and the processor implements the link-selector and the browser module in responsive receiving an outbound notification via the network interface.

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Sonny R Bettis