Abstract: A communication support system is connected with a network enabling communication among user terminals and is capable of accessing a user information recording portion in which shared information concerning users and access information showing users who accessed the shared information are recorded. The communication support system includes: a user identification portion that acquires a communication start request from a user terminal and identifies an originator and a receiver; a retrieval portion that retrieves shared information concerning the receiver that the originator has not accessed from data recorded in the user information recording portion; and a control portion that, based on a result of the retrieval by the retrieval portion, controls the communication. Thereby, the communication support system can control whether or not to start the communication based on the presence or not of information about the receiver that the originator should confirm.
Abstract: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is established in a network that that includes a Regional/Access Network (RAN) that facilitates differentiated end-to-end data transport between an Application Service Provider (ASP) and a Customer Premises Network (CPN) that includes Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Application Programming interface (API) calls are used at the ASP to communicate with the RAN to establish VoIP service for the user having a user selected bandwidth and/or QoS associated therewith.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 3, 2004
Date of Patent:
June 19, 2012
Inventors:
Thomas Arnold Anschutz, Nicholas Steven Huslak, Edgar Vaughan Shrum, Jr.
Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product for passing a URL for XML documents via a telephone signaling system is presented. A communication is received at a first system, and a document including information relating to the communication is produced. The document is sent to a service, and the communication is transferred to a second system. The communication includes an address for retrieving the document from the service.
Abstract: A system, method, and computer-usable medium for mitigating audible acknowledgement volume in a vehicle security system. A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes measuring an amplitude of a valid signal, in response to receiving the valid signal; in response to determining the amplitude of the valid signal, comparing the amplitude to a first predetermined threshold; in response to the comparison, adjusting a volume setting of an audible acknowledgement; further adjusting the volume setting in response to measuring ambient noise of a surrounding location; and emitting the audible acknowledgement.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 19, 2006
Date of Patent:
June 5, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for score-driven management of such recordings. A score is assigned to a recording based at least in part on a plurality of monitored events that are detected for the call being recorded, and such score is then used for managing the recording, such as managing storage and/or post-processing of the recording. A recording manager is provided, which is operable to perform score-driven management of a recording. According to one embodiment, an initial score is determined for a recording at the initiation of the call being recorded. Such initial score may be determined based on fixed factors that are known at the time of the call's initiation. Various events related to the call are monitored during the call, and the score is then revised based on detected events. Management of storage, post-processing, and/or other handling of the recording is then based on the score assigned thereto.
Abstract: A method of automatically calibrating a video conference environment is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes initiating a calibration sequence in the video conferencing system, routing a test signal through the audio and video components of the video conferencing system, measuring a time delay associated with the test signal and utilizing the time delay to calibrate subsequent audio and video signal transmissions by the video conferencing system.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 30, 2007
Date of Patent:
May 8, 2012
Assignee:
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Inventors:
Matthew David Smith, Douglas A. Pederson
Abstract: A platform provides access to multiple telecommunications services via a single telephone number. These services may include, for example, voicemail services, facsimile messaging services, paging services, and outbound calling services. A guest caller may call the single phone number to speak to a subscriber, leave a voicemail message for a subscriber, leave a facsimile message for a subscriber, or place a page to a subscriber. A subscriber may call the phone number to place outbound calls. In addition, a subscriber may call the single phone number to retrieve or send facsimile messages and/or voicemail messages. A subscriber may also call the phone number to configure service options. For instance, a subscriber may select routing options and choose what services are available to guest callers.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 27, 2010
Date of Patent:
May 8, 2012
Assignee:
Yolab Networks, L.L.C.
Inventors:
Karen A. Gross, Thomas J. Galvan, Rupika Chib
Abstract: An inmate calls a call processing system and provides two phone numbers to it. The first phone number is for a 2nd Party who will accept the inmate's collect call and who will agree to pay any additional charge for adding a third party to the collect call. The second phone number is for a 3rd Party the inmate would like added to the collect call. The call processing system places the inmate on hold while the system dials the 2nd Party. When the 2nd Party accepts the inmate's collect call and agrees to pay for an additional fee for establishing a three-way call during the collect call, the inmate is taken off hold and is connected to the 2nd Party.
Abstract: A method includes receiving from a visual voice mail (VVM) client a request to access VVM services and determining whether VVM services have been previously activated. The method further includes providing a negative response to the VVM client if it is determined that VVM services have not been activated and receiving, from the VVM client, a self-provisioning request to initialize VVM services. The method may also include configuring VVM services based on the self-provisioning request and providing, to the VVM client, an indication that VVM services have been configured. The method may additionally include providing notifications and retrieval of voice mail messages, and submitting voice mail messages from the user device.
Abstract: A Unified Messaging (UM) gateway device located at a branch office of a UM system manages calls if the network connecting the branch office to a UM server of the UM system is unavailable. The UM gateway device contains relatively simple hardware and software as compared to the hardware and software of a UM server. The UM gateway device provides call answering functionality, in the absence of the UM server. In various configurations, the UM gateway device provides access to mailboxes, manages incoming calls, provides an outgoing message (e.g., an announcement or prompt), provides an indication where the called-for person can be reached, and, when the network becomes available, returns management of incoming calls to the UM server and/or handles incoming calls in conjunction with the Unified Messaging server.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 8, 2006
Date of Patent:
March 27, 2012
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Michael Geoffrey Andrew Wilson, Clifford Didcock, David Andrew Howell
Abstract: A structured voice interaction system includes logic to communicate one or more voice prompts to a caller via a voice channel, and to communicate navigation information for the structured voice interaction system to the caller via a data channel. Voice prompts communicated to the caller via the voice channel connection are coordinated with the navigation information communicated via the data channel connection. Information not referenced by the voice channel prompts, but related to or associated with actions or options referenced by the voice channel prompts, is accessed, identified, and provided over the data channel connection.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 22, 2005
Date of Patent:
March 20, 2012
Assignee:
The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
Inventors:
Alexander J. Cohen, Robert W. Lord, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Mark A. Malamud, Royce A. Levien, Edward K. Y. Jung
Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed generally to recording communication of a call utilizing a multi-channel recording technique. According to one exemplary embodiment, inbound communication from each party to a call (e.g., from each communication device that is party to a call) to a recording system is assigned to a separate channel, and communication on each channel is independently recorded. Further, during the call, a control channel is generated that correlates the multiple communication channels. The independently recorded communication channels and control channel may be used to analyze a recorded call from any desired perspective. For instance, communication from a given party may be analyzed in isolation. Further, the control channel enables the recorded multiple communication channels to be correlated such that the communication received (e.g., heard) by any selected party may be accurately re-created for analysis thereof.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 22, 2006
Date of Patent:
March 13, 2012
Assignee:
Securus Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
John S. Hogg, Jr., Christopher R. McFarlen
Abstract: A caller ID verifier may be employed to protect telephone users against caller ID spoofing. The caller ID verifier may be implemented in a telephony apparatus, such as a smart phone, stand alone caller ID device, or telephone network infrastructure, for example. Telephone numbers of related callers may be grouped into caller groups. The caller ID verifier may be configured to play one of several audio messages depending on the caller group of the telephone number corresponding to the caller ID of the telephone call. An audio message may include a question. The caller ID verifier may forward the telephone call to the telephone user when the caller answers the question correctly. Otherwise, the caller ID verifier may terminate the telephone call and give the telephone user the option to return the telephone call using the caller ID.
Abstract: Apparatus and methods for creating a composite data source having a common data representation from disparate sources of voice data. Data transmission links are established to heterogeneous messaging data sources, requests for voice data is sent using data access protocols, the voice data is received, and a set of voice data transformation rules are selectively applied to the voice data to transform the data into a common data representation. The common data representation can also be used as a source for reporting and graphical displays to monitor the operational aspects of the sources of voice data.
Abstract: Methods and systems using voice recognition can obtain complex data from a database using simple data obtained from a user. The database associates and stores complex data with simple data. The interactive voice response system prompts the user for simple information, such as a phone number, which can be interpreted using voice recognition. The speech-obtained simple data is then matched with the simple data stored in the database. If a match is found, the complex data (e.g., a street address) stored with the simple data is communicated to the IVR system. The IVR system communicates the complex data to the user and prompts the user to confirm whether the complex data is accurate. The database can be a third-party database such as a computer accessible phone directory or a credit bureau.
Abstract: A communication network and method are disclosed that block calls from a calling party based on the network access type of a called party. The communication network of the invention includes a permission system, an access system, and a call control system. Based on a call from a calling party to a called party, the permission system identifies permissions associated with the calling party. The access system identifies a network access type for the called party, such as wireless, circuit-based, etc. The call control element determines if the network access type for the called party is permitted by the calling party based on the permissions associated with the calling party. If the network access type for the called party is not permitted by the calling party, then the call control system releases the call.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 15, 2005
Date of Patent:
February 28, 2012
Assignee:
Alcatel Lucent
Inventors:
Cynthia K. Florkey, Ruth S. Gayde, Victoria M. Halsell, Karla R. Hunter, E-Ling Lou
Abstract: When an electronic message with a voicemail attachment is received, an audio player object and a reply by chat object are displayed simultaneously along with the electronic message. A reply to the electronic message, whether by chat or by email, is associated with the same thread as the electronic message. The electronic message with the voicemail attachment is associated with a conversation thread that may also include chat messages and email messages. In a conversation view of a respective conversation thread, representations of an electronic voicemail message (an electronic message having a voicemail attachment), one or more chat messages and one or more email messages may be displayed simultaneously.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 21, 2006
Date of Patent:
February 21, 2012
Assignee:
Google Inc.
Inventors:
Rose Yao, Ariel L. Rideout, Michael D. Sego
Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling multiple services to be invoked in a specific precedence per call are disclosed. For example, the present method allows a subscriber to interact with a plurality of services provided by a service provider on a single call.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 17, 2009
Date of Patent:
February 21, 2012
Assignee:
AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
Inventors:
John C. Brown, Koan S. Chong, Robert Peters, Mark A. Ratcliffe, Harish Samarasinghe
Abstract: Data related to a call is stored to a container in a manner that enables the data to be authenticated. “Container” refers to any type of data structure for storing data, such as a file, database, etc. Thus, a protected container is provided to which captured information relating to a call (e.g., recorded audio of the call, captured application data, captured external data, etc.) is stored. The protected container enables detection of any tampering of the protected data, as well as authentication of such data. A multi-channel recording technique is used to record audio for each outbound channel of a call. Each channel of the audio may be watermarked, and a signature may be generated for use in authenticating the audio data. Information relating to the call (e.g., captured audio, application data, external data, etc.) is captured and streamed into the protected container during the call (i.e., in real time).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 22, 2006
Date of Patent:
February 21, 2012
Assignee:
Securus Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
John S. Hogg, Jr., Christopher R. McFarlen, Justin E. Good
Abstract: A system and method for mapping a voice identity to a telephone number includes: one or more phone systems; at least one policy processor coupled to the one or more phone systems; and a voice identity mapping data structure accessible to the at least one policy processor. The voice identity mapping data structure includes: search voice identities transitively mapped to one or more target voice identities, where the voice identity matches a first search voice identity, the first search voice identity is mapped by the policy processor to a first target voice identity according to a first mapping policy, the first target voice identity matches a second search voice identity of a second mapping policy, the second search voice identity is mapped by the policy processor to a second target voice identity according to the second mapping policy, where the voice identity includes a non-phone number voice identity.