Abstract: In one example, a recorded voicemail is first converted from speech to text, and a proposed action to be performed by the user is extracted from the voice message. For example, in the voicemail “this is John, call me at 650.987.0987 at 9 am tomorrow,” the action is to call John. At least one action parameter for undertaking the action is determined. For example, the action parameters may include the 650.987.0987 telephone number and the 9 am time the following morning, The at least one action parameter may be extracted from the voicemail message or it may be determined by other means, e.g., from a user's contact book. Finally, the user is presented with a prompt to facilitate undertaking the action using the at least one the parameter. For example, the user may be given the option to set a reminder to call John the following morning at 9 am.

Abstract: Systems and methods for extracting contact information from a message are described. A system can receive a message for a recipient, where the message originates from a message source having a first contact identifier (i.e., phone number, text address, etc.). The system can determine text data associated with the content of that message and process the text data to determine that the message refers to a second contact identifier that is different from the first contact identifier. The system may output the message to a recipient device (such as using text-to-speech, etc.) and may store an association between the message source and the second contact identifier. When the recipient speaks a command to reply to the first message or contact the message source, the system may determine the reply is intended for the message source and may route the reply using the second contact identifier included in the first message.

Abstract: A method for returning a phone call based on information contained in a voicemail message. The method comprises receiving the voicemail message and applying service logic to analyze the voicemail message to extract a spoken phone number included in the voicemail message. The method further comprises associating the extracted phone number with the voicemail message and, in conjunction with retrieving the voicemail message, providing a recipient of the voicemail message with an option to dial the extracted phone number.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for enabling provision of a call return service is disclosed. The apparatus utilizes a method of generating telephone numbers from voice messages. The method includes the step of using speech recognition to isolate a spoken number in a voice message, and confirming to a high degree of accuracy that the spoken number represents a telephone number. The method further includes the step of converting the spoken number into a data sequence representing the telephone number. This data sequence is then made available for immediate or later use.

Abstract: A redialing method in a communication apparatus provides that the digits of a telephone number are consecutively input by a user, and the actual time intervals between the consecutive inputs are measured and stored in memory along with the digits of the telephone number. During redialing, the digits of the telephone number and the actual time intervals between the consecutive digits are read from memory, and the telephone number is dialed by inserting the previously measured actual time intervals between the respective digits of the telephone number. According to this method, the redialing operation can be effectively performed in various kinds of information service telephones or key phones, and cumbersome key manipulation can be eliminated.

Abstract: A circuit for generating dial pulses and a circuit for forming the direct current loop of a line have conventionally been made up of relays and a coil. In the present invention, these circuits are made up of components, such as capacitors and a semiconductor switching element, to render a network control unit smaller. A compensating circuit is provided for reducing the distortion (caused by the capacitor in the DC loop) of the waveforms of dial pulses and rise waveforms of a direct current when the direct current loop is formed.

Abstract: A universal PBX-to-central office interface for standards conversion is described for supporting normally incompatible telephone equipment in PBX environments. The present invention is adapted for connection between the central office and a PBX along DID and DOD trunk lines. The present invention will capture incoming signaling and data in any one of three dialing modes (DTMF, MF and pulse dial) and convert this standard to whatever dialing mode is required by the equipment attached to the interface. The present invention will also do signaling conversion for peripheral equipment attached to PBX systems such as voice mail systems. The interface is capable of capturing extension signals transmitted from the central office to the PBX and saving them in memory for later downloading to a voice mail system to recover the extension of the dialed party after it has been forwarded to the voice mail system.

Abstract: A dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) transmission method to allow a keyphone user of a private branch exchange system (PBX) to send the DTMF signal according to dial digits depressed, through a DTMF sender built in the PBX itself, even though there is no DTMF generator in the keyphone on use, when the keyphone user needs to send the DTMF signal to the central office (C.O.) line to control devices that operate at reception of the DTMF signal during making a call to the C.O. line. The method comprises a plurality of control steps operated according to a flow chart of the attached figure.

Abstract: A digital FSK trunk dialing converter including M and E lead control is disclosed. The dialing converter further includes an FSK detector which is responsive to consecutive half period intervals of a received FSK signal, and a digital signal-to-noise (S/N) detector or estimator which operates to inhibit or keep the E-wire signal lead deactivated in the presence of noise signals which are received from the communications link in absence of acceptable FSK signals. The FSK detector is comprised of two digital circuits which generate pulses indicative of whether the received FSK signal is greater or less than the FSK center frequency. The pulses are integrated and used to trigger a flip-flop which provides a demodulated digital FSK output indicative of a received high or low FSK analog frequency. An E-wire control signal is generated in the receive logic circuitry in response to the demodulated FSK output.

Abstract: A universal PBX-to-central office interface for standards conversion is described for supporting normally incompatible telephone equipment in PBX environments. The present invention is adapted for connection between the central office and a PBX along DID and DOD trunk lines. The present invention will capture incomping signaling and data in any one of three dialing modes (DTMF, MF and pulse dial) and convert this standard to whatever dialing mode is required by the equipment attached to the interface. The present invention will also do signaling conversion for peripheral equipment attached to PBX systems such as voice mail systems. The interface is capable of capturing extension signals transmitted from the central office to the PBX and saving them in memory for later downloading to a voice mail system to recover the extension of the dialed party after it has been forwarded to the voice mail system.