United States Patent [191
`Greco et al.
`
`IllllllllllllllllIllllllllllllllllllllllll|||l|llllllllllIlllllllllllllllll
`5,568,540
`Oct. 22, 1996
`
`USOO5568540A
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`[54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`SELECTING AND PLAYING A VOICE MAIL
`MESSAGE
`
`[75] Inventors: Robert C. Greco; Michael J.
`Robinson, both of Seattle; Paul M.
`Dunn, Bainbridge Island, all of Wash.
`
`[73] Assignee: Active Voice Corporation, Seattle,
`Wash.
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 422,700
`
`[22] Filed:
`
`Apr. 14, 1995
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`[63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 119,380, Sep. 13, 1993, Pat.
`No. 5,434,906, and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 125,
`606, Sep. 22, 1993, Pat. No. 5,533,102.
`
`[51] Int. Cl.6 .................................................... .. H04M 1/64
`[52] U.S. Cl. ............................................... .. 379/89; 379/88
`[58] Field of Search ................................ .. 379/67, 76, 88,
`379/89, 71, 84, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214,
`215
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`2577093
`61-39756
`
`8/1986 France ................................... .. 379/76
`2/1986 Japan ..................................... .. 379/76
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`“CWD Feature Requirements”, Dec., 1987.
`McNinch, “Screen Based Telephony”, Apr. 1990 IEEE
`Communications Magazine, pp. 34-38.
`“Call Waiting Deluxe Feature”, Apr., 1993.
`Star Talk Set Up and Operation Guide, Sec. 2, “Learning
`About StarTalk,” pp. 1-7. (undated).
`“Getting the Message Just Got Easier,” StarTalk, Northern
`Telecom. (brochure) (undated).
`Chris Schmandt and Stephen Casner, “Phonetool: Integrat
`ing Telephones and Workstations,” IEEE Communication
`Society, IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference,
`Nov. 27—30, 1989, pp. 0970-0974.
`“The CallXpress3 CallServer Family”, Applied Voice Tech
`nology, (brochure) (undated).
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`Primary Examiner—-Krista M. Zele
`Assistant Examiner-Daniel S. Hunter
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Graybeal Jackson Haley &
`Johnson
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`_
`
`4,544,804 10/1985 Herr et a1. ............................ .. 379/210
`
`4,661,975
`
`4/1987 Brecher . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
`
`. . . .. 379/211
`
`4,696,028
`4,697,282
`4,723,273
`
`9/1987 Morganstein et a1
`9/1987 Winter et al. ..... ..
`2/1988 Diesel et a1.
`
`379/212
`.. 379/84
`379/211
`
`4,747,124
`
`5/1988 Ladd . . . . . . . . . .
`
`. . . . . .. 379/67
`
`4,783,796 1111988 Ladd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
`
`. . . . . .. 379/67
`
`379/211
`2/1989 Morganstein et al
`4,809,321
`.. 379/67
`3/1989 Woo et al. ........ ..
`4,811,381
`.. 379/88
`8/1989 Jachmann etal
`4,853,952
`379/96
`9/1989 Hashimoto
`4,866,755
`.. 379/89
`5/1990 Ladd et a1. .... ..
`4,926,462
`379/114
`6/1990 Hellwanh et al
`4,935,156
`379/211
`7/1990 Davis ............
`4,942,598
`4,969,136 11/1990 Chamberlin et a1. ................... .. 379/75
`
`A graphical user interface for the display of voice mail
`message information and playing voice mail messages
`through a computer speaker. Using a mouse, the messages
`can be manipulated individually or in groups. Using the
`mouse or the keyboard, the sender of a message can add
`textual copy or addressing to a message. The display also
`includes, merged into a single list, e~mailmessages and fax
`messages for the user. The interface includes a facility for
`exporting voice mail messages into multimedia documents
`and importing sound clips from multimedia documents into
`voice mail messages. If the sender of a message does not
`want the recipient to copy the message for further distribu
`tion to others, the sender may designate the message as
`“Private”, and the system will not allow the message to be
`copied.
`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`12 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
`
`5
`mmm
`1X56
`52
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`mmm
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`
`4D
`
`35
`
`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 1
`
`

`
`5,568,540
`Page 2
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`_
`4,972,462 11/1990 Shlbat? .................................... .. 379/88
`4,975,941 12/1990 Morganstein et a1.
`.. 379/88
`4985913 M991 Shalom at al- ----- --
`-- 379/76
`5,007,076
`4/1991 Blakley ....... ..
`. 379/215
`5,008,927
`4/1991 Weiss et a1. ..
`.. 379/98
`5,027,384
`6/1991 Morganstein .
`379/67
`5,029,195
`7/1991 Morganstein
`377/67
`5,029,198
`7/1991 Walpole et a1.
`.. 379/88
`5,031,205
`7/1991 Phiilips .......... ..
`379/88
`5,058,152 10/1991 Solomon et a1. ..................... .. 379/196
`5,127,003
`6/1992 Doll, Jr. et a1. ................... .. 370/1101
`5,168,515 12/1992 66011161‘ 613.1.
`379/265
`5,172,404 12/1992 1155111111010
`379/67
`5 228 073 7/1993 Smith .................................. .. 379/170
`5,27s,s94
`1/1994 Shaw ....................................... .. 379/67
`5,283,818
`2/1994 Klausner etal
`_, 379/67
`5,309,505
`5/1994 Szlam et a1. ............................ .. 379/77
`
`5,309,512
`5,317,630
`5,327,486
`5,333,266
`5,402,499
`
`5/1994 Blackmon et a1. ................... .. 379/210
`5/1994 Feinberg ctal.
`.. 379/210
`7/1994 Wolff et a1_
`__ 379/214
`7/1994 Boaz et aL
`__ 395/200
`3/1995 Robinson et a1. .................... .. 381/119
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`“
`”
`The VMX Desktop Product, VMX, Inc- (brochure)
`(undated)
`“Repartee”, Active Voice Corporation. (brochure) Mar.
`1994,
`“oneview for Windows”, Centigram Communications Cop
`poration- (brochure) (undated)-
`.
`,,
`.
`,,
`.
`.
`DeSktOP for Wmdows 4 APPhBd VOICE TechnolOgY- (bro
`chm) (unfiatedl
`_
`“Announcing the Electronic Receptionist”, Jan., 1993
`(undated).
`
`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 2
`
`

`
`US. Patent
`
`0a. 22, 1996
`
`Sheet 1 of 4
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`5,568,540
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`

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`US. Patent
`FIG. 3
`
`Oct. 22, 1996
`
`Sheet 3 0f 4
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`5,568,540
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`AND RECORD MESSAGE
`
`232/
`
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`DESIGNAII ON
`
`231
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`
`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 5
`
`

`
`US. Patent
`
`Oct. 22, 1996
`
`Sheet 4 of 4
`
`5,568,540
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`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 6
`
`

`
`5,568,540
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`SELECTING AND PLAYING A VOICE MAIL
`MESSAGE
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`This invention relates to telephone switching systems
`with voice mail features. This application is a continuation
`in-part of prior U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 08/119,380
`?led Sep. 13, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,906, entitled
`“Method and Apparatus for Processing an Incoming Call in
`a Communication System”, and Ser. No. 08/125,606 ?led
`Sep. 22, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,102, entitled “Tele
`phone Auto Attendant System for Delivering Chosen Greet
`ings to Callers While on the Phone”.
`
`10
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Voice mail systems allow telephone callers to leave
`recorded messages for a called party when the called party
`is unavailable. Whether the voice mail system is deployed
`with a private branch exchange (PBX) switch or with a
`central o?ice telephone switching system, one mail box is
`assigned for each telephone extension. A typical answering
`machine is a special case of a voice mail system in which
`equipment for a single voice mail box is deployed at the
`extension rather than at the switch. For voice mail box
`systems ,which are based on a continuous magnetic tape,
`such as conventional answering machine-type voice mail
`systems, the messages are played back sequentially. It is
`very di?icult for the user to select one of the messages to
`hear ?rst and a prior message to hear next. In voice mail
`systems where messages are stored digitally on a magnetic
`disk, they may be easily retrieved in random order. Some
`such systems play for the user a list or summary of all of the
`messages in the mail box and allow the user to select, after
`hearing the list or summary, which of the messages should
`be played.
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention provides, by economical means, a
`superior user interface for voice mail systems. The extension
`owner’s user interface includes a visual display capable of
`alpha-numeric output and one or more physical devices for
`input by any of the known computer input methods, includ
`ing a keypad with a few keys, a full keyboard with all
`alphabetic and numeric characters and/or a pointing device
`for selecting items displayed on the display. The user
`interface attached to the additional communications link
`may also include a speaker for sound output. The display of
`voice mail message information can be read by the owner
`much more quickly than the same information can be played
`in audio form, and, because it is silent, it will not interfere
`with a telephone or other conversation. The visual display
`can also be used to convey much more information than can
`feasibly be accomplished by voice.
`The invented voice mail interface system allows many
`lines of textual and graphical information to be displayed on
`the screen at one time so that the user can quickly read the
`information and select any one of numerous messages to be
`played either on the telephone or via a separate speaker.
`While playing messages, the user interface displays graphi'
`cal control buttons allowing the user to easily rewind the
`message, pause, or skip ahead, by using the mouse to click
`on the appropriate button. The user can listen to the mes
`sages in any order at any time. A screen icon is associated
`with each message and, for messages which the user has not
`
`45
`
`55
`
`65
`
`2
`yet heard, the icon ?ashes to indicate it is an unheard
`message. By highlighting a message, the user can also delete
`or archive a message or forward a copy to another user.
`Entire groups of selected messages can be archived, deleted,
`or forwarded in a single step.
`The interface also allows a user to prepare textual infor
`mation to accompany a voice mail message to be sent by the
`user. The user can add a textual copy of the sender’s name,
`the date, the time sent, and a subject summary, all of which
`can then be displayed when the recipient uses a similar
`system to retrieve the message.
`The system allows on screen message addressing which is
`faster than sending a message using the telephone key pad.
`The system maintains an alphabetical listing of all voice
`mail subscribers, groups, and guests which can be selected.
`Users can address new messages or redirect messages with
`a click of the mouse.
`In addition to displaying voice mail messages, the inven
`tion may be con?gured to also display at the same time,
`merged in a single list, e-mail messages and fax messages
`stored in the system ready to be viewed on the screen or
`printed on a printer. Each type of message is associated with
`a distinctive icon to identify the type of message.
`The system includes a facility for exporting voice mail
`messages into a format usable on multimedia-capable per
`sonal computers. The voice mail message can then be edited
`and incorporated as a sound portion of any multimedia
`document. Similarly, an edited sound clip from a multimedia
`document can be copied into a voice mail message before
`the message is sent.
`If the sender of a message does not want the recipient to
`copy the message for further distribution to others, the
`sender can designate the message as “Private”. The system
`then will not allow the message to be copied from the
`recipient’s mail box into the voice mail box of another party
`and will not allow the message to be copied for incorpora
`tion into a multimedia document.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a ?rst embodiment
`for carrying out the invention.
`FIG. 2 shows a screen display of voice mail messages, a
`fax message, and an e-mail message as displayed by the user
`interface.
`FIG. 3 shows a pop-up window with buttons for control
`ling the playback of a message.
`FIG. 4 shows the, method of designating a message as
`private to prevent copying by the message recipient.
`FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an alternative
`embodiment for carrying out the invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a ?rst embodiment
`for carrying out an aspect of the invention. The ?rst embodi
`ment of the apparatus 10 includes a user’s telephone exten
`sion 12 and a programmed personal computer 14 located
`near the user’s telephone extension 12. The programmed
`personal computer 14 includes a housing 16 that encloses a
`conventional microprocessor (such as an Intel 486 micro
`processor, not shown) and other conventional electronic
`circuitry associated with the microprocessor. The housing 16
`also encloses one or more disk drives, including a ?oppy
`disk drive 18 and a hard disk drive (not shown) that contains
`
`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 7
`
`

`
`5,568,540
`
`10
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`15
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`25
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`30
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`35
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`40
`
`3
`the client program which the microprocessor is executing as
`well as data which the program requires while it is execut
`ing. The programmed personal computer 14 also includes a
`display 20, a keyboard 22, a speaker 23 and a pointing
`device 24, such as a mouse. The display 20, the keyboard 22
`and the pointing device 24 are all connected to the housing
`16 through conventional cables (not shown).
`When the user for the user extension telephone 12 is in the
`vicinity of the telephone 12 and the programmed personal
`computer 14, it is possible for the user to use the telephone
`12, to operate the programmed personal computer it through
`the keyboard 22 and the mouse 24, and to observe the
`display 20. If the user is using the ?rst embodiment of the
`claimed apparatus, the user can use the programmed per
`sonal computer 14 to see information concerning callers
`who are leaving messages in the user’s voice mail box or
`calling the user’s extension telephone 12 and to issue
`commands to the programmed personal computer 14 to
`handle the telephone calls by the callers.
`The telephone 12 of the system 10 is connected to a
`private branch exchange (PBX) 26 through a ?rst commu
`nication channel 28 that can carry the voice of a caller to the
`user (called party). The programmed personal computer 14
`is connected to a local area network (LAN) 30 that includes
`an interconnecting bus 32 to which a call processor 38,
`con?gured to provide voice mail and a server, is connected.
`The programmed client personal computer 14 and the server
`communicate directly with each other using a client-server
`protocol, such as remote procedure calls, in accordance with
`conventional LAN operation. The communications protocol
`incorporates a remote procedure call (RPC) over Named
`Pipes or TCP/IP.
`The call processor and server system 38 includes a
`programmed personal computer 40 with a voice board, such
`as supplied by Dialogic of New Jersey or Rhetorex of
`California (not shown), a display 42, and a keyboard 44
`which are connected to the programmed personal computer
`40 in a conventional manner. The personal computer 40 runs
`the IBM OS/2 operating system and is programmed to cause
`the call processor system 38 to function as a voice mail
`system. The voice board inside the computer 40, in turn, is
`connected to the PBX 26 through a bidirectional link 48 that
`carries telephone PBX signalling and voice data. Optionally,
`the call processor system 38 and the PBX 26 can also be
`interconnected with a bidirectional (OAI) digital link 46.
`The bidirectional link 48, (with or without the OAI link
`46), and the interconnecting bus 32 form a second, bidirec
`tional communication channel that carries information
`between the telephone switch with voice mail system and
`the user.
`The PBX 26 is connected to the public switched telephone
`network (PSTN) 50 through a standard telephone line 52.
`The telephone network 50 can be accessed by a caller from
`an outside telephone 54 through the line 56.
`When in use, the system 10 (see FIG. 1) will operate as
`follows. A caller at the outside telephone 54 will dial the
`telephone number of the user, which will connect the outside
`telephone 54 to the telephone network 50 through the line
`The network 50 will then connect the outside telephone 54
`to the PBX 26 through the line 52. The PBX 26 will cause
`the caller on the outside telephone 54 to interact with the call
`processor system 38 which performs the functions of a voice
`mail system. If the caller is sent to voice mail by the system
`or by a person who received the call, the call processor 38
`will begin to record a message and, as a server, cause the
`client computer 14 to display appropriate information on its
`display 20 for the user to read.
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`4
`When sounds come from the PBX on voice line 48, the
`speech is transformed to digital form under the Dialogic
`adaptive differential pulse code modulation (ADPCM) algo
`rithm (available from Dialogic Corporation, Parsippany,
`N .J .) and stored in an 8K buffer on the Dialogic board. When
`the buffer is full, its contents are written to a ?le, opened
`under the operating system for both read and write, on the
`hard disk in the server using a ?rst thread of the server
`software. For transmission across the network after a mes
`sage has been left, the voice data is read o?c the hard disk by
`a second thread of the server software. The speech ?le is
`then received by the user’s personal computer 14, converted
`to the ?le format known as the Waveform audio ?le format
`speci?cation provided by Microsoft Corporation, and played
`according to the multimedia ?le format speci?cations of the
`Microsoft Windows environment. These ?le format speci
`?cations are described in the Multimedia Programmer’s
`Reference, available from the Microsoft Corporation, Red
`mond, Wash.
`The sound data received by the client was sampled at
`6000 Hz and may be easily converted from digital to analog
`at the same rate. If the sound card in the personal computer
`can operate at this rate, no interpolation is required. Many
`sound cards cannot operate at this rate, but can operate at
`11,025 Hz. In this case, the data is interpolated to produce
`sound data suitable for conversion from 11,025 HZ.
`FIG. 2 shows the principal screen display of the system.
`Each voice mail message is displayed as a line of informa
`tion in the message information ?eld 180. The ?rst column
`in the ?eld indicates whether the message is a new message
`181, a new group message 188, an old message 183, an
`archived message with the number of days archived indi
`cated 184, a return receipt indicating that a message has been
`read or heard by a recipient 185, a message that has been
`sent and is waiting to be read or heard by the recipient 186,
`or a message waiting to be delivered at a speci?ed time in
`the future 187. The ?rst column also indicates with an
`exclamation mark a message that is urgent 183 or a message
`that is private 186 and cannot be copied, in whole or in part,
`to another message or redirected to another voice mail box.
`For each new message that has not yet been heard or read,
`the icon in the ?rst column ?ashes on and off to catch the
`user’s attention.
`The second column indicates from whom the message has
`been received to the extent such information is known by the
`system. If the call was received with caller ID, the telephone
`number is indicated in parenthesis 181, 182, and 184. If the
`call originated from another extension within the system, the
`name of the extension owner and the extension number are
`displayed 188, 183, 185. For outgoing messages, this col
`umn speci?es who the message is to rather than who it is
`from 186, 187.
`The third column speci?es the date the message was sent
`or is to be sent if it is to be sent in the future. The fourth
`column indicates the time the message was sent or is to be
`sent if it is to be sent in the future. The ?fth column speci?es
`whether the message is a voice mail message 181, 182, 188,
`183, 186, a fax message 184, or an e-mail message 187. This
`column also speci?es the duration in seconds of a voice mail
`message, the number of pages of a fax message, or the
`number of lines of an e-mail message.
`The last column displays a short subject reference if the
`message was sent from another extension with similar
`equipment 188, 187. If the message is a receipt indicating
`that another party has received a message sent by the user
`185, such information is displayed in this column.
`
`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 8
`
`

`
`5,568,540
`
`5
`Above the message information ?eld 180 is a tool bar 189
`with a button for each of the commands that a user can
`execute with respect to a message or a group of messages.
`To execute one of the commands, the user highlights one or
`more of the messages as shown in line 188 and then selects
`one of the command buttons 190-197. The “Open” com
`mand 190 plays a voice mail message or displays a fax or
`e-mail message. The “Send” command 191 allows the user
`to select on the screen or enter at the keyboard the name of
`a person with a mail box on the system or the number of an
`extension with a mail box on the system, as shown in FIG.
`3, lines 150 and 151, select the “Connect” button 197 to
`connect the user’s telephone to the voice mail system, record
`the voice mail message to go with the screen entered text,
`and then select the “Send” button 191 to send the message.
`The “Reply” button 192 functions like the send button
`except that it automatically addresses the message to the
`person who sent a message that is highlighted as shown in
`line 188 of ?eld 180. The “Redirect”button 193 allows a
`message received to be sent again to another party. The
`“Archive” button allows a message to be archived for a
`number of days. The number of days is shown in the archive
`icon as shown in line 184. Groups of calls may be high
`lighted and archived all at one time. The “Delete” button 195
`allows individual messages or groups of messages to be
`deleted. For each message for which the system captured a
`telephone number as shown in lines 181, 182 and 184 of
`?eld 180, the “Return Call”button 196 will automatically
`dial the number for returning the call. After dialing a
`number, to connect the call to the user’s telephone, the
`“Connect” button 197 is selected.
`Voice mail messages may be listened to on the telephone
`or, if the user’s computer includes a speaker with multimedia
`sound playback support, the message may be played on the
`speaker even if the user is using the telephone for another
`call.
`When the user is listening to‘ a voice mail message, the
`screen display of FIG. 3 appears on the user’s computer
`screen. The ?rst line of information 152 shows who the
`message is from, like the information in FIG. 2. Unlike the
`information in FIG. 2, the second line 150 speci?es who the
`message is addressed to, which is typically the user, but may
`also be other persons, which information would be of
`interest to the user. The subject of the message is displayed
`on the third line 151 with a larger ?eld than available in FIG.
`2, allowing more information to be displayed. Using the
`control buttons near the bottom of the window allows the
`user to play 153, pause 154, stop 155, rewind to the
`beginning 156, rewind a few seconds 157, forward a few
`seconds 158, or forward to the end 159. A bar graph 149
`graphically shows the length of the message and a slider 148
`graphically shows the present position within that length. By
`using the mouse to move the slider, the user may start
`playing the message at any point. A record button 147 is
`selected to record a voice mail message.
`To export the audio portion of a voice mail message into
`WAV format, the following steps are followed. A client]
`server connection is established between the user’s client PC
`14 and the voice mail server PC 38. Given a list of voice
`mail messages 180, the user chooses which message to
`export and what ?le name to assign to the exported ?le. The
`client requests and obtains a ?le ID for the ?le on the server
`which contains the audio portion of a voice mail message.
`The speci?ed ?le is opened for reading on the server. At the
`request of the client, a thread of execution on the server
`reads a chunk of audio data and sends it to a memory bu?er
`on the client. The client requests three chunks of audio data
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`in this manner, and places them in a queue. The client takes
`the ?rst chunk from the queue and converts the data from
`Dialogic ADPCM format (see “Dialogic ADPCM Algo
`rithm”, copyright 1988 Dialogic Corporation 00-1366-001)
`to Waveform Audio File Format (see “Multimedia Program
`mer’s Reference” copyright 1991-1992 Microsoft Corpora
`tion PC30212-0492). User con?guration options for the
`conversion include sample rate (6000 Hz, 11025 Hz, etc.),
`sample size (8 bits, 16 bits), noise ?lters (high frequency,
`etc.), and chunk size. While one chunk is being converted,
`the client requests another chunk from the servers and places
`the chunk at the end of the queue. This maintains a minimum
`number of chunks in the queue and reduces processing time.
`After each chunk has been converted, it is written to the
`speci?ed WAY ?le on the client hard disk. After all chunks
`have been converted, the ?les on both client and server are
`closed. The user can use any commonly available WAV ?le
`editor (e.g., Microsoft Sound Recorder) to manipulate the
`audio message.
`To import a WAV ?le into the audio portion of a voice
`mail message, the following steps are followed. The user can
`use any commonly available WAV ?le editor to create a
`WAV format ?le. Establish a client/server connection
`between the user’s client PC 14 and the voice mail server PC
`38. After creating an outgoing voice mail message, the user
`chooses which WAV ?le to import, and where within the
`message to insert it. The interface has a slider 148 which can
`be moved to the beginning to insert the WAV ?le at the
`beginning of the message or to the end to insert the WAV at
`the end of the ?le. Likewise, it can be used to insert the
`message anywhere in the middle, but the user must play
`back the message and stop it at the desired point to know
`how the slider position corresponds with an interval between
`words within a message. The client requests and obtains a
`?le ID for the ?le on the server which contains the audio
`portion of a voice mail message. The speci?ed ?le is opened
`for writing on the server. The client reads a chunk of WAV
`data from the source ?le into a memory buffer on the client.
`The client ?lls three chunks of audio data in this manner, and
`places them in a queue. The client takes the ?rst chunk from
`the queue and converts the data from Waveform Audio File
`Format. The conversion process can handle multiple WAY
`formats, and adjusts for different sample rates (6000 Hz,
`11025 Hz, etc.), and sample sizes (8 bits, 16 bits) found in
`the source ?le. After each chunk has been converted, it is
`sent to the server where it is written to the speci?ed voice
`message ?le on the server hard disk. After all chunks have
`been converted, the ?les on both client and server are closed.
`As shown on FIG. 3, a user creating a message to send can
`select a check box 146 designated “Private”. If the message
`is sent from a simple telephone extension without a display
`and a pointing device, the caller can be given the choice of
`designating a voice mail message as private with a typical
`menu announced by a prompt. As shown in FIG. 4, if the
`caller selects the “Private” designation, step 233, the system
`sets a ?ag for this message, step 234. Then, when the system
`receives a command from the mail box owner to copy the .
`message, step 235, whether it is to be copied to another voice
`mail box as a redirect 193 of the message or whether it is to
`be copied for use as a multimedia WAV ?le, the system
`checks to see whether the ?ag is set, step 237. If the ?ag is
`not set, the system copies the message as commanded, step
`236. If the ?ag is set, the system fails to copy the message
`and noti?es the owner that the message was not copied
`because the message was designated as “Private”.
`FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an alternative
`embodiment for carrying out an aspect of the invention. In
`
`Google Ex. 1209, pg. 9
`
`

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`5,568,540
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`7
`this embodiment, those parts of the apparatus which are
`unchanged from those described as being part of the pre
`ferred embodiment are given the same reference number.
`Therefore, the only new component in the alternative
`embodiment of the apparatus of the system is the bidirec
`tional link 72, which connects the user’s telephone 12 with
`the programmed personal computer 14 and forms an alter
`native bidirectional second communication channel between
`the PBX 26 and the programmed personal computer 14
`through the user’s telephone 12.
`We claim:
`1. A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice
`mail box for a ,called party with an extension connected to
`the system via a ?rst communications link, which extension
`includes a multi-item textual display, for the system to select
`and transmit to the called party a voice mail message left by
`a caller, via a second communications link, while the called
`party is using the ?rst communications link, comprising:
`a. receiving a plurality of calls, each from a caller,
`directed to the called party’s extension and connecting
`each caller to the called party’s voice mail box,
`b. receiving a data set of voice sounds from each caller,
`separately recording each data set of voice sounds in
`the mail box,
`. displaying on the called party’s extension’s display a
`0
`list comprised of a plurality of items, each item com
`prised of a string of characters, one string of characters
`for each of the plurality of voice sound data sets
`recorded in the called party’s voice mail box,
`d. receiving at the called party’s extension a selection by
`a user of one of the plurality of displayed strings of
`characters, and
`e. transmitting the data set of voice sounds corresponding
`to the selected string of characters to the called party’s
`extension, while the called party is using the ?rst
`communications link, via the second communications
`link.
`2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second communi
`cations link is a computer network connection to a computer
`at the called party’s extension.
`3. The method of claim 2 wherein the data set of voice
`sounds is played via a speaker coupled to the computer.
`4. A computer readable medium containing software
`which, when executed in a computer, causes the computer to
`perform the steps claim 1.
`5. The computer readable medium of claim 4 wherein the
`software further causes the computer to perform the steps of
`claim 2.
`6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the
`software further causes the computer to perform the steps of
`claim 3.
`7. A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice
`mail box for a called party with an extension, which system
`includes a memory with a plurality of locations, one of
`which is used for the voice mail box, for the system to
`prevent copying of a message from a caller to the called
`party, comprising:
`a. receiving a call from a caller directed to the called
`party’s extension and connecting the caller to the called
`party’s voice mail box,
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`b. receiving a message of voice sounds from the caller and
`recording it in the mail box,
`c. receiving from the caller an indication that the caller
`chooses to designate the message as “private” and, as
`a consequence, setting, in the memory, a ?ag associated
`with the message,
`d. receiving from the called party a command to copy a
`portion of the message to another location in a memory,
`and