Systems and methods for monitoring network-based voice messaging systems

A system allowing a subscriber to monitor a caller's recording to a network-based voice messaging service, said system comprising:

• a first switch serving a subscriber's telephone line;
• a second switch serving the network-based voice messaging service;
• a first media gateway adapted for voice communication with the first switch;
• a second media gateway adapted for voice communication with the second switch;
• a conference server adapted for voice communication with the first and second switches;
• an application server comprising a presence database, said presence database comprising subscriber registration information;
• and
• a packet telephony client adapted for voice communication with the conference server, said packet telephony client associated with the subscriber,
• wherein when a call from the caller to the subscriber is to be redirected to the network-based voice messaging service, the first switch sets up a voice path to the first media gateway and the first media gateway sends a first message to the application server, and wherein in response to the first message, the application server checks the presence database to identify the subscriber's registration information, and wherein the application server sends a second message to the conference server, said second message comprising registration information associated with the subscriber, and wherein in response to the second message, the conference server sets up a voice path to the first media gateway, the packet telephony client and the second media gateway, and wherein the second media gateway sets up a voice path to the voice messaging server.

A method of monitoring a caller's recording to a network-based voice messaging service, said method comprising:

• receiving a call from the caller to the subscriber on a first switch, said call to be redirected to the network-based voice messaging service;
• setting up a voice path from the first switch to a first media gateway;
• sending a first message from the first media gateway to an application server;
• checking a presence database on the application server to identify registration information associated with the subscriber;
• sending a second message from the application server to the conference server, said second message comprising registration information associated with the subscriber;
• setting up voice paths from the conference server to the first media gateway, a packet telephony client and a second media gateway;
• and
• setting up a voice path from the second media gateway to the voice messaging server.

A method allowing a subscriber to monitor a caller's recording to a voice messaging service, said voice messaging service being based in a telephony network, said method comprising:

• routing the caller's call from the telephony network to an inbound media gateway, said inbound media gateway adapted to interface the telephony network with a packet-switched data network;
• sending, in response to the call received at inbound media gateway, a first message from the inbound media gateway to a call agent, wherein first message including at least a called party number, and wherein said call agent is adapted to provide call processing instructions in the packet-switched data network;
• sending a first instruction from the call agent to the conference server and the inbound media gateway to connect the call to a conference resource on the conference server;
• sending a second instruction from the call agent to the conference server to connect a second call to the voice messaging service, said second call being routed through an outbound media gateway;
• sending a second message from the call agent to an application server;
• said second message including at least the called party number;
• sending, in response the second message, a third message from the application server to the call agent, said third message including at least a network address associated with the packet-switched telephony client;
• and
• sending, in response to the third message, a third instruction from the call agent to the conference server to connect the conference resource to the packet-switched telephony client and a fourth message from the call agent to the packet telephony client, said fourth message including a notification related to the call.

A system allowing a subscriber to monitor a caller's recording to a voice messaging service based in a telephony network, said system comprising:

• an inbound media gateway and an outbound media gateway, said media gateways adapted to interface voice calls between the telephony network and a packet-switched data network;
• a call agent in the packet-switched data network adapted to provide call processing for voice calls transmitted via the packet-switched data network;
• a conference server adapted to provide a conference call between the inbound and outbound media gateways and a packet-switched telephony client associated with the subscriber, said conference server and said packet-switched telephony client are in the packet-switched data network;
• and
• an application server in the packet-switched data network, said application server adapted provide subscriber information to the call agent;
• wherein when the caller's call is to be routed to the network-based voice messaging service by the telephony network, the call is connected to the inbound media gateway, and wherein in response to the call, the inbound media gateway sends a first message to the call agent, said first message including at least a called party number, and wherein the call agent instructs the conference server and the inbound media gateway to connect the call to a conference resource on the conference server, and wherein the call agent further instructs the conference server to connect a second call to the conference resource, said second call being routed through the outbound media gateway to the voice messaging service, and wherein the call agent sends a second message to the application server;
• said second message including at least the called party number, and wherein in response the second message, the application server sends a third message to the call agent, said third message including the subscriber information, and wherein in response to the third message, the call agent instructs the conference server to connect the conference resource to the packet-switched telephony client and the call agent sends a fourth message to the packet telephony client, said fourth message including a notification related to the call.

A system allowing a subscriber to monitor a caller's recording to a voice messaging service in a telephony network, said system comprising:

• means for connecting a call path from the caller to the voice messaging server, wherein said call path includes a media gateway, wherein said media gateway interfaces the telephony network to a packet-switched data network;
• means for joining a conference server to the call path, wherein said conference server is in the packet-switched data network;
• means for joining a telephony client system to the call path through the conference server, wherein said telephony client is in the packet-switched data network;
• and
• means for preventing the caller from hearing voice transmission from the subscriber.

A method of allowing a subscriber to monitor a caller's recording to a voice messaging service, said voice messaging server being in a circuit-switched telephony network, said method comprising:

• detecting a call at a switch serving the subscriber;
• routing the call from the switch to a media gateway, said media gateway adapted to provide an interface between the circuit-switched telephony network and a packet-switched data network;
• checking a database for an availability of the subscriber on the packet-switched data network;
• and
• establishing a conference call through a conference server, said conference server being in the packet-switched data network and said conference call connecting the caller's call from the media gateway to the network-based voice messaging service and connecting the caller's call to a packet-switched telephony client, if the subscriber is available on the packet-switched data network.