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US 5,710,816 AGranted
Method and apparatus for ensuring receipt of voicemail messages
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsDavid G. Stork, Nancy P. Stork
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A messaging system in which a sender is able to receive certification of receipt of messages sent to a receiver that ensures that only the desired recipient gains access to the messages. Also, the messaging system sends between a sender and a receiver both encrypted communications and decryption information used to decipher the encrypted communications.
Claims31
A method for communicating comprising the steps of:
- receiving an encrypted version of a voice signal at a first location;
- sending a certification request to a second location to obtain information to enable decryption of the encrypted version of the voice signal;
- receiving the information to enable decryption, the information being received in response to sending the certification request;
- and
- decrypting the encrypted version of the voice signal.
2 more elements
A method of transferring a voice message comprising the steps of:
- sending an encrypted version of the voice message to a first location, wherein the step of sending comprises encrypting the voice message as the voice message is being spoken;
- storing the encrypted version of the voice message;
- and
- retrieving the voice message, wherein the step of retrieving comprises the steps of
- sending a request for decryption information along the telephone lines,
- receiving the decryption information from a second location to enable decryption in response to the certification request, and
- decrypting the encrypted version of the voice message using the decryption information.
4 more elements
An apparatus for sending and receiving voice signals, said transceiver comprising:
- a microphone to receive a voice signal;
- an encryption unit coupled to the microphone to generate an encryption version of the voice signal in response to the voice signal;
- a telephone transmitter coupled to the encryption unit to transmit the encrypted version of the voice signal to a first location over a first of a plurality of telephone lines and to transmit first decryption information over a second of the plurality of telephone lines in response to a request from the first location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.