Method and instructions for visual voice messaging user interface
AssigneeU S West Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSusan Davies, Gloria E. Davy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An interface which displays indicia associated with a single voice mail message on a screen. The invention is used in a visual voice messaging system to allow a user to view indicia without scrolling to another screen. A user may thus sort messages which she desires to hear more quickly and easily.
Claims19
A customer premises equipment (CPE) used in conjunction with a public switched telephone network visual voice messaging system, said CPE comprising:
- a display screen;
- a plurality of soft key buttons associated with said display screen;
- a plurality of function labels associated with the soft keys;
- a DTMF keypad;
- and
- message identification and message status displayed on said display screen, said message identification obtained via the public switched telephone network wherein said function labels are determined as a function of the message status.
In a public switched telephone network having caller identification, a system for interfacing between a subscriber and a Visual Voice Messaging System (VVMS), said system comprising:
- a public switched telephone network (PSTN);
- operatively coupled to said PSTN, a VVMS for accepting and storing one or more messages and determining a message status associated with each message, said VVMS comprising a screen phone including a display screen, soft keys adjacent said display screen, one or more hard keys operatively associated with said display screen, a DTMF keypad, and function labels associated with said soft keys wherein said labels are determined as a function of the message status;
- operatively coupled to said PSTN;
- a caller identification system for providing message identification associated with each message;
- wherein said message identification and said message status associated with a single message are displayed on said display screen.
In a public switched telephone network comprising caller identification and a Visual Voice Messaging System (VVMS), said VVMS comprising a screen phone including a display screen, soft keys adjacent said display screen, and a DTMF keypad, a method for interfacing between a subscriber and said VVMS, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving one or more messages to the subscriber via the public switched telephone network (PSTN);
- determining, via the PSTN caller identification, message identification associated with each message;
- determining a message status associated with each message;
- displaying function labels associated with said soft keys on the display screen wherein the function labels are determined as a function of said message status:
- having the subscriber interact with the VVMS via said soft keys;
- and
- displaying said message identification and said message status associated with a single message on said display screen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.