# US 7,609,820 B2 · Identification and management of automatically-generated voicemail notifications of voicemail and electronic mail receipt

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- Number: US 7,609,820 B2
- Document ID: US7609820B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/706,361
- Filed: 2003-11-12
- Published: 2005-05-12
- Granted: 2009-10-27
- Earliest claimed: 2003-11-12
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: James Carlton Bedingfield, Sr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7609820B2

## CPC

- H04L 51/224: providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
- H04M 11/10: with dictation recording and playback systems
- H04M 2203/4536: Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for utilizing voicemail messages to notify a subscriber of electronic mail receipt. A message notification and consolidation module monitors e-mail received, read, deleted or otherwise disposed of by an e-mail receiver (subscriber). Upon receipt of an e-mail message, the message notification and consolidation module constructs an e-mail notification message for depositing into the subscriber's voicemail system for alerting the subscriber that the subscriber has received an electronic mail message. At the beginning of the notification message, a unique identification tone is provided for identifying and locating the notification message. If the e-mail receiver disposes of a given e-mail message, or if the e-mail receiver receives a subsequent e-mail message, the message notification and consolidation module may use the identification tone to locate a previous notification message deposited in the subscriber's voicemail box to either delete the notification message or to deposit a consolidated notification message containing information regarding multiple e-mail messages received by the subscriber.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of notifying an electronic mail recipient of electronic mail receipt via voicemail messaging, comprising:
receiving a first electronic mail (e-mail) message at a subscriber e-mail box;
constructing a first e-mail received notification message, wherein constructing the first e-mail received notification message comprises converting information from the first e-mail message into a voicemail message;
annotating the first e-mail received notification message with a unique identification tone for identifying the first e-mail received notification message;
transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box;
receiving a second e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box prior to determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box, wherein if the second e-mail message is received at the subscriber e-mail box prior to disposition of the first e-mail message in the subscriber e-mail box, deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box; and
if the first e-mail message is disposed of, locating the first e-mail received notification message in the subscriber voicemail box via the unique identification tone;
deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box, wherein deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box includes searching the subscriber voicemail box for a voicemail message having the unique identification tone, and wherein after deleting the first e-mail received notification message from the subscriber voicemail box;
constructing a second e-mail received notification message containing notification information from both the first e-mail message and the second e-mail message;
annotating the second e-mail received notification message with a second unique identification tone for identifying the second e-mail received notification message; and
transmitting the second e-mail received notification message to a subscriber voicemail box.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, whereby receiving the first electronic mail message at the subscriber e-mail box, includes receiving the first e-mail message via an e-mail provider system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, prior to the step of receiving a first e-mail message at a subscriber e-mail box, further comprising monitoring the subscriber e-mail box via the e-mail provider system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, after receiving the first e-mail message at the subscriber e-mail box, obtaining a telephone directory number for the subscriber voicemail box.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, after obtaining the telephone directory number for a subscriber voicemail box, obtaining an electronic messaging address for the subscriber voicemail box.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, after transmitting the first e-mail received notification message to the subscriber voicemail box, activating a voicemail received indication at the subscriber voicemail box.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, whereby activating a voicemail received indication at the subscriber voicemail box includes activating a voicemail received indication at a subscriber voicemail box access device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, whereby the voicemail box access device includes a telephone.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, whereby the voicemail box access device includes a personal digital assistant.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, whereby monitoring the subscriber e-mail box by the e-mail provider system includes monitoring a disposition status of the first e-mail message.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, whereby monitoring the disposition status of the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, whereby determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box includes determining the first e-mail message has been deleted from the subscriber e-mail box.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, whereby determining the first e-mail message has been disposed of in the subscriber e-mail box includes determining the first e-mail message has been read.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first e-mail received notification message at the subscriber voicemail box; and reviewing the first e-mail received notification message by the subscriber.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving the second e-mail received notification message at the subscriber voicemail box; and reviewing the second e-mail received notification message by the subscriber.