Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Message management
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-24
2004-06-29
Foster, R (Department: 2645)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Message management
C379S088070, C379S088220, C379S357020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757366
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a voice messaging system. More particularly, it relates to a voice messaging system having archival capability with removable digital voice message memory.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, many people use a digital telephone answering device (digital TAD) or voice mail system to receive and play back voice messages. A conventional digital TAD is typically a stand-alone device which records voice messages from one or two telephone lines in permanently installed digital voice memory (i.e., RAM). A voice mail system is typically used in conjunction with a private branch exchange (PBX) to provide voice messaging capability to a plurality of users. The present invention, while being described herein below with respect to a telephone answering device, is applicable to voice messaging systems in general, including voice mail systems.
FIG. 5
illustrates a conventional voice messaging system such as a digital TAD
200
. The conventional digital TAD
200
typically includes a processor
202
for controlling overall functions of the digital TAD
200
, and a digital signal processor (DSP)
204
primarily for handling voice processing.
In the conventional fashion, the processor
202
communicates with the DSP
204
using respective serial interfaces
202
a
,
204
a
. The processor
202
is connected to read only memory (ROM)
206
containing program code for operation of the processor
202
, and random access memory (RAM)
208
for storing variables and other temporary information. A keypad accessible by the user of the digital TAD
200
allows the user to control aspects of the digital TAD
200
, e.g., playback and deletion of previously recorded voice messages.
The DSP
204
is connected to ROM
210
containing program code for operation of the DSP
204
, and RAM
212
for storage of temporary information primarily for use by the DSP
204
. The DSP
204
operates in response to a predetermined program of instructions stored in ROM
210
. The DSP
204
also includes a tone generator algorithm to provide DTMF tones to the telephone line
230
, and a DTMF detector algorithm to detect DTMF tones. The DSP
204
may also provide a time and date stamp obtained either from a local clock or from call related information (e.g., Caller ID information) received from the telephone company.
The RAM
212
of the DSP
204
includes permanently installed voice memory
212
a
for storage of digital voice messages. Voice messages are recorded and deleted from the voice memory
212
a
as desired. Desired voice messages are played back by a voice message recorder/playback module
220
, which is connected to a speaker
224
for playback, and to a microphone
222
for recording outgoing message greetings and memos in voice memory.
RAM
208
and/or RAM
212
may be flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), or other suitable re-writable memory. To reduce the physical memory requirements in the digital TAD
200
, the DSP
204
includes coding procedures to compress the digital voice messages before storage in the voice memory
212
a
. The DSP
204
also includes complementary decoding procedures to decompress the digital voice messages for playback by the voice message recorder/playback module
220
. Suitable coding/decoding techniques include linear predictive coding (LPC), code excited linear prediction (CELP), vector sum excited linear predictive (VSELP) coding, adaptive differential pulse code modulation (ADPCM), &mgr;-law, or A-law, to name a few. The preferable coding/decoding techniques minimize the amount of data required to represent a voice message at “toll quality” or better.
The digital TAD
200
further includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter
214
and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter
216
for conversion of signals received from a telephone line
230
to and from digital format for processing by the DSP
204
. The A/D converter
214
and/or D/A converter
216
, although shown external to the DSP
204
, may be integrated within the DSP
204
. The digital TAD
200
interfaces to the telephone line
230
through a telephone line interface (TLI)
218
.
The digital TAD
200
may be controlled by keypad entries entered on a telephone keypad
226
or by dual tone, multiple frequency (DTMF) tones received from remote locations over telephone line
230
.
In operation, the TLI
218
of the digital TAD
200
causes an off-hook condition on the telephone line
230
subsequent to receiving a predetermined number of ring signals on the telephone line
230
. At that point, the DSP
204
retrieves a previously stored outgoing greeting message (OGM) from the permanently installed voice memory
212
a
portion of the DSP's RAM
212
, and provides the same to the D/A converter
216
for output to the telephone line
230
via the TLI
218
. Upon conclusion of the OGM, the caller may leave a voice message for recording in the digital TAD
200
. The incoming voice message is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter
214
, and stored in the permanently installed voice memory
212
a
portion of the RAM
212
of the DSP
204
.
Unfortunately, the options as to what may be done with the recorded voice message are limited in the conventional digital TAD
200
. For instance, the user may playback the voice message through the voice message recorder/playback module
220
and speaker
224
, or may depress a key or keys on keypad
226
, or controlled from a remote location, e.g., via DTMF tones, to cause deletion of the voice message from voice memory
212
a.
It is sometimes desirable to permanently archive or otherwise physically remove a previously recorded voice message from a digital TAD
200
. For instance, it may be desirable to maintain a copy of a message left on the digital TAD
200
for maintaining a record of calls from an unwanted caller. It might also be desirable to record a conversation between two parties talking over the telephone line
230
, and to playback the conversation at a location remote from the digital TAD
200
and even remote from a telephone line. However, replay of the recorded conversation in a conventional digital TAD
200
is limited to playback at the digital TAD
200
itself or a telephone in communication with the digital TAD
200
.
There is a need for a voice messaging system having the flexibility to allow removal and archival of a voice message recorded at the voice messaging system. There is also a need to provide a voice messaging system which allows convenient playback of a voice message recorded at a voice messaging system, on a separate listening device remote from the digital TAD and the telephone system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a digital voice memory module for a voice messaging system comprises non-volatile memory, and a separable connector allowing an operable disconnection of the non-volatile memory from a data bus of the voice messaging system.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a voice messaging system including a processor, a voice message recorder/playback module, and a telephone line interface in communication with the voice message recorder/playback module. The system further includes an externally accessible interface in communication with the processor, and allows for installation of a removable voice memory module in connection with the externally accessible interface.
A method and means for recording and archiving a voice message in a voice messaging system is also provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention. A voice message is received and stored in a removable digital memory module. Thereafter, the removable digital memory module is allowed to be removed from the voice messaging system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5491774 (1996-02-01), Norris et al.
patent: 5610774 (1997-03-01), Hayashi et al.
patent: 5648760 (1997-07-01), Kumar
patent: 5687216 (1997-11-01), Svensson
patent: 5742773 (1998-04-01), Blomfield-Brown
pa
Agere Systems Inc.
Foster R
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