Notification of the presence of messages from currently called subscriber

p0001The present invention relates to a method of notifying the submission of a message in an electronic mailbox of a telecommunication network, such as the switched telephone network or a radio network, to a destination user of the message.

p0002The posted messages of notification servers are being designed so that notifications are sent periodically, or immediately after dropping out in the terminal of a first user to whom the messages are intended, indicating that he has received messages .

p0003When the first user has received a lot of messages, for example after a long absence, the message notification service does not give him the opportunity to identify among all those messages that originate from a second user. The first user must sequentially listen to new messages that have been deposited in the mail during his absence until he reaches the messages deposited by the second user.

p0004If the first user wishes to communicate quickly with the second user, without listening to all messages posted or listening to a portion thereof, the first user will call the second user by taking the risk of missing information the second user is transmitted in messages posted to him that the second user think I was listened to by the first user.

p0005The objective of the present invention to provide a method to notify the deposit of a message in a messaging allowing the first user to know directly if the second user wants to call him leave a message, and releasing the first user constraints of all messages consultation deposited in the mail before the establishment of any communication when the first user would like to correspond quickly with the second user.

p0006To this end, a method for notifying a first terminal, fixed or mobile, a message deposited by a second terminal in a voice mail server associated with the first terminal, is <b>characterized in that</b> after a request to call the second terminal by the first terminal, comprising the steps of:<ul><li>transmitting an identifier of the second terminal provided by the first terminal to the voicemail server,</li><li>search the identifier transmitted in a new message table of the voicemail server that maps unheard messages sent by terminals and for the first terminal identifiers of said terminals,</li><li>notify the first terminal by the voicemail server the presence of a message associated with the identifier of the second terminal and found in the new message table,</li><li>transmitting said message from the voicemail server to listen to the first terminal said message in response to a message listening request from the first terminal, and </li><li>notify the first terminal by the voicemail server an invitation to confirm or deny the call establishment of the second terminal after listening said message.</li></ul>

p0007Thus, according to the invention, any new messages deposited in the voicemail server by the user of a second terminal is systematically reported to the first user when a call from the second user, without forcing the user to first listen to other new posted messages. However, the invention does not require listening or new messages sent by the second terminal, since the first user to the possibility of refusing to listen to a message and then proceed to make the call request.

p0008According to the invention embodiments, the identifier of the second terminal transmitted to the voicemail server is provided by the first terminal by calling the identifier to the first terminal keyboard, or by uttering the identifier to the first terminal when the server has a voice recognition device.

p0009According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the voicemail server contains a directory established from the first terminal and matching phone numbers of terminals to alphanumeric labels, the identifier of a terminal is the telephone number and / or label this terminal.

p0010The directory is constructed by the user of the first terminal preferably before using the invention of the service, and then to progressively consultations messages deposited by new users. Thus, after the step of transmitting said message to the first terminal when the identifier of the second terminal is the telephone number thereof, and is not registered in the directory, the method of the invention comprises the steps of:<ul><li>notify the voicemail server to the first terminal an invitation to add a label of the second terminal corresponding to the telephone number in the directory,</li><li>take the step of notifying the establishment of the call, in response to a refusal to add a label of the second terminal in the directory by the first terminal,</li><li>notify the voicemail server to the first terminal a label request, in response to a confirmation of adding label by the first terminal to the voicemail server,</li><li>transmitting said label from the first terminal to the voicemail server and go to step to notify the establishment of the call.</li></ul>

p0011Usually found after listening to the message or after refusal to listen to the found message, the voice mail server forwards the message found with the identifier of the second terminal from the new message table in a table of old messages which will be available later.

p0012In practice, a response from the first terminal to a step of notifying the voicemail server is a multi-code, or a voice message when the voice mail server comprises a voice recognition device.

p0013The invention also relates to a voice mail server for carrying out the method of the invention, connected to a switching means and access to services of the switched telephone network when the first terminal is a fixed terminal or a radio network when the first terminal is a mobile radiotelephone terminal. The server is<b>characterized in that</b>It comprises means for searching, after a request to call a second terminal by the first terminal, a second terminal identifier provided by the first terminal to the voicemail server through the switching means and access to services, in a new message table of the voicemail server that maps unheard messages sent by terminals and for the first terminal to said terminal identifiers, and to transmit to the first terminal a notification of the presence of a message associated with the identifier of the second terminal found in the new message table.

p0014Other features and advantages of the present invention appear more clearly on reading the following description of several preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the corresponding accompanying drawings in which:<ul><li>the <figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1</figref> is a schematic block diagram of a message communication system for carrying out the method;</li><li>the <figref idrefs="f0002">2</figref> is an algorithm of the main steps of a message notification method according to the invention; and</li><li>the <figref idrefs="f0003">3</figref> is an algorithm additional steps of the message notification method according to the invention, relating to the addition of a user tag in a directory.</li></ul>

p0015Referring to <figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1</figref>, A communication system for implementing the communication method according to the invention is described according to a first preferred embodiment under the fixed switched telephone network PSTN on two users U1 and U2 having two terminals T1 and T2 connected telephone respectively C1 to autonomous routing switches and C2 through the telephone lines L1 and L2 user. Alternatively, the terminals T1 and T2 are attached to the same switch C1. Telephone lines L1 and L2 are conventionally constituted by a pair of conductors son and transmit analog signals, particularly voice notification messages in the direction towards switch terminal, and user responses in code to DTMF (Dual Tone MultiFrequency) to the switches.

p0016The notification service provided by the invention to the first user U1 is designed in the signaling network RS associated with the PSTN telephone network, performing various functions related to various services offered to users. Thus in the intelligent network, each switch C1, C2 has a service feature called "access switch services" CAS1, CAS2. In a geographical area, several service switching are connected through the RS signaling network to a service server, also known as PCS service control point.

p0017The SCP server according to the embodiment shown in <figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1</figref> contains at least one of voice mail, similar to responders / recorders, for user terminals such as user terminal T1, served by the switch C1. The PCS voicemail server has a voice recognition device to accept both spoken instructions and instructions in DTMF code of user terminals such as T1 and T2. Alternatively, the server PCS has no voice recognition device or DTMF code detection device.

p0018As is known, the message in the server PCS associated with the terminal T1 contains two TNM1 and TAM1 tables by matching messages M filed for the T1 terminal of telephone numbers N terminal senders of these messages, such as the second terminal T2. The first table concerns TNM1 messages deposited recently that have not yet been consulted by the user U1 of the terminal T1. The second table provides TAM1 old messages to the user U1 has already consulted and who wished to remain until the coming of consultations or a manual or automatic reset.

p0019According to the invention, the lookup tables and TNM1 TAM1 voicemail of the user U1 R1 is associated with a directory of telephone numbers N user to user U1 in combination with ET labels. For example, a label may consist of the name, or nickname, or a short name, or an alphanumeric word designating a mapping user with his telephone number. Within the meaning of the invention, the number N, or the label ET, or the group consisting of the number and the label of a user in the directory is a user identifier ID.

p0020For a description of the notification method according to the first embodiment of the invention, it is assumed that the first user U1 has subscribed to the notification service according to the method of the invention; therefore an indication of the subscription of the user U1 is contained in the access switch RN1 services attached to the terminal T1 so as to trigger the process of the invention whenever the terminal T1 of the user U1 indicates a outlet line, that is to say a drop in the line L1 to switch C1. In response to this drop, the access switch CAS1 active consultation services messaging associated with the terminal T1, in particular transmitting an identification number of the user U1, for example his telephone call number to select the voicemail server PCS associated with the terminal T1.

p0021Initially, at a step E0, as shown in <figref idrefs="f0002">2</figref>The user U2 of the terminal T2 called the T1 terminal, the terminal T1 has not responded in the absence of the user U1, and voicemail in the server PCS to prompt the user U2 to post a message voice M2 to save the new table TNM1 messages with the telephone number N2 of the terminal T2 has passed the C2 switch PCS server across C1 and CAS1 switches.

p0022The notification method according to the invention shown in <figref idrefs="f0002">2</figref> essentially comprises ten steps E1 to E10.

p0023In a first step E1, the user U1 wishes to draw the user U2. The terminal T1 takes the line L1 due to a drop operation by the user U1, such as a key press or stall the actual lifting the handset of the terminal T1. In response to this request for outgoing call, the switch C1 transmits dial tone to call the terminal T1 transmits the identifier ID2 of the terminal T2 composed by the user U1 to switch C1. The identifier ID2 N2 may be the phone number of the user U2 on the keypad of the terminal T1 by the user U1, or the label ET2 T2 terminal, for example the name of the user U2, delivered before the microphone terminal T1 by the user U1 ET2 when this label has been registered in the directory R1.

p0024After verifying that the U1 user subscription profile contains an indication subscription to the notification service according to the invention in response to the request from call to the preceding step E1, the switch sends a message CAS1 messaging activation associated with terminal T1 in the voicemail server PCS, in a step E2. The activation message contains the call number N1 T1 terminal, as the address of mail, and the identifier ID2 of the user U2 as the address of messages recorded in the mail.

p0025The voicemail server PCS looking to step E3 M2 any message that was recorded in the TNM1 table in association with the identifier ID2 of the terminal T2. This research is done by comparing the received identifier ID2 with the identifiers contained in the new message table TNM1 associated with the terminal T1, if necessary through consultation R1 directory if the identifier ID2 is the label ET2. If no message has been deposited by the user U2, the process continued with the last step E10 of removing the intervention of the access functionality to CAS1 services in the switch C1 for establishing the call departure and thus to pursue the establishment of the starting call between C1 and C2 switches.

p0026Otherwise, when a message M2 has been found in the table TNM1 new messages, the voicemail server PCS sends a notification to listen to the message M2 to the terminal T1 via CAS1 switches C1 to step E4. The notification to listen to the message, for example, the following voice message: "Your message contains a message corresponding to N2" N2 when the number was dialed in step E1, or "ET2 filed a message" when the ET2 label was made by the user U1 to step E1. The notification to listen to the step E4 is seq ie complement "if you want to listen to, press the star key, or if you prefer directly start the call press the pound key", when the mail in the server PCS is not provided with a voice recognition device. The supplement is rather the next "if you want to listen to, say YES, or if you prefer to start the call directly say NO", or a combination of the two supplements is transmitted when the PCS server has a device voice recognition.

p0027In the next step E11, if the T1 terminal has transmitted a listening refusal message to the server PCS in response to the solicitation by the # key of the terminal T1 or the pronunciation of the word "NO", the method continues with step E9 described later.

p0028In response to the solicitation of the * key or the pronunciation of the word "YES" in step E5, the server PCS transmits to the next step E6 message M2 to the terminal T1 in TNM1 read new posts table correspondence with the identifier ID2 transmitted in step E2. If several messages of U2 M2 user were registered in the table TNM1 server PCS associated with the user U1, the user U1 is seeking an order by "Next" associated with a predetermined key on the keyboard of the terminal T1 consultation successive messages M2.

p0029After consultation of the M2 messages, the voicemail server PCS sends a notification to call the terminal T2 to T1 terminal, in step E7, so that the terminal T1 confirms or rejects the establishment of the call with the terminal T2. This second notification can be for example the voice message "to confirm the call to T2, call 1" and / or "or say YES" as the mail server in the PCS is not equipped with a device or voice recognition. If in step E8, the user U1 does not wish to call the user U2 after listening to the messages or M2, he hangs up or solicits a hangup key on the keyboard of the terminal T1 which releases line L1 in step E12.

p0030Otherwise, the T1 terminal confirms the appeal of the T2 terminal server PCS following the solicitation of key 1 or word show "YES" in step E8. Following step E8 or step E11, the M2 or the messages which have been consulted in the new table TNM1 messages are transferred to the telephone number N2 of the terminal T2 in the table of old messages TAM1 in step E9.

p0031Finally, the server PCS confirms the establishment of the outgoing call between the terminals T1 and T2 to switch C1 in step E10, eliminating the intervention of CAS1 switch in the further course of the call, to step E10.

p0032In a more complete embodiment and with reference to the <figref idrefs="f0003">3</figref>, The communication method further comprises steps E13 to E17 between steps E6 and E7. After listening to the messages or M2 in step E6, these additional steps are to complete the directory R1 of the user U1 when, at an initial step E13, the server PCS notes that the telephone number N2 of the second terminal T2 ID2 constituting the identifier provided by the first terminal T1 to the server PCS in step E2 and corresponding to at least one new message M2 that has been listened to step E6 is not registered in the directory R1. Otherwise, the directory is not changed (step E13, Yes) and step E7 is executed.

p0033After step E13, the server PCS transmits to the terminal T1 an invitation notification to add the label ET2 in correspondence with the N2 telephone number in the directory R1 to step E14. This notification can be: "if you want to include this user in your directory, press 1, or support otherwise the # key" if the server PCS does not contain voice recognition device, or "if you want to include this number in your directory, say YES, or otherwise say NO "if the server PCS includes a voice recognition device.

p0034In response to a confirmation of adding the label in the form of DTMF code "1" or the word "YES" in step E15, the server PCS sends another notification to the terminal T1 to ask "which label is to be associated the number N2 appeal "to step E16. The user U1 consists label ET2 on the keypad of the terminal T1 or declare the label ET2 before the microphone terminal T1 if the server PCS has already signaled her qu'.il was equipped with a voice recognition device an invitation to pronounce the word "YES" or "NO" in particular in the previous step E13. Thus in step E17, the label ET2 is transmitted from the terminal T1 to the SCP server to save it in the directory R1 in combination with the telephone number N2. It is recalled that the label ET2 can be the name, or a nickname, or an abbreviated number or other alphanumeric word of the user U2.

p0035Then after step E17, or after step E15 when the user has pressed the # key or said "NO", the process moves to step E7 already described with reference to the <figref idrefs="f0002">2</figref>.

p0036In a second embodiment for which the marks are indicated in brackets in the <figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1</figref>The terminal T1 is a mobile radio terminal which is connected to a base station of a radio network through a radio channel traffic CRT, replacing the line L1. The equivalent of the switch C1 in the PSTN is then the MSC mobile switching center serving said base station and which is temporarily attached to the radiotelephone terminal. In the fixed network of the radiotelephone network, we find an access to equity services functionality with CAS1 switch and associated with the pair of mobile service switch MSC and the location register VLR associated therewith and containing the subscription profile of the mobile terminals in its location area, and at least one equivalent mail server to the server PCS and connected to several mobile switching centers MSC through the radio network signaling network. The address of the voicemail server PCS associated with the mobile terminal T1 is included in the subscription profile temporarily stored in the VLR and permanently in the home location register HLR of the mobile telephone network.

p0037Therefore, except for the reversal of the functions in step E1 at which the identifier ID2 is first compound in the mobile telephone terminal T1, then the call departure by biasing hook key / traffic channel gain is then requested by the terminal T1, the method E0 to E17 as described above for fixed terminals in the switched telephone network PSTN is also applicable to mobile radio terminals in a radio network.

p0038The scope of the invention is independent of the fixed or movable type of user terminals: the terminals T1 and T2 can be both fixed or mobile terminal devices, or one of them may be a fixed terminal and the other a mobile terminal.