Patent ID: 6289085
Filing Date: 2001-09-11
Classification: G10L,H04M

Abstract:
A voice mail system comprising a plurality of terminal devices connected through a network of communications nodes, in which said terminal devices each comprises:voice feature control means for controlling voice feature data which indicates voice features of a plurality of voices in correlation with one or more identifiers which are unique within the network;mail reception means for receiving a mail containing at least a communication message and said identifier;voice synthesizer means for synthesizing a voice which represents the content of the communication message contained in the received mail in a voice feature indicated by said voice feature data which is controlled in correlation with said identifier contained in the received mail;voice output means for outputting said synthesized voice wherein each of said communication nodes comprises clock means for measuring an operating time;each of said voice feature data including time limit data indicating a limit of using the voice feature data; andsaid voice synthesizer means synthesizing the voice using said voice feature data only when said operating time is within the use limit indicated by said time limit data contained in said voice feature data.