Patent ID: 6181780
Filing Date: 2001-01-30
Classification: G10L,H04M

Abstract:
In a telecommunications network, a method of providing at a local voice message system a substitute voice signature of a remote user of a remote voice message system, the remote user having a remote voice message address at the remote voice message system, the substitute voice signature of the remote user being available to a local user of the local voice message system without accessing the remote voice message system, comprising:receiving at the local voice message system a first voice message from the remote user of the remote voice message system, the first voice message including an initial voice portion and a subsequent voice portion of spoken message content intended for delivery to the local user;storing at the local voice messaging system for subsequent retrieval the initial and subsequent voice portions of spoken message content of the first voice message;extracting the initial voice portion from the first voice message to form a voice clip of the first voice message from which voice clip the substitute voice signature of the remote user is derived for future use;storing the voice clip in a local voice message system network file, the voice clip associated with the remote voice message address of the remote user;generating at a future time by a local user of the local voice message system a second voice message;addressing the second voice message to the remote voice message address of the remote user;retrieving from the local voice message system network file in response to the addressing of the second voice message to the remote voice message address the voice clip associated with the remote voice message address of the remote user; andplaying to the local user the substitute voice signature derived from the voice clip extracted from the first voice message to authenticate for the local user that the second voice message is correctly addressed to the remote user.