Abstract:
A method is disclosed that enables a user to set their “away” or auto-reply messages for two or more communications services (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, etc.) in one action. Separate actions are required in the prior art to change each outgoing message for every distinct communication service. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a method that enables a user to change the auto-reply message for multiple communication services with less effort than was required for multiple services in the prior art. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a text auto-reply message intended for e-mail is automatically converted into an abbreviated form for instant messaging and wireless text services and into audio for services like telephony. Furthermore, the illustrative embodiment enables the automatic translation of messages into different natural languages, and can apply rules so that the resulting messages are used appropriately.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to telecommunications in general, and, more particularly, to user interfaces. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Modern telecommunications are responsible for the phrase “the world is getting smaller every day”. The technology of personal communications is so pervasive that a given person, especially in business, is expected to be in touch at all times during the day. One service that makes such contact possible is voice mail, which sends an outgoing message to callers when an incoming telephone call goes unanswered. A person using this service, or a telephone answering machine, can change the outgoing message whenever desired to better inform their callers of their schedule or current whereabouts. Frequently, however, these messages are left unchanged, only asking callers to leave a message. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention enables a user to set their “away” or auto-reply messages for two or more communications services (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, etc.) in one action. Separate actions are required in the prior art to change each outgoing message for every distinct communication service. For example, when a user leaves the office for vacation, the user would type at least one auto-response message for his or her e-mail and would separately record an away message for his or her telephone voice mail. 
     The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a method that enables a user to change the auto-reply message for multiple communication services with less effort than was required for multiple services in the prior art. 
     In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a text auto-reply message intended for e-mail is automatically converted into an abbreviated form for instant messaging and wireless text services and into audio for services like telephony. Furthermore, the illustrative embodiment enables the automatic translation of messages into different natural languages, and can apply rules so that the resulting messages are used appropriately. 
     Rules may also be set up, and selected between such that different outgoing messages are transmitted in different circumstances without additional user interaction. One such rule might be to use alternate, semantically distinct, pre-generated voice and text messages after 5:00 PM when the user normally goes home. The illustrative embodiment allows rules based on the identity of the caller providing for well targeted messages, telling a customer that his order has been received while asking unknown callers to leave a message. 
     The illustrative embodiment comprises a method comprising: (a) receiving a first payload message; (b) generating a second payload message in response to the receipt of said first payload message, wherein said second payload message comprises at least a portion of the semantic content of said first payload message; (c) transmitting a first auto-reply message comprising said first payload message in response to a first request to communicate with a user; and (d) transmitting a second auto-reply message comprising said second payload message in response to a second request to communicate with said user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts a schematic diagram of the salient components of telecommunications system  100  in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a block diagram of the salient components of telecommunications client  101 -i in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks performed by the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks performed by the illustrative embodiment in accomplishing task  302 . 
         FIG. 5  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks performed by an alternative embodiment of the present invention in accomplishing task  302 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  depicts a schematic diagram of the salient components of telecommunication system  100  in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Telecommunications system  100  comprises: telecommunications clients  101 - 1 ,  101 - 2 , and  101 - 3 , Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)  110 , and the Internet  111 , interconnected as shown. Although the illustrative embodiment comprises three telecommunications clients, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that comprise any number of telecommunications clients. Furthermore, although the illustrative embodiment comprises identical telecommunications clients, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use embodiments of the present invention in which not all of the telecommunications clients are identical. 
     Furthermore, although the illustrative embodiment comprises the Public Switched Telephone Network and the Internet, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that comprise:
         i. the Public Switched Telephone Network, or   ii. the Internet, or   iii. one or more other telecommunications networks, or   iv. any combination of i, ii, and iii.       

     In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, telecommunications client  101 -i, wherein iε{1, 2, 3}, is a telecommunications terminal that is capable of performing the functionality described below and in the accompanying figures. In particular, telecommunications client  101 -i provides:
         i. bi-directional audio service via a first protocol (e.g., tip-ring, DSO, ISDN, etc.) and the PSTN, and   ii. bi-directional data service via a second protocol (e.g., the Basic Instant Messaging Protocol, etc.) and the Internet.
 
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which telecommunications client  101 -i provides:
   i. uni-directional audio service (e.g., voice paging, etc.), or   ii. bi-directional audio service (e.g., telephone, etc.), or   iii. uni-directional data service (e.g., e-mail, etc.), or   iv. bi-directional data service (e.g., http, instant messaging, etc.), or   v. uni-directional video service (e.g., streaming video, etc.), or   vi. bi-directional video service (e.g., video conferencing, etc.), or   vii. any combination of i, ii, iii, iv, v, and vi
 
via any number of networks and any number of protocols. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which telecommunications client  101 -i comprises a system that comprises a switch. The details of how to make and use telecommunications client  101 -i are provided in detail below and in the accompanying drawings.
       

     Public Switched Telephone Network  110  is the public telephone network. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use Public Switched Telephone Network  110 . 
     The Internet  111  is the global packet switched network that is well known in the art. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use the Internet  111 . 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the salient components of telecommunications client  101 -i in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, which are interrelated as shown. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, telecommunications client  101 -i comprises:
         i. display  201 , and   ii. audio interface  202 , and   iii. location sensor  203 , and   iv. telecommunications transceiver  204 , and   v. memory  205 , and   vi. processor  206 , and   vii. environmental sensor  207 , and   viii. manual interface  208 .
 
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which telecommunications client  101 -i comprises any subcombination of i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, and vii.
       
     Display  201  is a liquid crystal display that presents the user of telecommunications client  101 -i with a visual representation of data, in well-known fashion. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which display  201  is other than a liquid crystal display. 
     Audio interface  202  is a microphone and speaker that provides sound to the user and that receives sound from the user. It will be clear to those skilled on the art how to make and use audio interface  202 . 
     Location sensor  203  is a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver that is capable of determining the location of telecommunications terminal  101 -i in well-known fashion. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which location sensor  203  is another means for determining the location of telecommunications terminal  101 -i. 
     Telecommunications transceiver  204  is an interface to Public Switched Telephone Network  110  and the Internet  111  in well-known fashion. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments in which telecommunications transceiver  204  works with any network. 
     Memory  205  is a non-volatile memory that provides storage for telecommunications terminal  101 -i in well-known fashion. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which memory  205  comprises a different memory type. 
     Processor  206  is a general-purpose processor that performs the tasks described in detail below and in the accompanying figures. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use processor  206 . 
     Environmental sensor  207  is a sensing apparatus providing environmental measurements of the local environment of telecommunications client  101 -i. In the illustrative embodiment environmental sensor  207  is a light level sensor for measuring ambient light levels. It will be clear to those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure that environmental sensor  207  could instead be any combination of sensing devices, including thermometers, hygrometers, accelerometers, blood pressure sensors, pulse rate sensors, brain wave detectors, etc. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use environmental sensor  207 . 
     Manual interface  208  is a tactile data input device (i.e. multiple pushbuttons) for telecommunications client  101 -i. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments in which manual interface  208  is a touch sensitive screen of display  201 , external wireless keypad, or some other mechanism capable of accepting input from the user. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use manual interface  208 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks performed in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
     At task  301 , telecommunications client  101 - 1  receives a command message, which instructs telecommunications client  101 - 1  to set or change its auto-reply behavior. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the command message is entered into telecommunications client  101 - 1  by the user of telecommunications client  101 - 1  through a command-line interface. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the command message comprises a string that specifies all of the parameters affecting the auto-reply behavior, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the command message is input through a graphical-user interface. An example of three illustrative command messages is shown in Table 1 below. 
                                           TABLE 1                   Illustrative Auto-Reply Messages and Conditions                        Applicable           Command   Respond   Time   to Which       Message   To Whom   Condition   Services   Reply Message               #1   All   1 PM-7 AM   All   “Please contact                       Sally at this time”       #2   Spouse   Today, once   All   “Let&#39;s go out for                       pizza tonight”       #3   French Co-   3 PM-4 PM   Telephone   “Sortons pour la           workers           pizza ce soir”                    
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use embodiments of the present invention that accomplish task  301 .
 
     At task  302 , a first auto-reply message and a second auto-reply message are generated based on the command message received at task  301 . The details of task  302  are described below and in the accompanying figures. 
     At task  303 , the first and second auto-reply conditions of telecommunications client  101 - 1  are set based on the command message received at task  301 . The auto-reply conditions dictate the circumstances in which the first auto-reply message and the second auto-reply message are to be sent. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the first and second auto-replay conditions are based on:
         i. the receipt of a request to communicate with the user of telecommunications client  101 - 1 , and   ii. the calendrical time, and   iii. the geo-location of telecommunications client  101 - 1 , and   iv. the identity of the caller from the incoming communications request, and   v. the environmental conditions measured by environmental sensor  207 , and   vi. the physiological state of the user of telecommunications client  101 - 1 , and   vii. the status of the telecommunication networks available to telecommunications client  101 - 1 .
 
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the first and second auto-reply conditions are based on any sub-combination of i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, and vii. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  303 .
       

     At task  304 , telecommunications client  101 - 1  receives a first request to communicate via a first service, via a first protocol, a first natural language, and a first network from Bob, the user of terminal  101 - 2  (e.g., a 9:00 AM telephone call in English via tip-ring and the PSTN, etc.). It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments in which the first request arrives at any time, in any language, in any protocol, via any service, over any network, and from any sender. 
     At task  305 , telecommunications client  101 - 1  transmits a first auto-reply message in response to the satisfaction of the first auto-reply condition, which includes the receipt of the first request to communicate received at task  305 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the first auto-reply message is transmitted via the first service, the first protocol, the first natural language, and the first network (e.g., a 9:01 AM telephone call in English via tip-ring and the PSTN, etc.). However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the first auto-reply message is transmitted using:
         i. a different service than the first service (e.g., a second service, etc.), or   ii. a different protocol than the first protocol (e.g., a second protocol, etc.), or   iii. a different network than the first network (e.g., a second network, etc.), or   iv. a different natural language than the first natural language (e.g., a second natural language, etc.), or   v. any combination of i, ii, iii, and iv.
 
It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  305 .
       

     At task  306 , telecommunications client  101 - 1  receives a second request to communicate for a second service via a second protocol, a second natural language, and a second network (e.g., a 9:30 AM instant message in French via TCP/IP and the Internet, etc.). It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments in which the second request arrives at any time, in any language, in any protocol, over any network, and is from any sender. 
     At task  307 , a second auto-reply message is transmitted in response to the satisfaction of the second auto-reply condition, which includes the receipt of the second request to communicate received at task  306 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the second auto-reply message is transmitted via the second service, the second protocol, the second natural language, and the second network (e.g., a 9:31 AM instant message in French via TCP/IP and the Internet, etc.). However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the second auto-reply message is transmitted using:
         i. a different service than the second service (e.g., the first service, etc.), or   ii. a different protocol than the second protocol (e.g., the first protocol, etc.), or   iii. a different network than the second network (e.g., the first network, etc.), or   iv. a different natural language than the second natural language (e.g., the first natural language, etc.), or   v. any combination of i, ii, iii, and iv.
 
It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  307 .
       

       FIG. 4  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks performed by the illustrative embodiment of the present invention in accomplishing task  302 . 
     At task  401  the command message is received from the user, which comprises the first payload message. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment the first payload message is text, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this specification, how to make and use embodiments of the present invention in which the first payload message is audio or video with audio. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  401 . 
     At task  402  the second payload message is generated based on the first payload message from task  401 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment the second payload message is audio and comprises at least a portion of the semantic content of the first payload message, but is of a different message type or a different natural language, or both a different message type and a different natural language. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  402 . 
       FIG. 5  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks performed by some alternative embodiments of the present invention in accomplishing task  302 . 
     At task  501  a first payload message is generated based on the command message received at task  301 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment the first payload message comprises at least a portion of the semantic content of the command message and in the same message type and natural language as in the command language. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  501 . 
     At task  502  a second payload message is generated based on the command message received at task  301 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment the second payload message comprises at least a portion of the semantic content of the command message, but in a different message type or a different natural language, or both a different message type and a different natural language than the first payload message. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention which accomplish task  502 . 
     It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and that many variations of the above-described embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in this Specification, numerous specific details are provided in order to provide a thorough description and understanding of the illustrative embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of those details, or with other methods, materials, components, tasks, etc.