Telephone and wireless access to computer network-based audio

1. A system for transmission of audio content to a telephone, the system comprising:

an audio stream navigation functionality operable by using a telephone user interface and enabling a user to select audio data to be heard by the user via said telephone;

an interactive voice response unit operative in response to an input from said telephone user interface operating said audio stream navigation functionality;

a transcoder operative in response to an input from said interactive voice response unit for providing audio data to the user via said telephone, the audio data transmitted from an audio source remote from said transcoder, to said interactive voice response unit in communication with said telephone for listening by said user via said telephone;

a content manager, the transcoder and the interactive voice response (IVR) unit responsive to the content manager for directing the audio stream; and

a cache, the cache responsive to the content manager for selectively receiving and rendering the directed audio stream, the telephone providing the user interface enabling said user to select a portion of the audio content, the system further operable to:

receive a set of available preconfigured locations having the audio content;

select a location of the portion from among the preconfigured locations; and

assign an IVR interface coupled to the transcoder for receiving the portion from the selected location, the IVR interface assigned by a content manager operable to assign a plurality of IVR interfaces; and

receive the portion via the assigned IVR interface.

2. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said transcoder employs at least one of the following protocols in providing said audio data from said audio source remote from said transcoder to said interactive voice response unit:

MP3;

REAL AUDIO;

WINDOWS MEDIA;

RTSP;

RTP;

HTTP;

MGCP; and

VoIP.

3. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said audio content selected by said user is delimited by a frequency range.

4. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said audio content selected by said user is delimited by a temporal range.

5. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to selectably operate on a portion of said audio content by carrying out at least one of the following operations:

identification of the portion by at least one semaphore indicative of the portion within an audio stream transporting the audio content;

storage of said portion;

transmittal of a link to a stored said portion via a computer network;

transmittal of said portion via said computer network;

playing of said portion; and

manipulation of said portion.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said audio content is received from said PSTN audio source.

7. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to selectably operate on a portion of said audio content by:

receiving a semaphore command indicative of the portion, the semaphore based on an offset into the audio stream;

identifying the portion by delimiting the portion with a semaphore, the semaphore delimited portion operable for selective storage, recall and rendering from the user interface.

8. A system according to claim 5 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to select said portion of said audio content, the user interface further operable for:

identifying the portion within an audio stream transporting said audio content by saving the current location within the audio stream;

storing the identified portion in a cache operable for selective recall by the user via a location identifier;

recalling the stored portion from the saved current location responsively to input from the user interface; and

rendering the recalled portion to the user.

9. A system according to claim 5 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to selectably operate on said portion of said audio content by

selecting a semaphore delimited portion of the audio stream, the semaphore delimited portion designated by an offset into the audio stream.

10. A system for transmission of audio content to a telephone, the system comprising:

an audio stream navigation functionality operable by using a telephone user interface and enabling a user to select audio data to be heard by the user via said telephone;

an interactive voice response unit operative in response to an input from said telephone user interface operating said audio stream navigation functionality; and

a transcoder operative in response to an input from said interactive voice response unit for providing audio data to the user via said telephone, the audio data transmitted from an audio source using audio streaming functionality, to said interactive voice response unit in communication with said telephone for listening by said user via said telephone;

a content manager, the transcoder and the interactive voice response (IVR) unit responsive to the content manager for directing the audio stream; and

a cache, the cache responsive to the content manager for selectively receiving and rendering the directed audio stream, the telephone providing the user interface enabling said user to select a portion of the audio content, the system further operable to:

receive a set of available preconfigured locations having the audio content;

select a location of the portion from among the preconfigured locations;

receive a semaphore command indicative of the portion;

identify the portion by delimiting the portion with a semaphore, the semaphore delimited portion operable for selective storage, recall and rendering from the user interface;

assign an IVR interface coupled to the transcoder for receiving the portion from the selected location, the IVR interface assigned by a content manager operable to assign a plurality of IVR interfaces; and

receive the portion via the assigned IVR interface.

11. A system according to claim 10 and wherein said audio content selected by said user is delimited by a frequency range.

12. A system according to claim 10 and wherein said audio content selected by said user is delimited by a temporal range.

13. A system according to claim 10 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to selectably operate on a portion of said audio content by carrying out at least one of the following operations:

storage of said portion;

transmittal of a link to a stored said portion via a computer network;

transmittal of said portion via said computer network;

playing of said portion; and

manipulation of said portion.

14. A system according to claim 10 wherein said audio content is received from a PSTN audio source.

15. A system according to claim 13 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to select said portion of said audio content.

16. A system according to claim 13 and wherein said telephone provides said user interface enabling said user to selectably operate on said portion of said audio content.

17. A system according to claim 10 and wherein said transcoder employs at least one of the following protocols in providing said audio data from said audio source remote from said transcoder to said interactive voice response unit:

MP3;

REAL AUDIO;

WINDOWS MEDIA;

RTSP;

RTP;

HTTP;

MGCP; and

VoIP.

18. A system for transmission of audio content to a telephone comprising:

an audio content transmitter receiving audio content from a source of audio content, said audio content transmitter being operative for transmitting to a telephone a portion of said audio content; and

at least one telephone being operative to enable a user to select said portion of said audio content via said telephone and to receive said portion of said audio content to provide an audio output;

the audio content transmitter further comprising:

a content manager having a transcoder and an interactive voice response (IVR) unit responsive to the content manager for directing the audio content; and

a cache, the cache responsive to the content manager for selectively receiving and rendering the directed audio content, the telephone providing the user interface enabling said user to select a portion of the audio content, the system further operable to:

receive a set of available preconfigured locations having the audio content;

select a location of the portion from among the preconfigured locations;

receive a semaphore command indicative of the portion, the semaphore based on an offset into the audio stream;

identify the portion by delimiting the portion with a semaphore, the semaphore delimited portion operable for selective storage; recall and rendering from the user interface;

assign an IVR interface coupled to the transcoder for receiving the portion from the selected location, the IVR interface assigned by a content manager operable to assign a plurality of IVR interfaces; and

receive the portion via the assigned IVR interface.

19. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said at least one telephone is operative to enable said user to select said portion of said audio content by a speech input.

20. A system according to claim 18 and also comprising an IVR which is in communication with said at least one telephone and with said at least one audio content transmitter and which is operative to enable said user to select said portion of said audio content by a speech input via said telephone.

21. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said portion of said audio content is delimited by a frequency range.

22. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said portion of said audio content is delimited by a temporal range.

23. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said telephone provides a user interface enabling said user to selectably operate on said portion of said audio content by carrying out at least one of the following operations:

storage of said portion;

transmittal of a link to a stored said portion via a computer network;

transmittal of said portion via said computer network;

playing of said portion; and

manipulation of said portion.

24. A system according to claim 18 wherein said audio content is received from a PSTN audio source.

25. A system according to claim 18 and wherein said system employs at least one of the following protocols in providing said audio content from said audio source remote from said transcoder to an interactive voice response unit:

MP3;

REAL AUDIO;

WINDOWS MEDIA;

RTSP;

RTP;

HTTP;

M6CP; and

VoIP.