Granted Patent B2

US 8,073,429 · App. 11/217,907 · Granted Dec 6, 2011

Abstract

Claims (71)

1. In a cellular telephone, a method for communicating a message, the method comprising:

providing a sender with an option to record a message on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to a communication device of a recipient;

recording a message from the sender on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient; and

automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient, wherein said automatically delivering comprises repeatedly, and periodically at a dynamic adaptable period, attempting to utilize a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

prior to performing said option providing, said message recording and said automatic message delivering, determining whether a communication link between the cellular telephone and the communication device of the recipient may presently be established; and

if it is determined that a communication link between the cellular telephone and the communication device of the recipient may not presently be established, then performing said option providing, said message recording and said automatic message delivering.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adaptable period is a function of power availability.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adaptable period is a function of signal strength.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adaptable period is a function of time of day.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient comprises persistently attempting to deliver the recorded message to a message server associated with the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient comprises communicating callback information to the communication device of the recipient.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of alternative possible communication networks comprises a cellular communication network and a computer communication network.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the computer communication network comprises the Internet.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing to the sender the capability to specify a group of alternative possible communication networks through which the recorded message may be communicated to the communication device of the recipient.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing to the sender the capability to specify characteristics of a plurality of communication paths over which the recorded message may be delivered to the communication device of the recipient.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, following successful delivery of the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient, notifying the sender that the recorded message was successfully delivered to the communication device of the recipient.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing a communication link between the cellular telephone and the communication device of the recipient over which the recorded message will be communicated to the communication device of the recipient, and following establishment of the communication link, notifying the sender of the establishment of the communication link.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, at the communication device of the recipient, providing the recipient with the capability to specify how the communication device of the recipient should handle recorded messages delivered to the communication device of the recipient.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient comprises:

establishing a communication link between the cellular telephone and a wireless personal area network; and

delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient through the wireless personal area network.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient comprises:

establishing a communication link between the cellular telephone and a wireless local area network; and

delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient through the wireless local area network.

17. In a cellular telephone, a method for communicating a message, the method comprising:

providing a sender with an option to record a message on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to a communication device of a recipient;

recording a message from the sender on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient; and

providing to the sender the capability to specify timing characteristics for periodic attempted delivery of the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient; and

automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient, wherein said automatically delivering comprises repeatedly attempting to utilize a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

18. In a cellular telephone, a method for communicating a message, the method comprising:

providing a sender with an option to record a message on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to a communication device of a recipient;

recording a message from the sender on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient;

providing to the sender the capability to specify the manner in which the communication device of the recipient presents the recorded message to the recipient upon receipt of the recorded message by the recipient; and

automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient, wherein said automatically delivering comprises repeatedly attempting to utilize a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

19. In a cellular telephone having at least a user interface, a wireless communication interface and a memory, a subsystem comprising:

at least one module operable to, at least:

utilize the user interface to provide a sender with an option to record a message on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to a communication device of a recipient;

utilize the user interface and the memory to record a message from the sender on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient; and

utilize the wireless communication interface to automatically deliver the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient by, at least in part, operating to repeatedly, and periodically at a dynamic adaptable period, attempt to utilize a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

20. The cellular telephone of claim 19 , wherein the at least one module is further operable to:

prior to performing said option providing, said message recording and said automatic message delivering, utilize the wireless communication interface to determine whether a communication link between the cellular telephone and the communication device of the recipient may presently be established; and

if it is determined that a communication link between the cellular telephone and the communication device of the recipient may not presently be established, then perform said option providing, said message recording and said automatic message delivering.

21. The cellular telephone of claim 19 , wherein the dynamic adaptable period is a function of power availability.

22. The cellular telephone of claim 19 , wherein the dynamic adaptable period is a function of signal strength.

23. In a communication device, a method for communicating a message, the method comprising:

determining whether a communication link between the communication device and a communication device of a recipient may presently be established; and

if it is determined that a communication link between the communication device and the communication device of the recipient may not presently be established, then:

providing a sender with an option to record a message on the communication device for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient;

recording a message from the sender on the communication device for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient; and

automatically delivering the recorded message from the communication device to the communication device of the recipient, wherein said automatically delivering comprises repeatedly, and periodically at a dynamic adaptable period, attempting to utilize a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the communication device and/or the communication device of the recipient comprises a cellular telephone.

25. In a cellular telephone, a method for communicating a message, the method comprising:

providing a sender with an option to record a message on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to a communication device of a recipient;

recording a message from the sender on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient; and

automatically delivering the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient, wherein said automatically delivering comprises repeatedly, and periodically at a dynamic adaptable period:

first attempting to utilize a first communication network of a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient; and

if said first attempting is unsuccessful, then second attempting to utilize a second communication network of the plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein:

said first attempting comprises attempting to utilize a telecommunication network to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient; and

said second attempting comprises attempting to utilize the Internet to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein said attempting to utilize the Internet to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient comprises utilizing a mapping of recipient telephone number to Internet message routing information.

28. In a cellular telephone having at least a user interface, a wireless communication interface and a memory, a subsystem comprising:

at least one module operable to, at least:

utilize the user interface to provide a sender with an option to record a message on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to a communication device of a recipient;

utilize the user interface and the memory to record a message from the sender on the cellular telephone for later automatic delivery to the communication device of the recipient; and

utilize the wireless communication interface to automatically deliver the recorded message from the cellular telephone to the communication device of the recipient by, at least in part, operating to repeatedly, and periodically at a dynamic adaptable period:

first attempt to utilize a first communication network of a plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient; and

if said first attempt is unsuccessful, then second attempt to utilize a second communication network of the plurality of alternative possible communication networks to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient.

29. The subsystem of claim 28 , wherein the first communication network comprises a telecommunication network and the second communication network comprises the Internet.

30. The subsystem of claim 29 , wherein the at least one module operates to second attempt to utilize the Internet to deliver the recorded message to the communication device of the recipient by, at least in part, operating to utilize a mapping of recipient telephone number to Internet message routing information.

Assignments (6)