Methods and apparatus for reliable voicemail message deletion alerts at mobile communication devices

1. A method in mobile communication device operative in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

receiving, via the wireless network, an initial voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received at a voicemail system, the initial voicemail notification message indicating an initial message deletion date;

accessing, via the wireless network, the voicemail message from the voicemail system;

monitoring, at the mobile device, to identify when a current date reaches the initial message deletion date;

causing a save command to be transmitted, via the wireless network, from the mobile device to the voicemail system, which causes the voicemail message to be saved at the voicemail system;

when the voicemail message is saved:

receiving, via the wireless network, an updated voicemail notification message corresponding to the saved voicemail message, the updated voicemail notification message indicating an updated message deletion date;

monitoring, at the mobile device, to identify when the current date reaches the updated message deletion date; and

when the current date reaches the initial or the updated message deletion date, producing at the mobile device a voicemail message deletion alert indicating that the voicemail message will be deleted by the voicemail system.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying the initial voicemail notification message in a messaging application of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a voicemail deletion notification message which includes information which identifies the voicemail message that will be deleted by the voicemail system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication network comprises a cellular telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 1 , which is embodied as computer instructions stored in a non-transitory storage medium, the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of the mobile communication device.

6. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a controller;

memory coupled to the controller;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and configured for communications with a wireless communication network;

a user interface coupled to the controller;

the controller being operative to:

receive, via the wireless transceiver, a voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received at a voicemail system, the initial voicemail notification message indicating an initial message deletion date;

access, with use of the wireless transceiver, the voicemail message from the voicemail system;

monitor to identify when a current date reaches the initial message deletion date;

cause a save command to be transmitted, via the wireless transceiver, from the mobile device to the voicemail system, which causes the voicemail message to be saved at the voicemail system;

when the voicemail message is saved:

receive, via the wireless transceiver, an updated voicemail notification message corresponding to the saved voicemail message, the updated voicemail notification message indicating an updated message deletion date;

monitor to identify when the current date reaches the updated message deletion date; and

when the current date reaches the initial or the updated message deletion date, produce at the user interface a voicemail message deletion alert indicating that the voicemail message will be deleted by the voicemail system.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further operative to:

display the initial voicemail notification message in a messaging application of the mobile device.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further operative to:

receive a voicemail deletion notification message which includes information which identifies the voicemail message that will be deleted by the voicemail system.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 6 , wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver.

10. A method in a voicemail system apparatus of a voicemail system for use in processing voicemail message information for a mobile communication device operative in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

producing an initial voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received and saved at the voicemail system, the initial voicemail notification message indicating an initial message deletion date;

causing the initial voicemail notification message to be sent to the mobile device via the wireless network, for mobile device monitoring of the initial message deletion date;

in response to receiving from the mobile device a save command for resaving the voicemail message:

resaving the voicemail message at the voicemail system;

producing an updated voicemail notification message corresponding to the voicemail message that was saved, the updated voicemail notification message indicating an updated message deletion date;

causing the updated voicemail notification message to be sent to the mobile device via the wireless network, for mobile device monitoring of the updated message deletion date; and

deleting the voicemail message at the voicemail system when the current date reaches the initial or the updated message deletion date.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the initial voicemail notification message comprises an e-mail message or an SMS message.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

sending a voicemail deletion notification message which includes information which identifies the voicemail message for deletion.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the wireless communication network comprises a cellular telecommunications network.

14. The method of claim 10 , which is embodied as computer instructions stored in a non-transitory storage medium, the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of the voicemail system apparatus.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the voicemail deletion notification message is configured to cause a voicemail message deletion alert to be produced at a user interface of the mobile communication device.

16. A voicemail system apparatus for a voicemail system which processes voicemail message information for use by a mobile communication device operative in a wireless communication network, the voicemail system comprising one or more processors configured to produce an initial voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received and saved at the voicemail system, the initial voicemail notification message indicating an initial message deletion date; cause the voicemail notification message to be sent to the mobile device via the wireless network for mobile device monitoring of the initial message deletion date; in response to receiving from the mobile communication device a save command for resaving the voicemail message, restive the voicemail message at the voicemail system, produce an updated voicemail notification message corresponding to the voicemail message that was saved, the updated voicemail notification message indicating an updated message deletion date, and cause the updated voicemail notification message to be sent to the mobile device via the wireless network, for mobile device monitoring of the updated message deletion date; and delete the voicemail message at the voicemail system when the current date reaches the initial or the updated message deletion date.

17. The voicemail system apparatus of claim 16 wherein the wherein the initial voicemail notification message comprises an e-mail message or an SMS message.

18. The voicemail system apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send a voicemail deletion notification message which includes information which identifies the voicemail message that will be deleted by the voicemail system.

19. The voicemail system apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the wireless communication network comprises a cellular telecommunications network.

20. The voicemail system apparatus of claim 18 wherein the voicemail deletion notification message is configured to cause a voicemail message deletion alert to be produced at a user interface of the mobile communication device.

21. A method in a mobile communication device operative in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

receiving, via the wireless network, a voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received at a voicemail system, the voicemail notification message including voicemail message information which includes a voicemail message identifier which identifies the voicemail message at the voicemail system, a caller identifier which identifiers a caller associated with the voicemail message, a voicemail message timestamp indicating a date and/or time that the voicemail message was received at the voicemail system, and a voicemail message expiration date;

displaying a message header for the voicemail notification message in a messaging application of the mobile device, the message header including the caller identifier and the voicemail message timestamp;

playing the voicemail message in response to a user selection of the voicemail message via the messaging application;

monitoring at the mobile device to identify when a current date reaches the voicemail message expiration date;

subsequently receiving, from the voicemail system via the wireless network, a voicemail deletion notification message indicating that the voicemail message will be deleted by the voicemail system, the voicemail message being deleted by the voicemail system upon expiration of the voicemail message expiration date;

prior to deletion of the voicemail message, causing a save command to be transmitted, via the wireless network, from the mobile device to the voicemail system, which causes the voicemail message to be saved at the voicemail system and the voicemail message expiration date to be updated; and

monitoring at the mobile device to identify when the current date reaches the updated voicemail message expiration date.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the voicemail message information of the voicemail notification message includes a voicemail message length indicating a length of the voicemail message.

23. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a controller;

memory coupled to the controller;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and configured for communications with a wireless communication network;

a user interface coupled to the controller;

the controller being operative to:

receiving, via the wireless network, a voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received at a voicemail system, the voicemail notification message including voicemail message information which includes a voicemail message identifier which identifies the voicemail message at the voicemail system, a caller identifier which identifiers a caller associated with the voicemail message, a voicemail message timestamp indicating a date and/or time that the voicemail message was received at the voicemail system, and a voicemail message expiration date;

displaying a message header for the voicemail notification message in a messaging application of the mobile device, the message header including the caller identifier and the voicemail message timestamp;

playing the voicemail message in response to a user selection of the voicemail message via the messaging application;

monitoring to identify when a current date reaches the voicemail message expiration date;

subsequently receiving, from the voicemail system via the wireless network, a voicemail deletion notification message indicating that the voicemail message will be deleted by the voicemail system, the voicemail message being deleted by the voicemail system upon expiration of the voicemail message expiration date;

prior to deletion of the voicemail message, causing a save command to be transmitted, via the wireless network, from the mobile device to the voicemail system, which causes the voicemail message to be saved at the voicemail system and the voicemail message expiration date to be updated; and

monitoring to identify when the current date reaches the updated voicemail message expiration date.

24. The mobile communication device of claim 21 , wherein the voicemail message information of the voicemail notification message includes a voicemail message length indicating a length of the voicemail message.