Method and apparatus for selecting and playing a voice mail message

Claim 1

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a ,called party with an extension connected to the system via a first communications link, which extension includes a multi-item textual display, for the system to select and transmit to the called party a voice mail message left by a caller, via a second communications link, while the called party is using the first communications link, comprising: a. receiving a plurality of calls, each from a caller, directed to the called party's extension and connecting each caller to the called party's voice mail box, b. receiving a data set of voice sounds from each caller, separately recording each data set of voice sounds in the mail box, c. displaying on the called party's extension's display a list comprised of a plurality of items, each item comprised of a string of characters, one string of characters for each of the plurality of voice sound data sets recorded in the called party's voice mail box, d. receiving at the called party's extension a selection by a user of one of the plurality of displayed strings of characters, and e. transmitting the data set of voice sounds corresponding to the selected string of characters to the called party's extension, while the called party is using the first communications link, via the second communications link.

Claim 2

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a ,called party with an extension connected to the system via a first communications link, which extension includes a multi-item textual display, for the system to select and transmit to the called party a voice mail message left by a caller, via a second communications link, while the called party is using the first communications link, comprising: a. receiving a plurality of calls, each from a caller, directed to the called party's extension and connecting each caller to the called party's voice mail box, b. receiving a data set of voice sounds from each caller, separately recording each data set of voice sounds in the mail box, c. displaying on the called party's extension's display a list comprised of a plurality of items, each item comprised of a string of characters, one string of characters for each of the plurality of voice sound data sets recorded in the called party's voice mail box, d. receiving at the called party's extension a selection by a user of one of the plurality of displayed strings of characters, and e. transmitting the data set of voice sounds corresponding to the selected string of characters to the called party's extension, while the called party is using the first communications link, via the second communications link.

Claim 8

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a called party with an extension, which system includes a memory with a plurality of locations, one of which is used for the voice mail box, for the system to prevent copying of a message from a caller to the called party, comprising: a. receiving a call from a caller directed to the called party's extension and connecting the caller to the called party's voice mail box, b. receiving a message of voice sounds from the caller and recording it in the mail box, c. receiving from the caller an indication that the caller chooses to designate the message as "private" and, as a consequence, setting, in the memory, a flag associated with the message, d. receiving from the called party a command to copy a portion of the message to another location in a memory, and e. reading the flag and, if the flag is set, failing to execute the command.

Claim 9

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a called party with an extension, which system includes a memory with a plurality of locations, one of which is used for the voice mail box, for the system to prevent copying of a message from a caller to the called party, comprising: a. receiving a call from a caller directed to the called party's extension and connecting the caller to the called party's voice mail box, b. receiving a message of voice sounds from the caller and recording it in the mail box, c. receiving from the caller an indication that the caller chooses to designate the message as "private" and, as a consequence, setting, in the memory, a flag associated with the message, d. receiving from the called party a command to copy a portion of the message to another location in a memory, and e. reading the flag and, if the flag is set, failing to execute the command.

Claim 11

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a called party with an extension, which system includes a memory for the voice mail box, for the system to permit copying and conversion of a message from digital telephone audio format to computer multimedia format comprising: a. receiving a message of digital telephone audio data and recording it in the mail box memory, b. receiving from the mail box owner a command to copy a portion of the audio data to another memory, c. converting the digital telephone audio data directly into digital computer multimedia audio data by converting the sample rate, the sample size, and the chunk size and d. writing to the other memory a file in computer multimedia format containing the portion of the converted audio data.

Claim 12

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a called party with an extension, which system includes a memory for the voice mail box, for the system to permit copying and conversion of a message from digital telephone audio format to computer multimedia format comprising: a. receiving a message of digital telephone audio data and recording it in the mail box memory, b. receiving from the mail box owner a command to copy a portion of the audio data to another memory, c. converting the digital telephone audio data directly into digital computer multimedia audio data by converting the sample rate, the sample size, and the chunk size and d. writing to the other memory a file in computer multimedia format containing the portion of the converted audio data.

Claim 14

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a called party with an extension, which system includes a first memory for the voice mail box and a data path to a second memory, for the system, to permit copying and conversion of a set of audio data from computer multimedia format to digital telephone format comprising: a. receiving from the mail box owner a command to copy the set of audio data from the second memory to the first memory, b. reading from the second memory, in multimedia format, the set of audio data, c. converting the digital multimedia format audio data directly into digital telephone audio data by converting the sample rate, the sample size, and the chunk size, and d. writing to the first memory a file in digital telephone audio data format containing the portion of the audio data.

Claim 15

A method, in a telephone switching system with a voice mail box for a called party with an extension, which system includes a first memory for the voice mail box and a data path to a second memory, for the system, to permit copying and conversion of a set of audio data from computer multimedia format to digital telephone format comprising: a. receiving from the mail box owner a command to copy the set of audio data from the second memory to the first memory, b. reading from the second memory, in multimedia format, the set of audio data, c. converting the digital multimedia format audio data directly into digital telephone audio data by converting the sample rate, the sample size, and the chunk size, and d. writing to the first memory a file in digital telephone audio data format containing the portion of the audio data.