EP1645105A1 - Method and system for transmission of vocal content by mms - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for provision of audio content, said method comprising a step of production of audio content, transmitting the same by means of a telephone terminal (10) and a step of reception (20) and generation of a copy (32) of said audio content for subsequent consultation by a telephone terminal. Said method is characterised in comprising a step for production of the audio content by means of the telephone terminal (10) which precedes in a temporally-distinct manner said transmission step for said audio content by the telephone terminal.

Description

 Method and system for taking voice content by MMS

The invention is in the field of telecommunications, and more particularly messaging systems using sound content, in particular voice and personalized. In the field of telephony, there are such personalized voice contents in several forms. One thus meets in particular vocal contents in the form of vocal dedications or of greetings of messaging. A voice dedication is an audio message that is deposited in the voice mailbox of one or more correspondents who have voice mail. This can for example be a voice message recorded by the transmitter on a background sound. A user's voicemail greeting is the audio message heard by any correspondent who calls the user when the user cannot be reached (if their terminal is switched off or out of network coverage, if their line is unconditionally busy or diverted to voicemail, if the user refuses to answer the call, etc.). In the area of vocal dedications, the filing of “indirect” messages today allows the user to record a voice message (from any mobile or landline terminal) and deposit it in the mailbox of his correspondent . To do this, the user must call the correspondent's voicemail system. This service is generally chargeable (cost identical to that of a call to the correspondent). In addition, a user can create their own mailing lists on their voicemail. These distribution lists allow a user to send the same voice message to several recipients, each of whom has a voice mailbox (a distribution list is therefore a set of telephone numbers). Each user's mailing list is generally identified by a list number (list 1, list 2, etc.) Thus, this indirect message deposit service offers the user the possibility of recording and sending a message containing only his own voice. Services for sending voice dedications offering more functionality (adding music in the background to the voice message for example) require access from a mobile or landline to a voice server connected to the messaging system in order to dial his vocal dedication. The user can then select a predefined audio message or use the functionalities available on the server to compose his dedication himself. These dedication customization services are generally chargeable. In the field of greeting announcements this time, existing systems generally allow the user to personalize his greeting by offering him the possibility of recording it himself. This personalization of the announcement can be done: - from a mobile or landline phone, by calling the voice messaging system: the user then records his welcome announcement (price of a consultation of the voice mailbox); - from a PC computer via WEB access (if this functionality is provided by the operator): the user records his welcome announcement using a microphone connected to his computer (service generally free). Thus, the user can then only record his voice. Personalization services for announcements offering more functionalities require access from a mobile phone or. fixed to a voice server connected to the messaging system in order to compose his announcement. The user can then select a predefined announcement or use the features available on the server to compose his own announcement. Personalization services for announcements or the sending of vocal dedications are generally chargeable (generally charge per connection, plus the cost of a special call). These various aforementioned services do not allow the user to compose his vocal dedication or his greeting without concern of the connection time, and in a truly personalized way. In addition, these systems generally allow the user to personalize his greeting by offering him only the possibility of recording his own voice. They do not allow for example to add a sound signature at the beginning or at the end of an announcement to constitute a more personalized announcement. They also do not allow adding, for example, music in the background to the voice message and thus constituting real personalized voice content. The object of the invention is to propose a means of producing and making available voice content, a means which is more extensive in terms of possibilities for personalizing the content. The invention further aims to provide a means with which the user is less concerned with the time spent personalizing the voice content. This object is achieved according to the invention thanks to a method of providing sound content, the method comprising a step consisting in producing sound content and in transmitting it using a telephone terminal, and a step consisting in receiving and carrying out a memorization of this sound content with a view to a subsequent consultation by a telephone terminal, the method being characterized in that it comprises a step of producing the sound content using the telephone terminal which precedes, in a temporally distinct manner, said step of transmitting this sound content by the telephone terminal. The invention further provides a telecommunication device providing sound content to at least one telephone terminal holder, the device comprising a sound content reception entity as well as a memory storage entity. sound content consultable by telephone, the device being characterized in that the receiving entity and the memorizing entity are provided for reading a message of precomposed type on the telephone before transmission by this last, and store a sound content included in this message in a searchable form. Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, made with reference to the appended figures in which: - Figure 1 shows an architecture allowing the implementation of a first variant of the invention; - Figure 2 shows an architecture allowing the implementation of a second variant of the invention. We will first recall that the MMS (Multimedia Messaging) service

Service) is a service that allows subscribers (mobile today, and landline in the future) to send and receive multimedia messages (messages whose content can be text, images, sound and video ) large sizes. This service can be deployed on a mobile network (for example GSM, GPRS or UMTS) or on a fixed network wired or not (with information passed in the band). MMS service is provided by an MMS center (Multimedia Messaging Service Center) which stores and then sends MMS messages to recipients. To be able to use this service from their mobile, the subscriber must be equipped with a mobile including an MMS client (application integrated in the terminal allowing to compose, present, send and receive MMS messages). Likewise, use from a landline will require an adapted station. The messages received by the user are typically stored in his terminal. The embodiment now described (FIG. 1) allows the user to send a dedication, that is to say an effectively personalized audio message to the voice mailbox of another user (or of several users) outside of any connection during the preparation of this message, from its terminal. To provide this service, we plan here to take advantage of the MMS infrastructure to send this audio message from the user terminal (preferably to a short number defined by the operator who wishes to implement this service). The telephone number (s) of the recipient (s) (or, if applicable, the distribution list (s) desired) are indicated by the user either in the subject of the MMS message or in a text element of the message

MMS itself (with for example the character ";" as separator of the different recipients). Examples of text elements of the MMS message thus sent are the following: - “0600000000”: in this case, the voice dedication will be deposited in the voice mailbox of the number 06 00 00 00 00 - “0600000000; 0600000001; List 1; 0600000002; List 2 ”: in this case, the voice dedication will be deposited in the mailboxes of the numbers 06 00 00 00 00, 06 00 00 00 01 and 0600 00 00 02, as well as in the mailboxes of all the numbers contained in the mailing lists 1 and 2 that the sender has predefined on his voice mail. When the voicemail receives this MMS message, the audio element contained in it is deposited in the mailbox (es) of the recipient (s) specified in the subject or in the text element of the MMS message. At the functional level, the sequence of operations implemented (case where user 10 sends a vocal dedication to three users) is as follows First, correspondent 10 (fixed or mobile) creates a vocal dedication on his terminal (element audio). Then the correspondent 10 composes on his terminal an MMS message 15 consisting of an audio element 17, that is to say the voice dedication, a text element 19 comprising the list of recipient telephone numbers 34, 36 and 38. Then, the correspondent 10 sends this MMS message 15 to the short number N, corresponding to an MMS center 20 (MMS center). The MMS center 20 then sends this message 15 to voicemail 30. There are also provided, as a variant, two short numbers N1 and N2 dedicated to the reception and processing respectively of a message for voicemail and a greeting. The user, depending on the nature of his sound content, sends his MMS message to the number N1 or the number N2. Finally, in voice mail, a processing unit 32 retrieves the audio element 17 and the telephone numbers contained in the MMS message 15 received, then deposits this voice message 17 in the voice boxes 34, 36 and 38. The mobiles ( MMS mobile phones in particular) today offer increasingly rich potential for the composition of audio messages (generally much richer and more scalable than those available on current servers offering these services for sending vocal dedications). This is the case with the recording of the user's voice or any sound in the composition of a piece of music, the use of audio elements available on the terminal (elements present by default in the terminal or received by MMS, downloaded by infrared, etc.). Although the content 17 is defined previously as voice, the content 17 of the message 15 may, in the context of the invention, be composed of sounds generated by electronics without voice content. A possible vocal content can moreover be a pre-recording, possibly of a synthetic voice. Modern terminals also allow the mixing of different audio elements, the addition of effects (echoes, distortions, fades, etc.) of sound backgrounds or sound signatures, etc. After composition and before sending, these audio messages are for example stored in the memory of the mobile terminal. Thus, these functionalities are used in the context of making such a message available via remote messaging. This messaging service is here of the type that can be consulted by establishing a telephone connection (listening to its answering machine messages or listening to the greeting message of a contact person). It can also be viewed by WEB access via a computer. Depending on the voicemail system used by the operator and according to the architecture chosen, an SMTP interface (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) or SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) can be used to implement the appropriate links. On the MMS 20 side, depending on the architecture chosen, MM3 or MM7 interfaces can be used. The MM3 interface is the interface between the MMS center 20 and the external messaging systems.

It is not standardized but examples of implementation (using the SMTP protocol) are given in the appendix to the MMS standard [3]. The MM7 interface is the interface between the MMS 20 center and the Value Added Service providers. This interface is standardized (SOAP protocol version 1.1 on http [4]). The connection of the MMS center 20 and the voicemail 30 is for example set up using the MM3 interface of the MMSC (based on the SMTP protocol) and an SMTP interface on the voicemail. For this, the correspondent 10 sends the MMS message to the short number N (or one of the numbers N1, N2), via the existing interface MM1 of the MMS center and the MMS center sends this message to voicemail via its interface MM3 (SMTP protocol). Another implementation mode uses an MM7 interface at the MMS center 20 (based on the SOAP protocol) and uses a SOAP interface on voice mail. For this, the correspondent 10 sends this MMS message to the short number N via the existing interface MM1 of the MMS Center and the MMS Center sends this message to voicemail via its interface MM7 (SOAP protocol). In the context of the second exemplary embodiment described below, corresponding to a personalization of the messaging welcome announcement, it is proposed that the user sends a specific audio message from his terminal to the voicemail. When voicemail receives this message, it modifies the greeting of the sender's voice mailbox (by replacing its old announcement with the audio element contained in the received MMS). To perform this service, we also use the MMS infrastructure here to send the audio message from the user's terminal. (preferably to a short number defined by the operator who wishes to implement this service). FIG. 2 indicates the sequence of operations implemented in the event that the user 10 modifies his welcome announcement. First, the correspondent 10 (fixed or mobile) created on his terminal his welcome announcement (audio element). Then, the correspondent 10 composes on his terminal an MMS message 15 containing this audio element 17. Then the correspondent 10 sends this MMS message to the short number N (or one of the numbers N1, N2) corresponding to an MMS center 20. The MMS center 20 then sends this message to voicemail 30. Finally, in voicemail, a processing unit 32 retrieves the audio assembly 17 contained in the MMS message 15 as well as the telephone number of the sender of the message then replaces the sender's greeting 39 with this audio element in the voice mailbox 38. Depending on the voice messaging system used by the operator and depending on the architecture chosen, a SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) interface or SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) can be used to achieve this invention. On the MMSC side, depending on the architecture chosen, the MM3 or MM7 interfaces can be used. The connection of the MMS center and the voicemail 30 is for example set up using the MM3 interface of the MMS center (based on the SMTP protocol) and using an SMTP interface on the voicemail. For this, the user 10 sends the MMS message to the short number N via the existing interface MM1 of the MMS center and the MMS center sends the message to voice mail via its interface MM3 (SMTP protocol). Another embodiment uses an MM7 interface of the MMS center 20 based on the SOAP protocol and uses a SOAP interface on voicemail. For this, the user 10 sends the MMS message to the short number N via the existing interface MM1 of the MMS center, then the MMS center sends this message to voicemail 30 via its interface MM7 (SOAP protocol) (new feature provided by the invention). The service constituted by this invention is advantageous in particular for a telecommunications operator, mobile or fixed.

[1] 3GPP TS 22-140 High-level Service Requirements Release 5

[2] 3GPP TS 23.140 MMS Architecture, Information Flow, Functional Behavior MM7 - Transactions, Protocol Bindings and Formats Release 5

[3] 3GPP TS 23.140 (annex A): "Annex A (informative): Examples of MMS architectural implementations"

[4] Note W3C of 8 May 2000: "Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) 1.1"

Claims

1. A method of providing sound content, the method comprising a step of producing sound content and transmitting it using a telephone terminal (10), and a step of receiving (20 ) and to carry out a storage (32) of this sound content with a view to subsequent consultation by a telephone terminal, the method being characterized in that it comprises a step of producing the sound content using the telephone terminal ( 10) which precedes, in a temporally distinct manner, said step of transmitting this sound content by the telephone terminal. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step consisting in producing the sound content includes the production of voice content included in this sound content. 3. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the step of memorizing in searchable form consists in depositing this message in a telephone user voice mailbox (34, 36, 38), as message intended for such a user. 4. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the step of memorizing in searchable form consists in recording this message in a greeting announcement sending entity (39) of voice mailbox (38) , as a welcome announcement (39) of the voice mailbox (38). 5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the stage of production of the sound content consists in constructing an MMS type message (15) including this sound content (17). 6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the MMS type message contains an element consisting of the sound content (17) and an element (19) consisting of the coordinates of at least one recipient of the sound content (34, 36, 38). 7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the coordinates of the recipient (34, 36, 38) of the sound content are telephone coordinates. 8. Method according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that the element (19) consisting of the coordinates of recipient (s) contains the coordinates of a plurality of such recipients. 9. Method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that it comprises the step consisting in memorizing the sound content (17) in a series of mailboxes (34, 36, 38) of different telephone recipients as indicated in said element consisting (19) of these recipient (s) coordinates (34, 36, 38). 10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of producing sound content (17) comprises the step of modifying a voice recording (17) using fulfilled sound processing functionalities by the telephone terminal (10). 11. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the step of producing the sound content (17) consists in making a voice recording in a memory of the telephone (10) and in superimposing on this voice recording at least one prerecorded sound content. in the phone memory (10). 12. Telecommunication device providing sound content (17) to at least one telephone terminal holder, the device comprising a sound content reception entity (20, 32) and an entity for storing sound content (34, 36, 38) which can be consulted by telephone, the device being characterized in that the receiving entity (20, 32) and the storing entity (34, 36, 38) are provided for reading a message (15) of precomposed type on the telephone before transmission by the latter, and carry out a storage in the form of a searchable sound content included in this message. 13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the storage entity (34, 36, 38) constitutes a voice mailbox (34, 36, 38) of the telephone user. 14. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the storage entity (34, 36, 38) constitutes a reception announcement transmission entity (39) of the voice mailbox (38) of the telephone user (10). 15. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the message receiving entity (20, 32) and the storage entity (34, 36, 39) in searchable form are provided for reading an MMS type message (15) and memorize in audible form by telephone an audio content (17) included in such an MMS message (15). 16. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the message receiving entity (20, 32) comprises means for reading an MMS message (15), identifying and extracting the coordinates of the recipient (s) included in this message , and transmit the audio content (17) of the MMS message (15) to one or more storage entities (34, 36, 38) corresponding to these recipient (s) coordinates (19).