VIDEO PHONE MULTIMEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT ANSWERING MACHINE

• US 20010050977A1
• Filed: 12/31/1997
• Published: 12/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: GERSZBER, IRWIN, WALKER, HOPETON S., MARTIN, JEFFREY S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,377,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/253 Telephone sets using digital voice transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

A video enable answering machine having many new features including customized video announcement messages, caller ID based video announcement messages, and time based video announcement messages.

Claims

1. A video phone answering machine including a processor and for outputting a video announcement message.

2. The video phone answering machine of

claim 1

wherein the announcement message is determined based on a caller ID.

3. The video phone answering machine of

claim 1

wherein the announcement message is automatically changed based on pre-stored criteria and a current date.

4. A phone answering machine including a processor for changing an announcement message in accordance with a received caller ID.

5. A phone answering machine including a processor for changing an announcement message automatically responsive to pre-stored criteria and a current date.

6. The phone answering machine of

claim 5

wherein the processor changes the announcement message automatically responsive to a received caller ID.

7. A system comprising a remote network server, a phone answering machine, and a communication path between the remote network server and the phone answering machine, the phone answering machine including a processor being configured to electronically receive announcement messages from the remote network server across the communication path.

8. The system of

claim 7

wherein the processor in the phone answering machine is configured to customize announcement messages received to form customized announcement messages.

9. The system of

claim 8

wherein the customized announcement messages may be stored in the network server.

10. A telephone network including a centralized network server storing video announcement messages.

11. The telephone network of

claim 10

including a processor for customizing the video announcement messages by each of a multitude of called parties.

12. A video phone answering machine including a processor for modifying the resolution of a video announcement message responsive to received messages indicative of equipment capabilities of a calling party.

13. A video phone answering machine including a processor for modifying the size of a video announcement message responsive to received messages indicative of equipment capabilities of a calling party.

14. A video phone answering machine including a processor for outputting announcement messages having hot buttons for obtaining additional information about the called party.

15. The video phone answering machine of

claim 14

wherein the hot buttons include a button indicative of an E-mail address.

16. The video phone answering machine of

claim 14

wherein the hot buttons include a pager button indicative of a pager number.

17. The video phone answering machine of

claim 16

wherein activating the pager button automatically contacts the called parties pager with the calling parties number.

18. The video phone answering machine of

claim 14

wherein the hot buttons include a phone button for automatically dialing an alternate phone number of the called party.

19. The video phone answering machine of

claim 14

wherein the hot buttons include password protected button for receiving additional information.

20. The video phone answering machine of

claim 14

wherein the hot buttons include leaving one or more canned messages.

21. The video phone answering machine of

claim 20

wherein the canned messages include a request to have the called party call the calling party back and provides a phone number of the calling party.