Telecommunication system using message presentation during a ringing signal period
First Claim
1. A telecommunication system in which a message can be generated and heard by at least one of a caller or a recipient of a telephone call during the quiescent period between initiation of a telephone dialing activity and the answering of a telephone by that recipient, said system comprising:
- (a) a telephone at a first location of a party attempting to initiate a telephone call;
(b) a first telephone switching station associated with the telephone at the first location;
(c) a second location containing a telephone of a recipient of the telephone communication;
(d) a telephone switching station associated with that second telephone location and receiving a signal from the first switching station regarding the telephone communication; and
(e) means associated with at least one of said switching stations for generating a message to be initiated at the completion of a telephone dialing activity and the answering of the recipient telephone at the second location and which is to be presented to the telephone caller or to the recipient or both.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Marketing of goods and services on telephone lines and during a period from the commencement of a telephone call to the receipt and acceptance of that call (quiescent period) when the recipient of the call actuates his or her telephone. This quiescent period of time, during which a ringing signal is normally generated, is used for presentation of advertising or promotional messages, primarily to a caller, although it can be delivered to the recipient of the call, or both. In addition, the system provides for the use of messages during the normal ringing cycle time to effectively replace the ringing signal. The particular advertising or promotional message can be selected for a certain area, such as an area covered by a telephone switchboard or a certain party or characteristics of that party. In this way each individual telephone switchboard is capable of presenting a message different from the next telephone switchboard.
104 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A telecommunication system in which a message can be generated and heard by at least one of a caller or a recipient of a telephone call during the quiescent period between initiation of a telephone dialing activity and the answering of a telephone by that recipient, said system comprising:
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(a) a telephone at a first location of a party attempting to initiate a telephone call;
(b) a first telephone switching station associated with the telephone at the first location;
(c) a second location containing a telephone of a recipient of the telephone communication;
(d) a telephone switching station associated with that second telephone location and receiving a signal from the first switching station regarding the telephone communication; and
(e) means associated with at least one of said switching stations for generating a message to be initiated at the completion of a telephone dialing activity and the answering of the recipient telephone at the second location and which is to be presented to the telephone caller or to the recipient or both. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11)
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10. The improvement in a telecommunication system of the type having first and second telephone locations remote from one another in which a telephone caller at one location attempts to access a telephone recipient at the other location along with at least one central switching station and a telephone communication link therebetween, an improvement comprising:
(a) means associated with at least one central switching station for generating a message during a portion of or all of the normal ringing signal which would be generated at the telephone of at least the second location. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of generating a message over a telecommunication link during a portion or all of a normal ringing cycle period between the completion of a dialing process and the time when a telephone of the recipient is answered, said method comprising:
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(a) initiating a telephone communication by introducing a telephone calling code of an intended recipient;
(b) generating a message to be provided during a portion of or the entire time that a ringing signal would normally be generated at the telephone of the recipient to be heard by the caller or the recipient or both. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification