Interactive telephone answering system
First Claim
1. An interactive telephone answering system connectable to a capturable telephone line and responsive to unique signals transmitted over said telephone line after capture thereof for enabling caller selectible routing of an incoming call to a desired receiving telephone in accordance with a verbally interactive prerecorded decision tree format, said system comprising line capture and release means responsive to an incoming telephone call for initially capturing said telephone line and providing a message start signal;
- multitrack message reproduction means connectable to said line capture means for selectively transmitting prerecorded audio messages to said caller over said captured telephone line, said multitrack message reproduction means comprising a multitrack magnetic storage medium for providing a plurality of different selectible audio messages in a variable decision tree format, at least one of said selectible tracks in said decision tree format comprising an arming signal associated with an ultimate branch of a caller selectible decision tree, each of said caller selectible decision trees comprising a primary interrogatory audio message and a time related derivative ultimate branch response comprising said arming signal, said storage medium comprising a plurality of coextensive tracks having said audio message and ultimate branch response stored thereon for selectible playback, therefrom, said coextensive tracks comprising audio tracks storing audio information thereon in a pluraity of reproducible information segments, each of said segments comprising a complete message reproducible directly in response to selective playback of said track upon which said segments are stored, at least one of said tracks stored information comprising said primary interrogatory message and associated multiple choice selectible derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages related in content to said primary interrogatory message, at least a first plurality of said other tracks comprising derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages related in real time and content to said one track primary interrogatory message and corresponding to said associated multiple choice selectible derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages, each of said first plurality of said other tracks comprising a different derivative secondary interrogatory containing message, said first plurality of said other tracks further comprising associated multiple choice selectible responsive messages related in real time and content to each of said derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages, only one of said first plurality of said other tracks comprising a unique selectible responsive message to a particular one of said real time related derivative secondary interrogatory messages, said derivative secondary interrogatory messages being chain linked in content to said primary interrogatory message for forming said caller selectible decision tree for ultimately directing a telephone caller to said ultimate branch on said selected decision tree, said multitrack message reproduction means further comprising multitrack audio playback means for selectively transmitting said audio message from said storage medium over said captured telephone line, each of said plurality of tracks having a unique associated track selection signal corresponding to one of said unique signals transmitted over said captured telephone line;
signal discriminator and track selection means operatively connected between said line capture means and said multitrack message reproduction means for enabling reception of said unique signals transmitted over said captured telephone line and selection of one of said plurality of tracks for selective playback thereof in response to reception and discrimination of the unique signal corresponding thereto; and
telephone connection means operatively connected between said line capture and release means and said multitrack message reproduction means for connecting said telephone line to said receiving telephone in response to detection of said arming signal associated with said ultimate caller selectible branch, whereby a caller responsive verbally interactive telephone call routing system is provided.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive telephone answering system (20) connectable to a captured telephone line (26) is responsive to the detection (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42) of tones transmitted by the calling party from the keypad of a Touch-Tone phone for enabling caller selectable routing of an incoming call to a desired receiving phone (110) in accordance with a verbally interactive prerecorded decision tree format. The various selectable decision trees are prerecorded on a multitrack endless loop tape for playback (60, 62) of the channels selected (52, 54, 56, 58) by the calling party with the ultimate branches thereof each having a prerecorded arming signal which, when detected, activates the appropriate relay (50) to connect the caller to the desired telephone extension. The receiving party may also screen calls or have calls forwarded to another number by use of prerecorded codes on the tape. The decision tree format of the prerecorded messages is based on the recording of each channel in a specially created time sequenced manner enabling the user to provide tailored interactive answering of a telephone.
200 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An interactive telephone answering system connectable to a capturable telephone line and responsive to unique signals transmitted over said telephone line after capture thereof for enabling caller selectible routing of an incoming call to a desired receiving telephone in accordance with a verbally interactive prerecorded decision tree format, said system comprising line capture and release means responsive to an incoming telephone call for initially capturing said telephone line and providing a message start signal;
- multitrack message reproduction means connectable to said line capture means for selectively transmitting prerecorded audio messages to said caller over said captured telephone line, said multitrack message reproduction means comprising a multitrack magnetic storage medium for providing a plurality of different selectible audio messages in a variable decision tree format, at least one of said selectible tracks in said decision tree format comprising an arming signal associated with an ultimate branch of a caller selectible decision tree, each of said caller selectible decision trees comprising a primary interrogatory audio message and a time related derivative ultimate branch response comprising said arming signal, said storage medium comprising a plurality of coextensive tracks having said audio message and ultimate branch response stored thereon for selectible playback, therefrom, said coextensive tracks comprising audio tracks storing audio information thereon in a pluraity of reproducible information segments, each of said segments comprising a complete message reproducible directly in response to selective playback of said track upon which said segments are stored, at least one of said tracks stored information comprising said primary interrogatory message and associated multiple choice selectible derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages related in content to said primary interrogatory message, at least a first plurality of said other tracks comprising derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages related in real time and content to said one track primary interrogatory message and corresponding to said associated multiple choice selectible derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages, each of said first plurality of said other tracks comprising a different derivative secondary interrogatory containing message, said first plurality of said other tracks further comprising associated multiple choice selectible responsive messages related in real time and content to each of said derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages, only one of said first plurality of said other tracks comprising a unique selectible responsive message to a particular one of said real time related derivative secondary interrogatory messages, said derivative secondary interrogatory messages being chain linked in content to said primary interrogatory message for forming said caller selectible decision tree for ultimately directing a telephone caller to said ultimate branch on said selected decision tree, said multitrack message reproduction means further comprising multitrack audio playback means for selectively transmitting said audio message from said storage medium over said captured telephone line, each of said plurality of tracks having a unique associated track selection signal corresponding to one of said unique signals transmitted over said captured telephone line;
signal discriminator and track selection means operatively connected between said line capture means and said multitrack message reproduction means for enabling reception of said unique signals transmitted over said captured telephone line and selection of one of said plurality of tracks for selective playback thereof in response to reception and discrimination of the unique signal corresponding thereto; and
telephone connection means operatively connected between said line capture and release means and said multitrack message reproduction means for connecting said telephone line to said receiving telephone in response to detection of said arming signal associated with said ultimate caller selectible branch, whereby a caller responsive verbally interactive telephone call routing system is provided. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- multitrack message reproduction means connectable to said line capture means for selectively transmitting prerecorded audio messages to said caller over said captured telephone line, said multitrack message reproduction means comprising a multitrack magnetic storage medium for providing a plurality of different selectible audio messages in a variable decision tree format, at least one of said selectible tracks in said decision tree format comprising an arming signal associated with an ultimate branch of a caller selectible decision tree, each of said caller selectible decision trees comprising a primary interrogatory audio message and a time related derivative ultimate branch response comprising said arming signal, said storage medium comprising a plurality of coextensive tracks having said audio message and ultimate branch response stored thereon for selectible playback, therefrom, said coextensive tracks comprising audio tracks storing audio information thereon in a pluraity of reproducible information segments, each of said segments comprising a complete message reproducible directly in response to selective playback of said track upon which said segments are stored, at least one of said tracks stored information comprising said primary interrogatory message and associated multiple choice selectible derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages related in content to said primary interrogatory message, at least a first plurality of said other tracks comprising derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages related in real time and content to said one track primary interrogatory message and corresponding to said associated multiple choice selectible derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages, each of said first plurality of said other tracks comprising a different derivative secondary interrogatory containing message, said first plurality of said other tracks further comprising associated multiple choice selectible responsive messages related in real time and content to each of said derivative secondary interrogatory containing messages, only one of said first plurality of said other tracks comprising a unique selectible responsive message to a particular one of said real time related derivative secondary interrogatory messages, said derivative secondary interrogatory messages being chain linked in content to said primary interrogatory message for forming said caller selectible decision tree for ultimately directing a telephone caller to said ultimate branch on said selected decision tree, said multitrack message reproduction means further comprising multitrack audio playback means for selectively transmitting said audio message from said storage medium over said captured telephone line, each of said plurality of tracks having a unique associated track selection signal corresponding to one of said unique signals transmitted over said captured telephone line;
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19. A method of providing an interactive tone responsive telephone answering multitrack storage medium comprising the steps of providing a multitrack continuous loop magnetic storage medium in a beginning position, recording a first plurality of time audio information segments each containing a complete reproducible audio message;
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recycling the storage medium to said beginning position; recording a second plurality of timed audio information segments on a plurality of coextensive audio tracks, each coextensive segment being related in content, spatially and in real time to the audio information segments on said first recorded audio track in a caller variable decision tree format having an ultimate branch and comprising a primary interrogatory message and a plurality of related derivative secondary interrogatory messages; said derivative secondary interrogatory messages being chained linked in content to said primary interrogatory message for forming said caller selectible decision tree; selecting one of said audio information segments as being the last audio information segment in said decision tree; and recording a ringing tone disposed after the completion of said selected recorded audio message segment on at least one of said tracks for enabling ring tone generation upon selective playback of said ultimate branch in said decision tree. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification