Multimessage automatic telephone polling methods and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Automatic announcement apparatus comprising:
- means for recording on a record media a plurality of messages, each of said plurality of messages being recorded in sequence and including a designation code uniquely defining that message, said means for recording including magnetic recorder means, microphone means selectively connectable to said magnetic recorder means for recording a message on said record media, means for selectively supplying one of a plurality of unique designation codes to said magnetic recorder means for recording on said record media and means responsive to an actuation of said microphone means for indicating that said means for selectively supplying one of a plurality of unique designation codes to said magnetic recorder means must be actuated;
means for selectively reproducing from said record media one message at a time including said unique designation code, said reproducing means having a playback station at which a next message to be reproduced is positioned;
memory means for storing a plurality of data words, each data word defining a particular operation and including bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages; and
processor means for reading each of said plurality of data words in a sequence from said memory means, said processor means comparing said bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages in each data word read with said unique designation code of said next message to be reproduced as positioned at said playback station and attempting to execute said particular operation defined by said data word and to reproduce said next message to be reproduced by said reproducing means only if an affirmative comparison of said bit information and said designation code of said next message is present, said processor means reading a following data word from said memory means without attempting to execute said particular operation defined for a data word for which a negative comparison resulted.
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Abstract
Multimessage automatic telephone polling methods and apparatus are provided wherein, telephone numbers for automatic dialing are selected from a queue upon a basis of least prior unsuccessful attempts at calling each telephone number. Thereafter, selection occurs upon the basis of association with the message in place at the playback station to insure that media displacement is maintained at a minimum. Thus, a selected number of attempts at calling each telephone number in the list is performed in a sequence calculated to achieve maximum operation efficiency and minimum media wear.
31 Citations
33 Claims
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1. Automatic announcement apparatus comprising:
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means for recording on a record media a plurality of messages, each of said plurality of messages being recorded in sequence and including a designation code uniquely defining that message, said means for recording including magnetic recorder means, microphone means selectively connectable to said magnetic recorder means for recording a message on said record media, means for selectively supplying one of a plurality of unique designation codes to said magnetic recorder means for recording on said record media and means responsive to an actuation of said microphone means for indicating that said means for selectively supplying one of a plurality of unique designation codes to said magnetic recorder means must be actuated; means for selectively reproducing from said record media one message at a time including said unique designation code, said reproducing means having a playback station at which a next message to be reproduced is positioned; memory means for storing a plurality of data words, each data word defining a particular operation and including bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages; and processor means for reading each of said plurality of data words in a sequence from said memory means, said processor means comparing said bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages in each data word read with said unique designation code of said next message to be reproduced as positioned at said playback station and attempting to execute said particular operation defined by said data word and to reproduce said next message to be reproduced by said reproducing means only if an affirmative comparison of said bit information and said designation code of said next message is present, said processor means reading a following data word from said memory means without attempting to execute said particular operation defined for a data word for which a negative comparison resulted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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5. Automatic announcement apparatus comprising:
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means for recording on a record media a plurality of messages, each of said plurality of messages being recorded in sequence and including a designation code uniquely defining that message; means for selectively reproducing from said record media one message at a time including said unique designation code, said reproducing means having a playback station at which a next message to be reproduced is positioned; memory means for storing a plurality of data words, each data word defining a particular operation and including bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages; and processor means for reading each of said plurality of data words in a sequence from said memory means, said processor means comparing said bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages in each data word read with said unique designation code of said next message to be reproduced as positioned at said playback station and attempting to execute said particular operation defined by said data word and to reproduce said next message to be reproduced by said reproducing means only if an affirmative comparison of said bit information and said designation code of said next message is present, said processor means reading a following data word from said memory means without attempting to execute said particular operation defined for a data word for which a negative comparison resulted, each of said plurality of data words stored in said memory means including bit information representing a value corresponding to the number of attempts by the processor means to execute the particular operation defined thereby, and said processor means acting to increment said value each time an attempt at execution is unsuccessful. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. Automatic announcement apparatus comprising:
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means for recording on a record media a plurality of messages, each of said plurality of messages being recorded in sequence and including a designation code uniquely defining that message; means for selectively reproducing from said record media one message at a time including said unique designation code, said reproducing means having a playback station at which a next message to be reproduced is positioned; memory means for storing a plurality of data words, each data word defining a particular operation and including bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages, said particular operation defined by each data word corresponding to initiating an automatic dialing operation to a predetermined telephone number defined by said data word; and processor means for reading each of said plurality of data words in a sequence from said memory means, said processor means comparing said bit information representing a designation code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages in each data word read with said unique designation code of said next message to be reproduced as positioned at said playback station and attempting to execute said particular operation defined by said data word and to reproduce said next message to be reproduced by said reproducing means only if an affirmative comparison of said bit information and said designation code of said next message is present, said processor means reading a following data word from said memory means without attempting to execute said particular operation defined for a data word for which a negative comparison resulted. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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20. Multimessage telephone polling apparatus comprising:
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means for selectively reproducing a record media having a plurality of messages recorded thereon, each of said plurality of messages being recorded in sequence and including a designation code uniquely defining that message, said reproducing means having a playback station at which a next message to be reproduced in said sequence is positioned; memory means for storing a plurality of data words, each data word defining a particular telephone number to be contacted and including information corresponding to a designation code for one of said plurality of messages; means for reading each of said plurality of data words in sequence from said memory means and comparing said information corresponding to a designation code therein with said designation code of said next message present at said playback station; means responsive to a valid comparison between said information corresponding to a designation code in a data word read, and said designation code of said next message present at said playback station for automatically issuing dialing signals corresponding to the particular telephone number for which said valid comparison was obtained; and means for applying dialing signals issued to a telephone line. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for conducting multimessage telephone polling comprising the steps of:
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preparing a record media having a plurality of messages by recoding each of said plurality of messages, each message including a designation code uniquely defining that message; loading said record media in a selectively actuatable playback device and noting the next message to be reproduced as present at the playback station thereof; storing a plurality of data words in a memory in a manner such that each data word represents a telephone number to be automatically called and includes bit information designating a code corresponding to one of said plurality of messages; reading each of said plurality of data words in a sequence from said memory means; comparing said bit information designating a code for each data word read to the designation code for the next message to be reproduced as present at said playback station; and issuing dialing signals corresponding to a telephone number to a telephone line for a data word read, only when a valid comparison is obtained. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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Specification