Radio-analogue method of audio presentation and control for audiotex services
First Claim
1. A method for presenting and controlling audiotex services comprising the steps ofin response to a telephone call received at an audiotex processor from a user, playing for the user via the public switched telephone network, an excerpt from each of a plurality of audiotex services in a sequence, andin response to a DTMF signal generated at a telephone of said user and received at said audiotex processor, halting the sequential playing of said excerpts and playing for said user additional information from one of said audiotex services.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for controlling audiotex services which is analogous to the method by which users operate conventional commercial radios is disclosed. In accordance with the inventive method, upon dialing a general audiotex telephone number, the user hears what sounds like the slow changing of stations on a radio. The effect is produced by successively transmitting to the caller a short excerpt from each of a plurality of available audiotex services. The caller may stop the scanning of the audiotex services at any particular audiotex service by pressing a particular key on the telephone keypad. Other keys may be used to resume the scanning of the audiotex services in the forward or reverse directions and at a slow or fast speed. Some of the keys on the user'"'"'s telephone keypad may be used as memory keys. When a user presses one of these memory keys, access to a particular audiotex service is immediately provided.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for presenting and controlling audiotex services comprising the steps of
in response to a telephone call received at an audiotex processor from a user, playing for the user via the public switched telephone network, an excerpt from each of a plurality of audiotex services in a sequence, and in response to a DTMF signal generated at a telephone of said user and received at said audiotex processor, halting the sequential playing of said excerpts and playing for said user additional information from one of said audiotex services.
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12. A method for accessing and controlling audiotex services by a user comprising the steps of:
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dialing at a telephone of said user an audiotex telephone number to achieve a connection with an audiotex processor, after said connection with said audiotex processor is achieved, playing excerpts from a sequence of audiotex files stored at said audiotex processor, and choosing a particular one of said audiotex files by pressing at least a first key at said telephone of said user. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for presenting audiotex services to a user comprising the steps of
(a) playing one or more bytes of an excerpt of an audiotex file N to a user, said file N being one out of a plurality of audiotex files . . . N-1,N,N+1 . . . , each of which files includes a predefined excerpt, (b) determining whether or not said user has pressed a key at a telephone, (c) if the user has not pressed a key, determining whether the end of the excerpt of the file N has been reached, (d) if the end of the excerpt of the file N has not been reached, playing the next one or more bytes of the excerpt of file N and continuing with step (b), and (e) if the end of the excerpt of the file N has been reached, fetching the excerpt of the audiotex file N+1, assigning the value N+1 to N, and continuing with the step (a).
Specification