Telecommunications network-based greeting card method and system

• US 5,251,251 A
• Filed: 09/06/1991
• Issued: 10/05/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Greetings By Phone Works
• Original Assignee: Greetings By Phoneworks
• Inventors: Wendkos, Brad, Barber, Kathryn
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US07/755,958
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/71, 379/72, 379/357
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/652 Means for playing back the recorded messages by remote control over a telephone line H04M1/658 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A subscriber'"'"'s personalized voice message to be played out to a recipient is recorded by a central facility over a telecommunications network. The subscriber selects a prerecorded message from a library of messages, and is assigned an access code associated with both the personalized and prerecorded messages. A greeting card bearing the access code is mailed by the subscriber to the recipient who will call the facility, enter the access code and hear the personalized and subscriber-selected messages played out in succession. The library of messages preferably contains prerecorded voice messages of celebrities or professional celebrity impersonators.

Claims

1. A message telecommunication system for sending personalized voice messages from a central controller to a recipient at a voice entry terminal connected to a telecommunications network, comprising:

a mailing card having a field bearing an access code to be sent to the recipient;

the central controller including

(a) a memory for storing a personalized voice message received from a subscriber over said telecommunications network, and

(b) a prerecorded message data base storing a library of subscriber-selectable prerecorded messages in a plurality of different voices other than the voice of the subscriber;

a record medium, provided with said card, containing a listing of said prerecorded messages together with associated library selection codes;

the central controller further including

(c) means for associating said access code with said personalized message received from said subscriber and a prerecorded message previously selected from said card listing by said subscriber and sent to the central controller over said telecommunications network, and

(d) means, coupled to said telecommunications network and responsive to said access code read from the mailing card and transmitted to the central controller over said telecommunications network by said recipient, for sending successively said personalized and subscriber-preselected messages over said telecommunications network to said recipient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said card bears said access code in the form of printed alphanumeric characters.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said card has another field bearing general informational text.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said card has another field for bearing recipient address.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said record medium is provided as a "tear off" portion of the card.

13. The system of claim 1, including means for automatically erasing the personalized message from said memory upon reproduction of said personalized and subscriber-preselected messages by a reproducing means.

6. A message telecommunication system for sending personalized voice messages from a central controller to a recipient at a voice entry terminal connected to a telecommunications network, comprising:

a mailing card to be sent by a subscriber to the recipient, the card bearing an access code and having a tear-off portion to be removed before the card is sent;

the central controller including

(a) a memory for storing a personalized voice message received from a subscriber over said telecommunications network, and

(b) a prerecorded message data base storing a library of subscriber-selectable prerecorded messages in a plurality of different voices other than the voice of the subscriber;

the tear-off portion of said card bearing a listing of the prerecorded messages together with associated library selection codes;

the central controller further including

(c) voice message reproducing apparatus for playing out voice messages stored in said memory and said data base, and

(d) means programmed to

assign said access code to said mailing card, and thereafter

(i) associate said access code with said personalized message and a prerecorded message corresponding to a library selection code selected from said card listing and sent to said central controller by said subscriber; and

(ii) in response to said access code read from said mailing card by said recipient and sent by said recipient to said central controller, play successively said personalized and subscriber-preselected messages to said recipient.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said memory and said data base are accessible by said central controller.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said remote terminal includes a data entry terminal and said access code is supplied by the recipient through said remote entry terminal.

9. A method of storing and retrieving personalized voice messages over a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of:

establishing a library of subscriber-selectable prerecorded messages in a plurality of different voices other than the voice of a subscriber;

issuing to the subscriber a record medium in the form of a mailing card bearing an access code to be mailed to a recipient and a record medium bearing a listing of said prerecorded messages and associated library selection codes;

storing a personalized voice message received from the subscriber over said telecommunications network;

associating said access code with said personalized message received from said subscriber and a prerecorded message selected by said subscriber from said listing of library selections;

sending the card by the subscriber to the recipient; and

in response to said access code read from said mailing card and transmitted over said network by said recipient, successively playing said personalized and subscriber-preselected messages on said telecommunications network to said recipient.

10. The method of claim 9, including playing to said subscriber a greeting message instructing on how to record a personalized message and select a prerecorded message for subsequent playing out to the recipient.

11. The method of claim 9, including playing to said subscriber, subscriber-selected prerecorded messages from said library.

14. The system of claim 9, including the step of automatically erasing said personalized message upon playing out said personalized and subscriber-preselected messages.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the record medium is provided as a tear-off portion of said mailing card, and is removed from said card before the card is mailed to the recipient.

12. A method of storing and retrieving personalized voice messages over a telecommunications network interconnecting a central computer and subscriber and message recipient remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

at the central computer, establishing a library of subscriber-selectable prerecorded messages in voices other than the voice of the subscriber;

assigning an access code to a mailing card to be sent by the subscriber to a recipient, the card having a tear-off portion bearing a listing of such prerecorded messages and associated library selection codes to be removed before the card is sent; and

at the central computer, receiving from the subscriber terminal said access code, a personalized voice message and a library selection code read by the subscriber from the tear-off portion of the card;

at the central computer, associating said access code with said personalized voice message and a selected prerecorded message;

removing the tear-off portion and sending the card from the subscriber to the recipient; and

at the central computer, receiving said access code from the recipient terminal, the code having been read from the mailing card by the recipient, and in response, successively playing out said personalized and subscriber-selectable messages on said network to said recipient terminal.