Automated telephone calling system
First Claim
1. An automated telephone calling system comprising:
- a. means for placing a call to a telephone at subscriber'"'"'s telephone station and receiving a response thereto;
b. means for characterizing the response to the placed call, received by the means for placing, from the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station so as to detect a voice signal;
c. means for determining whether the response characterized as the voice signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine or a live voice;
d. means for establishing communication between the calling system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station;
e. means for terminating the communication after the determination by the means for determining that the response is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; and
f. means for providing an operator of the calling system with an option of overriding the operation of the means for terminating so as not to terminate the communication established between the calling system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic telephone calling system that characterizes the responses from telephone subscribers'"'"' telephone stations to placed calls from the system. The system comprises communication lines which enable the system to place a call to a subscriber'"'"'s station, to receive the response thereto, and exchange information therebetween. Operator stations enable operators of the calling system to communicate, via a respective communication line, with a subscriber'"'"'s station upon an operable connection of the line to the subscriber'"'"'s station and to the operator station. A call processor places calls to subscribers'"'"' stations and operably connects and disconnects each communication line to a respective subscriber'"'"'s station and to a respective operator station. A trunk processor characterizes the response from a respective subscriber'"'"'s station to a placed call and determines whether a response characterized as a voice signal is delivered by an answering machine. The system also has a call manager that controls the availability of each operator station to be operably connected to a communication line by the call processor. In operation, the call processor operably connects a communication line to a respective subscriber'"'"'s station upon a characterization of the response on the line as a voice signal, operably connects the line to an available operator station upon a determination by the trunk processor, and disconnects the line to the subscriber'"'"'s station and to the operator station upon a determination that the response characterized as a voice signal is delivered by an answering machine.
-
Citations
57 Claims
-
1. An automated telephone calling system comprising:
-
a. means for placing a call to a telephone at subscriber'"'"'s telephone station and receiving a response thereto; b. means for characterizing the response to the placed call, received by the means for placing, from the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station so as to detect a voice signal; c. means for determining whether the response characterized as the voice signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine or a live voice; d. means for establishing communication between the calling system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station; e. means for terminating the communication after the determination by the means for determining that the response is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; and f. means for providing an operator of the calling system with an option of overriding the operation of the means for terminating so as not to terminate the communication established between the calling system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. An automated telephone calling system comprising:
-
a. at least one communication line that enables the system to place a call to a subscriber'"'"'s telephone station, to receive the response thereto, and exchange information therebetween; b. a call processor that places the call, via such communication line, to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station and operably connects and disconnects the calling system to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station; c. a trunk processor that includes means for determining whether the response, on such communication line, from the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station to the placed call is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine or a live voice; and d. at least one operator station that enables an operator of the calling system to communicate, via such communication line, with the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station upon an operable connection of the calling system to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station, said call processor operably connecting the calling system to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station and disconnecting the calling system from the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station after the determination, by the trunk processor, that the response is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; and
wherein the at least one operator station comprises means for overriding the operation of the call processor in disconnecting the calling system so as to maintain an operable connection of the calling system to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station regardless of the determination that the response was delivered by an answering machine. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. An automated telephone calling system comprising:
-
a. a plurality of communication lines, which enable the system to place calls to telephone stations of telephone subscribers and to receive the responses thereto; b. a plurality of operator stations, each of which enables an operator of the calling system to communicate, via one of the communication lines, with one of the telephone stations of telephone subscribers upon an operable connection being established between one of the the telephone stations and one of the operator station; c. a call processor that places calls, via the plurality of communication lines, to the telephone stations and operably connects and disconnects the telephone stations and the operator stations; d. a trunk processor that determines whether each of the responses from the telephone stations to the placed calls is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine or live voice; and e. a call manager that controls the availability of each of the operator stations to be operably connected to one of the telephone stations, said call processor operably connecting the telephone stations to the operator stations, made available by the call manager, and disconnecting the telephone stations from the operator stations for which the trunk processor determined that the response are of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machines; wherein each of the operator stations comprises means for providing an operator with an option of overriding the operation of the call processor in disconnecting an operator station upon the determination by the trunk processor that a response from an operator of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine, so as not to disconnect an operable connection between such operator station and the telephone station. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A communications system comprising:
-
a. means for placing a call to a subscriber'"'"'s telephone station and receiving a response thereto; b. means for characterizing the response signal from the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station as voice signal, silence, or telephone tone; c. means for establishing communications between the system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station upon a characterization, by the means for characterizing, of the response signal as a predetermined type of signal; d. means for determining whether the response signal characterized as a predetermined type of signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; e. means for terminating the communication between the system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station after the determination by the means for determining that the response signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; and f. means for providing an option to override the operation of the means for terminating so as not to terminate the communication between the calling system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station regardless of the determination of the means for determining.
-
-
24. A method of handling a response from a telephone subscriber'"'"'s telephone station to a placed call from an automated telephone calling system, comprising the steps of:
-
a. placing the call to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station; b. receiving the response to the placed call; c. characterizing the response from the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station to the placed call so as to detect a voice signal; e. establishing communication between the calling system and the subscriber'"'"'s telephone station upon a characterization of the response as a voice signal; f. determining whether the response characterized as a voice signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; and g. terminating the communication after the determination that the response is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine. h. overriding the termination of the communication, so as not to perform the step (g), in response to the instruction by an operator of the calling system.
-
-
25. A communications system having a plurality of operator stations, which enable operators of the system to communicate and exchange information with telephone subscribers using telephone stations, comprising;
-
a. means for representing the plurality of operator stations as arranged in an operational queue so that each operator station is made available, in respective turn, to be operably connected to one of the telephone stations; b. means for operably connecting a next operator station of the plurality of operator stations which has been made available in the operational queue to one of the telephone stations; c. means for terminating the operable connection between the next operator station and one of the telephone stations, to which the next operator station is connected, at the end of a communication between the next operator station and one of the operator stations and placing said next operator station at the end position of the operational queue; and d. means for terminating the operable connection between the next operator station and one of the telephone stations, to which the next operator station is connected, in response to a predetermined condition before the end of the communication and placing said next operator station at the position in the operational queue occupied by said next operator station before the operable connection to the telephone station. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A communication system comprising:
-
a. means for sending a signal to a subscriber'"'"'s communications station and receiving a response signal thereto; b. means for characterizing the response signal; c. means for operably connecting the system to the station upon a characterization of the response signal as predetermined type of signal; d. means for monitoring the quality of the response signal characterized as a predetermined type of signal and determining therefrom whether the response signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; e. means for terminating the operable connection of the system to the subscriber'"'"'s station upon a determination that the response signal is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine; and f. means for providing an option of overriding the operation of the means for terminating so as not to terminate the operable connection of the communication system to the subscriber'"'"'s communication station.
-
-
33. A calling system comprising:
-
a. means for placing a call to a called side and receiving a response thereto; b. means for establishing communication between an operator of the system at an operator station and the called side; c. means for determining whether the response from the called side is of such character as to suggest being provided by an answering machine or live voice; d. means for terminating the communication between the called side and the operator if the response is of such as to suggest being provided by an answering machine; and e. means for overriding the termination of the communication in response to a command from the operator, so as not to terminate the established communication between the operator and the called side regardless of the determination that the response is of such character as to suggest being delivered by an answering machine. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
-
-
47. A method, for providing communication between operators of a calling system and called sides comprising:
-
a. placing a call to a called side and receiving a response thereto; b. establishing communication between an operator of the system at an operator station and the called side; c. determining whether the response from the called side is of such character as to suggest being provided by an answering machine or live voice; d. terminating the communication between the called side and the operator if the response is of such character as to suggest being provided by an answering machine unless an operator selects an option to maintain the communication. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
-
Specification