Telephone answering device linking displayed data with recorded audio message

• US 5,524,140 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPVX Patent Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Visual Access Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Hotto, Robert, Klausner, Judah
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US08/480,207
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/96, 379/97, 379/70, 379/74, 379/77, 379/142, 379/199
• US Class Current: 379/88.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 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 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57

Abstract

A telephone answering device (TAD) which includes a means of intelligently organizing voice messages, associated entered codes such as personal IDs and home telephone numbers, and information stored in the memory of the TAD. These codes or numbers are decoded by means of the caller entering DTMF signals into the telephone which are recognized, recorded and processed by the TAD. When processed with codes and personal information previously entered into the device'"'"'s memory, the TAD displays the identity of the callers for each message, thus providing a menu of choices, i.e., a list of callers. This enables the user to access messages in a selective manner based on the identity of the caller. The need to listen to the actual voice messages to determine the caller'"'"'s identity and the need to listen to the messages sequentially or chronologically is obviated, saving both time and effort. Additionally, because the voice message is also linked to pre-stored additional data in the data base, when hearing a message, one also can view relevant associated information, such as a fax number, etc., that might not have been left in the audio message but might be important. A remote access device is also provided that allows the user to retrieve and display the callers'"'"' identities and select a message to be played back from a remote location.

Claims

1. A telephone answering device coupled to a telephone line for automatically answering incoming telephone calls and storing and retrieving information from the incoming telephone calls, comprising:

means for receiving caller identifying information from said telephone line identifying the caller of an incoming call;

means for receiving a voice message from said caller and storing said voice message;

means for linking said caller identifying information with the corresponding voice message;

means for displaying the caller identifying information for each of the incoming calls; and

means for selecting any one of the displayed caller identifying information and audibly directly retrieving the voice message linked to the selected caller identifying information without scrolling through individual stored voice messages.