Method and system for automatically updating telephone response mechanism

• US 5,555,291 A
• Filed: 07/14/1995
• Issued: 09/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Inniss, Hadyn, Scaggs, Sheila, Welch, Robert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US08/502,077
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/70, 379/71, 379/72, 379/76, 379/84, 379/87, 379/88, 379/89, 379/201, 379/214
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/432 Arrangements for calling a subscriber at a specific time, e.g. morning call service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

A telephone response mechanism provides a response to a caller and an opportunity for the caller to leave a message. The telephone response mechanism is utilized when a telephone call arrives with no one to answer it. The response is made up of three portions. A first portion is automatically generated by a data processing system based upon the time of day, e.g. "Good morning". A second portion is a recorded message identifying the person being called, e.g. "This is John Doe. I am not currently available." The third portion is created from information obtained from a database on the data processing system, such as a calendar database or a personnel database. The third portion explains to the caller where the user (the person being called) is or when the user will return. The third portion is automatically updated whenever the user updates the database. A lockout feature is provided to deny the telephone response mechanism access to selected entries in the database.

Claims

1. A method of automatically updating a telephone response mechanism, said telephone response mechanism providing a response to a caller, comprising the steps of:

a) retrieving a first message portion;

b) providing a plurality of information sets in a preselected database in a data processing system, providing each information set with an access attribute;

c) determining a time of receipt of a call from said caller;

d) selecting an information set from said plurality of information sets in said database based upon said determined time of receipt of a call from said caller, determining if, from said access attribute of said selected information set, access to said selected information set on said database by said caller is authorized and if authorized, then retrieving said selected information set from said database and creating a second message portion from said retrieved information set;

e) playing said first message portion and said second message portion to said caller in a sequential maimer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a) said first message portion is a prerecorded message; and

b) said step of providing a plurality of information sets in said preselected database further comprises the step of providing said plurality of information sets from a calendar that is on said data processing system said calendar belonging to a user who is being called.

3. A system for automatically updating a telephone response mechanism, said telephone response mechanism providing a response to a caller, comprising:

a) means for retrieving a first message portion;

b) means for providing a plurality of information sets in a preselected database in a data processing system and for providing each of said information sets with an access attribute;

c) means for determining a time of receipt of a call from said caller;

d) means for selecting an information set from said plurality of information sets in said database based upon said determined time of receipt of a call from said caller and for determining from said access attribute of said selected information set, if access to said selected information set on said database by said caller is authorized and if authorized, then for retrieving said selected information set from said database and creating a second message portion from said retrieved information set;

e) means for playing said first message portion and said second message portion to said caller in a sequential manner.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

a) said first message portion is a prerecorded message; and

b) said means for providing a plurality of information sets in said preselected database further comprises means for providing said plurality of information sets from a calendar that is on a data processing system, said calendar belong to a user who is being called.