System and associated method for concatenated messaging

• US 5,832,060 A
• Filed: 06/14/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaOne Group Inc. (Comcast Corporation), U S West Inc.
• Inventors: Corlett, Renata N.A., Boggs, George J., Siegel-Jacobs, Karen, Vienneau, Lorraine M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Application Number:
  US08/665,137
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/69, 379/70, 379/210
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A method for call back messaging is disclosed. The method allows a calling party to provide name and number information for automatic delivery to a called party in instances where the called party does not answer the incoming call, or where the line of the called party is busy. The method of the present invention may include the steps of processing an exception for an incoming call from the calling party to the called party, playing at least a first announcement to the calling party to provide the calling party an opportunity to provide information to the called party, processing information provided by the calling party, placing at least a first call to the called party to attempt to deliver the information provided by the calling party and playing at least a first message to the called party, the first messaging containing the information provided by the calling party.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communication between a calling party and a called party via a termination telephone number associated with the called party, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting an exception associated with an incoming call from the calling party to the termination telephone number of the called party;

playing at least a first announcement to the calling party to solicit at least one of an indication of an election to provide information to the called party and information for delivery to the called party;

defining at least a first period of tine for receiving the information from the calling party as a first input, the first input corresponding to at least one of an identity of the calling party and a termination telephone number associated with the calling party, wherein said first period of time is limited to less than or equal to six seconds;

processing, in response to at least the first announcement, at least one of the indication and the information collected from the calling party during the first period of time, the indication and the information being in a form of at least one of voice inputs and dual tone multiple frequency inputs, wherein the information is indicative of at least one of an identity of the calling party and a termination telephone number associated with the calling party;

placing at least a first call to the called party via the termination telephone number of the called party to attempt to deliver the information provided by the calling party;

playing, after completion of placing at least the first call, at least a first message to the called party, the first message including at least the information provided by the calling party and an option to be connected to the calling party;

processing an election by the called party, the election indicative of a desire to be connected to the calling party, wherein said processing the election step is capable of processing both a voice input and a dual tone multiple frequency input from the called party, wherein the election comprises one of the voice input and the dual tone multiple frequency input from the called party; and

placing a first return call to the calling party associated with the incoming call via a termination telephone number of the calling party corresponding to the information provided by the calling party.

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of processing at least one of the indication and the information collected from the calling party comprises at least one of the following steps:

recording the voice inputs from the calling party, wherein the voice inputs are indicative of the identity of the calling party;

decoding the dual tone multiple frequency inputs from the calling party, wherein the dual tone multiple frequency inputs are indicative of the termination telephone number of the calling party; and

voice recognizing the voice inputs from the calling party, wherein the voice inputs are indicative of the termination telephone number of the calling party.

3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of detecting the exception comprises the step of detecting one of a busy condition and a no answer condition associated with the termination telephone number of the called party.

4. A method for facilitating communication between a calling party and a called party via a termination telephone number associated with a called party, said method comprising the steps of:

processing a first exception associated with an incoming call from the calling party to the termination telephone number of the called party;

playing at least a first announcement to provide an opportunity to the calling party to provide information to the called party;

defining at least a first and a second period of time for receiving the information from the calling party as a first and a second input, the first input corresponding to at least one of an identity of the calling party and a termination telephone number associated with the calling party;

collecting, in response to at least the first announcement, at least the first and second inputs from the calling party within the first and second periods of time, wherein the first period of time for collecting the first input from the calling party is limited to less than or equal to six seconds and the second period of time for collecting the second input is less than or equal to six seconds, wherein the first input is indicative of one of the identity and termination telephone number of the calling party and the second input is indicative of the other of the identity and termination telephone number of the calling party;

delivering the information provided by the calling party to the called party;

playing at least a second announcement to provide an opportunity to the called party to be connected to the calling party;

processing at least a first called party input from the called party indicative of a desire to be connected to the calling party associated with the incoming call, wherein said step of processing at least the first called party input is capable of processing both a called party voice input and a called party dual tone multiple frequency input, wherein the first called party input from the called party comprises at least one of the called party voice input and the called party dual tone multiple frequency input; and

placing a call from the called party to the calling party associated with the incoming call via the termination telephone number of the calling party associated with the incoming call.

5. A method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said step of processing the first exception comprises the step of detecting at least one of a busy condition and a no answer condition at the termination telephone number of the called party.

6. A method, as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of:

playing at least a first prompt to the calling party to provide the calling party an option to provide the information to the called party, wherein the first prompt indicates to the calling party one of a busy condition and a no answer condition for the termination telephone number of the called party.

7. A method, as claimed in claim 6, further comprising, after said step of playing the first prompt, the step of:

processing a first indication from the calling party in response to the first prompt to the calling party, the first indication being indicative of a decision by the calling party to provide the information to the called party.

8. A method, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first indication is one of a calling party input and a calling party dual tone multiple frequency input.

9. A method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second input includes a plurality of calling party dual tone multiple frequency inputs indicative of the termination telephone number of the calling party associated with the incoming call, wherein said step of collecting comprises the step of collecting at least seven calling party dual tone multiple frequency inputs from the calling party.

10. A method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least the first input includes calling party voice inputs from the calling party, wherein said step of collecting the first input comprises performing one of the steps of:

recording calling party voice inputs provided by the calling party associated with the incoming call for replay to the called party, the calling party voice inputs being indicative of the identity of the calling party; and

recognizing the calling party voice inputs provided by the calling party, the calling party voice inputs being indicative of the termination telephone number of the calling party.

11. A method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least the first input includes calling party dual tone multiple frequency inputs from the calling party associated with the incoming call, wherein said collecting step comprises the step of decoding the calling party dual tone multiple frequency inputs provided by the calling party to determine one of the identity of the calling party associated with the incoming call and the termination telephone number of the calling party associated with the incoming call.

12. A method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said step of delivering the information to the called party comprises the step of:

detecting one of completion and an exception associated with a first outgoing call to the called party to attempt to deliver the information provided by the calling party associated with the incoming call.

13. A method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein a first exception associated with the termination telephone number of the called party is detected on the first outgoing call to the called party, said method further comprising the step of:

placing at least a second outgoing call to the called party to attempt to deliver the information provided by the calling party, wherein the second outgoing call is placed via the termination telephone number of the called party.

14. A method, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said step of placing at least the second outgoing call to the called party is conducted a time interval after said step of placing the first outgoing call to the called party.

15. A method, as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of:

scheduling the information provided by the calling party for delivery to the called party according to a first schedule, wherein said step of delivering the information to the called party comprises the step of initiating at least a first outgoing call to the called party in accordance with the first schedule.

16. A system for facilitating communication between a calling party and the called party via a termination telephone number associated with the called party, comprising:

detecting means for noting an exception associated with an incoming call by the calling party to the called party, said exception being one of a busy condition and a no-answer condition;

first playing means, interconnected to said detecting means, for playing at least a first announcement to provide an option to the calling party to provide information for delivery to the called party;

processing means, interconnected to said first playing means, for collecting an indication from the calling party in response to at least said first announcement;

second playing means, interconnected to said processing means, for playing at least a second announcement to solicit information for delivery to the called party;

limiting means for defining at least a first duration for collecting at least a first calling party input from the calling party;

first receiving means, interconnected to said second playing means and said limiting means, for collecting at least said first calling party input from the calling party only within said first duration, said first duration being less than or equal to six seconds, wherein said first calling party input is indicative of at least one of an identity and a termination telephone number of the calling party;

calling means, interconnected to said first receiving means, for placing at least a first call to the called party via the termination telephone number of the called party to deliver the information provided by the calling party associated with the incoming call via the second playing means, wherein said second playing means plays a second message to provide the called party an option to communicate with the calling party via at least one of the identity and the termination telephone number provided by the calling party;

second receiving means, interconnected to said second playing means, for collecting at least a first called party input from the called party, wherein said second receiving means is adapted for collecting both a called party voice input and a called party dual tone multiple frequency input from the called party;

connecting means, interconnected with said second playing means, for placing a call from the called party to the calling party via at least one of the identity and the termination telephone number of the calling party.

17. A system, as claimed in claim 16, wherein said first calling party input is in the form of one of calling party voice inputs and calling party dual tone multiple frequency inputs, wherein said first receiving means includes at least one of a recording means and a voice recognition means capable of collecting said calling party voice inputs and dual tone multiple frequency decoder means capable of decoding said calling party dual tone multiple frequency inputs from the calling party associated with the incoming call.

18. A system, as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

means for queuing information provided by a plurality of calling parties for delivery to the called party.

19. A system, as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

means for scheduling delivery to the called party of the information provided by the calling party in accordance with a first schedule.