System and method for delivery of pre-recorded voice phone messages

• US 6,226,360 B1
• Filed: 05/19/1998
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldberg, Randy G., Hanson, Bruce Lowell, Sachs, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/081,744
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 379/22, 379/23, 379/24, 379/25, 379/67.1, 379/69, 379/92.03, 379/88.23
• US Class Current: 379/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• 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 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 Message broadcasting

Abstract

A system and method for delivering automated pre-recorded messages to intended recipients is disclosed. An automated call controller places phone calls to intended recipients and plays a pre-recorded message for the recipient after the call is answered. The automated call controller accesses phone numbers for intended recipients from a database and automatically dials the accessed phone numbers. The automated call controller monitors parameters associated with the telephone call. A message delivery decision model analyzes these monitored parameters, and any other parameters input to the decision model, and, based on the analysis of the parameters, optimizes the delivery of the pre-recorded message by the call controller. Results from the completed phone call are stored in the database and are utilized by the decision model to optimize the completion of future phone calls to that particular phone number.

Claims

1. A method for automatically delivering a pre-recorded message to an intended recipient, comprising the steps of:

automatically dialing a phone number for the intended recipient to establish a telephone call with the intended recipient;

monitoring parameters associated with the telephone call wherein said parameters include historical monitored data obtained during a prior telephone call placed to the intended recipient;

analyzing said parameters; and

controlling a start time of a playing of a pre-recorded message after the telephone call is answered based upon said analysis of said parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include real-time data associated with the telephone call.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein one of said parameters associated with the telephone call including real-time monitored data is the number of telephone rings before the telephone call is answered.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing information in a database related to the telephone call.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

accessing said information stored in said database related to the telephone call;

establishing a second subsequent phone call to the intended recipient; and

controlling playing of the pre-recorded message for the intended recipient based on said accessed information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing said parameters comprises the step of assigning relative weights of importance to each of said monitored parameters.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing said parameters comprises the steps of:

inputting values associated with each of said monitored parameters into an analytical decision model; and

assigning relative weights of importance to each of said parameters.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said parameters including historical monitored data obtained during a prior telephone call placed to the intended recipient is the number of telephone rings before answering of the prior telephone call to the intended recipient.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of controlling a start time of a playing of a pre-recorded message includes the step of selecting an alternative message from a database based upon said analysis of said parameters.

10. A method for determining the success of automatically delivering a pre-recorded telephone message to an intended recipient, comprising the steps of:

defining parameters associated with a telephone call to be monitored during the telephone call;

assigning relative weights of importance to each of said defined parameters associated with the telephone call to be monitored during the telephone call;

monitoring each of said parameters associated with the telephone call during the phone call;

determining a value for each parameter during the telephone call, said value quantifying said parameter during the telephone call;

associating the assigned relative weights of importance for each parameter with the value determined for each parameter during the telephone call; and

determining a probability of successful delivery of said pre-recorded message to the intended recipient.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of storing said probability of successful delivery of said pre-recorded message to the intended recipient in a database.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of determining a method of delivery of a second subsequent pre-recorded message to the intended recipient by utilizing said probability of successful delivery of said pre-recorded message.

13. A system for automatically delivering a pre-recorded voice message to an intended recipient, comprising:

a call controller that delivers a pre-recorded message to an intended recipient, said call controller including an automatic dialer that dials a phone number for the intended recipient to establish a phone call with the intended recipient and a call parameter monitor, said call parameter monitor monitoring real-time parameters associated with the phone call; and

a message delivery decision model wherein said decision model receives data representing said real-time parameters from said call parameter monitor and wherein said decision model accesses historical monitored data obtained during a previous phone call to the intended recipient and further wherein said decision model determines a message start time for playing said pre-recorded message after the phone call is answered by analyzing said data representing said real-time parameters and said historical monitored data;

said call controller receiving an output from said decision model and audibly playing the pre-recorded message for the intended recipient based on said message start time.

14. The system for automatically delivering a pre-recorded voice message to an intended recipient of claim 13 further comprising a database wherein said pre-recorded message is stored in said database and wherein said call controller accesses said database to retrieve said pre-recorded message for delivery to the intended recipient.

15. The system for automatically delivering a pre-recorded voice message to an intended recipient of claim 14 wherein said database stores data related to said monitored parameters for the phone call to the intended recipient.

16. The system for automatically delivering a pre-recorded voice message to an intended recipient of claim 14 wherein said database contains an alternatively formatted pre-recorded message that is associated with said pre-recorded message.

17. The system for automatically delivering a pre-recorded voice message to an intended recipient of claim 13 wherein said message delivery decision model includes relative weights of importance associated with each of said monitored parameters.

18. A method for automatically delivering a pre-recorded message to an intended recipient, comprising the steps of:

accessing historical monitored parameters obtained during a prior telephone call to an intended recipient stored in a database, said historical monitored parameters obtained by a call parameter monitor;

analyzing said historical monitored parameters;

establishing a present telephone call with the intended recipient; and

controlling a start time for a playing of a pre-recorded message for the intended recipient based upon said analysis of said historical monitored parameters.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein one of said historical monitored parameters is the time of day of completed prior telephone calls with the intended recipient.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of analyzing externally obtained data associated with the intended recipient.