Telephone answering method and apparatus

• US 6,229,878 B1
• Filed: 01/21/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Moganti, Madhav
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/010,051
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/68, 379/76, 379/88.11-88.13, 379/88.19-88.22, 379/88.2, 379/93.01, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/93.09 , 379/93.34-93.35, 379/165, 379/164, 379/158, 379/161, 379/177, 379/100.06, 379/100.16, 379/377, 379/385, 379/93.24, 379/100.01, 379/100.08 , 379/100.09, 379/100.14
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• 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 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Abstract

An improved telephone answering machine uses a personal computer or work station to analyze incoming caller data. Calls to be automatically answered by the answering machine can be answered with the accompaniment of a customized announcement to the caller based upon the caller'"'"'s phone number, name or other data item received by the telephone answering device. Messages to be left by a caller can be stored on a computer storage media, including being segregated by calling number, name or other criteria. The improved answering machine includes the ability to retrieve messages from particular callers.

Claims

1. A telephone answering device comprised of:

i) a personal computer means coupled to a telephone office via a telephone line for use with a telephone coupled separately to said telephone line, said computer means for;

A) receiving telephone ringing signals having a repeated number of rings on said telephone line;

B) analyzing data signals received from said telephone line that at least partially identify a calling party prior to answering said call;

C) answering at least some received telephone calls in response to analyzed data signals received on said telephone line after a predetermined number of the repeated number of rings, and said telephone was not answered;

D) receiving a message over said telephone line aft answering a call and formatting said message received for storage;

ii) data storage means, coupled to said computer means, for storing information received by said computer means

iii) telephone line interface means for coupling said telephone line to said computer means.

2. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means includes:

means for selectively answering telephone calls in response to ISDN data received from telephone line.

3. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means includes:

means for selectively answering telephone calls in response to caller ID data received from said telephone line.

4. The telephone answering device of claim 1 further including:

means for producing at least one stored announcement message to a caller after answering a telephone call.

5. The telephone answering device of claim 1 further including means for selectively producing to a caller in response to predetermined data received from said telephone line, at least one announcement message after answering a telephone call.

6. The telephone answering device of claim 1 further including means for audibly reproducing messages stored on said data storage means.

7. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means includes:

means for selectively reproducing messages stored on said data storage means according to a predetermined data element received from said telephone line.

8. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means includes means for converting messages stored on said data storage means into text.

9. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means includes means for converting text into audible messages.

10. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means includes means for converting text into an audible announcement.

11. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means for analyzing data received from said telephone line analyzes data that includes the phone number of a calling party.

12. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means for analyzing data received from said telephone line analyzes data that identifies the name of a calling party.

13. The telephone answering device of claim 1 wherein said computer means coupled to a telephone office via a telephone line, is coupled to an ISDN telephone line.

14. A telephone answering device comprised of:

i) a personal computer coupled to a telephone office through a telephone line for use with a tone coupled separately to said telephone line and for receiving telephone signals with a number of ring signals on said telephone line rings, and said telephone has not been answered; and

said computer programmed to analyze incoming data on said telephone line, said data comprised of the name and phone number of a calling party, said personal computer,

ii) a data storage device coupled to said personal computer on which an announcement message is stored and on which varying length voice message are stored;

iii) an ISDN telephone line interface circuit receiving data on said telephone line and coupling said data to said computer after a predetermined number of the number of ring signals.

15. A telephone answering device comprised of:

i) a personal computer coupled to a telephone office through a telephone line for use with a telephone coupled separately to said telephone line, receiving telephone signals with a plurality of ring signal_on said telephone line and programmed to analyze incoming data on said telephone line after a predetermined number of the plurality of ring signals rings and said telephone was not answered;

said data comprised of the name and phone number of a calling party, said personal computer flier comprising;

ii) a data storage device coupled to said personal computer on which an announcement message is stored and on which varying length voice messages are stored

iii) an ISDN telephone line interface circuit receiving data on said telephone line and coupling said data to said computer.

16. A method of automatically selectively answering a telephone call using a personal computer coupled to a telephone office through a telephone line for use with a telephone coupled separately to said telephone line comprised of:

i) receiving telephone signals having a plurality of rings on said telephone line by said computer wherein said telephone was not answered;

ii) analyzing data received from said telephone line;

iii) selectively answering a telephone call in response to said telephone signals on said telephone line after a predetermined number of the plurality of rings;

iv) receiving information sent from said telephone office on said telephone line after answering a call;

v) formatting said information received for storage on a data storage device.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprised of:

selectively answering a telephone call in response to data received on said telephone line.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprised of:

selectively answering a telephone call in response to data received on said telephone line and selectively producing at least one announcement of a plurality of announcements to a caller based in part on data received on said telephone line.

19. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

retrieving data stored on a storage device and of reproducing an audio message from said caller.

20. The method of claim 16 further including the step of converting data stored on a storage device into text.

21. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

remotely accessing said computer from a second computer and retrieving stored messages therefrom.

22. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

downloading files from said computer into a second computer.

23. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

retrieving files from said computer over a data network.

24. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

forwarding an incoming telephone call to another telephone number by said computer.

25. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

presenting a default message to calls that do not have accompanying caller ID data.