Method and system for automated delivery of nontruncated messages

• US 6,324,262 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emergency Communications Network LLC (Onsolve, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics & Computers Inc.
• Inventors: Tuttle, Robert Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/124,697
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/80, 379/81, 379/88.26, 379/88.27, 379/68, 379/70, 379/73, 379/74, 379/88.04, 379/88-8-, 379/69, 379/87
• 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 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• 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 3/002 Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/08, echo suppressors or cancellers per se H04B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26

Abstract

Interactive system for responding to conditions after an answering machine has been detected in an automatic telephone number dialer system so that realistic sounding recorded messages can be delivered in their entirety within three seconds of an answering machine starting to record so that the message is delivered without truncation onto the answering machines recorder. The system accurately predicts when the connected answering machine begins recording. The system has a two tier approach which takes place after the system has already determined it has connected to an answering machine. In the first tier, the system monitors for one of two conditions which indicates that recording is about to begin. The first tier threshold is met when either a solid non human tone lasts at least one second in duration, or when there is silence for at least two seconds in duration. The second tier threshold has the system continue to analyze the call until a silence condition has been met. Once there is confirmation of silence the answering machine starts recording for a selected time period which depends upon the first tier. The system can work with all types of answering machines such as a tape machine, a digital machine, a pager, a telephone provider voice/memory call machine, and a cellular machine.

Claims

1. An automated method of delivering a recorded information message in a nontruncated form via a telephone dialing system, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a call to a telephone number selected from a database of telephone numbers;

(b) monitoring status of the call to determine if the call is connected or not connected, if the call is connected go to step(d), if the call is not connected go to step (c);

(c) disconnecting the call and updating the database to reflect the not connected result as a call status and going to step (a) for another telephone number selected from the database;

(d) detecting at the telephone number either one of an answering machine noise signal and a voice signal, and for the detected answering machine signal go to step (f), and for the detected voice signal go to step (e);

(e) playing the recorded information message if the detected voice signal runs less than a first pre-selected time period and then updating the database accordingly to reflect the call status and repeating steps (a)-(e) for another telephone number selected from the database, and if the detected voice signal runs greater than the first pre-selected time period go to step (f);

(f) detecting either one of a continuous tone and a period of silence;

(g) playing the recorded information message after a second pre-selected time period after the continuous tone, and updating the database accordingly to reflect the call status, and repeating steps (a) through (g) for an additional telephone number selected from the database; and

(h) playing the recorded information message after a third pre-selected time period after the period of silence, and updating the database accordingly to reflect the call status, and repeating steps (a) through (h) for an additional telephone number selected from the database; and

(i) repeating steps (a) through (h) until at least a pass through of all the telephone numbers from the database have been called and the call status of each of the telephone numbers has been completed, wherein beginning words of the recorded information message are not cut off and recorded information messages are automatically delivered in a nontruncated form.

2. The automated method of claim 1, wherein the first pre-selected time period and the second pre-selected time period and the third pre-selected time period are different from one another.

3. The automated method of claim 2, wherein the continuous tone lasts at least approximately 1 second, and the second period pre-selected time period includes approximately 2 seconds of silence.

4. The automated method of claim 2, where the period of silence lasts approximately 2 seconds and the third pre-selected time period includes approximately 1 second of silence.

5. The automated method of claim 2, wherein the first pre-selected time period runs up to approximately 3 seconds.

6. An automated calling system for delivering nontruncated pre-recorded information messages, comprising in combination:

means for placing a call to a selected telephone number and receiving a response;

means for determining if the response is from an answering machine signal or a voice signal;

means for playing a pre-recorded voice message if the voice signal lasts less than a first pre-selected time period;

means for analyzing the answering machine signal and the voice signal lasting greater than the first pre-selected time period, to form an analyzed signal;

means for detecting a continuous tone from the analyzed signal followed by a second pre-selected time period, and then playing the pre-recorded voice message; and

means for detecting a period of silence from the analyzed signal followed by a third pre-selected time period, and then playing the pre-recorded voice message, wherein beginning words of the pre-recorded voice message are continuously not cut off and the pre-recorded information messages are automatically delivered in a nontruncated form.

7. The automated calling system of claim 6, further comprising:

a database of selected telephone numbers having the selected telephone number.

8. The automated calling system of claim 6, wherein the first pre-selected time period and the second pre-selected time period and the third pre-selected time period are different from one another.

9. The automated calling system of claim 6, wherein the continuous tone lasts at least approximately 1 second, the second period pre-selected time period includes approximately 2 seconds of silence.

10. The automated calling system of claim 6, where the period of silence lasts approximately 2 seconds and the third pre-selected time period includes approximately 1 second of silence.

11. The automated calling system of claim 6, wherein the first pre-selected time period runs up to approximately 3 seconds.

12. An automated method of delivering a recorded information message in a nontruncated form via a telephone dialing system, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a call to a telephone number selected from a database of telephone numbers;

(b) detecting either an answering machine signal or a voice signal from the called telephone number;

(c) playing a recorded information message if the detected voice signal runs less than a first pre-selected time period and repeating the above steps for another telephone number selected from the database;

(d) analyzing the answering machine signal and the voice signal that runs greater than the first pre-selected time period to form an analyzed signal;

(e) detecting from the analyzed signal either a continuous tone or a period of silence;

(f) playing the recorded information message after a second pre-selected time period following the continuous tone, and repeating the above steps for an additional telephone number selected from the database; and

(g) playing the recorded information message after a third pre-selected time period following the period of silence, and repeating the above steps for still an additional telephone number selected from the database; and

(h) repeating the above steps until at least a pass through of all the telephone numbers from the database have been called, wherein the first pre-selected time period is different from the second pre-selected time period which is different from the third preselected time period, and beginning words of the recorded information message are not cut off and the message is continuously delivered in a nontruncated form.

13. The automated method of claim 12, wherein the continuous tone lasts at least approximately 1 second, an the second period pre-selected time period includes approximately 2 seconds of silence.

14. The automated method of claim 12, wherein the first pre-selected time period runs up to approximately 3 seconds.

15. The automated method of claim 12, where the period of silence lasts approximately 2 seconds and the third pre-selected time period includes approximately 1 second of silence.