Telephone system and method for personalized announcements

• US 6,385,308 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cohen, Steven L., McGrath, A. Helen, Davitt, Michael, Nemeth, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/980,670
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/68, 379/76, 379/88.08, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.22, 379/201, 379/202, 379/210, 379/212, 379/142, 379/221, 379/40, 379/69, 379/70, 379/72, 379/82, 379/85, 379/88.03, 379/88.23, 379/209, 379/350, 379/352
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A telephone system provides personalized announcements to calling parties in support of branded products and services of the system and others during call processing to called parties. A processor coupled to the system includes a database of designated calling parties receiving personal announcements. Record means stored in the processor for each designated calling party define the parameters for each personalized announcement. Call processing means responsive to the processor initiate a call from the calling party to a called party according to the parameters for the calling party defined in the record means. In one form, audio means under control of the processor play the personalized announcement to the calling party during the pre-answer period of the call or until the call is abandoned or the line is busy.

Claims

1. A telephone system providing personalized announcements to calling parties during call processing to called parties, comprising:

a) an adjunct processor means coupled to the system and including a database of designated calling parties for receiving personal announcements;

b) record means stored in the processor for each designated calling party and defining parameters for each personalized announcement stored;

c) means defining a call flow bit for each personalized announcement during pre-answer time and post dial delay; and

d) means for playing a personalized announcement to a calling party during the call flow until the called party answers the call or the call is abandoned.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) means for delivering message text in video form to at least one customer service representative for customer assistance.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a) means for determining when an announcement should no longer be played to a designated calling party.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a) means for determining when the designated calling party has received a daily limit of personalized announcements.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) means associated with each designated calling party and defining parameters tracking calls including a personalized announcement.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) means for identifying calling parties designated to receive personalized announcements.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) means for terminating the announcement when the call is answered by the called party or the calling party sends a signal to the processor.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) means for determining the maximum number of times an announcement may play on a given day.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) means for determining the number of times an announcement may be played to a designated calling number.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the designated calling party is identified by an Automatic Number Identification (ANI).

11. A method of delivering specific groups of personalized announcements to calling parties in a telephone system based on different criteria associated with the calling party and the called parties comprising the steps of:

a) connecting a processor to the system;

b) storing in the processor a database of the calling parties for receiving personal announcements;

c) establishing in the database a record for each calling party and defining criteria in the record for each personalized announcement played to the calling party;

d) identifying calling parties designated to receive personal announcements;

e) defining a call flow bit for each personalized announcement during pre-answer time and post dial delay;

f) determining for each call (i) the number of times an announcement may be played to a designated calling number;

(ii) when an announcement should no longer be played to a designated calling party; and

(iii) when the designated calling party has received the daily limit of personal announcements; and

g) playing an announcement to a calling party during the call flow until the called party answers the call or the call is abandoned.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

a) updating the record in the processor when personal announcements are played to an eligible customer;

b) updating the record as personal announcements are added or deleted from the system.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

a) setting a call flow bit in the record for each announcement, the bit defining a post dial delay period for playing the personal announcement;

b) incrementing a daily counter in the record for an eligible customer when a personal announcement is played.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

a) maintaining an ANI counter record for eligible customer to determine when the ANI has reached a cell row counter number in the record and a personal announcement should no longer be played to the eligible customer;

b) maintaining a daily ANI counter record to determine when the ANI has reached a cell row daily limit in the record and the announcement should no longer be played.