Method and system for allowing specification of messaging system greetings according to a caller identification

• US 6,631,181 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, JOSEPH T
• Application Number:
  US09/637,850
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88-9-, 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• 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 3/53391 dependent on calling party

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, a unique caller is identified from an incoming call transmission at a messaging system. A particular greeting announcement is played to the unique caller from among multiple greeting announcements recorded at the messaging system, wherein the particular greeting announcement was previously specified by a subscriber of the messaging system for the unique caller. In a preferred embodiment, the subscriber of the messaging system is preferably enabled to specify multiple greeting announcements by caller for playing prior to switching to a single subscriber mailbox at the messaging system.

Claims

1. A method for specifying greetings on a messaging system according to caller identification, said method comprising the steps of:

in response to a messaging system subscriber calling a unique remote party, prompting said messaging system subscriber from said messaging system with an option to specify a greeting announcement from among a plurality of greeting announcements for playing to said unique remote party;

receiving input in said messaging system specifying a first greeting announcement for playing to said unique remote party, said input being received from said messaging system subscriber;

identifying said unique remote party from an incoming call transmission at said messaging system; and

playing said first greeting announcement to said unique remote party from among said plurality of greeting announcements recorded at said messaging system.

2. The method for specifying greetings according to claim 1, said method further comprising the step of:

directing said incoming call transmission to a common mailbox for storage of a message from said unique remote party subsequent to playing said first greeting announcement.

3. The method for specifying greetings according to claim 1, said step of identifying a unique remote party from an incoming call transmission further comprising the step of:

capturing a caller identification associated with said incoming call transmission to identify said unique remote party.

4. The method for specifying greetings according to claim 1, said method further comprising the step of:

recording a greeting announcement from said subscriber to add to said plurality of greeting announcements available for specifying at said messaging system.

5. The method for specifying greetings according to claim 1, said method further comprising the step of:

playing said first greeting announcement to said unique remote party for only a pre-specified number of call transmissions detected from said unique remote party at said messaging system.

6. The method for specifying greetings according to claim 1, said method further comprising the step of:

playing a default greeting announcement according to a subscriber designated default greeting announcement from among said plurality of greeting announcements, in response to identifying a remote party without a greeting announcement assignment previously made by said subscriber.

7. A messaging system, said system comprising:

a communication medium enabled for reception of an incoming call transmission;

a plurality of greeting announcements stored in a data storage medium in association with a subscriber;

means for, responsive to a subscriber of said messaging system calling a unique remote party, prompting said subscriber with an option to specify a greeting announcement from among said plurality of greeting announcements for playing to said unique remote party and receiving input from said subscriber specifying a first greeting announcement for playing to said unique remote party;

means for identifying said-unique remote party from an incoming call transmission via said communication medium; and

means for playing said first greeting announcement to said unique remote party from among said plurality of greeting announcements.

8. The messaging system according to claim 7, said system further comprising:

means for directing said incoming call transmission to a single common mailbox for storage of a message from said unique remote party subsequent to playing said particular greeting announcement.

9. The messaging system according to claim 7, said means for identifying a unique remote party from an incoming call transmission further comprising:

means for capturing a caller identification associated with said incoming call transmission to identify said unique remote party.

10. The messaging system according to claim 7, said system further comprising:

means for recording a greeting announcement from said subscriber to add to said plurality of greeting announcements available for specifying at said messaging system.

11. The messaging system according to claim 7, said system further comprising:

means for playing said first greeting announcement to said unique remote party for only a pre-specified number of call transmissions detected from said unique remote party at said messaging system.

12. The messaging system according to claim 7, said system further comprising:

means for playing a default greeting announcement according to a subscriber designated default greeting announcement from among said plurality of greeting announcements, in response to identifying a remote party without a greeting announcement assignment previously made by said subscriber.

13. A computer program product to provide specification of greetings according to caller identification, said program product comprising:

a storage medium;

program instructions on said storage medium for;

in response to a subscriber of a messaging system calling a unique third party, prompting said subscriber with an option to specify a greeting announcement from among a plurality of greeting announcements for playing to said unique remote party;

receiving input specifying a first greeting announcement for playing to said unique remote party, said input being received from said subscriber;

identifying said unique remote party from an incoming call transmission at said messaging system; and

playing said first greeting announcement to said unique remote party from among said plurality of greeting announcements recorded at said messaging system.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising program instructions for:

directing said incoming call transmission to a common mailbox for storage of a message from said unique remote party subsequent to playing said first greeting announcement.

15. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said program instructions for said step of identifying a unique remote party further include program instructions for:

capturing a caller identification associated with said incoming call transmission to identify said unique remote party.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising program instructions for:

recording a greeting announcement from said subscriber to add to said plurality of greeting announcements available for specifying at said messaging system.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising program instructions for:

playing said first greeting announcement to said unique remote party for only a pre-specified number of call transmissions detected from said unique remote party at said messaging system.

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising program instructions for:

playing a default greeting announcement according to a subscriber designated default greeting announcement from among said plurality of greeting announcements, in response to identifying a remote party without a greeting announcement assignment previously made by said subscriber.

19. A method for operating a messaging system comprising the steps of:

generating a Plurality of greeting announcements for playing to remote parties calling a subscriber of said messaging system'"'"'

receiving input from said subscriber for selecting a pre-specified number of times that a first greeting announcement being played to a first remote party;

identifying said first remote party from an incoming call transmission at said messaging system; and

responsive to said identifying step, playing said first greeting announcement to said first remote party from among said plurality of greeting announcements recorded at said messaging system only if said first greeting has not yet been played said pre-specified number of times;

if said first greeting has already been played said pre-specified number of times, playing a second greeting announcement to said first remote party from among said plurality of greeting announcements recorded at said messaging system.

20. The method for operating a messaging system of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

receiving input from said subscriber specifying a second greeting announcement of said plurality of greeting announcement for playing to said first remote party after said first greeting announcement has been played said pre-specified number of times; and

responsive to said identifying step, playing said second greeting announcement to said first remote party from among said plurality of greeting announcements recorded at said messaging system if said first greeting has already been played said pre-specified number of times.

21. The method for operating a messaging system of claim 19, wherein said pre-specified number is one.

22. The method for operating a messaging system of claim 19, wherein said step of identifying said first remote party from an incoming call transmission comprises the step of:

capturing a caller identification associated with said incoming call transmission to identify said first remote party.

23. The method for operating a messaging system of claim 19, said method further comprising the step of:

recording a greeting announcement from said subscriber to add to said plurality of greeting announcements available for specifying at said messaging system.

24. The method for operating a messaging system of claim 19, said method further comprising the step of:

playing a default greeting announcement to said first remote party according to a subscriber designated default greeting announcement from among said plurality of greeting announcements, if said first greeting has been played said pre-specified number of times.