Telephone call information delivery system

• US 7,062,036 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tellagemini Communication LLC
• Original Assignee: Christopher Guy Williams
• Inventors: Williams, Christopher Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SINGH, RAMNANDAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/185,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20020168063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 379/373.01, 379 8801- 8828, 379/67.1, 379/374.03
• US Class Current: 379/373.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/573 Line monitoring circuits for detecting caller identification
• 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 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A telephone call information delivery system includes answering circuitry to answer a telephone call incoming from a service provider and to attain information input by a caller. The system further includes an information signal provider to provide at least one signal to deliver at least some of the attained information to a user. As an example, from the delivered information the user can decide whether or not to answer the incoming call. In another embodiment, the system further includes an alert signal provider to provide a signal to alert the user and an activator to receive instruction from the user. The information signal provider operates responsive to the activator. This embodiment answers an incoming call, attains information from the caller, alerts the user, the user then instructs the activator and the signal provider responds and delivers attained information to the user. The user then decides whether to answer the call.

Claims

1. A telephone, comprising:

answering circuitry configured to answer a telephone call incoming from a telephone service provider and to attain call announce information input by a caller;

an alert signal provider configured to provide a signal to alert a user;

an activator configured to receive instruction from the user while the call remains answered; and

an information signal provider operative responsive to the activator and configured to provide at least one signal while the call remains answered to deliver at least some of the attained call announce information to the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the answering circuitry is further configured to attain voice information.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the information signal provider is further configured to provide at least one of:

a composed audio signal or a live audio signal.

4. A telephone, comprising:

an initiator configured to receive instruction from a user during receipt of an incoming call;

answering circuitry activated by the initiator and configured to answer a telephone call and to attain call announce information input by a caller; and

an information signal provider configured to provide at least one signal to deliver at least some of the attained call announce information to the user.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the answering circuitry is further configured to attain voice information.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the information signal provider is further configured to provide at least one of:

a composed audio signal or a live audio signal.

7. A telephone, comprising:

answering circuitry configured to answer a telephone call and to attain information input by a caller;

delay circuitry activated by the answering circuitry to delay answering of the telephone call and

an information signal provider configured to provide a composed audio signal while the call remains answered to operate a telephone handset receiver to deliver at least some of the attained information to a user.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the answering circuitry is further configured to attain voice information.

9. A telephone call information delivery system, comprising:

answering circuitry configured to answer a telephone call and to attain call announce information input by a caller;

a delay to delay the answering circuitry;

an information signal provider configured to provide a live audio signal to deliver at least some of the attained call announce information to a user; and

wherein the system further comprises a repeater configured to prompt the answering circuitry to attain call announce information a plurality of times, each successive time subsequent to the providing of a live audio signal, delivering the at least some of the attained call announce information.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the repeater is further configured to prompt the answering circuitry to attain the same call announce information a plurality of times, each successive time subsequent to the providing of a live audio signal, delivering the at least some of the attained call announce information.

11. A telephone call information delivery system connectable to a single incoming telephone line, comprising:

a plurality of information delivery configurations, each of said configurations answering a telephone call incoming from a telephone service provider to attain call announce information input by a caller and to provide a signal to deliver at least some of the call announce information to a user while the call remains answered, wherein each configuration provides said user with one or more of;

a prescribed ring signal, a prescribed audio signal, a composed, audio signal, a display signal or a live audio signal and, wherein each configuration is unique from the others; and

an enabler configured to enable said user to selectively engage or disengage the information delivery configurations.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein at least one of the configurations attains voice information input by a caller.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the enabler comprises a selector switch.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises a sound selector configured to enable a user to select a sound to be generated representative of the attained information when delivered as a prescribed audio signal.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises a party selector configured to govern at least one signal provided by an information signal provider or to govern the providing of a signal by an information signal provider.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises a post-delivery recorder to record a message from the caller and wherein the post-delivery recorder comprises message boxes and wherein the attained information determines the message box wherein the message is stored.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the system further comprises an information recorder configured to record at least some of the attained information.