Telecommunication system using message presentation during a ringing signal period
First Claim
1. A telecommunication system in which a message can be generated and heard by at least one of a caller or a recipient of a telephone call during the quiescent period between initiation of a telephone dialing activity and the answering of a telephone by that recipient, and with a ringing signal heard in the telephone of the recipient and a ringback signal heard in the telephone of the caller, said system comprising:
- (a) a telephone at a first location of a party attempting to initiate a telephone call;
(b) a first telephone switching station associated with the telephone at the first location;
(c) a second location containing a telephone of a recipient of the telephone communication;
(d) a second telephone switching station associated with that second telephone location and receiving a signal from the first switching station regarding the telephone communication and enabling a ringing signal to be generated at the second location; and
(e) sound presentation generating means associated with at least one of said switching stations for generating a sound presentation for a time period which commences at the completion of a telephone dialing activity by the caller and during the period when a ringing signal would otherwise occur at the second location and a ringback signal would otherwise occur at the first location and which period would continue until the answering of the recipient telephone at the second location, said sound presentation generating means also causing no sound presentations to be generated when the second telephone is off hook thereby enabling the generation of a busy signal at least on the telephone at the first location.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Marketing of goods and services on telephone lines and during a period from the commencement of a telephone call to the receipt and acceptance of that call (quiescent period) when the recipient of the call actuates his or her telephone. This quiescent period of time, during which a ringing signal is normally generated, is used for presentation of advertising or promotional messages, primarily to a caller, although it can be delivered to the recipient of the call, or both. In addition, the system provides for the use of messages during the normal ringing cycle time to effectively replace the ringing signal. The particular advertising or promotional message can be selected for a certain area, such as an area covered by a telephone switchboard or a certain party or characteristics of that party. In this way each individual telephone switchboard is capable of presenting a message different from the next telephone switchboard.
25 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A telecommunication system in which a message can be generated and heard by at least one of a caller or a recipient of a telephone call during the quiescent period between initiation of a telephone dialing activity and the answering of a telephone by that recipient, and with a ringing signal heard in the telephone of the recipient and a ringback signal heard in the telephone of the caller, said system comprising:
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(a) a telephone at a first location of a party attempting to initiate a telephone call; (b) a first telephone switching station associated with the telephone at the first location; (c) a second location containing a telephone of a recipient of the telephone communication; (d) a second telephone switching station associated with that second telephone location and receiving a signal from the first switching station regarding the telephone communication and enabling a ringing signal to be generated at the second location; and (e) sound presentation generating means associated with at least one of said switching stations for generating a sound presentation for a time period which commences at the completion of a telephone dialing activity by the caller and during the period when a ringing signal would otherwise occur at the second location and a ringback signal would otherwise occur at the first location and which period would continue until the answering of the recipient telephone at the second location, said sound presentation generating means also causing no sound presentations to be generated when the second telephone is off hook thereby enabling the generation of a busy signal at least on the telephone at the first location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An improvement in a telecommunication system of the type having first and second telephone locations remote from one another in which a telephone caller at a first location attempts to access a telephone recipient at the second location along with at least one central switching station effectively between the locations and a telephone communication link therebetween, an improvement comprising:
(a) switching means associated with at least one central switching station for generating a sound presentation during a time period commencing after dialing and when a portion of or all of a normal ringing signal would be generated at the telephone at the first location and which would replace or overlie the ringback signal, and which switching means would allow for generation of a busy signal at the telephone at the first location if the telephone at the second location is off hook, but preclude generation of a sound presentation during the time the telephone at the second location is off hook. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of generating a sound presentation over a telecommunication link during a portion or all of a normal ringing cycle period between the completion of a dialing process and the time when a telephone of the recipient is answered, said method comprising;
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(a) initiating a telephone communication by introducing a telephone calling code of an intended recipient; (b) generating a sound presentation to be provided during a portion of or the entire time that a ringing signal would normally be generated at the telephone of the recipient to be heard by the caller or the recipient or both; and (c) precluding generation of the sound presentation and allowing for normal busy signal to be generated if the telephone of the intended recipient is off hook. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification