Personalized recorded message via message delivery system

• US 7,310,412 B1
• Filed: 08/12/2004
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emergency Communications Network LLC (Onsolve, LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Broadcast Team Incorporated
• Inventors: Tuttle, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US10/917,015
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 379/70
• US Class Current: 379/70
• 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

Message delivery system primarily for answering machines which provides a realistic sounding recorded message containing an individualized personal greeting which can be delivered onto one or more answering machines. This automated method of delivering a recorded personalized information message via an automated dialing system to automated recorders involves a series of steps of: forming a database of first names, determining frequency of occurrence of greatest number of the first names in the database; recording individual personal greetings to the first names having the greatest frequency of occurrence and, playing the individualized personally greeting without truncation onto answering machines associated with the first names having the greatest frequency of occurrence. This system provides a preliminary personalized greeting to the beginning of the generic message being delivered so that the recipient believes the message is coming from a real person.

Claims

1. An automated method for delivering recorded personalized information messages via an automated dialing system, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a database of first names and telephone numbers associated with the first names;

(b) determining a selected group of names in the database having a greatest frequency of occurrence or the first names in the database;

(c) recording individual personal greetings to the selected group of the first names having the greatest frequency of occurrence;

(d) placing a call to a telephone number selected from the database and receiving a response;

(e) determining when the call has been accepted at the telephone number from an answering machine wherein step (e) further includes the steps of;

(e1) alternatively determining if an answering machine noise signal emission is detected over a first time period or a silence response is detected over a second time period, the first time period being different from the second time period and if so going to step (f); and

(e2) determining if a live cadence/voice signal is detected and if so go to step (f);

(e3) subsequently detecting for a silent response from the answering machine over a subsequent time period after the detection of the answering machine noise signal, wherein the subsequent time period is different from the first time period; and

(e4) subsequently detecting for a silent response from the answering machine over a subsequent time period after the detection of silence from the answering machine, wherein the subsequent time period is different from the second time period;

(f) playing the individualized personal greeting onto the accepted call on the answering machine, wherein each of the individualized personal greetings is delivered once in a nontruncated form; and

(g) repeating the steps (d), (e) and (f), until at least a single pass through of all the telephone numbers in the selected group have been called.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the database includes:

approximately 10 to approximately 100,000 first names.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further includes:

determining the occurrence of at least ⅔

of all the commonly occurring first names in the database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of playing further includes:

playing a generic information message immediately after the individualized personal greeting onto the accepted call at the telephone number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the individualized personal greeting and the generic information message are from an identical voice.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further includes the step of:

determining if the accepted call is being accepted on an answering machine or by a live person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected time period is approximately one second, and the second time period is approximately two seconds.