System and method for delayed or repeated message delivery

• US 7,313,229 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sherwood, Amy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US10/028,275
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 379 671- 69, 379 8813- 8818, 379 8822- 8826
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A system and method that records a message and then delivers the message to one or more recipients. The message may be delivered to the recipients at some determined later time. Each recipient may be able to receive the message at different times depending on data that is input with respect to each recipient. Also described are repeat call function that repeats a call until a live recipient answers the call, and repeat message function that repeats a recorded message to a recipient a determined number of times.

Claims

1. A method of arranging for an electronically-recorded message to be delivered to a communication medium of a second user at a selected time, said method comprising:

recording the message by a first user on a stand-alone communication device in direct connection to a telephone line as customer premises equipment;

inputting an access code on the stand-alone communication device for accessing the communication medium of the second user;

indicating a delivery time for delivery of the message from the stand-alone communication device to the communication medium of the second user, wherein the message is selectable for retraction by canceling delivery of the message before the delivery time;

storing a plurality of groups of named recipients under user-defined categories and assigning each of the plurality of groups with a specific alphanumeric code;

determining whether each recipient of the message should receive the message at the same time; and

determining individual delivery instructions if any recipient should receive the message at a different time,

wherein the first user is distinct from the second user;

wherein the communication medium is a voicemail mailbox; and

wherein the access code is a voicemail mailbox number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inputting a plurality of access codes for accessing a plurality of communication media.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

indicating a plurality of delivery times, each delivery time corresponding to delivery of the recorded message to each of a plurality of communication media.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

indicating whether the message should only be delivered if the second user directly receives the message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

indicating a re-send delay period used to re-send the message to a second user after a re-send delay period if the recipient does not directly receive the message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

indicating a maximum re-send message number selected by the first user used to re-send the message to a recipient a maximum number of times when the second user does not directly receive the message.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

indicating a re-send message number used to re-send the message to a second user a number of times.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication medium is a telephone.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the access code is a telephone number for the telephone.

10. A method of sending an electronically-recorded message to a communication medium of a second user at a selected time, said method comprises:

recording the message by a first user on a stand-alone communication device in direct connection to a telephone line as customer premises equipment;

inputting an access code on the stand-alone communication device for accessing the communication medium of the second user;

indicating a delivery time for delivery of the message to a communication medium of the recipient second user;

sending the message from the stand-alone communication device to the communication medium of the recipient second user when the time reaches the delivery time, wherein the message is selectable for retraction by canceling delivery of the message before the delivery time;

storing a plurality of groups of named recipients under user-defined categories and assigning each of the plurality of groups with a specific alphanumeric code;

determining whether each recipient of the message should receive the message at the same time; and

determining individual delivery instructions if any recipient should receive the message at a different time,

wherein the first user is distinct from the second user;

wherein the communication medium is a voicemail mailbox; and

wherein the access code is a voicemail mailbox number.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication medium comprises a plurality of communication media, each communication medium having its own unique access code.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

inputting a plurality of access codes for accessing a plurality of communication media.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

indicating a plurality of delivery times, each delivery time corresponding to delivery of the recorded message to each of a plurality of communication media.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

indicating whether the message should only be delivered if the second user directly receives the message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

indicating a re-send delay period used to re-send the message to a second user after a re-send delay period if the second user does not directly receive the message.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication medium is a telephone.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the access code is a telephone number for the telephone.

18. A system for arranging for an electronically-recorded message to a communication medium of a second user at a selected time, said system comprising:

means for recording by a first user a message on a stand-alone communication device in direct connection to a telephone line as customer premises equipment;

means for inputting an access code on the stand-alone communication device for accessing a communication medium of the second user;

means for indicating a delivery time for delivery of the message to a communication medium of the second user;

means for sending the message from the stand-alone communication device to the communication medium of the second user when the time reaches the delivery time;

means for selecting for retraction the message by canceling delivery of the message before the delivery time;

means for storing a plurality of groups of named recipients under user-defined categories and assigning each of the plurality of groups with a specific alphanumeric code;

means for determining whether each recipient of the message should receive the message at the same time; and

means for determining individual delivery instructions if any recipient should receive the message at a different time,

wherein the first user is distinct from the second user;

wherein the communication medium is a voicemail mailbox; and

wherein the access code is a voicemail mailbox number.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the communication medium comprises a plurality of communication media, each communication medium having its own unique access code.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for inputting a plurality of access codes for accessing a plurality of communication media.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for indicating a plurality of delivery times, each delivery time corresponding to delivery of the recorded message to each of a plurality of communication media.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for indicating whether the message should only be delivered if the recipient directly receives the message.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means for indicating a re-send delay period used to re-send the message to a second user after a re-send delay period if the recipient does not directly receive the message.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the communication medium is a telephone.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the access code is a telephone number for the telephone.

26. A system for sending an electronically-recorded message to a communication medium of a second user at a selected time, said system comprising:

means for recording by a first user a message on a stand-alone communication device in direct connection to a telephone line as customer premises equipment;

means for inputting an access code on the stand-alone communication device for accessing a communication medium of the second user;

means for indicating a delivery time for delivery of the message to a communication medium of the second user;

means for keeping track of a clock time;

means for sending the message from the stand-alone communication device to the communication medium of the second user when the time reaches the delivery time;

means for selecting for retraction the message by canceling delivery of the message before the delivery time;

means for storing a plurality of groups of named recipients under user-defined categories and assigning each of the plurality of groups with a specific alphanumeric code;

means for determining whether each recipient of the message should receive the message at the same time; and

means for determining individual delivery instructions if any recipient should receive the message at a different time,

wherein the first user is distinct from the second user;

wherein the communication medium is a voicemail mailbox; and

wherein the access code is a voicemail mailbox number.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the communication medium comprises a plurality of communication media, each communication medium having its own unique access code.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for inputting a plurality of access codes for accessing a plurality of communication media.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

means for delivering the message at a plurality of delivery times, each delivery time corresponding to delivery of the recorded message to each of a plurality of communication media.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

means for determining whether the message should only be delivered if the second user directly receives the message.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

means for delaying for a period of time before re-sending the message to the second user if the second user does not directly receive the message.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the communication medium is a telephone.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the access code is a telephone number for the telephone.