Selective response telephone answering system

• US 7,627,094 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oro Grande Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Oro Grande Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Kraft, Margareth V., Kraft, Caroline M., Kraft, Clifford H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/129,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20050271188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.13, 379/88.18, 379/93.28, 379/211.01, 379/84, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/88.25, 379/197, 379/265.02, 379/76, 379/88.23, 379/142.01, 455/411, 705/14, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 379/76
• 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 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter

Abstract

A telephone answering system and method for playing particular different greeting messages to different callers. When an incoming call is received, either caller-ID is decoded, or the caller'"'"'s identification is determined some other way if possible, and if the particular caller'"'"'s identification is on a list, a special message can be played for that caller if such a message as been stored and is active. Any other caller receives a different message, usually a default greeting message. Special messages can be date/time stamped to die or change after particular dates or times. Messages and caller identification can be loaded into the system remotely.

Claims

1. A method of providing selective greeting message in an answering system comprising:

storing a plurality of different special greeting messages for a particular caller, said messages being sequentially ordered;

answering an incoming telephone call;

determining a caller identity;

determining if a plurality of different greeting messages are stored for that caller, if so, playing a next sequential message each time an incoming call is received from said caller;

otherwise,

determining if a single particular message is stored for that caller; and

playing said single particular message if a particular message is stored for that caller and playing a default message if no particular message is stored for that caller.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of a telephone owner remotely storing a particular message.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said particular message is stored in said answering system from the internet.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a date/time stamp with said particular message.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said particular message is not played if incoming call time is later than said date/time stamp.

6. A method of providing selective greeting messages on an answering system comprising:

answering an incoming telephone call;

determining caller identification if possible;

using said caller identification, to determine if said caller is on a caller list;

if said caller is on said caller list, determining if there is a special greeting message for that caller;

if there is a special greeting message for that caller, playing that special greeting message, otherwise playing a default message, and wherein said special message for said caller is downloaded onto said answering system from a remote computer over the internet.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising setting a date/time stamp on said special greeting message, whereby said special greeting message will not be played after said date or time.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of different special greeting messages for said caller, said plurality of different special greeting messages being sequentially ordered;

playing each of said sequentially ordered different special greeting messages each time an incoming call is received from said caller.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of different special greeting messages for said caller, said plurality of different special greeting messages being sequentially ordered, each with a date/time stamp;

playing one of said sequentially ordered different special greeting messages chosen according to said date/time stamp.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said special greeting message is not played after a certain date/time.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a particular special greeting message is erased after a certain date/time.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein said remote computer accesses a webpage to download said special message.