Method and system for announcement

• US 7,817,785 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2006
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lab Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Chi Fai, Chiu, Shin Cheung Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US11/443,901
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 379 671- 87, 707/602
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services

Abstract

A method for delivering audio announcements, includes: receiving an announcement package, the announcement package including a package identity, a package update time, and one or more announcement items; and presenting the announcement package to an audio player. Each announcement item includes an item identity, and a summary part, where the summary part includes audio information. The audio information includes an audio data type and audio data. Updates for the announcement package can be received, where the announcement package is modified according to the update. A content of the announcement package can be replaced, deleted, or added. The announcement item can be presented to the audio player once, repeatedly, or periodically. In this manner, audio announcements are delivered in an effective and timely manner.

Claims

1. A method for delivering audio announcements, comprising:

(a) receiving an announcement package by a telephone, the announcement package comprising a first package identity, a package update time, and one or more announcement items, and each announcement item comprising a first item identity and an audio data;

(b) receiving an update by the telephone, the update comprising a second package identity, an updated package update time, and one or more updated announcement items, and each updated announcement item comprising a second item identity and an updated audio data;

(c) determining by the telephone if the second package identity matches the first package identity;

(d) if the second package identity matches the first package identity, updating by the telephone the announcement package, wherein the updating comprises;

(d1) updating by the telephone the package update time with the updated package update time;

(d2) for each updated announcement item, determining by the telephone if the second item identity matches the first item identity of any of the one or more announcement items; and

(d3) for the announcement item with the first item identity matching the second item identity, updating by the telephone the audio data of the matching announcement item with the updated audio data; and

(e) sending the updated announcement package to an audio player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending (e) comprises:

(e1) connecting to the audio player; and

(e2) sending the updated audio data for each updated announcement item to the audio player, wherein the audio player converts the updated audio data to sound.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sending (e2) comprises:

(e2i) determining by the telephone an order for the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package; and

(e2ii) sending by the telephone the updated announcement items to the audio player according to the order.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining (e2i) comprises:

(e2iA) determining by the telephone the order based on a time each updated announcement item was first received by the telephone.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package further comprises an item priority or an item type, wherein the determining (e2i) comprises:

(e2iA) determining by the telephone the order based on the item priority or the item type for each updated announcement item.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the sending (e2) comprises:

(e2i) selecting by the telephone one of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package; and

(e2ii) sending by the telephone the selected updated announcement item to the audio player.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the selecting (e2i) comprises:

(e2iA) selecting by the telephone one of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package based on a time each of the updated announcement items was first received by the telephone.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the updated announcement items further comprises an item publication time, an announcement priority, or an item type, wherein the selecting (e2i) comprises:

(e2iA) selecting by the telephone one of the updated announcement item of the updated announcement package based on the item publication time, the announcement priority, or the item type of the updated announcement item.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package further comprises a title part, wherein the sending (e2) comprises:

(e2i) sending by the telephone the title part of the updated announcement item to the audio player; and

(e2ii) after sending the title part, sending by the telephone the updated audio data of the updated announcement item to the audio player.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the updated announcement package further comprises a postlude, wherein the sending (e) further comprises:

(e3) after sending the updated audio data for each of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package to the audio player, sending by the telephone the postlude to the audio player.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) connecting by the telephone to a timer;

(g) setting by the telephone the timer to the updated package update time; and

(h) when the timer expires, receiving by the telephone a second update for the updated announcement package.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating (d3) comprises:

(d3i) for the announcement item with the item identity matching the second item identity, replacing by the telephone the audio data of the matching announcement item with the updated audio data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating (d) further comprises:

(d4) if the second item identity does not match any of the item identities of the one or more announcement items,

adding by the telephone a new announcement item to the updated announcement package, the new announcement item comprising the second item identity and the updated audio data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the announcement package further comprises a prelude and the update further comprises an updated prelude, wherein the updating (d) further comprises:

(b4) updating by the telephone the prelude with the updated prelude.

15. A system, comprising:

a server; and

telephone, wherein the telephone;

receives an announcement package from the server, the announcement package comprising a package identity, a package update time, and one or more announcement items, and each announcement item comprising an item identity and an audio data,

receives an update from the server, the update comprising a second package identity, an updated package update time, and one or more updated announcement items, and each updated announcement item comprising a second item identity and an updated audio data,

determines if the second package identity matches the package identity,

if the second package identity matches the package identity, updates the announcement package, wherein the update comprises;

updates the package update time with the updated package update time,

for each updated announcement item, determine if the second item identity matches the item identity of any of the one or more announcement items, and

for the announcement item with the item identity matching the second item identity, updates the audio data of the matching announcement item with the updated audio data, and

sends the updated announcement package to an audio player.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a timer, wherein the timer is set to the updated package update time, wherein when the timer expires, the telephone receives a second update for the updated announcement package.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the announcement package further comprises a prelude and the update further comprises an updated prelude, wherein the telephone updates the prelude with the updated prelude.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the telephone comprises a sorter, wherein the sorter determines an order for the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package, and sends the updated announcement items to the audio player according to the order.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the telephone comprises a selector, wherein the selector selects one of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package, and presents the selected updated announcement item to the audio player.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein one of the updated announcement items of the updated announcement package further comprises a title part, wherein the telephone sends the title part of the updated announcement item to the audio player before sending the audio data of the updated announcement items to the audio player.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the updated announcement package further comprises a postlude, wherein the telephone further sends the postlude to the audio player after sending the updated audio data for each of the updated announcement items to the audio player.