Method and apparatus for selective post-call audio logo/message

• US 7,933,393 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fellingham, Paul, Gilboy, Christopher P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing; Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed; Assad
• Application Number:
  US11/441,751
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 37911401-1142, 37914204-14206
• US Class Current: 379/114.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

A system relays a call from a calling party to a called party and, upon termination of the call by the calling party, a post-call announcement is played to the called party. Attributes of either the calling party, the called party, or both are passed to a database. The database performs a look-up query based on the call attribute information. An announcement indication is transmitted from the database to an announcement frame indicating which post-call announcement, if any, is to be played to the called party. The announcement frame plays the particular post-call announcement, if any, to the called party when the calling party has disconnected from the call.

Claims

1. A method for providing post-call advertising announcements by a telecommunications service provider to a called party, the method comprising the steps of:

the telecommunications service provider establishing at least one post-call advertising announcement that is to be played to the called party;

providing a network switch for routing a call from a calling party to a called party and for playing a post-call advertising announcement to the called party;

storing in a database call attribute information used for establishing said call and selection criteria established by the telecommunications service provider;

the telecommunications service provider determining, on the basis of the stored call attribute information used for establishing the call and the selection criteria established by the telecommunications service provider, whether a post-call advertising announcement is to be played to the called party upon termination of the call; and

transmitting the call and the indicated post-call advertising announcement to the called party.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a plurality of post-call advertising announcements in an announcement frame in the network switch, and playing a selected one of the stored post-call advertising announcements to the called party upon termination of the call.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the database returns to the network switch an indication of a particular post-call advertising announcement to be played.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

ceasing billing of the calling party once the calling party has disconnected from the call prior to playing the post-call advertising announcement; and

disconnecting the called party from the call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of routing a call to the called party is performed in parallel with the step of storing of the call attribute information in the database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

counting how many times a particular post-call advertising announcement is played for a given set of selection criteria; and

ceasing to play the particular post-call advertising announcement after the particular post-call announcement has been played a predetermined number of times.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of

determining whether the called party is connected to the network for an entire duration of a particular post-call advertising announcement;

and

continuing to play the particular post-call advertising announcement until the called party is connected to the network for the entire duration of the particular post-call advertising announcement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting of the advertising announcement is performed by an announcement frame located within the network switch.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the call attribute information includes at least one of a portion of a calling party number, a portion of a called party number, a portion of a Carrier Identification Code, a trunk group characteristic, and Originating Line Information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the call attribute information comprises at least one of:

a portion of a called party'"'"'s calling plan, and a portion of a calling party'"'"'s calling plan.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the call attribute information includes at least two of:

a calling party number portion, a called party number portion, a Carrier Identification Code, a trunk group characteristic, and Originating Line Information.

12. An apparatus for providing post-call advertising announcements by a telecommunications service provider upon termination of a call to a called party, the apparatus comprising:

a database for storing call attribute information used for establishing said call and selection criteria established by the telecommunications service provider for use in the telecommunication service provider'"'"'s determination of whether a post-call advertising announcement is to be played to the called party upon termination of the call;

means for the telecommunication service provider'"'"'s selecting, based on stored call attribute information used for establishing said call, at least one post-call advertising announcement established by the telecommunications service provider to the called party; and

means for playing the selected post-call advertising announcement to the called party upon termination of the call.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for playing comprises an announcement frame and the database maintains a communication connection to the announcement frame.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the announcement frame is implemented in a network switch.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the database counts how many times a post-call advertising announcement is played for a given set of selection criteria.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the announcement frame ceases to play a particular post-call advertising announcement after the particular post-call announcement has been played to the called party a predetermined number of times.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a terminating switch notifies the database of an outcome of the post-call advertising announcement.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the outcome relates to whether the called party was connected for the duration of the advertising announcement.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the playing means is arranged to play a particular post-call advertising announcement until the terminating switch determines that the called party has maintained a connection to the network for the entire duration of the particular post-call advertising announcement.