On-hold message system
First Claim
1. An on-hold messaging system, comprising:
- a business telephone system comprising a plurality of lines or extensions on which a calling party from outside the system may be placed on hold;
a storage device for storing a plurality of messages;
a message playback device for playing said messages; and
a control device for permitting an extension user of said telephone system to select two or more messages from among said plurality of stored messages and one or more lines or extensions from among said plurality of lines or extensions on which said two or more selected messages are to be played by the message playback device when a caller or called party is placed on hold on said telephone system;
wherein the number of said one or more lines or extensions selected using said control device can be less than the total number of said plurality of lines or extensions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A programmable in-the-skin or intelligently connected message on hold delivery system is disclosed which comprises a message storage system and a processor for generating prompts which are transmitted to a control device. The prompts are received at the control device and allow an operator to select from a number of options in order to select, among other things, certain ones of the messages stored on said message storage system for playback, as well as the sequence in which said messages are to be played back. The message playback devices are each provided with one or more libraries of messages, and comprise at least one or more audio and/or visual advertising messages. Said system enables the user to start a pre-recorded audio or visual message at the beginning each time a caller is placed on hold in the telephone system.
39 Citations
37 Claims
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1. An on-hold messaging system, comprising:
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a business telephone system comprising a plurality of lines or extensions on which a calling party from outside the system may be placed on hold; a storage device for storing a plurality of messages; a message playback device for playing said messages; and a control device for permitting an extension user of said telephone system to select two or more messages from among said plurality of stored messages and one or more lines or extensions from among said plurality of lines or extensions on which said two or more selected messages are to be played by the message playback device when a caller or called party is placed on hold on said telephone system; wherein the number of said one or more lines or extensions selected using said control device can be less than the total number of said plurality of lines or extensions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An on-hold messaging system, comprising:
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a business telephone system comprising a plurality of lines or extensions; and an on-hold message playback device intelligently connected to or integrated with said telephone system and playing messages selected by and extension user to outside callers into said telephone system that are placed on hold on one of said lines or extensions; wherein said on-hold message playback device is programmable by the extension user through a communication device operatively communicating with said telephone system to selectively program at least two messages for playback on a selected one of said lines or extensions. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 36, 37)
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17. A method of operating a message playback device to play on-hold messages through a business telephone system, comprising the steps of:
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storing a library of discrete and individually accessible messages for playing by said message playback device; storing information for uniquely identifying each of said messages in a memory of said message playback device; selecting at least two of said messages from said library for playing by said message playback device; selecting at least one line or extension of a telephone system on which said message playback device is to play said at least two selected messages, wherein the at least two messages are selected by an extension user and wherein the number of lines or extensions selected can be less than the total number of lines or extensions of the telephone system; and playing at least a portion of said at least two selected messages on said message playback device to an outside party placed on hold on said at least one line or extension. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of operating a message playback device to play on-hold messages through a business telephone system, comprising the steps of:
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storing a library of discrete and individually accessible messages at a message playback device, each message being uniquely identified by at least one of an identification code and a title; generating and transmitting prompts from said message playback device to a control device, said prompts comprising at least one of said identification code and said title for at least one of said messages; operating said control device to identify messages from said library for playing by said message playback device and a sequence for playing said messages, and to generate response signals relating to said messages and said sequence; entering, by an extension user, playlist data using said control device to respond to said prompts, said prompts providing selections to the extension user selected from the group consisting of said identification codes of selected ones of said messages, said titles of selected ones of said messages, times for commencing the playing of said messages, and a sequence for playing said messages; and causing said message playback device to play at least a portion of a message selected by the extension user to an outside party when the outside party is placed on hold by the telephone system; wherein said message playback sequence can vary depending upon a line or extension upon which said outside party is placed on hold. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. An on-hold message system, comprising:
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a business telephone system; a storage device for storing a plurality of on-hold messages, each of said messages comprising a beginning; and an on-hold message playback device for playing at least a portion of at least two of said plurality of stored on-hold messages selected by an extension user to an outside party through said telephone system; wherein, when an outside party is placed on hold after a telephone call is established with said telephone system, said at least two on-hold messages are played to the outside party from their beginning. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. An on-hold message system, comprising:
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a business telephone system comprising a plurality of lines or extensions; and an on-hold message playback device intelligently connected to or integrated within said telephone system; wherein said on-hold message playback device plays at least a portion of at least two of a plurality of on-hold messages selected by an extension user to an outside party connected to said telephone system when said outside party is placed on hold, said on-hold message playback device being programmable by the extension user by inputting commands to said on-hold message playback device using a control device located external to the telephone system, said on-hold message playback device further being programmable by said control device to control a playback order of said plurality of on-hold messages and to designate selected messages to be played to a selected subset of the lines or extensions of the telephone system on which the outside party may be placed on hold when said outside party is placed on hold. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification