At+t Corp.

Paradyne Corporation

Bruce Lowell Hanson

Kenneth Mervin Huber

Steven Charles Salimando

Lee B Strahs

Eugene J Joseph

Heather C Dee

Roy Philip Weber

Randy Glen Goldberg

Richard Vandervoort Cox

Brian Dean Freeman

Lawrence Richard Rabiner

Peter H Stuntebeck

Mark Meier Rochkind

Andrew Frederick Bulfer

Robert F Mortenson

Candace Ann Kamm

Steven Lloyd Greenspan

Kurt E Holmquist

Richard H Janow

Frederick Kenneth Schmidt, Jr

Richard M Sachs

Amir M Mane

Marina Lima Roesler

James M Farber

Walter Patrick Binns

Alan I Feiertag

David Richard Morehead

Kenneth M Huber

Method and system for delivering a message over a telecommunications network to a recipient comprising transmitting a message over the telecommunications network to the recipient when a predetermined energy/silence condition is detected, performing echo cancellation on a signal communicated from the telecommunications network, and monitoring the signal to detect the energy/silence condition.

Method and system for delivering messages to both live recipients and recording systems

A method and system for consolidating multiple mailboxes into a single universal mailbox. The system comprises an agent, a user database, an application database and a mail repository. The agent searches a user database to determine the list of messaging systems the user subscribes to. The agent then recalls from the application database the procedures for accessing the messaging systems and logs onto each messaging system in turn to retrieve any new messages. The agent notifies the user of new messages according to a predefined notification method.

Messaging agent and method for retrieving and consolidating messages

A system of delivering a message to a voice messaging system, coupled to a telephone extension, calls a telephone number received from a database. Subsequently, the call is monitored for speech energy and for a continuous silence interval after speech has been detected. Finally, a message is played to a voice messaging system after the continuous interval of silence expires.

System and method for delivering voice messages to voice mail systems

A method and system are disclosed for providing call screening in conjunction with a variety of network-based call services. An exemplary method for providing a called party at a called party station with call screening includes: (a) forwarding a call to the called party station (CPS) to a voice mailbox so that a caller can leave a message for the called party; (b) initiating a simplex call to the CPS; and (c) bridging the call forwarded to the voice mailbox and the simplex call to the CPS so that the called party can hear the caller leaving a message for the CPS; (d) initiating a duplex call to the CPS in response to signaling received from the CPS; and (e) bridging the call forwarded to the voice mailbox and the duplex call so that the caller and the called party are in communication with one another. In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of initiating a simplex call includes the step of delivering a distinctive ring to the CPS indicating that the caller is leaving a message for the CPS. In another embodiment of the present invention, the step of initiating a simplex call includes the step of transmitting a call waiting indicator to the CPS. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the step of initiating a simplex call includes the step of transmitting a signal to the CPS indicating that the calling party station will pay for cellular charges associated with the call.

Method and system for call screening

Numerous benefits are realized by allowing messaging platforms to receive and act on information packages that include one or more Execution Instruction Sets (EISs), where the EIS is executed as specified. Execution of the included EISs provides vastly enhanced capabilities to the messaging platform, such as controlling when an EIS is executed, from where necessary data is obtained for the execution of the EIS, what kinds of executions are permitted, who will be the recipients of the content portion of platform, what that content will be, etc. Increasing the interaction complexity a step further, the EIS permits creation of an interactive session with the recipient that makes the message more effective. A still additional capability is the establishment of a communication path from the messaging platform. This may be in the form of a message that is sent by the messaging platform, or a connection that is established between the recipient and some other party.

Messaging platform process

A system and method for delivering automated pre-recorded messages to intended recipients is disclosed. An automated call controller places phone calls to intended recipients and plays a pre-recorded message for the recipient after the call is answered. The automated call controller accesses phone numbers for intended recipients from a database and automatically dials the accessed phone numbers. The automated call controller monitors parameters associated with the telephone call. A message delivery decision model analyzes these monitored parameters, and any other parameters input to the decision model, and, based on the analysis of the parameters, optimizes the delivery of the pre-recorded message by the call controller. Results from the completed phone call are stored in the database and are utilized by the decision model to optimize the completion of future phone calls to that particular phone number.

System and method for delivery of pre-recorded voice phone messages

A method for delivering voice mail to an intended recipient in which a voice-mail message is recorded for a recipient of the message, an urgent status is determined for the voice-mail message, a signal is sent for activating a message waiting indicator for the recipient, and a call is generated to the message recipient for delivering the message. A call is generated to the message recipient immediately after a telephone line for the recipient becomes not busy when the telephone line for the message recipient is busy. Similarly, a call is generated to the message recipient based on a predetermined schedule when the call generated to the message recipient is unanswered. The predetermined schedule includes a predetermined call retry interval and a predetermined call retry duration.

Delivery of urgent messages by integrated forced delivery and voice mailbox

A plurality of subscribers in a telecommunications network are divided into affinity groups. Subscribers in a particular affinity group have a common interest which is different from that of subscribers in other affinity groups. That interest may a common cultural heritage, a common language preference, a common vocational or avocational interest, or the like. Each respective affinity group has associated with it a customized set of call processing characteristics, such as a distinctive dial tone, a distinctive subscriber language preference, and/or an abbreviated dialing list of other subscribers in the group. In addition, each respective affinity group can have a special broadcast message sent to the some or all of the subscribers in the group.

Method and system for affinity group telephone service

Intelligent network messaging agent and method

A voice response system that functions in a receiving telephone system and learns individual caller behavior. The voice response system stores the callers unique identifier and a menu option selected by the caller in response to a menu manuscript. For subsequent calls by the caller, the caller is presented with a truncated menu manuscript that allows the caller to more quickly connect to the desired system.

Interactive voice response system with call trainable routing

A creator of a voice mail message is provided with the ability to pre-define responses to the message. The pre-defined responses may be sent (i.e., are embedded) with the voice mail message to a recipient's mailbox so that when the recipient opens the voice message, the message is heard, and the recipient is provided with a menu of pre-defined responses from which to choose. After listening to the pre-defined responses, the recipient selects a particular response which is then forwarded to the creator of the original voice mail message.

Voice mail with embedded executable responses

Interactive information and entertainment service customers see advertisers' bids for their attention which are displayed on their display screens and choose which advertisements to view. For each advertisement viewed, the advertisers' bid amount would pay for a portion of the user's service or usage charge. A display on the user's terminal screen includes the advertisers most willing to pay for the user's attention and the dollar amount bid. If the user chooses to see a particular advertiser's message, then the user is reimbursed, or a credit is applied to the user's service account for the amount of the bid promised by the advertiser whose message was viewed. Customer interest profiles and service usage data collected by the service provider are used to identify particular user characteristics to advertisers. Advertisers define user characteristics of particular desirability and place a dollar value on having messages viewed by individual users based on the desirability of the user.

Method and apparatus enabling valuation of user access of advertising

The invention provides a group message delivery system that includes a memory device coupled to a group message controller. The group message controller generates a group telephone number and a database corresponding to the group telephone number in the memory device based on first information received from a first caller. The first information includes a group list of at least one telephone number corresponding to at least one receiving party. The group message controller responds to a call by a second caller to the group telephone number by receiving second information from the second caller and delivering a message included in the second information to the at least one receiving party.

Growing community of inventors

Little Silver, NJ, United States of America

Bruce Lowell Hanson