At+t Corp.

At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

At&t Information Systems Inc.

Kenneth Mervin Huber

Bruce Lowell Hanson

Steven Charles Salimando

Eugene J Joseph

Heather C Dee

Richard Vandervoort Cox

Lawrence Richard Rabiner

Candace Ann Kamm

David Crawford Gibbon

Behzad Shahraray

Lee Begeja

Bernard S Renger

Zhu Liu

Steven Lloyd Greenspan

Robert Edward Markowitz

Carroll W Creswell

Richard H Janow

Ronald K Sherman

John Gerow Ramage

Gary Lee Zamchick

James M Farber

Marina Lima Roesler

David Richard Morehead

Deborah J Mills

Roberta S Cohen

Brian J Perry

A method and system for embedding information into streaming media is disclosed. In order to avoid a prolonged waiting period between the time a video stream is selected for viewing and the time it actually begins to play, information relevant to the content of the video stream is independently obtained and locally stored. This information may be advertising, text, games or any other media which may be of interest to the user. The information is embedded into the video or other media stream to be presented to the viewer and played immediately, so that the user avoids any wait time in viewing the selected stream that may occur due to bandwidth shortages or other system considerations.

Method and system for embedding information into streaming media

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 system, apparatus and method automatically update address information of a user's outgoing and incoming messages to/from a communication network thereby relieving the user of the burden of manually entering address changes into a user address book. A plurality of users are coupled through terminals to a server in the communication network for exchanging telephone, CATV, Internet, intranet for messaging, facsimile, etc purposes. The server includes a message store; stored message profile; and is coupled to a change server linked to a network. The change server includes search rules and change options provided by the users in directing the change server in finding correct and alternative address information when erroneous or unknown information is detected in the outgoing and incoming messages. Each user address book includes a series of contacts for each user. Each contact is identified by an identification number, ID, including a name and address. The server detects message headers where a &ldquo;Send To Address&rdquo; is not in the address book. The change server is activated and accesses external databases for correct or alternative addresses in accordance with search rules provided by the user. The alternative or correct address books address information is installed in the users address book and the &ldquo;Send To Message&rdquo; process is executed. For returned messages incorporating erroneous information, the search server is again activated to access the databases for correct address information, after which the user's address book is updated thereby eliminating the time-consuming, irritating manual process of updating the user address book for outgoing and incoming messages.

System, apparatus and method for automatic address updating of outgoing and incoming user messages in a communications network

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 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

A message and billing system and method is provided for transmitting a reply message over a communications network from a called party's message service system to a calling party's message service system. Prior to transmitting a message to a called party, a calling party's message service system prompts the calling party to specify whether a prepaid reply is authorized. Based upon the calling party's response to the prompt, the calling party's message service system generates a message file associated with the message, which includes a prepaid reply field indicating whether a prepaid reply was authorized by the calling party. The message file is transmitted over a communications network to the called party's message service system and the called party's message service system identifies whether a prepaid reply had been authorized by the calling party based upon the prepaid reply field of the message file. Upon the called party's transmission of a reply message to the calling party's original message, the called party's message service system generates a reply message detail record having a prepaid reply field indicating whether the calling party had authorized a prepaid reply. When the prepaid reply field of the reply message detail record indicates that the calling party authorized a prepaid reply, the calling party is charged a fee for the transmission of the reply message. Alternatively, when the prepaid reply field of the reply message detail record indicates that the calling party had not authorized a prepaid reply, the called party is charged a fee for the transmission of the reply message.

Toll free message response

Information 'feeds' received from multiple information sources are aggregated, re-formatted and stored in a personalized real time information display system. When the display system receives a request from a user having a personal computer or other similar display device, the system is arranged to respond with information needed to display a screen saver that includes personalized, up to date information, such as traffic, weather and sports, that is of interest to that particular user. Each user has a personalized user profile indicating (a) the categories or types of information that the user desires to receive, such as sports information, weather, investment advisories, and so on, and (b) parameters that specify, for that user, the exact information desired to be received in each category. If the user's personal computer display has remained inactive for a predetermined period of time, the screen saver is activated, causing the personal computer to access the service node, and after interchange of prestored user identification and password data, retrieve information, obtained by the system from a variety of sources, based on the user's individual profile. The retrieved information is displayed on the screen without interrupting the screen saver function, and the displayed personalized data is thereafter updated in the same manner, at user-specified time intervals.

Personalized real time information display as a portion of a screen saver

Unified messaging is a concept that provides for a single electronic mailbox for different types of messages. The mailbox can be on a user's host computer, PBX, PC, etc., and the user has consistant facilities available to originate, receive and manipulate messages. Messages can be translated from one media to another for reception, and a single message may be composed of parts that use different native media. The message recipient has a single controllable point of contact where all messages can be scanned and/or viewed.

Communication system having unified messaging

Growing community of inventors

Red Bank, NJ, United States of America

Kenneth Mervin Huber