At&t Bell Laboratories

Randall H Nelson

Pamela J Lauber

Thomas L Russell, Jr

Percy B Brown

Richard E LeCronier

Wen-Ping Ying

Elliott Baral

Frank C LaPorta

Reuben D Hauptman

Richard J Jaeger, Jr

This invention relates to arrangements for providing a new spontaneous voice message service to any telephone customer at any telephone station when that customer encounters any destination that is busy or that does not answer. When a customer having a dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) station calls any destination that is busy or does not answer, the customer is invited, via an announcement identifying the new service, to record the caller's voice message. The announcement accompanies the returned busy tone or audible ring signal. The customer keys *867(=*VMS) and is then connected to a Voice Message Operations Center (VMOC) which prompts the customer to record the message. Advantageously, customers need not redial a VMOC number, their own number, and a destination number to reach a VMOC for storing the video message; the added convenience of this arrangement should stimulate substantial additional use of voice message service. The announcement, at very low cost, makes the customers aware of the service at the time they are most likely to use the service.

Spontaneous voice and data messaging

Growing community of inventors

Ocean, NJ, United States of America

Randall H Nelson