The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 03, 2004
Filed:
May. 31, 2002
Gordon Lynn Blumenschein, Woodridge, IL (US);
Jeffrey James Meek, Lake in the Hills, IL (US);
Susanne Marie Crockett, Buffalo Grove, IL (US);
SBC Properties, L.P., Reno, NV (US);
Abstract
A method ( ) and system ( ) is provided that permits a telephone caller to leave a message for a called party that does not have a conventional answering service, such as voice mail, an answering machine, a third-party operator-assisted answering service, or the like. A configurable blocking mechanism is also provided, permitting parties to prevent the message delivery service from being offered to callers attempting to reach them. The method ( ) and system ( ) can be implemented using an advanced intelligent network (AIN). In an AIN environment, the blocking mechanism can include a switch control point (SCP) ( ) configured to access a termination blocking list ( ). The termination blocking list ( ) can be an SCP database file containing entries representing called parties who have blocked the message delivery service.