Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Message management
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-19
2002-03-12
Tsang, Fan (Department: 2685)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Message management
C379S067100, C379S088280
Reexamination Certificate
active
06356626
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to personalized voice message recording/playback devices for use in association with gifts and greeting cards to selectively deliver a personalized voice recording from the gift giver and, more particularly, concerns a method and apparatus for producing the voice recording in a decentralized and non-networked environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,698 to Johnson, et al. discloses a greeting card with an electronic sound recording that embodies a personalized message for the recipient of the card, including a method whereby the message received via telephone from a sender at a remote location is recorded onto an answering machine at a central location, where it is converted into an electronic signal and programmed onto an integrated circuit. The system disclosed in the Johnson et al. patent requires the voice message to be recorded on the memory chip at the location of the answering machine. Such a solution may be adequate for use at the point of purchase where the card is sold for local delivery, however, if as is many times the case, the intended recipient of the card is remotely located from the point of purchase, then the solution offered by Johnson et al. is inadequate.
Stern U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,078 discloses a system for producing voice message recording/playback devices which includes a central message processor which may be accessed from a plurality of communication links such as telephone lines. A customer records a message using a conventional telephone set and a fulfillment site or delivery outlet retrieves the message remotely and records it onto a memory chip, using a subscriber set. When accessed by a customer's set, the central processor permits the caller to create a temporary mailbox associated with the gift purchase, in which he/she may then record a voice message. When called by a subscriber set, the central processor permits previously created mailboxes to be accessed and will transfer the message recorded therein to the subscriber set, where it stored in the integrated circuit contained in the voice message recording/playback device.
Such a solution may be adequate for use by a mail-order catalog which has a single fulfillment and distribution center from which all orders are shipped or a number of fulfillment and distribution centers which are networked together. Similarly, such a solution would be adequate for a floral wireservice, Co-op or other association of retail outlets which form a delivery network from which orders placed within the closed network are fulfilled. In an association where each member is connected to the others through a centralized computer and/or telecommunication network it would be possible and even desirable to have all voice messages stored on a centralized message processor and stored under a temporary mailbox which has a dynamically generated and/or serialized transaction ID associated with a particular gift purchase. Similarly, for a mail-order catalog where orders are taken and entered on a central computer network it would be possible and desirable to associate a temporary mailbox with a dynamically generated order number for a gift purchase.
In a networked environment, there would never be a concern that two independent retailers might generate the same transaction ID with which a temporary mailbox would be associated causing the message of one customer to be delivered in place of another customer.
For a centralized mail-order catalog or for a networked association of retailers, it would be possible and even desirable to have the fulfillment site call the centralized message processor to access the previously recorded voice message. In such a networked environment where the outlets are connected by a computer and/or communications network, it would be possible to identify automatically which outlet is closest to the point of delivery and so instruct that outlet to connect to the message processor, access the temporary mail box and transfer the message onto a voice message recording/playback device. Similarly, a mail-order catalog having one distribution and fulfillment center would have no difficulty in generating a schedule of temporary mail box numbers which needed to be accessed in order to ship a complete order of gift merchandise and associated voice message recording/playback devices. The system of Stern is effective, primarily as long as there is a computer and/or communication network linking the location which captures the order and generates the transaction ID with the location which accesses the temporary mailbox and transfers the message into the voice message recording/playback device, the Stern patent is preferred.
Similarly, there are many mail-order catalogs which also have retail outlets and many retailers of gift merchandise which take orders both over the phone as well as from walk-in customers. The Johnson and Stern patents address the needs of a telephone customer who wishes to order a voice message recording/playback device, but they do not address the needs of a walk-in customer who wishes to create a voice message recording/playback device in a store environment and have it delivered from another location. In both the Johnson and Stern inventions the walk-in customer would be required to transfer all payment and delivery information to the sales agent in the store, but would then have to either leave the store to call in his/her message, or inconvenience both the store and him/herself to use a telephone in the store.
In practice, the Stern system and method not only require the use of a central voice processor but also require a minimum of three different phone calls to transfer information and the voice message itself: 1) the customer calls to order gift merchandise, 2) the customer must call [or be transferred] to a dedicated line into the central voice processor to record a message, and 3) the point of delivery must use a subscription device to dial into the central voice processor to retrieve the message. Since each phone call uses sophisticated enhanced switching or processing technologies there is a significant expense associated with either purchasing the equipment needed to process the calls or with paying an outside telephone service provider to provide these enhanced services.
If voice message recording/playback devices are to become a standardized and preferred form and method of sentiment expression it becomes necessary to introduce a system and method which permits independent retailers, vendors and service providers to capture orders for voice message recording/playback devices without a precondition that they are to be a member of an association nor a requirement that they are connected to a computer and/or a communications network. Similarly, it would be desirable that any independent distribution and fulfillment center or outlet set up with a voice message recording/playback device fulfillment station and having in inventory voice message recording/playback devices, could be available to receive a voice message for transfer onto a voice message recording/playback device in a commercial environment.
If voice message recording/playback devices are to be made available to customers who sometimes use a phone to order gift merchandise and sometimes visit a local retail outlet, and if voice message recording/playback devices are to be offered by retailers who sell gift merchandise both over the phone and from retail outlets and showrooms, then it becomes necessary to provide a method and system that is equally accessible by phone-in and walk-in customers.
If voice message recording/playback devices are to be made available for same-day delivery and if a customer or retailer wishes to control the selection of the delivering agent and the quality of the goods and services delivered with the voice message recording/playback device it is necessary for a method and system to provide for the real-time transfer of the customer's voice message from the point of sale to the point of delivery w
Ohara Yasuyuki
Sakai Toshihiko
Stern Geoffrey S.
Darby & Darby
Foster Roland G.
Tsang Fan
Voice Express Corporation
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