Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Multimedia system
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-20
2001-01-16
Weaver, Scott L. (Department: 2748)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Multimedia system
C379S088120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175616
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electronically determining the status of a telephone over a network. More specifically the present invention provides a method and apparatus for obtaining the status of a telephone, whether on-hook, off-hook, or other telephone information over a network in order to maximize the probability of reaching a desired party. It also provides a method and apparatus for sending an e-mail to the desired party for storage as a voice mail message.
BACKGROUND ART
Literally millions of times per day parties attempt to contact one another only to find that the party initiating the telephone call receives a busy signal or is put into the phone mail of the receiving telephone when that telephone is off hook. Not only is this experience frustrating for the caller, but can result in lost business or social opportunities on the part of the receiving party who is on the line speaking with someone else. In addition, receiving busy signals and the inability to complete telephone calls results in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue both from the time expended by the caller in trying to reach the desired party as well as lost opportunities for commerce or other social contact.
Telephone line activity monitoring has been the subject of invention in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,416 to Theis, et. al. describes a form of line activity monitoring for the purpose of obtaining information regarding statistics of line usage. This system detects the usage of the line, but does not transmit status information to others in any current fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,899 to Norwich describes yet another monitoring system whose purpose is to notify an operator that a telephone line is open so that a desired message can be delivered by the operator to a receiving party. This system comprises an automatic dialer which attempts to reach individuals on a repetitive basis until a connection is made. Again, status of the telephone at any given point of time is not provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,931 to Bourg, et. al. describes an integrated calling directory comprising a personal computer that stores information about the numbers being called. It does not address the problem associated with the called party telephone being in an off-hook condition. This is not reported in any fashion to the initiator of the telephone call.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,740 to Irribarren, et. al. describes a communication system comprising a voice message system for storing and retrieving voice messages and faxed data and for converting text into voice messages. This system does not deal with the issue of how to contact the party receiving the phone call but only leaves a message for that party in the event that the phone is in an off-hook condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,893 to Onosaka is yet another information processing system having a telephone and an informational processing device. Again, this invention does not address the issue of whether a called party telephone is in an on-hook or off-hook condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,002 to Brunson describes a system for synchronization of mail boxes over a network. This system is designed to insure that information in electronic mail is complete in a series of different mail boxes. The issue of providing information to a caller regarding the status of a called party's telephone is not dealt with.
What is desired is a system whereby a calling party can pre-determine the status of a called party's telephone such as on-hook, off-hook, number of rings to phone mail and other consumer telephone status information so as to maximize the opportunity for completing a telephone call to the desired party.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to maximize the probability that a calling party will actually contact a called party when a telephone call is made.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a status of the called party's telephone such as on-hook, off-hook, number of rings to phone mail, phonemail characteristics and other telephone information before the calling party makes the telephone call to the called party.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide telephone status information over a network.
It is a further objective of the present invention to otherwise alert a calling party via beeper or other indicia that a called party is available.
It is a further objective of the present invention to continually monitor the status of a telephone in order to provide the telephone status information desired.
It is a further objective of the present invention to store telephone line status in a file that can be accessed by others.
It is a further objective of the present invention to constantly update the telephone line status file so that callers accessing the file can have an up-to-date record of the status of a telephone to be called.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the general and detailed descriptions that follow. The present invention provides a method for a calling party to receive constantly updated information concerning the status of a telephone to be called, for example on-hook, off-hook, number of rings before phone mail, call forwarding and other information concerning the number being called (collectively “consumer options”). For purposes of this specification this range of information will generally be called the “telephone status.”
The present invention comprises a monitoring system which constantly polls a series of a telephones and stores information concerning the telephone status in a telephone status file. That file is one that, in a preferred embodiment, can be accessed over the Internet. When a calling party desires to maximize its probability of actually being connected with a called party, the calling party accesses the telephone's file over the Internet and receives a determination of whether the called telephone is on-hook or off-hook. When an off-hook condition is noted, the calling party will not attempt to place the telephone call. In addition, the calling party may elect to alert the called party that a call was attempted, to send an e-mail and have the e-mail delivered as a voice mail message, or to be signaled when the called party's phone is on-hook. When the telephone status is noted as on-hook, the calling party can then make the telephone call with some reasonable assurance of reaching the telephone of the called party.
This system differs from existing private branch exchanges (PBX) in that a current PBX can have a “camp on” feature that allows a calling party to place a phone call to a telephone on the PBX, note that the called telephone is off-hook, and “camp on” to the called party's telephone line so that when an on-hook condition is noted, the PBX can automatically connect the calling party to the called party. The difficulty with such camp on systems is that they cannot be used by people outside the PBX. In addition, when using the camp-on feature, the call is “camped” only after it is placed. The caller still has invested both time and money in exchange for a busy signal.
In contrast to existing PBX camp on systems, the system and method of the present invention allows a calling party to be advised of the status of a telephone via the Internet and place a call to that telephone to maximize the probability of actually making the desired connection.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is to connect the calling party's telephone to the computer at the calling party's location. Thereafter, upon a determination by the calling party's computer that the status of the called party's telephone is such that a call can be made, the calling party's computer will then dial the calling party's telephone prompting the calling party to pick that telephone up and thereafter dial the called party's telephone thereby completing the telephone call in an automated fashion. It should be note
Light Elliott
Roberts Jon L.
Roberts Abokhair & Mardula LLC
Weaver Scott L.
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