Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-09
2001-03-20
Tsang, Fan (Department: 2645)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
C379S049000, C379S088190, C379S156000, C379S171000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06205205
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for affinity group telephone service with broadcast announcements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a need in the prior art for a telephone network which provides customized features for unique sub-categories of subscribers. Subscribers having common cultural characteristics and common interests would benefit from having a customized set of call processing functions available uniquely to their group.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the invention is segregating a plurality of subscribers in a telecommunications network into affinity groups. Subscribers in a particular affinity group have a common interest which is different from that of subscribers in other affinity groups. That interest may be a common cultural heritage, a common language preference, a common vocational or avocational interest, or the like. In accordance with the invention, each respective affinity group has associated with it a customized set of call processing characteristics, such as a distinctive dial tone, a distinctive subscriber language preference, and an abbreviated dialing list of other subscribers in the group. In addition, each respective affinity group can have a special broadcast message presented to some or all of the subscribers in the group.
The customized set of call processing characteristics and the special broadcast message are stored for all of the affinity groups in an affinity group table in the network. The affinity group table organizes subscribers into separate affinity groups. Each group includes network routing tables for subscribers in the group, a speech recognition word list for interpreting spoken dialing commands by subscribers of the group, an abbreviated dialing table for subscribers of the group, a special dialtone that is played to subscribers of the group when they go off-hook, and a special broadcast message that is played to subscribers of the group. In addition, a subscriber preference record is stored with the affinity group table for each subscriber. When changes are to be made to the affinity group table for a particular subscriber, the changes can be made by either the subscriber or by a system administrator to create a new subscriber preference record that is stored with the affinity group table. Subscribers may change their affinity group, change pager, E-mail, or FAX numbers, change the language preference, choose among alternately available dial tones, choose among alternately available special broadcast messages, or elect not to have the special broadcast messages played at all.
To change the subscriber preference record, the subscriber makes choices from a data change menu. In one embodiment, the data change menu is presented as a voice menu over the subscriber's telephone, which is managed by a voice menu server in the network. The subscriber requests the voice menu and makes the choices using the touch tone keys on the telephone. In another embodiment, the data change menu is presented as a visual display menu on the subscriber's personal computer. This visual display menu is accessed from a website menu server in the network. The data change menu is received over the internet in response to the subscriber's request, and the subscriber makes the choices using the keyboard and mouse devices on a personal computer.
In one embodiment of the invention, the affinity group table is distributed throughout the telecommunications network at control processors that control various network switches in the telecommunications network. Each control processor has a call screening index that identifies when a locally originated call is from a subscriber who is a member of one of the affinity groups. The call is then handled by an affinity group call processing program in the control processor, which refers to the affinity group table to provide the particular call processing features associated with the identified group. When changes are made to a particular subscriber's preference record, they are managed by an affinity group table update program in the control processor. An update message with the change data is prepared by the control processor and broadcast over the common channel signaling network to the other control processors in the network. The change data is used to update the respective call screening indexes and affinity group tables distributed around the telecommunications network. In this manner, all control processors will have the same version of the call screening indexes and affinity group table.
In another embodiment of the invention, the affinity group table is located at an affinity group network platform in the telecommunications network, that includes a control processor that controls a special network switch. Each of the control processors at other network switches throughout the network has the call screening index that identifies when a locally originated call is from a subscriber who is a member of one of the affinity groups. Control of the call is then passed over the common channel signaling network to the affinity group platform. There, the call is then handled by the affinity group call processing program in the control processor, which refers to the affinity group table to provide the particular call processing features associated with the identified group.
The discussion in this Summary and the following Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, and drawings only deal with examples of this invention and are not to be considered in any way a limitation on the scope of the exclusionary rights conferred by a patent which may issue from this application. The scope of such exclusionary rights is set forth in the claims at the end of this application.
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Goldberg Randy G.
Hanson Bruce Lowell
Mane Amir M.
AT&T Corp
Tsang Fan
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