Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Interacting voice message systems
Patent
1996-09-30
1999-01-26
Hunter, Daniel S.
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Interacting voice message systems
379 8822, 379 8826, 379114, H04M 164
Patent
active
058646060
ABSTRACT:
A message and billing system and method is provided for transmitting a reply message over a communications network from a called party's message service system to a calling party's message service system. Prior to transmitting a message to a called party, a calling party's message service system prompts the calling party to specify whether a prepaid reply is authorized. Based upon the calling party's response to the prompt, the calling party's message service system generates a message file associated with the message, which includes a prepaid reply field indicating whether a prepaid reply was authorized by the calling party. The message file is transmitted over a communications network to the called party's message service system and the called party's message service system identifies whether a prepaid reply had been authorized by the calling party based upon the prepaid reply field of the message file. Upon the called party's transmission of a reply message to the calling party's original message, the called party's message service system generates a reply message detail record having a prepaid reply field indicating whether the calling party had authorized a prepaid reply. When the prepaid reply field of the reply message detail record indicates that the calling party authorized a prepaid reply, the calling party is charged a fee for the transmission of the reply message. Alternatively, when the prepaid reply field of the reply message detail record indicates that the calling party had not authorized a prepaid reply, the called party is charged a fee for the transmission of the reply message.
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Hanson Bruce L.
Huber Kenneth M.
AT&T Corp.
Hunter Daniel S.
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