System and method for customized telephone greeting announcements

Abstract

A system and method for providing customized announcements to callers based on the called party telephone number and the calling party telephone number. The system comprises a server system and a messaging system. The server system detects that a customized announcement is to be delivered and the messaging system delivers the announcement to the caller. The customized announcements may be provided in conjunction with voicemail systems or other services for processing calls when a called party is not available. In a preferred embodiment the customized announcements are provided via a service node in an advanced intelligent network.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation application of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 09 / 606,062, filed Jun. 29, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,530 which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to voicemail and other personal communications telephone services.[0004]2. Background of the Invention[0005]Personal communications services have become a nearly ubiquitous means for facilitating communication between people. Such systems include, e.g., voicemail systems allowing callers to leave and / or retrieve messages at any time of the day or night, and “one number” type services wherein an incoming call is rerouted multiple times until the call is answered by a subscriber or an answering service. Such services generally allow information to flow between parties regardless of the immediate availability or locat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The present invention is a system and method for providing customized greeting announcements to callers according to instructions provided by a personal communications service subscriber. The invention uses a database for storing specific telephone numbers designated by the subscriber to receive a personal greeting. The invention further allows the subscriber to create different greetings for different groups of callers, and a default greeting for any unidentified callers or those callers calling from a telephone number not listed in the database.

[0015]It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method facilitating more personalized communication between two or more parties.

[0016]It is a further object of the present invention to provide subscribers more flexibility to manage calls via a plurality of customized greeting announcements.

[0017]It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method allowing subscribers to offer individual personalized greetings to a plurality of callers.

Problems solved by technology

However, such services have reduced the personal contact between the parties.

The problem with such conventional personal communication services is that all callers receive the same greeting, regardless of the caller's relationship with the subscriber.

Using conventional services, the subscriber cannot distinguish between callers without maintaining multiple telephone numbers or mailboxes.

Because all callers receive the same greeting, the subscriber is forced to choose between providing too many details or not enough details in the greeting.

Such systems, however, can only provide two levels of personalization.

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