Automatic answering telephone system giving information based on reproduction of sound message

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention generally relates to a voice message system, and more particularly to a voice message system capable of notifying the caller that the caller's voice message has been played by a user of the voice message system.

【0002】

[Problems to be solved by conventional techniques and inventions]

In general, voice message systems, especially answering machines (ie, answering machines), are useful devices for homes and businesses. Traditional voicemail devices operate over a single telephone line and answer incoming calls to unused (ie, on-hook) telephones after the desired number of rings. The answering machine device puts the telephone line off-hook and then plays a response greeting message to the caller. After the answering message, the caller can leave a voice message on the answering machine. Later, this voice message will be played either by a private user to the answering machine or by a remote connection from another telephone.

【0003】

FIG. 5 shows a conventional answering machine device capable of answering an incoming call over a telephone line. In FIG. 5, the answering machine 11 is connected to the telephone company central station 13 via the telephone line 15. The telephone line interface (TLI) 17 in the answering machine 11 provides conventional insulation, DC and AC impedance as required by telephone company standards. The telephone line interface also provides a ringing tone detection signal to the controller 19. The controller 19 can be any suitable processor, such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller or a digital signal processor (DSP). As the ringing tone detection signal, the ringing signal of the incoming call via the telephone line 15 is shown to the controller 19.

【0004】

After the desired number of rings, the answering machine puts the telephone line off-hook into the telephone line interface 17 and then directs the recording / playback voice module 18 to answer the caller over the telephone line 15. Play the greeting message. Upon termination of the response greeting message, the caller can leave a voice message in the voice memory 21 under the control of controller 19. The keypad 23 allows the user to select various modes of operation, including playback of voice messages.

【0005】

The conventional answering machine shown in FIG. 5 is a call identity issuance (caller ID) detector / receiver 25 for detecting and receiving call-related information, such as the caller's phone number and home name. including. The call-related information is displayed on the display 27.

【0006】

By using the caller ID, the user of the conventional answering machine 11 can determine the name and telephone number of the caller who left the voice message. Basic call information, such as caller ID information, can be obtained from the local telephone company while the calling vehicle's telephone is in a hang-up or on-hook state, for example, between the first and second rings. Sent to the caller.

【0007】

Often, the caller wants to know if the user of the voice message system who left the important message and accepted the caller's voice message actually heard the voice message. For example, the US Post Office has proof-of-delivery mail that allows a person to send a written message to an individual, but requires notification to the sender that the addressee actually received the letter. Unfortunately, traditional voice messaging systems do not have similar capabilities. Therefore, unless the caller repeatedly calls the user of the voice messaging device in the hope that it will eventually reach the individual, the caller will actually hear the caller's voice message previously recorded by the user. You won't be sure if you've heard of it.

【0008】

[Means for solving problems]

According to the principle of the present invention, the voice message system includes a voice memory, a telephone line interface, a voice recording / playback module, an automatic caller recall module, and a controller. The automatic caller recall module causes the controller to initiate a confirmation message to the caller by playing the caller's voice message stored in the voice memory.

【0009】

According to another aspect of the present invention, the automatic caller recall module for a voice message system comprises a controller, a telephone line interface, and a DTMF generator. The controller initiates automatic recall to the caller upon detection of playback of the voice message left by the caller.

【0010】

According to still another aspect of the invention, the answering machine comprises a voice recording / live module, a call-related information detector / receiver, an automatic recall module activated by playback of the voice recording / live module, and the like. It consists of one telephone line interface.

【0011】

The method of automatically notifying the caller from the telephone voice message system by extracting the voice message left by the caller in the voice message system according to the principle of the present invention receives an indicator of call-related information about the caller. Including to do. Call-related information is stored for access by the caller recall module. The recall is initiated from the voice message system to the caller by the user retrieving the voice message from the voice message system.

【0012】

The method of automatically notifying the caller of the confirmation of the retrieval of the voice message left by the caller according to the principle of the present invention includes storing a plurality of predetermined call-related information. Call-related information about the caller is received and compared with a plurality of stored predetermined call-related information. If consistency is found with respect to this comparison, the caller is recalled by retrieving the voice message left by the caller. The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the drawings.

【0013】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a voice message system that notifies the caller by actually sending (reproducing) the caller's message.

【0014】

In general, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a voice message system that detects and receives call-related information, such as caller ID information, such as an answering machine. The voice message system accepts and records voice messages in the traditional way. For example, after a predetermined ringing tone, the answering machine may initiate a standard answering message such as "I can't answer now. Please leave a message" or other similar greetings. Automatically responds to the caller via the telephone line. The caller can then leave a voice message on the answering machine, which is stored in the voice message memory by the voice recording / playback module.

【0015】

However, the answering machine device of this embodiment uses the call-related information received about the caller to provide the caller with positive feedback that a voice message has been sent. For example, in the disclosed embodiment, the caller's phone number is used in the controller to recall the caller, leaving a predetermined voice message such as "I heard your message". Also, preferably, the confirmation message can include an indication of the date and time when the voice message was retrieved, and if the caller's voice message is acceptable to a large number of users, the user name from which the message was retrieved. Can even include.

【0016】

In return, if call-related information is not available, the caller is prompted by the answering machine to enter the recall number and / or the recall method. In such cases, the answering machine controller would include a DTMF decoder to decode the numbers of information entered by the caller using a conventional touch tone keypad.

【0017】

Using the extended features, phone bills for recall confirmation can be minimized by automatic or manual screening. For example, this screen displays the received call-related information (eg, caller ID) phone numbers or names in a table of pre-certified and / or uncertified phone numbers in a certified caller / call information directory. Or it is automated by comparing it with a list. In this case, if the call-related information about the caller is consistent with the telephone number or other call-related information entered, then after playback (or during playback), the voicemail device will be the voicemail device. Automatically call the caller during the unused period (or whenever a second phone line is available) to notify the caller of the call from which the user has retrieved the caller's voice message. right.

【0018】

Suitable unused periods for recalling to the caller include, in particular, the period during which the message is being played. This is because telephone lines are typically available during this time.

【0019】

Other means and methods of notifying the caller that the caller's voice message has been heard can be implemented. For example, a confirmation message can be sent in a paging message initiated via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). In this case, the answering machine automatically calls the paging system, packets the designated message for the display of the caller's pager, and sends it to the caller's pager.

【0020】

In return, the confirmation message can be sent as an electronic message (for example, by email) to the caller. In this case, the voicemail device will automatically call the marked ^ Net Service Provider (ISP) and forward the relevant email message to the caller's email address. Alternatively, or in return, a facsimile (fax) message can be sent to the fax machine associated with the caller.

【0021】

In addition, an answering machine when you either make an automatic call to recall the caller or an automatic call to a service provider that provides the Internet, paging, or other communications service. The device can be programmed to recall the caller using collect calls.

【0022】

FIG. 1 is a comprehensive answering machine shown in 10 that can record a caller's voice message for a user and notify the caller by retrieving the message according to the principles of the present invention. Shown.

【0023】

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the answering machine 10 includes at least one telephone line interface 17 for interconnecting with the central station 13 via a telephone extension 15. The telephone line interface 17 interconnects the telephone line 15 with the voice recording / playback module 18. The telephone line interface 17 also preferably interconnects the telephone line 15 with a call information detector / receiver 25 (eg, for detecting and receiving available caller ID information). The call information detector / receiver 25 detects and receives available call-related information about the caller on the telephone line 15, such as the telephone number, area code and / or home name associated with the incoming call.

【0024】

In the disclosed examples, call-related information is pre-screened to confirm recall. Therefore, the call-related information is compared by the controller 24 with the call-related information stored in advance, that is, the telephone number, area code, and / or home name contained in the authorized caller / call information directory 28. .. This comparison confirms whether the caller is authorized to receive a recall voice message from the answering machine 10.

【0025】

The call-related information stored in advance is input by the user on the keypad 23 in order to pre-authorize the recall to an individual. In return, the call-related information is stored for each voice message when played, for example by pressing a dedicated button, to store the call-related information received for that call for a later voice message. ..

【0026】

The caller is prompted by the answering machine as to whether he or she wants a recall notification. In response to this prompt, the caller can select a recall notification by pressing down a designated touch tone key.

【0027】

The answering machine device 10 of the present invention further includes a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) generator 22 running within the controller 24. The DTMF generator 22 provides a touchtone signal used in an answering machine 10 that makes a call over the telephone line 16 to notify the caller of the retrieval of a message by the user. The controller 24 can be any suitable processor, such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller or a digital signal processor (DSP).

【0028】

The disclosed answering machine device 10 also includes an automatic caller recall module 26. The automatic caller recall module 26 controls the answering machine 10 to off-hook the telephone line interface 17, call the associated telephone number, and play a confirmation message. The confirmation message can be played immediately based on the response of the recall call or based on the detection of the silence period after the voice is detected.

【0029】

As shown in FIG. 1, the recall module 26 is preferably a software module included in the program code of the controller 24. Of course, the automatic caller recall module 26 may be executed separately from the controller 24 as an alternative or in addition, but nevertheless, it is preferably in communication with the controller 24.

【0030】

FIG. 2 shows an example alternative to FIG. 1, in which the DTMF generator 22 is separated from the controller 24 but is in communication with the controller 24.

【0031】

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the telephone answering device 10 has the ability to designate a voice message as requesting automatic caller notification once the voice message has been retrieved by the user. As an option, the caller's caller ID phone number will be stored as a number to notify the caller. At a specified time or schedule (eg, 10 minutes after message playback or retrieval, or during message playback), the automatic caller recall module 26 will cause the caller to make a recall call. When the caller answers his / her call, "Your message to Mr Smith of Acme, June 21, 1998, 3:32 pm, is June 22, 1998, 10:00 am. An auto-answer message such as "Played in 20 minutes" will be played. The different actual information reproduced with respect to the sender instruction information in addition to the username, retrieval time and retrieval date is within the scope of the invention. In addition, the caller recall schedule or time can include many variations and options.

【0032】

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a process in which an answering machine 10 such as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 automatically notifies the caller by extracting a voice message of the caller.

【0033】

Referring to FIG. 3, in step 202, the caller attempts to call the user with a specific phone number. Based on a predetermined ring tone, the answering machine 10 answers and reproduces a response greeting message to the caller. In addition, the answering machine 10 generally causes the caller to record an incoming voice message of a predetermined or indefinite length. The answering machine 10 stores a voice message in a voice message memory 21 (for example, a flash memory).

【0034】

In step 204, the call-related information received about the caller is presented to the user by the display 27 and then stored in a non-volatile memory acceptable by the controller 24. At step 206, the user retrieves (ie, plays) the voice message left by the caller.

【0035】

At step 208, based on retrieving the voice message from the answering machine 10, the TLI 17 puts the telephone line 15 off-hook at an appropriate time. The DTMF generator 22 then supplies an appropriate touchtone signal to call the phone number and notify the caller of the user's retrieval of the message.

【0036】

In the determination step 210, the answering machine 10 determines whether the caller has answered the automatic recall from the answering machine 10 that made the call over the telephone line 15. If not, step 208 is repeated a reasonable number of times until the caller responds. Depending on the needs of the answering machine 10, a reasonable time delay is inserted between each iteration of step 208. The timeout or maximum retry limit can be tested in step 212, for example, after a predetermined number of unsuccessful recall attempts, the automatic caller recall module 26 can be exited. At step 214, if the caller answers his / her phone, an auto-answer confirmation message is played. If the auto-answer confirmation message itself encounters an answering machine when calling the caller, a confirmation message will be displayed or repeated until the greeting message is completed, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. right.

【0037】

The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, where the same numbers indicate the same steps. The difference between FIG. 4 and FIG. 3 is shown in step 207 of recalling the user from the answering machine 10 based on call-related information, such as caller ID information, as shown in FIG. As such, it can be screened and pre-certified. For example, the phone number to be recalled can be compared to the items in the pre-certified recall target list. In return, only part of the phone number can be compared to the items in the pre-certified list, such as the area code. In this way, the user can screen out long-distance recalls or recalls to remote market traders.

【0038】

The pre-certified list can consist of a telephone number or a large number of caller information manually entered by the user. In return, the pre-certified list can consist, at least in part, of the abbreviated dial numbers currently programmed in the customer's premises equipment. Pre-certified and / or uncertified recall phone numbers can be entered into the controller's memory using the keypad 23 or transferred from other memory in the device, for example from a list of abbreviated dial phone numbers. be able to.

【0039】

The answering machine of the present invention is not limited to any particular method of notifying the caller that his / her voice message has been retrieved by the user of the answering machine 10. One method is to notify the caller using the received caller ID information. If the caller ID information is not available, the caller can enter the telephone number from the telephone keypad of the Hako K person. Other ways to notify the caller are to page the caller with some information to relay that the message was retrieved by the voicemail user, e-mail (ie, email over the Internet). Including that, or faxing. The desired phone number, paging number and / or fax number can be entered on the caller's phone keypad. In addition, the email address can be entered using a computer keyboard or other means.

【0040】

In the disclosed embodiment, if the telephone number, paging number, fax number and / or email address is not on the pre-authorized list, then the answering machine 10 is one of the incoming message retrieval means listed above. Will not notify the caller.

【0041】

Also, in lieu of or in addition to the pre-certified list, the device does not call back to notify that the incoming message has been retrieved by the user, such as a non-certified recall list, such as a phone number and /. Or it can include a home name. For example, in this way, recall confirmation messages to remote market traffickers, stalkers or other unwanted callers can be avoided. The answering machine 10 can, in return, send a confirmation message only to the caller on the premises or program the caller to be notified of the prepayment to reduce the user's long-distance call bill. ..

【0042】

If no consistency of phone number or other call-related information is found in the certified list, then the answering machine 10 can otherwise operate and remember the voice message. Does not notify the caller based on the retrieval of.

【0043】

The present invention has applications for providing other features related to voice message systems. For example, if the caller makes a call and the callee is already busy or unable to answer on the first telephone line, the caller is directed to the voice messaging system. By retrieving a message from the voice message system, the voice message system or other system may use the third party's call-related information to match the information in the pre-stored directory of the certified call-related information. The caller can be notified that the voice message has been retrieved.

【0044】

Although the present invention has been described for embodiments involving an answering machine, the principles of the invention are left in the user's voice mailbox by auto-dialing the caller over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Equally relevant to voicemail systems associated with private switched telephone networks (PBXs) that leave confirmation messages based on the playback of voicemails.

【0045】

Although the invention has been described with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, one of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications to the described embodiments of the invention without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. it can.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a figure which shows the answering machine apparatus constructed by this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is a figure which shows the other embodiment of the answering machine apparatus constructed by this invention.

[Fig. 3]

A process in which the answering machine of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 constructed by the present invention records a caller's message and automatically calls the caller based on the user's retrieval of the caller's message. It is a flowchart which shows.

[Fig. 4]

The answering machine device of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 constructed by the present invention determines whether or not the call-related information is consistent with the predetermined call-related information, and if it is consistent, the caller is automatically notified. It is a flowchart showing the process of making a phone call and leaving a confirmation message based on the user's retrieval of the caller's message.

[Fig. 5]

It is a figure which shows the answering machine device of the prior art which operates by one telephone line.