Call message delivery system and method

US4972461A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• AT&T Bell Laboratories · US

Inventors

• Percy B. Brown · East Brunswick Township, US
• Nga V. Chau · Middletown, US
• Tung-Hai Hsiao · Freehold, US
• Georg K. Karawas · West Long Branch, US
• Richard E. LeCronier · New Monmouth, US
• Dawn R. Parrott · Neptune, US
• Thomas L. Russell, Jr. · Colts Neck Township, US
• Wen-Ping Ying · Bellevue, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 20, 1989
• Grant date: Nov 20, 1990
• Expiry date: Sep 20, 2009

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M15/00
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A call delivery service (CDS) apparatus and method are disclosed which enable non-subscriber callers to a common carrier network to bill a voice message delivery to their billing code, and to check the delivery status of the message from the network during a subsequent call. Optionally, at the caller's request, CDS can deliver the message status to the caller at a predesignated station. In one embodiment the caller can optionally request a response from the message recipient or answering party at the called station.