Patent · US Expired

Media-enhanced greetings and/or responses in communication systems

US6731323B2 · kind B2 · utility

64Cited by
9References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 10, 2002
Grant dateMay 4, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 10, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N7/147
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer program products, and methods of doing business by using various types of media to enhance greetings and/or responses provided to users of communication systems, for example by providing music or sound for a telephone caller, or video or image for a video phone caller, or any of these types of media or an executable program for a message sender who is using an e-mail system or an instant messaging system. In preferred embodiments, information from an intended message recipient's calendar (and/or context) is used when selecting the media to enhance a greeting/response, thereby providing contextual information for the message sender. In alternative embodiments, the selection is based on one or more factors such as information stored in user profiles. The disclosed techniques enable alleviating some of the problems that result from distance communication (as contrasted to face-to-face communication), and may also make distance communication more enjoyable and/or more productive. Adaptations are also disclosed for a calling-party scenario.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.