WO2005009013A1

WO2005009013A1 - Arrangement for formulating of message in telephone answering device

Info

Publication number: WO2005009013A1
Application number: PCT/FI2004/000460
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pauli Lagerstedt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-17
Filing date: 2004-07-19
Publication date: 2005-01-27
Anticipated expiration: 2006-01-17
Also published as: FI114068B; FI20031080A0

Abstract

An arrangement to form an answering machine message sent by phone to relate to a telephone with identification of coming calls and to which different caller groups have been chosen, and calls coming to them can be grouped, and in which arrangement the answering machine message to be sent to the caller is formed at least of the voice message and background sound. The arrangement includes connection of said different background sounds separated into caller groups as background sound for phone answering machine on sending said message to the caller.

Description

ARRANGEMENT FOR FORMULATING OF MESSAGE IN TELE PHONE ANSWERING DEVICE

The invention relates to an arrangement for formulating of a message sent by a phone answering machine in order to relate to a telephone with identification of coming calls and to which arrangement different caller groups are chosen and calls coming to them can be grouped, and in which arrangement the answering machine message to be sent to the caller is formed at least of a voice message and a background sound.

Previously known are automatic phone answering π chine arrangements, in which from the operator direction answer is given to the caller by a standard message or a desired answering message, if the phone the user is caller is closed, outside the reach of the basic station, busy or gives no answer within regulated time. The answering machine message to be repeated to the caller can be spoken by oneself to the operator by means of a telephone for storage into the memory or if the phone user has a separate phone answering machine, into which the answering message is recorded into the memory. It is possible to get background sound into a self-spoken message speaking the message in a place with background sound.

In mobile phones especially arrangements are known, where on the initiative of the operator the answering machine message is sent to the caller, if the phone of the paged person is closed or otherwise the coming call is not answered. Usually, the answering machine message is a short voice message.

Known from US patent 5,259,024 and publication WO 99/43141 is a machine answering service of a mobile phone used in connection with mobile phones, where a written message transmission is connected to the answering machine message sent by operator to caller, who does not reach the person wanted.

In known answering machine messages a voice message to caller is sent as simplified as possible. Since it is known that in mobile phones caller groups of known numbers are formed, from which most of the calls come, as for instance numbers relating to working matters as a caller group of its own, the numbers of clubs as of its own, home numbers as of its own and for instance unknown numbers as of its own, it is thus possible to utilise such a caller grouping also on producing answering machine messages.

By means of the arrangement according to this invention in order to form a message sent by an answering machine new possibilities are achieved in order to adapt the character of the answering machine message to different caller groups. The arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that it includes connection of background sounds by groups as background sound of the answering machine message in sending said message to the caller.

The invention offers improvement of the often rather expressionless messages of answering machine. When background sounds for answering machine messages are chosen in groups it is possible by means of the background sounds to emphasize for instance the situation of the phone user, who cannot answer the phone. By means of the background sounds it is also possible to give purposely a wrong image of the phone user's situation. When a call comes from an unknown caller group it is possible to choose as a background sound for this group a neutral background sound. The phone operator must have knowledge of the grouping and a background sounds to choose. Another possibility is that the answering machine messages are stored in the phone. Then, however, the phone must be ON to be able to send the answering machine message.

In the following the arrangement as per the invention is disclosed with reference to the enclosed drawing, where figure 1 shows schematically the arrangement as per the invention.

Figure 1 shows a mobile phone 3, to which the answering facility is connected so that operator 2 sends the answering machine message, if phone 3 gets no answer, it is busy, off or outside the reach of the basic station. As a facility phone 3 includes arrangement of caller groups, where coming calls are identified and can be divided into caller groups arranged in advance, if their number is in storage in some caller group. If the number is not identified the coming call is in the group of unknown calling numbers. For instance, the answering machine message of the phone is formed so that for each caller group and answering machine message of its own is formed, where the voice message can be the same for each one, but the background sound is chosen by caller groups. Background sounds can be ordered for instance from operator 2, which connects them to the voice message. On choosing background sounds one can proceed so that as occasion demands relevant and for the situation suitable background sounds are chosen, such as traffic noise, market fuss, restaurant noise etc or they are chosen jokingly, such as groan with pain if the message tells you are sick.

In one embodiment operator 2 keeps up a depot 4 of background sounds and from the operator background sounds wanted can be ordered. The operator connects the chosen background sound to each message so that answering machine messages for different caller groups get the appropriate background sound. The operator 2 collects the fee for ordering and connecting the background sound to the answering machine.

In another embodiment the user of phone 3 stores into his/hers phone 3 different backgrounds one by one and sends them to the operator 2 to be connected as background sound relating to each group. The user of phone 3 also spells the spoken message into his hers phone 3 and sends it to the operator 2. The operator connects the talked message to relate to each caller group and connects separately the background sounds to each answering message in the way the ordering person wants.

In one embodiment the operator 2 handles the sound so that it becomes fainter as occasion demands at the voice message, when message and background sound are combined to be sent as answering message. The grade of attenuation can be adjustable.

In one embodiment the phone user has an answering facility storable in the phone itself so that into the phone both voice message and background sounds can be stored. The phone has identification of caller groups and caller group division. Combinations of voice message and background sound are connectable as individual answering messages to contacts coming from each caller group and to which it is not possible to give or one does not want to give an answer. In is embodiment the operator 2 does not take part in the answering service In one embodiment also the image and or writing is connected to the answering message that appears on the user's phone display. As also the background sound the image or the writing can be connected by caller groups to the voice message. Furthermore, the image, for instance, can be ordered from operator 2 to be connected together with the background sound to each answering message. The image can also be mobile. Furthermore, the image that is to be connected to the answering message can be taken with the phone itself, if it is a camera phone. But the writing is most suitably prepared and sent to operator by the phone 3 user.

Claims

1. An arrangement for formulating of an answering machine message sent by a phone to relate to a telephone with identification of coming calls and to which different caller groups have been chosen, and calls coming to them can be grouped, and in which arrangement the answering machine message to be sent to the caller is formed at least of the voice message and background sound and different background sounds can be connected to the message, characterized in that the arrangement includes the connection of said different background sounds separated into caller groups as background sound for phone answering machine on sending said message to the caller.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that different background sounds meant for different caller groups can be ordered from phone operator (2).

3. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that different background sounds of answering messages meant for different caller groups can be stored and sent be by the phone user over phone (3) to phone operator (2).

4. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that a voice message can be separately added on each background sound.

5. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that phone operator (2) adapts a chosen background sound to each voice message.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that in the background sound attenuation is arranged for the voice message duration.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that voice messages and background sounds by caller groups can be stored in phone (3), and phone (3) sends the answering machine message, if the coming call is not opened.

8. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that the answering machine message is in addition to voice formed of the image and/or writing, which can be seen on the user's display of the display.