Multiple service announcement system

Abstract

A method for providing multiple calling service announcements on a single circuit card within a telephone network. The method reduces the number of stored speech files necessary to generate announcements regarding a calling service such as Automatic Call Back or Enhanced Repeat Dial. By reducing the amount of speech data stored on a circuit card, multiple calling service announcements can be provided on a single circuit card, thereby reducing equipment costs.

1 - 21 . (canceled)  
   
   
       22 . A system for telephonically communicating calling service announcements to users of calling services on a telephone network, said calling service announcement system comprising: 
 a card adapted for being operatively received within said telephone network;    a memory situated on said card and storing a number of speech files in which (i) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to a first calling service, and (ii) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to a second calling service; and    a controller adapted for electrical communication with said memory and operable, in response to calling service selections made by said users on said telephone network, to (i) selectively access said speech files stored in said memory, (ii) selectively sequence audio segments selected from said accessed speech files, (iii) selectively compose calling service announcements from said sequenced audio segments so that said composed calling service announcements relate to at least one of said first calling service and said second calling service according to said calling service selections made by said users, and (iv) telephonically communicate said composed calling service announcements to said users on said telephone network.    
   
   
       23 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said telephone network includes a maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf having a circuit card slot, and said card is adapted for occupying said circuit card slot within said maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf.  
   
   
       24 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said memory comprises a dynamic random access memory (DRAM).  
   
   
       25 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said number of speech files is at least one.  
   
   
       26 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein each said audio segment includes at least one sound bite selected from the group consisting of a tone, a period of silence, and a human-intelligible word.  
   
   
       27 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said first calling service is Automatic Call Back (ACB).  
   
   
       28 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said second calling service is Enhanced Repeat Dial (ERD).  
   
   
       29 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein at least one speech file stored in said memory contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to said first calling service and also at least one calling service announcement relating to said second calling service.  
   
   
       30 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said controller comprises a programmable microprocessor.  
   
   
       31 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , wherein said controller is situated on said card.  
   
   
       32 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , said calling service announcement system further comprising a separate card adapted for being operatively received within said telephone network, wherein said controller is situated on said separate card.  
   
   
       33 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 32 , wherein said telephone network includes a maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf having two circuit card slots in electrical communication with each other, said card is adapted for occupying one of said two circuit card slots within said maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf, and said separate card is adapted for occupying the other of said two circuit card slots within said maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf.  
   
   
       34 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 22 , said calling service announcement system further comprising a speech processor situated on said card and adapted for electrical communication with at least one of said memory and said controller.  
   
   
       35 . A system for telephonically communicating calling service announcements to users of calling services on a telephone network, said calling service announcement system comprising: 
 a card adapted for being operatively received within said telephone network;    a memory situated on said card and storing a number of speech files in which (i) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to a first calling service, and (ii) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to a second calling service; and    a controller situated on said card, connected in electrical communication with said memory, and operable, in response to calling service selections made by said users on said telephone network, to (i) selectively access said speech files stored in said memory, (ii) selectively sequence audio segments selected from said accessed speech files, (iii) selectively compose calling service announcements from said sequenced audio segments so that said composed calling service announcements relate to at least one of said first calling service and said second calling service according to said calling service selections made by said users, and (iv) telephonically communicate said composed calling service announcements to said users on said telephone network.    
   
   
       36 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 35 , wherein said telephone network includes a maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf having a circuit card slot, and said card is adapted for occupying said circuit card slot within said maintenance trunk module (MTM) shelf.  
   
   
       37 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 35 , wherein said number of speech files is at least one.  
   
   
       38 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 35 , wherein each said audio segment includes at least one sound bite selected from the group consisting of a tone, a period of silence, and a human-intelligible word.  
   
   
       39 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 35 , wherein said first calling service is Automatic Call Back (ACB).  
   
   
       40 . A calling service announcement system according to  claim 35 , wherein said second calling service is Enhanced Repeat Dial (ERD).  
   
   
       41 . A system for telephonically communicating calling service announcements to users of calling services on a telephone network, said calling service announcement system comprising: 
 a card adapted for being operatively received within said telephone network;    a memory situated on said card and storing a number of speech files in which (i) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to a first calling service, (ii) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to a second calling service, and (iii) at least one speech file contains at least one audio segment utile for composing at least one calling service announcement relating to said first calling service and also at least one calling service announcement relating to said second calling service; and    a controller situated on said card, connected in electrical communication with said memory, and operable, in response to calling service selections made by said users on said telephone network, to (i) selectively access said speech files stored in said memory, (ii) selectively sequence audio segments selected from said accessed speech files, (iii) selectively compose calling service announcements from said sequenced audio segments so that said composed calling service announcements relate to at least one of said first calling service and said second calling service according to said calling service selections made by said users, and (iv) telephonically communicate said composed calling service announcements to said users on said telephone network.