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US005455852A [li] Patent Number: 5,455,852 [45] Date of Patent: Oct. 3, 1995
[54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEFINING PARAMETER TRANSMISSION PROTOCOLS FOR A CALL INTERCEPT/MESSAGE DELIVERY TELEPHONE SYSTEM
[75] Inventors: Edwin M. Elrod, Downingtown, Pa.;
Carl R. Faix, Cherry Hill, N.J.; John
U. Daniel, West Chester, Pa.
[73] Assignee: Unisys Corporation, Blue Bell, Pa.
[21] Appl. No.: 133,474
[22] Filed: Oct. 7,1993
[51] Int. CI.6 H04M 1/64
[52] U.S. CI 379/67; 379/89; 379/201
[58] Field of Search 379/67, 84, 88,
379/201, 89
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,766,604 8/1988 Axberg 379/69
5,133,004 7/1992 Heileman, Jr. et al 379/88
5,134,646 7/1992 Carlson 379/67
5,150,399 9/1992 Yasuda 379/67
Primary Examiner—Jeffery A. Hofsass
Assistant Examiner—Fan Tsang
A Voice Messaging System (VMS) offers a voice store and forward service to a caller on an incomplete call. The caller records the voice message at a Message Delivery System (MDS) via an Intercept Processing Unit (IPU) during a recording session. Call related parameters are transferred from the IPU to the MDS utilizing a handshake protocol specific to the IPU. The VMS accommodates different types of IPUs having different call parameter transfer protocols. The system displays, on the administration terminal, protocol maintenance screens including a generic list of call parameters with fields for entering the order and field length of selected parameters so as to designate a protocol specification to the system. The fields also include information regarding the delimiters utilized to separate the parameters of a parameter string and to designate the end of a parameter string. The protocol specifications are stored in protocol tables keyed by CALLTYPE designating the type of IPU calling the MDS. A split protocol is implemented where a first string of parameters is transmitted prior to the recording session and a second string after the recording session. A special protocol state denoted as RECORD is utilized for this purpose and entered into the protocol maintenance screens.
25 Claims, 12 Drawing Sheets
