System and method for providing personalized audio-video invitations

A method for enabling call completion based on a response by a call recipient to a personalized audio or video invitation from a call initiator, comprising:

• prior to initiating the call, the call initiator's communication device recording a personalized audio or video invitation from the call initiator;
• establishing a peer-to-peer connection between the call initiator's communication device and the call recipient's communication device by sending at least one session description protocol (SDP) packet to a server for forwarding to the call recipient's communication device and receiving at least one SDP packet from the call recipient's communication device via the server;
• the call initiator's communication device providing from the call initiator's communication device to the call recipient's communication device via the peer-to-peer connection a call request message including a reference for accessing the personalized audio or video invitation from the call initiator;
• the call initiator receiving from the call recipient's communication device via the peer-to peer connection an indication that the call recipient has started reviewing the personalized audio or video invitation and initiating a timer on the call initiator's communication device that starts counting upon receipt of the indication;
• and
• upon receipt of a notification from the call recipient that the call is accepted pursuant to review of the personalized audio or video invitation by the call recipient, establishing a live voice connection between the call initiator and call recipient over the peer-to-peer connection.

A communication system that provides the identity of a call initiator prior acceptance of a call by a call recipient, comprising:

• a call initiating communication device including a recording device adapted to record a personalized audio or video invitation from the call initiator, wherein the call initiating communication device is adapted to send, upon completion of the recording, a call request message from the call initiator to the call recipient, the call request message including an option to play the personalized audio or video invitation;
• a call receiving communication device adapted to enable the call recipient to elect to play the personalized audio or video invitation and to elect whether to accept the call in response to the personalized audio or video invitation;
• and
• a server adapted to exchange session description protocol (SDP) packets between the call initiating communication device and the call receiving communication device,
• the call initiating communication device and the call receiving communication device using information in the SDP packets to establish a peer-to-peer connection between the call initiating communication device and the call receiving communication device,
• the call initiator's communication device providing from the call initiator's communication device to the call recipient's communication device via the peer-to-peer connection a call request message including a reference for accessing the personalized audio or video invitation from the call initiator, and
• the call initiating communication device receiving from the call receiving communication device an indication of the progress of the review of the personalized audio or video invitation by the call recipient via the peer-to-peer connection and displays the indication to a display of the call initiating communication device.