Selectable Audio and Mixed Background Sound for Voice Messaging System

A computer program product for enhancing a voice mail message for playback to a listener, the computer program product embodied on at least one computer-usable medium and comprising:

• computer-usable program code for enabling a caller to create the voice mail message for the listener, using a telephone device, the voice mail message comprising a plurality of message segments;
• computer-usable program code for enabling the caller to identify, using the telephone device, at least two of the message segments which are to have background sounds associated therewith;
• computer-usable program code for enabling the caller to select, for each of the identified message segments by the caller using the telephone device, a sound to be associated therewith as the background sound, wherein the sounds selected as the background sound for at least two of the message segments are different sounds;
• and
• computer-usable program code for playing back, responsive to a request from the listener for playback of the voice mail message, at least two of the identified message segments for which a sound was selected to be associated therewith as the background sound, while concurrently playing back the sound selected as the background sound for each of the played-backed identified message segments, and wherein the sounds selected as the background sound for at least two of the played-back identified message segments are different sounds, such that the background sound played back for the voice mail message changes at least once during the playback.

A system for enhancing a voice mail message for playback to a listener, comprising:

• a computer comprising a processor;
• instructions which execute using the processor to perform functions comprising:
• enabling a caller using a telephone device to create the voice mail message for the listener, the voice mail message comprising a plurality of message segments;
• enabling the caller to identify, using the telephone device, at least two of the message segments which are to have background sounds associated therewith;
• selecting, for each of the identified message segments by the caller using the telephone device, a sound to be associated therewith as the background sound, wherein the sounds selected as the background sound for at least two of the message segments are different sounds;
• and
• playing back, responsive to a request from the listener for playback of the voice mail message, at least two of the identified message segments for which a sound was selected to be associated therewith as the background sound, while concurrently playing back the sound selected as the background sound for each of the played-backed identified message segments, and wherein the sounds selected as the background sound for at least two of the played-back identified message segments are different sounds, such that the background sound played back for the voice mail message changes at least once during the playback.