Broadcasting of information through telephone switching system display messages

A telephone switching system connectable to a plurality of user telecommunications display terminals via a plurality of telephone lines each leading from the telephone switching system to a different one of the display terminals for connecting telephone calls to or from the display terminals via the telephone lines, the telephone switching system comprising:

• a plurality of stored predetermined messages for users, each message identifiable by a corresponding message identifier and having corresponding stored predetermined information that indicates destinees of said each message;
• first means responsive to receipt of a request accompanied by a message identifier from one of the terminals, said request consisting of either a feature access code input on the one terminal by a user of the one terminal or a notification of actuation of a predetermined actuator of the one terminal by the user of the one terminal, for retrieving the stored predetermined message for users that corresponds to the received message identifier and forming the retrieved message for users into a non-call-associated display message;
• and
• second means for determining the destinees of the retrieved message for users from the stored predetermined information that corresponds to the retrieved message for users and broadcasting the formed non-call-associated display message to those of the plurality of display terminals that correspond to the determined destinees to cause the retrieved message for users to be displayed at the display terminals that correspond to the determined destinees.

A method of broadcasting messages for users in a telecommunications system comprising a plurality of user telecommunications terminals each having a display, a plurality of telephone lines each connected to a different one of the terminals, and a telephone switching system connected to the telephone lines for connecting telephone calls to or from the terminals via the telephone lines, the method comprising the steps of:

• a user of one of the terminals making a request accompanied by a message identifier by either inputting a feature access code on the one terminal or actuating a predetermined actuator of the one terminal;
• in response to the making, the one terminal sending the request accompanied by the message identifier to the switching system, the request consisting of either the feature access code or notification of the actuation;
• receiving the request accompanied by the message identifier from the one of the terminals at the switching system;
• in response to the receipt, retrieving a stored predetermined message for users that corresponds to the received message identifier from a plurality of stored predetermined messages for users, wherein each message is identifiable by a corresponding said message identifier and has corresponding predetermined information that indicates destinees of said each message;
• forming at the switching system a non-call-associated display message containing the retrieved message for users;
• determining the destinees of the retrieved message for users from the stored predetermined information that corresponds to the retrieved message for users;
• and
• in response to the forming, broadcasting the formed message from the switching system over multiple ones of the telephone lines to those multiple ones of the terminals that correspond to the determined destinees to cause the contained message for users to be displayed on the displays of the multiple ones of those terminals.