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AssigneeSBC Properties, L.P.
InventorsGordon Lynn Blumenschein, Jeffrey James Meek, Susanne Marie Crockett
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A method (20) and system (50) is provided that permits a telephone caller to leave a message for a called party that does not have a conventional answering service, such as voice mail, an answering machine, a third-party operator-assisted answering service, or the like. A configurable blocking mechanism is also provided, permitting parties to prevent the message delivery service from being offered to callers attempting to reach them. The method (20) and system (50) can be implemented using an advanced intelligent network (AIN). In an AIN environment, the blocking mechanism can include a switch control point (SCP) (58) configured to access a termination blocking list (60). The termination blocking list (60) can be an SCP database file containing entries representing called parties who have blocked the message delivery service.
A method comprising preventing a message delivery service from being offered, after a no-answer condition, to a caller of a called party if the called party is included in a list that identifies called parties who do not want the message delivery service to deliver caller messages to them.
A method comprising preventing a message from being delivered to a called party if the called party is included in a list that identifies called parties who do not want a message to be delivered to them, wherein the message comprises a voice message recorded during a call from a caller to the called party after a no-answer condition.
Computer-readable media comprising a software component that identifies called parties who do not want a message delivery service that delivers caller messages to them to be offered to callers of the called parties after a no-answer condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.