Importance

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Abstract

A verbally interactive broadcast type of telephone interrogation system (100) capable of simultaneously handling multiple callers over a two-way telephone subscriber network (102, 104, 106) to provide individualized interactive responses. A plurality of telephone boards (108, 110, 112) are connected in parallel to prerecorded data and deck address logic (114) to enable parallel processing of interactive telephone communications with the multiple callers, with one telephone board (108, 110, 112) being provided per incoming telephone line (102, 104, 106) to provide an unlimited number of potential interactive users for the system (100). The prerecorded data is stored by channel and level, with each level (150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160) comprising, by way of example, four channels per multitrack tape deck (162, 164, 166, 168) with four decks (162, 164, 166, 168) being provided per level for a total of sixteen channels per level or ninety-six channels per telephone board (108, 110, 112). The correct channel and level is selected for an incoming call by a microcomputer (122) on the telephone board (108, 110, 112 ) and analog multiplexing (124) is used to select the particular channel in the ninety-six channels corresponding to the selected interactive message. Statistical and demographic caller data may also be stored (116, 118). The information is continuously rebroadcast over the ninety-six channels for interactive selection with the rebroadcast being independent of the next caller although what is heard by that caller is directly dependent on his/her selection.

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First Claim