Importance

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Abstract

A method to audibly announce an identified caller name includes one embodiment, the caller name includes determined by making a query to a database with phone numbers and corresponding line owners (e.g., to the line information database (LIDB)). In this embodiment, the system phonetically pronounces the name found in the database to the subscriber in an announcement. In another embodiment, the system requests that the calling party speak their name. The spoken name is recorded, and played back to the subscriber in an announcement. The caller is placed on hold while the caller name is provided to the subscriber in an announcement. The subscriber may either accept the call, or reject the call. If the call is accepted, the call is connected. If the call is rejected, the line is busy, or there is no answer, the caller is notified. In one embodiment, a rejected call is transferred to a voice mail system. In yet another embodiment, the subscriber can selectively activate or deactivate the audible caller name feature (e.g., in order to take calls personally without screening, or to use an answering machine). In yet another embodiment, incoming call names are placed on a call list. The subscriber can later access the call name list, and make calls to telephone numbers corresponding to names on the list.

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First Claim