In one scenario, the system can be fully automatic in the event that we cannot respond to the call to let the caller get the appropriate prerecorded message based on the information about the user and caller ID and other parameters. For example, the phone can "discover" that the user is driving a car, or is otherwise disabled to answer the call, and automatically redirect the incoming call to an answering machine.

In another scenario, a user can independently decide what to do, to answer a call, put it on hold or divert to an answering machine. Placing a call on hold, allows user to determine the waiting time, and this information is passed to the caller, who may decide to stay on the line or leave a message on the answering machine. Message left on answering machine can be automatically converted into text, so that the user could read when he was occupied on another call. Some of the features described in the patent is already available in both Apple and many other smartphones.

[Ed – We wonder what Cisco, Avaya and many other phone companies will have to day about this? Both of these companies have advanced call manager applications that can do all of the items listed in Apple’s patent and more. One of the companies that I worked with in the past was Rauland-Borg who only made Nurse Call systems. These systems had many of the same features that Apple is describing in their “new” patent. It seems that once again the USPTO has decided not to do any prior art searches and just rubber stamped a patent for Apple. I wonder if that $100 Million investment that Apple just made had anything to do with this…]

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