[ii] Patent Number: 4,935,954 [45] Date of Patent: Jun. 19,1990
Apparatus for automatically polling message service systems to obtain messages for a user of the apparatus. The apparatus is a computer attached to the user's telephone connected to a communication switching system. The computer responds to messages from the communication switching system or to an internal real time clock timing out to poll a number of message service systems to obtain messages for the user. The computer automatically performs logon procedures, message access procedures and message deletion procedures with the various message service systems. If the message service system is audio only, the computer generates audio tones and interprets verbal instruction in order to implement the above procedures.
16 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets
