Patent ID: 7881442

Claim:
A method of answering a telephone call from a calling party to a called party, said method comprising: using a call answering system to answer the telephone call from the calling party; obtaining information about the calling party from a source other than the calling party, the obtained information including an identity of the calling party, the source comprising a database that includes names; announcing to the calling party that the called party is being contacted to determine if the called party is available to answer the call; placing the calling party on hold pending receipt of call answering instructions from the called party; announcing, via a second telephone call initiated by the call answering system to the called party, the telephone call from the calling party, including audibly announcing the identity of the calling party using the obtained information; providing call answering options to the called party; receiving the call answering instructions from the called party, the call answering instructions being a selected one of the provided call answering options; providing an option to the calling party to accept the called party's cellular telephone usage charges; terminating the telephone call if the calling party does not accept the called party's cellular telephone usage charges; and completing the telephone call according to the call answering instructions received from the called party if the calling party does accept the called party's cellular telephone usage charges.