Patent ID: 6950504

Claim:
A method for providing a personal audio alert message (PAAM) to a called party and a calling party during a call connection, the method comprising: querying a PAAM database in response to a call origination by the calling party, the PAAM database comprising a plurality of PAAM message strings for each of the calling party and the called party, the plurality of PAAM message strings being customizable to define personal messages for exchange between the calling party and the called party during a call connection, and to define a preference for a message of the calling party over a message of the called party and vice versa, and in the absence of a defined personal message, one or more of the PAAM message strings presenting a generic message; receiving one or more of the plurality of PAAM strings from the database in response to the query; routing the call to the called party; returning one or more of the plurality of PAAM strings from the database, to the called party in the routed call; and connecting the call if the called party accepts the call.