Patent ID: 7397912

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a plurality of user terminals operable by a corresponding plurality of users, the user terminals being connected to a telecommunications network; a “personal assistant” server connected to the network and capable of accessing a user database containing user-specific data or settings of the users so as to define user data; a “personal assistant” terminal connected to the personal assistant server and operable by a human attendant who can be communicatively reached, via the personal assistant terminal, by any of the users through a corresponding one of the user terminals and the network; and a data system, connected to the network and operative in response to the personal assistant terminal, for providing a pre-defined service, through one of the user terminals, to a corresponding calling one of the users who then requests the service; and wherein the personal assistant server, in response to an incoming call originating from the calling one of users and through said one user terminal and the network and to the personal assistant terminal, accesses, from the user database, the user data associated with the calling one user and applies the user data so accessed to the personal assistant terminal and connects, through the personal assistant terminal, the calling one user with the attendant such that, upon suitable instruction from the attendant through the personal assistant terminal and issued in response to a request from the calling one user for the service, the personal assistant server sends the accessed user data to the data system and the data system then renders the requested service to the calling user in response to the accessed user data.