Patent ID: 8355493

Claim:
A communications system for placing a plurality of calls with a common message to a plurality of subscribers via a public switched telephone network, the system comprising: a plurality of end offices; a plurality of end office switches, each disposed in one of the plurality of end offices and in communication with the public switched telephone network; a plurality of auto-dialers, each disposed in one of the plurality of end offices and interconnected with one of the plurality of end office switches for placing the plurality of calls to the plurality of subscribers via the one of the plurality of end office switches; and an auto-dialer controller in communication with each of the plurality of auto-dialers, wherein the auto-dialer controller receives an instruction to place the plurality of calls, transmits the instruction to each of the plurality of auto-dialers, and transmits call information to each of the plurality of auto-dialers that corresponds to the plurality of calls to be placed to the plurality of subscribers, and wherein the plurality of auto-dialers place the plurality of calls to the plurality of subscribers based on the call information transmitted from the auto-dialer controller.