AT&T voicemark/sup SM/ messaging service - a now voice store and forward service

AT&T VoiceMark/sup SM/ Messaging Service is a new service where callers record messages in their own voices to be delivered at times and to locations that they choose. AT&T VoiceMark Messaging Service (VMS) offers many benefits. It is a service that requires neither special equipment (other than a standard telephone) nor presubscription on the part of either the sender or the recipient. Thus any sender can communicate with any recipient, with no special action (such as message retrieval) needed on the part of the recipient. Senders also can communicate with recipients when it is inconvenient or impossible to find a time when both are available; thus this can be an effective time management tool, especially when senders and recipients are in different time zones. Among the major features of VMS is ubiquitous availability. The service may be accessed from any telephone in the United States by dialing a single toll-free 800 number. Messages are recorded and delivered in the sender's voice, with the sender specifying the delivery location (international as well as national) and the date and time of the delivery. This paper describes the architecture, and capabilities of this service.