SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN AUTOMATIC RESPONSE TO A TELEPHONE CALL

Disclosed embodiments include a system and method for providing an automatic response to a telephone call. The automatic response module may be integral to a wireless phone or may be added afterwards, such as with a plug-in module, or may be provided by a third party provider, such as on a network. In one embodiment, the user of a wireless phone may select one or more automatic responses in the form of pre-recorded messages that will be played to a caller when an incoming telephone call is received. In another embodiment, the pre-recorded messages may be text or other graphical messages. In an alternative embodiment, a selection algorithm may be used that selects the appropriate automatic response based on pre-determined criteria, such as information in the user's calendar, contact list, etc. Many other alternatives and alternative embodiments are also disclosed.