Page "Voice-mail" Paragraph 42

Opcom, a company founded by David Ladd, developed a voice-mail system primarily marketed to smaller enterprises.

Opcom pioneered and patented the feature of automated attendant ( U. S. Patent numbers 4, 747, 124 and 4, 783, 796 both issued in 1988 ), an integral part of any voice-mail systems.

The automated attendant enables callers to direct calls by pressing single digit keys, e. g. " If you are making domestic reservations, press 1 ; for international reservations, press ‘ 2 '; etc.

" Opcom later pioneered the concept of Unified Messaging ( to be discussed later in this article ).

Opcom eventually acquired VMX through a reverse merger, ( Opcom was private and VMX was public ) and the surviving company VMX was eventually acquired by Octel.