Patents Represented by Law Firm Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan,Giffinger & Vecchione
  • Patent number: 5978468
    Abstract: A telephone device and method that enable the user of the telephone to visibly read a number stored in a memory of the telephone even though the telephone does not have a numeric display. The telephone has at least one light, such as an LED, that is visible by a person using the telephone. The light is coupled to a controller that consists of a microprocessor and an LED driver. The microprocessor is coupled to the various keys on the telephone. When the microprocessor receives a command, via the telephone keys, for viewing a specific number, the microprocessor reads that number from memory. The microprocessor then instructs the driver to flash the light or lights on the telephone in such a manner that a person viewing the lights would become cognizant of the number. Thus, a person watching the telephones lights can read numbers from the memory of the telephone, even though the telephone does not have a numeric display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Edward W. Boakes