Automatic Or Unattended Patents (Class 379/182)
  • Patent number: 9167399
    Abstract: A method for effecting handoff of a communication session between a cellular telephone and a desktop telephone includes anchoring a communication session involving a remote device and a cellular telephone in an enterprise network such that signaling for the communication session passes through an element of the enterprise network; receiving an indication to handoff the communication session from the cellular telephone to a desktop telephone coupled to the enterprise network; placing the remote device in a holding state in response to the indication; and coupling the desktop telephone to the remote device to resume the communication session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramanathan T. Jagadeesan, Christopher E. Pearce
  • Patent number: 7224793
    Abstract: A description is given of a communication set for connection to a communication line such as a telephone line, which communication set includes means for detecting set functions such as ringing signal detection, and a rectifier circuit which is connected to a common output which is coupled to a scanning device included in the set function detection means, which scanning device detects the line conditions. A large number of line conditions may be detected with a minimum of components required, among which an analog/digital converter for which only a single input pin on a chip is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corp.
    Inventors: Peter J. M. Sijbers, Franciscus J. M. Thus, Laurens C. Van Leeuwen
  • Patent number: 6038300
    Abstract: A controller for residential telephone wiring. Apparatus associated with the controller provides multiple communication channels on ordinary residential telephone wiring. The controller (1) routes incoming calls to a selected telephonic device within the residence, (2) routes outgoing calls to a free external line servicing the residence, and (3) routes calls within the residence from one telephonic device to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: James Joseph Hartmann, Thomas Anthony Stahl
  • Patent number: 5987109
    Abstract: This invention relates to a key telephone apparatus which includes a key telephone main unit which accommodates a plurality of extension terminals each having a display via extensions and is connected to a network via an office line, and has an ACD function of forming a group of the plurality of extension terminals, and selectively distributing an incoming call received from the network to the plurality of extension terminals belonging to the group to receive the incoming call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masahiko Hara
  • Patent number: 5844978
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of restricting access to authorized users of telephone service from a telephone at a particular location which telephone is accessible by more than one individual. The present invention provides for a method of activating a telephone line by entering a valid access code and deactivating the telephone line by entering a second valid code. Calls may not generally be placed from the telephone when the telephone line deactivated. Calls made from the telephone line after the telephone line has been activated by a valid access code will be attributed to the user associated with the access code. The present invention also provides for a method of routing calls which have been designated as escape codes or priority numbers although the telephone line is in a deactivated state. The present invention also provides a method for activating the telephone line by first entering a logon code followed by an access code which is associated with a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: BellSouth Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald S. Reuss, Janine M. Irwin
  • Patent number: 5844975
    Abstract: A communication apparatus connected to a line of a switching network providing a caller identification information informing service includes a detection unit for detecting the identification information when a call is received, a send unit for sending the identification information detected by the detection unit to an external information processing terminal and a control unit for controlling the communication operation with a calling station in accordance with a command signal from the information processing terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Sugawara, Makoto Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5838778
    Abstract: A reserved speech path forming method according to a first embodiment includes the steps of: determining whether or not another telephone within a parallel-connected telephone system is being used, enabling input of a reserved function key to reserve the speech path when another telephone within the parallel-connected telephone system is being used, providing a dial tone and enabling input of a reserved telephone number upon completion of use of the other telephone within the parallel-connected telephone system, dialing the reserved telephone number, and forming the reserved speech path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: SamSung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-Ha Jung
  • Patent number: 5712909
    Abstract: This invention relates to a key telephone apparatus which includes a key telephone main unit which accommodates a plurality of extension terminals each having a display via extensions and is connected to a network via an office line, and has an ACD function of forming a group of the plurality of extension terminals, and selectively distributing an incoming call received from the network to the plurality of extension terminals belonging to the group to receive the incoming call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masahiko Hara
  • Patent number: 5684869
    Abstract: The invention provides a remote access telephone system that includes a telephone station which has two access numbers. The remote access telephone system responds to a first one of the two access numbers by providing remote access features and responds to a second one of the two access numbers by providing normal access features. The remote access telephone system also includes a remote access controller that prevents a remote caller from having access to the telephone station unless the remote caller dials a valid password. The remote access features includes remote dialing a number recalled from a directory memory based on a second party name spoken by the remote caller. A remote directory feature is provided when the remote caller speaks a remote directory command and a name. The remote access controller recalls a number corresponding to the name and outputs the number to the remote caller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas P. Palumbo, Randall J. Penning
  • Patent number: 5596631
    Abstract: A telephone station instrument add-on control subsystem with selectable addressing and ringing response delay techniques enhances any conventional instrument by providing added functionalities to ordinary telephone subscribers. When one or more of this enhanced station instruments are used on the same telephone line, a distributed single line PABX is formed. The formation of this system is based on the continuity of a pair of ordinary telephone wires. The specific routing of this wire pair does not affect the characteristics of the service features. A special case of this distributed system is to provide local dialed intercom services for communications among locations within an isolated area. A simplified version of this invention can be applied to improve the efficiency of data communication in a Local Area Network whose terminal information speed is comparable to the channel bandwidth of the transmission medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Inventor: Abraham Y. Chen
  • Patent number: 5454032
    Abstract: A method of establishing a telephone communication link from a calling line to one of plural peripheral devices associated with a single telephone number in a central office telephone switching system or PBX is comprised of storing in a memory a first table of directory numbers and equipment identifiers associated with each directory number, storing in a memory a second table of references to physical peripheral devices associated with each equipment identifier, receiving a request for service to a particular directory number, accessing the first table using the particular directory number and obtaining references to all equipment identifiers associated therewith, accessing the second table using the particular equipment identifiers associated with the particular directory number and identifying the particular physical peripheral devices associated with the particular identifiers, ringing all of the particular physical peripheral devices, detecting one of the particular physical devices going off-hook, ceasin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 26, 1995
    Assignee: Mitel Corporation
    Inventors: Deborah L. Pinard, Vishwanath K. Raju, Michael C. Rehder
  • Patent number: 5425089
    Abstract: The device and method of the present invention characterizes a telephone call by identifying a code, comparing the code to a predetermined access/ID code and generating a signal in response to the code. The device provides called party identification, calling party identification, and telephone number identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1995
    Inventors: John Y. Chan, Wing J. Mar
  • Patent number: 5386463
    Abstract: A system is provided for connecting multiple elevator (700-703) speaker/microphone pairs (114a-114d) to a remote terminal (750) via a standard telephone channel (50). The system comprises generating means (116) for generating an in-use signal from within one of the elevators indicating the use of the speaker/microphone pair in the elevator. The system also includes a dialing means (100a-100d) responsive to the generating means for dialing a number associated with the remote terminal on the standard telephone channel so as to contact the remote terminal. The system further includes first isolating means (200a-200d) for isolating all remaining speaker/microphone pairs from the standard telephone channel, and first connecting means (200a-200d) for connecting the in-use speaker/microphone pair to the standard telephone channel so as to connect the in-use speaker/microphone pair to the remote terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1995
    Assignee: Kings III of America, Inc., North America
    Inventor: James H. Thompson
  • Patent number: 5369692
    Abstract: A page party system for use in industrial environments, having a plurality of stations joined by a page line and by a single party line for providing multiple full-duplex conference calls over the single party line. Multiple full-duplex conferencing is achieved by combining single sideband suppressed carrier amplitude modulation and frequency division multiplexing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Gaitronics Corporation
    Inventor: Edmund H. Nowicki
  • Patent number: 5339354
    Abstract: For a single telephone line having plural telephone answering devices (TADs) connected to it, a system of TADs is disclosed where only one TAD answers the telephone but all other TADs connected to the telephone line are accessible and activated by means of tones transmitted over the telephone line by the caller. The caller is notified by the answering TAD of the available tone codes which are then used to select the desired TAD. When a TAD is selected by means of tones, the first TAD is temporarily disconnected from the telephone line so that message privacy is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1994
    Inventors: James F. Becker, Andrew S. Mayer
  • Patent number: 5247570
    Abstract: An automated telephone answering system with plug-in tone responsive unit at each of a plurality of extensions, a central answering unit responds to a caller initiated, telephone company generated, ring signal on the telephone line and establishes a connection with the calling phone. Each of the remote units responds to a different predetermined, selectable tone frequency. When the caller pushes a key on a standard Touch Tone phone key pad to select a specific extension, the responding remote unit generates a ringing signal for that extension. If the telephone line has an on-hook status, the system has means that prevents response to further tone signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: Product Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: James H. Bowen
  • Patent number: 5086458
    Abstract: With a plug-in tone responsive unit at each extension, a central answering unit responds to a caller initiated, telephone company generated, ring signal on the telephone line and establishes a connection with the calling phone. Each of the remote units responds to a different predetermined tone frequency. When the caller pushes a key on a standard Touch Tone phone key pad to select a specific extension, the responding remote unit generates a ringing signal for that extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1992
    Assignee: Product Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: James H. Bowen
  • Patent number: 4686700
    Abstract: A circuit for connection into a telephone line for detecting when a telephone instrument has gone off-hook and which is unaffected by the presence of a ringing signal on the telephone line. The circuit comprises a transistor switch, a first plurality of series connected diodes connected in series with the telephone line for developing a first voltage thereacross when the telephone instrument has gone off-hook, an RC circuit coupled to the first plurality of diodes for charging to the first voltage when the telephone instrument has gone off-hook after a time delay and for activating the switch, a second plurality of series connected diodes, the second plurality being greater than the first plurality, the second plurality of diodes being connected to the switch and to the first plurality of diodes for developing a second voltage thereacross during one half cycle of a ringing signal on the telephone line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1987
    Assignee: Keptel, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven B. Perry