Abstract: A telephone handset outbound noise canceller uses an omnidirectional reference microphone placed near the transmitter grille. Two adaptive filters are employed, one driven by the handset transmitter to subtract speech from a reference value to produce an enhanced reference signal; and a second adaptive filter driven by the enhanced reference signal to subtract noise from the transmitter. The weights of the two adaptive filters are allowed to adapt or are frozen according to criteria set as a result of transmitter power measurements which determine whether speech is likely to be present or not.

Abstract: A telephone ringing arrangement where a non-sinusoidal ringing voltage waveform is used that has significantly longer intervals during which the waveform is near zero as compared to a sinusoidal waveform. A connect interval is defined as the time during which the magnitude of the non-sinusoidal ringing voltage waveform remains less than a predefined threshold. The connect interval includes a zero-crossing of the ringing voltage waveform. For an illustrative ringing voltage waveform, the zero-crossing has zero slope. A ringing relay is controlled to connect the non-sinusoidal waveform to a telephone line such that the connection time, including relay bounce time, occurs only during one of the connect intervals. Similar principles may be used based on a disconnect interval of the ringing current waveform, to reduce transients on disconnection.

Abstract: A telephone answering device that is activated by a proximity sensor when a user crosses its field of detection and whose operation is controlled by simple voice commands. The device incorporates speaker-independent voice recognition circuitry to respond to spoken commands of the user that are elicited by a system generated voice request menu. The telephone answering device performs all the basic functions of a telephone answering machine in response to these simple commands and there is no need for the user to manually operate the telephone answering device.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for allocating international transit calls among a plurality of carriers in a terminating country in accordance with routing information that has been previously specified by the originating carrier. Originating carriers may select one of a plurality of routing treatment options which specify how international transit calls should be allocated among the plurality of carriers serving a given terminating country. Carrier treatment tables maintain the routing information specified by each originating carrier for each terminating country. Upon receipt of an international transit call, an originating gateway switch can access the appropriate carrier treatment table and retrieve the routing information specified by the originating carrier for the indicated terminating country. In this manner, a terminating carrier can be selected to receive the transit call based on the routing information previously specified by the originating carrier.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a method of automating configuration of a voice processing system including automating telephone tone parameter determination, including the automated functions of: generating a first telephone line tone; scanning the first telephone line tone for frequency parameters and cadence parameters; arranging the frequency and cadence parameters in a tone definition block structure; and storing the tone definition block structure into memory of the voice processing system for future use in recognizing the first telephone line tone.

Abstract: A conference system comprises speaker units (12) coupled to a central unit (14). The speaker unit (12) comprises an echo canceller (20) with an adaptive filter (38) having an impulse response of comparatively short duration. In a speech pause of the user of the speaker unit (12) the common listening signal (LS) of the conference system is applied to the loudspeaker (18). Of the sounds then picked up by the microphone (16) only those sounds are compensated which are produced by the loudspeaker (18) and which reach the microphone (16) directly and which reach the microphone (16) indirectly via reflections from nearby objects. These sounds have a comparatively short impulse response time and enable a comparatively simple adaptive filter (38) to be used. The other sounds picked up by the microphone (16) reach the microphone (16) via reflections from the walls of the conference space (10) in which the conference system is situated. The other sounds have a comparatively long impulse response time.

Abstract: A feature interaction manager (FIM) is interposed between a telecommunications switching platform within a network and the feature logic providing call features to subscribers using the platform. Control is interposed within the interface between the detection of events within the switching system and the implementation of the telecommunications services by the feature logic in order to manage the interaction of various ones of a plurality of features provided to a subscriber. The system evaluates events within the network in order to isolate each feature from the other features and associates them only through the feature interaction manager.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for placing a telephone call over a telephone line and for detecting whether the telephone call was answered by a live person, an answering machine, a facsimile machine, or a data apparatus such as a modem and, depending on the manner in which the telephone call was answered, for connecting: (a) either a human agent or a telephone dialogue application to the telephone line to speak to a live person; (b) a voice message delivery system to the telephone line to send a voice message to an answering machine; (c) a facsimile message delivery system to the telephone line to send a facsimile message to the facsimile machine; and (d) a data message delivery system to the telephone line to send a data message to the data machine.

Abstract: External invocation of features on a switching system (10) from a network (18) is made possible by aliasing otherwise-unused network numbers that are assigned to the switching system within the network numbering plan to feature-access codes of the switching system's internal numbering plan, in the switching system's call processing arrangement (200) that uses stored definitions of syntax (320, 350) and grammar (400, 410) of the internal and network numbering plans. The aliasing is accomplished as follows. The syntax definitions of the internal numbering plan include definitions (312) of individual feature access codes, while the syntax definitions of the network numbering plan include definitions (312) of the aliased network numbers, which either are the same as the definitions of the corresponding feature access codes or direct the aliased network numbers to be translated into the corresponding feature access codes.

Abstract: A telephone visual signaling device is provided which consists of a telephone connected to an incoming signal line and a mechanism for producing an identifiable beam of light when the telephone receives a telephone call on the incoming signal line.

Abstract: A telephone exchange system useful for a bank or brokerage house speech system or the like, which can accommodate a large number of lines (or trunks) and permit improvement of the reliability and call connection processing capacity. The system comprises exchange sub-systems A (EX-A) and B (EX-B) capable of independently executing an exchange operation and each accommodating a terminal. The terminal, on the other hand, has a speech channel switch for connecting a speech channel including a handset to either exchange sub-system A (EX-A) or B (EX-B). When a process of connecting a call is brought about in the terminal, that terminal selects one of the exchange subsystems and controls the speech channel switch for connecting the call to the selected exchange sub-system.

Abstract: The invention comprises a telephone answering device in which a microprocessor controller is coupled to all of the peripheral components through a single common multi-bit data/instruction bus and each peripheral component is coupled to the data bus through a latch which is enabled responsive to an enable instruction placed on a port of the controller.

Abstract: A circuit assembly which includes an interface circuit between a subscriber line and exchange devices of the kind with two amplifiers connected in a bridge configuration between the battery terminals and having a means of detecting the output currents; a supply circuit which includes the exchange battery and a ring generator; a switch-over means for putting the line through the interface circuit or the supply circuit; two bridge resistors which are in series with the line when the latter is connected to the supply circuit and of which one is connected permanently between one of the line terminals and the output of one of the amplifiers, which output is substantially at the potential of one of the battery poles; an additional resistor, having a much higher resistive value than that of the bridge resistors and being connected between the other of the line terminals and the output of the other of the amplifiers; and a processing means within the interface circuit, which includes said detecting means and is effec

Abstract: A telephone housing is mounted on a metal plate that is secured in a fixed location on a room wall. The mounting plate has two vertical flanges extending along its side edges; hooks project forwardly from the flanges, for interengagement with vertical slots formed in the housing rear wall. At its lower edge, the mounting plate has two forwardly extending tabs that form two additional hooks. Additional slots in the telephone housing rear wall receive the two additional hooks to provide additional support for the housing. The preferred mounting plate is formed out of sheet aluminum by a stamping and bending process.

Abstract: A two-wire termination impedance generation circuit of a subscriber circuit including differential amplifiers, which is provided with a network circuit including capacitors and resistors, an input point, and current sources, the capacitor being comprised of series connected first and second capacitors, the resistor being comprised of series connected first and second resistors and having a high band bypass capacitor connected at the intermediate connecting point of the same, and the resistor being comprised of a complex termination resistor forming an internal termination impedance and a series connected complex termination resistor and complex termination capacitor being connected directly to the telephone line as an external termination impedance, wherein the frequency characteristics can be improved in three ways.

Abstract: A fallback strategy for a system (700) and method (200) is provided for rerouting a call that fails to be established utilizing a first set of constraints in a communication network system. This strategy enables the communication network system to utilize a look-around-first type of preemption that avoids unnecessary preemption and provides alternate routing for a call according to predetermined constraints selected by a user.

Abstract: An earring compatible telephone handset receiver (20) having a side sound outlet (22) and a center sound outlet (24) located on the receiver's front surface. A selection switch (38) is used to determine either the side sound outlet (22), the center sound outlet (24), or both of the side and center sound outlets (22 and 24) to be active for transmitting sound. When the side sound outlet (22) is active and aligned with the user's ear canal (202), the receiver (20) is kept away from the user's ear lobe (206) and the attached earring (204) to accommodate uses wearing earrings. When the center sound outlet (24) is active, the receiver (20) can be used in its normal way to accommodate users without earrings.

Abstract: A telephone apparatus includes a digital exchange unit and at least one digital telephone terminal connected to the digital exchange unit. The at least one digital telephone terminal generates monitoring signals and has multiple functions. All of the monitoring signals generated in the at least one digital telephone terminal are forwarded directly to the digital exchange unit. All of the functions of the at least one digital telephone terminal are controlled directly by the digital exchange unit through corresponding control signals.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for configuring a telephone (10). A connection (20) is formed between the telephone (10) and a telephone environment (60). A list of services offerable through the telephone environment is generated (100). A list of candidate procedures for establishing each listed service through the telephone environment is generated (102). At least one of the listed procedures is executed (104) for each listed service to determine whether the listed service is supported by the connection (20).

Abstract: A call signal generating circuit includes a step-up transformer having a primary winding and secondary windings and a first switching circuit coupled between the primary winding of the step-up transformer and a D.C. power source for turning ON/OFF at a frequency higher than a frequency of a call signal. A rectifying circuit is coupled to the secondary windings of the step-up transformer for rectifying voltages induced at the secondary windings into a positive polarity voltage and a negative polarity voltage. A second switching circuit is coupled to the rectifying circuit for alternatively outputting the positive polarity voltage and the negative polarity voltage with a quiescent time in which both the positive and negative polarity voltages are not output. A capacitor is coupled to the second switching circuit for receiving the positive and negative polarity voltages output from the second switching circuit.