Abstract: A coiled cord holding assembly and a method for installing the assembly so as to conceal a coiled handset telephone cord within an enclosure. The assembly includes a face plate with an aperture therein, a tubular elbow mounted to the face plate, a length of tubing extending from the elbow and a cord securing device for preventing a portion of the coiled handset telephone cord from traveling out of the length of tubing when the handset telephone cord is being extracted from and retracted into the coiled cord holding assembly.

Abstract: A mobile phone holder having security and charging functions includes a leather bag, a transmitting circuit and a signal receiver. The leather bag is provided with a button to be attached with a receptacle for receiving electricity from a charging set. An pair of electrical conductors are provided within the bag and are in contact with the button. The transmitting circuit is provided within the bag and is in contacted with the electrical conductors. The transmitting circuit is powered by the battery of the mobile phone via the electrical conductors. The signal receiver is in electrical connecting with the transmitting circuit to announce a beeper when the signal receiver is disenabled while kept silent when the signal receiver is enabled by the transmitting circuit.

Abstract: In a speech control apparatus used in a folding telephone, a rotary switch detects the rotating angle of the hinge of the folding telephone and delivers a control signal indicative of the hinge rotating angle to a speech controller. The speech controller controls the level of the speech signal from a microphone. The speech controller suppresses the noise included in the speech signal based on the control signal. The speech controller suppresses the echo included in the speech signal by generating an echo replica in accordance with the control signal and a radio signal from the communication partner.

Abstract: In a telecommunication network, a method of creating, in response to inputs from an operator, a user defined call processing node for a call processing record. The call processing record contains logically related nodes and branches. Initially, the operator instructs the processor that he or she wishes to construct a user defined call processing node. The processor then presents to the operator a display screen in which to construct the user defined call processing node and presents the operator with a list of predefined nodes. From this list, the operator selects predefined nodes and arranges them into an underlying representation of call processing procedures. Once this is completed, the processor enables the underlying representation of call processing procedures as a single node for use in creating call processing records.

Abstract: A Group Exchange Port (GXP) is disclosed which provides an organized technique for passing control of live objects (e.g.; a telephone call, a robotic arm, flying aircraft, etc.) from a first application operating on and processing the object to a second such application. In accordance with the invention, a Group Exchange Port is provided where buyer applications register there willingness to accept control of the system and sellers may "advertise" an object for sale. When a suitable buyer (i.e.; one that has the proper resources for servicing and controlling the active system) is found, control of the object is passed from the seller to the buyer. Importantly, the GXP requires that control of the object always be maintained by one and only one application, that control not be passed to an application which cannot properly service and/or control the system, and that an application presently controlling the system does not relinquish such control until a new application accepts such control.

Abstract: This invention relates to arrangements for interconnecting a plurality of stand-alone switches by data and communication channels (the latter typically used for communicating voice signals) in such a way as to make the plurality of switches act as if they were one switch. The invention further relates to arrangements for permitting groups of lines, the groups connected to different stand-alone switches, to be treated essentially as if they were connected to a single switch. Each switch of a symbiotic network (a group of stand-alone switches) or a virtual symbiotic network (the grouping of the groups of lines) accesses pertinent data in its own data base or the data base of one of the other switches of the symbiotic or virtual symbiotic network and treats the results of such data base accesses as if they were made internally in the switch.

Abstract: A device for receiving and supporting a bag-type cellular phone when removed from the bag. The inventive device includes a housing having a through-extending upper compartment for receiving a main body of a cellular telephone. The housing further includes a closed lower compartment for receiving a battery pack of the telephone, whereby organized operation of the telephone utilizing a handset or auxiliary microphone can be accomplished within a vehicle.

Abstract: A system and method for preventing fraudulent calling activities of computer data systems such as a Private Branch Exchanges (PBX) accessed through dial-up telephone lines via a remote maintenance or administration port. The system is readily adaptable to existing PBX systems without the need to alter PBX hardware or software configurations. The system includes a device to passively monitor calling activity conducted through the remote port of the PBX without alerting the caller in order to detect a condition of activity indicative of fraud. The monitoring device may include rule based expert system software to analyze call transmission data for activities outside the norm that are indicative of fraud. Alternatively, the monitoring device may include software or hardware for comparing call digit origination data to a database of authorized call activity contained within the monitoring device.

Abstract: A device for muting a ringer of a telephone, the device being placed in series with a telephone ringer and having a gate alterable between a non-conductive state and a conductive state whereby a ring signal is selectively passed to the ringer. A remote calling party may activate the conductive state by sending a first and last ring signal separated by a preselected time interval, dependent upon the selected mode of the device. The device includes a gate controlled by output signals from a pair of interactive timing mechanisms, referred to as a delay timer and a window timer. In a first ring mode, the delay timer is activated by a remotely generated first ring signal and disregards all subsequent ring signals during completion of its timing sequence (the delay sequence). In a last ring mode, the delay timer is restarted upon receiving each ring signal, thus completing the delay sequence only after the last ring signal is received.

Abstract: A versatile phone system, consisting of a base unit and one or more peripheral utility devices, is used on the user's premises to provide an effective and private means of telecommunication. A plurality of telephone numbers and names are stored in the memory means of the base unit. The system responds to the ringing signals transmitted over the phone line from the caller without triggering ringer generators at the telephone sets. Alerting ringing sounds to alert the user of an incoming call will be generated only when the derived code of the received DTMF signals matches the derived identifier codes of the stored telephone numbers or the personal access code. Distinct ringing sounds will be generated if a match is on a derived identifier code of a telephone number indexed with priority. When no match occurs or a match occurs but the user does not answer after a predetermined number of rings, the caller is directed to a recording means for requesting to leave message.

Abstract: A tone blocking system for use preferably in conferencing systems in order to prevent control tones from being transmitted to other conferees is disclosed. The buffer length used to process the signal and detect tones is varied, being increased when a tone is suspected to allow for sophisticated tone detection algorithms, and being decreased when silence is present by trimming the silence away. The technique minimizes delay, and its degrading effect on echo, but nonetheless provides for a lengthy buffer required to do reliable tone detection. The invention is applicable to any signal other than tone as well.

Abstract: In a method for automatically controlling a call-waiting-interruption restriction for a communication system, a subscriber is supplied with a call-waiting service permitting an interruption processing when an interruption call occurs. The subscriber is also supplied with a call-waiting-interruption restriction service for restricting the interruption processing even when the interruption call occurs. The interruption processing to the second subscriber is automatically restricted, when a first subscriber supplied with the call-waiting-interruption restriction service is in communication with a second subscriber supplied with the call-waiting service.

Abstract: A switching type echo canceler includes speech sample storing RAMs on a line side and on a handsfree device side, tap coefficient storing RAMs on the line side and on the handsfree device side, a pseudo echo generation unit, a tap coefficient updating unit, a level comparison unit for comparing input signals on the line side and on the handsfree device side, and a plurality of switches for switching between the line- and hands-free-device-side echo cancel operations in accordance with a switching signal from the level comparison unit.

Abstract: An anonymous interactive telephone system for connecting a caller to a subscriber without divulging the identity or telephone number of either unless voluntarily revealed. The subscriber publishes an advertisement together with a telephone number of a system controller station. A subscriber reference number is embedded within the telephone number of the system controller station as a DID number. The subscriber also supplies information to the system controller station related to time periods during which calls may be directly forwarded to the subscriber or intercepted by the system controller. The system controller repeatedly accesses the central switching station or local switching station of the public telephone company to activate and de-activate the call forwarding function of the switching station for controlling call forwarding to the subscriber on the basis of the subscriber's published DID number.

Abstract: A system and method for allocating an incoming call to a desired one of a plurality of destination candidates in response to data in at least one predetermined category concerning a caller, e.g. the area, the company or the department of the caller (a source address mode). There may be other modes such as a direct in line (DIL) mode and global mode. When a call is received by one of trunk circuits, the termination mode for the call is set for one associated with the trunk circuit that received the call. In case of the source address mode, the call is allocated to one of the destination candidates which is associated with the caller number or a part thereof. An association between a caller number (a part thereof) and a destination candidate is preferably achieved using a destination information table containing at least such information.

Abstract: Device for limiting the working voltage for mechanical switches in telephony includes terminals for connection to a telephone line, a connection and power supply branch for a control circuit extending from a first terminal, the branch having a first switch, the cathode terminal of a first Zener diode and the source terminal of a first MOSFET transistor being connected to the output terminal of the first switch, the gate terminal of the first MOSFET transistor being connected, through the anode terminal of the Zener diode, to the first terminal. The current absorbed by the device may be adjusted.

Abstract: A system and method for modifying a composite Ring AC/Message Waiting (RAC/MW) signal to prevent bell tap on analog telephones. The composite RAC/MW signal comprises AC signals and DC signal alternately spaced in time. At a zero crossover point the composite RAC/MW signal is ramped from a given bias voltage level to a desired Message Waiting voltage level at a slope sufficient to prevent bell tap. Near the end of the Message Waiting portion of the composite signal the composite signal is ramped to the bias voltage level at a slope sufficient to prevent bell tap.

Abstract: In an audio system, a loudspeaker responds to an input signal producing a sound pressure wave having a linear component, which is linear function of the input signal, and an undesired non-linear component, which is a non-linear function of the input signal. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the non-linear component of the output sound pressure wave. An adaptive precompensating audio system for reducing this non-linear component includes a loudspeaker for producing a sound pressure wave and a precompensating filter for precompensating an input signal representative of the desired sound pressure wave. In addition, a microphone may be used to convert the resulting sound pressure wave into a sound signal and a precompensating filter modifier may be used to modify the precompensating filter in response to the sound signal. Preferably, the precompensating filter transforms the input signal using an inverse of an estimated transfer function for the loudspeaker.

Abstract: A ring generator circuit that produces a ring output for a plurality of telephones simultaneously. The ring generator circuit includes a switch that receives an oscillating signal in response to an on condition of an on/off signal. The on/off signal is related to whether an incoming phone call is directed to one of the plurality of telephones or not. The ring generator circuit also includes a DC offset circuit that receives a DC input potential, an amplifier stage for providing a ring output, and a feedback circuit connected between the ring output of the amplifier stage and the switch output.

Abstract: A user-programmable telephone switch which resides within a commercially available personal computer. The switch is controllable by either the personal computer's microprocessor or a separate, external host connected to an interface provided within the switch. The switch includes a CPU/matrix card that contains a time slot interchange and a CPU running under a real time operating system. The CPU/matrix card controls the overall operation of the switch in accordance with messages received from the operative host. In general, those tasks or functions which must be performed in real time are the responsibility of the switch, as opposed to the internal or external host. Within the switch, certain tasks or functions may be delegated by the CPU/matrix card to intelligent line cards which contain their own microprocessors having substantial call processing capability.