Abstract: A telephone device 100, integrated with a telephone or as a telephone add-on device, improves receipt and processing of network information such as Caller ID from conventional telephone networks. A comparator 103 decodes incoming Frequency Shifted Keying (FSK) signals by transforming transform the FSK signal into a square wave signal with corresponding periodic pulse widths. The transformed signal is sent to a microcontroller 105. The microcontroller is preprogrammed to further decode the transformed signal to obtain digital data representative of Caller ID information. Multiple devices connected to the same telephone line 410 may receive off-hook Caller ID simultaneously by selective disablement of an acknowledgment tone transmission through use of a switch 440. Configurable function keys 471 on a user interface 430 controls other network services, such as voice mail, regardless of different command code formats utilized by various network service providers.

Abstract: A caller-ID device and/or an integrated caller-ID and answering machine device which is configurable 1) to play a pre-recorded announcement for the user when the caller-ID information received over the PSTN corresponds to stored information indicating an important caller; 2) to play a pre-recorded "block-the-blocker" outgoing message for the caller when a blocked-caller-ID code is received; and/or 3) to play a pre-recorded "reject call" outgoing message for the caller when the caller-ID information corresponds to stored information indicated an undesirable caller. Also disclosed are an economical method and apparatus for displaying caller-ID information for a call-waiting caller simultaneously with the caller-ID information of a present caller and a method and apparatus for enabling a caller-ID device to selectively dial the last seven digits of a phone number, the area code and the last seven digits, or a "1", the area code, and the last seven digits of a phone number.

Abstract: A telephone device 100, integrated with a telephone or as a telephone add-on device, improves receipt and processing of network information such as Caller ID from conventional telephone networks. A comparator 103 decodes incoming Frequency Shifted Keying (FSK) signals by transforming transform the FSK signal into a square wave signal with corresponding periodic pulse widths. The transformed signal is sent to a microcontroller 105. The microcontroller is preprogrammed to further decode the transformed signal to obtain digital data representative of Caller ID information. Multiple devices connected to the same telephone line 410 may receive off-hook Caller ID simultaneously by selective disablement of an acknowledgment tone transmission through use of a switch 440. Configurable function keys 471 on a user interface 430 controls other network services, such as voice mail, regardless of different command code formats utilized by various network service providers.

Abstract: A telephone, or a telephone add-on device, is disclosed comprising data receiving means, and control means responsive to data received by the data receiving means. The control means is adapted to recognize any instruction code embedded in the data which is then processed in accordance with the nature of the code, the processing including storing in a memory. This allows a telephone to be downloaded with information, such as, for example, special service codes, identification or priority callers, and the information downloaded can be tailor-made for an individual rather than being standardized and pre-stored.

Abstract: A caller-ID device and/or an integrated caller-ID and answering machine device which is configurable 1) to play a pre-recorded announcement for the user when the caller-ID information received over the PSTN corresponds to stored information indicating an important caller; 2) to play a pre-recorded "block-the-blocker" outgoing message for the caller when a blocked-caller-ID code is received; and/or 3) to play a pre-recorded "reject call" outgoing message for the caller when the caller-ID information corresponds to stored information indicated an undesirable caller. Also disclosed are an economical method and apparatus for displaying caller-24 ID information for a call-waiting caller simultaneously with the caller-ID information of a present caller and a method and apparatus for enabling a caller-ID device to selectively dial the last seven digits of a phone number, the area code and the last seven digits, or a "1", the area code, and the last seven digits of a phone number.

Abstract: A feature telephone phone set has a call length recording and call sorting system which can record a plurality of called numbers, date, time, length and so on of each telephone call, and store records into two separate memory areas according to whether the call is a local call or a toll call. Recorded contents can be retrieved and shown on an LCD display. When the memory is full, older records are deleted automatically or manually. Because toll calls are more important than local calls, when the memory is full different criteria of deletion are obeyed when automatic deletion is performed. Special service codes and their descriptions are also provided, and each code can be retrieved by a common key and dialled by another common key.