US3793487A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for screening telephone calls
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-06-26
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Granted: 1974-02-19
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Expires: 1992-06-26
Abstract
Abstract A system for screening telephone calls is described which intercepts an incoming ring signal to prevent disturbing the called party. The system produces an off-hook condition and responds with a recorded announcement specifying the activity in which the called party is involved and indicating that he would prefer not to be interrupted, and also gives instructions as to how the calling party may nevertheless continue the call by initiating an additional dialed signal if he wishes. When the calling party initiates the additional signal specified by the instruction, preferably by dialing the digit ''''1,'''' the called party is summoned to the telephone after a predetermined time delay. As an alternative to interrupting the called party, the calling party may record a message. The recorded announcement may be modified by the subscriber at any time to tailor the announcement to the occasion to enable the calling party to better use his judgment as to when to interrupt. The system distinguishes between a pulse generated by the calling party hanging up and a single pulse signal dialed by the calling party to summon the called party by detecting a zero current condition on the line within a short interval after the pulse is received. The zero current condition indicates that the calling party elected to terminate the call rather than complete the call and is used to inhibit completion of the call.
Inventors
- 👤 J Kilby
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:45
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M1/00; H04M1/66; H04M1/663; H04M1/665; H04M1/64; H04M1/65; H04M1/654
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
91 words
In a telephone answering system: means responsive to an incoming ring signal for establishing an off-hook condition, means for responding to the caller with a recorded announcement when the off-hook condition has been established, means responsive to an additional signal transmitted at the option of the caller and initiating a time delay period, for signaling an incoming call after the predetermined time delay period, and means for detecting the termination of the call by the calling party during said time delay period and inhibiting the means for signaling an incoming call.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
91 words
In a telephone answering system: means responsive to an incoming ring signal for establishing an off-hook condition, means for responding to the caller with a recorded announcement when the off-hook condition has been established, means responsive to an additional signal transmitted at the option of the caller and initiating a time delay period, for signaling an incoming call after the predetermined time delay period, and means for detecting the termination of the call by the calling party during said time delay period and inhibiting the means for signaling an incoming call.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The telephone answering system of claim 1 further characterized by electrical means for preventing the ring of the bell within the subscriber handset in response to an incoming ring signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The telephone answering system of claim 1 wherein the additional signal is dialed by the caller using a conventional handset.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The telephone answering system of claim 1 further characterized by means for recording a message after the first mentioned means has responded with a recorded announcement as an alternative to transmitting the additional signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
153 words
In a telephone answering device, the combination of: record means for reproducing a recorded announcement, means responsive to a ring signal for establishing an off-hook condition, means coupling the record means to a telephone line, when an off-hook condition is established, means for initiating the recorded announcement after the ring signal, means for detecting a pulse signal generated by the telephone set of the calling party and initiating a predetermined time delay period for initiating a signal to summon the called party to the telephone after the predetermined time delay, means for detecting a zero current level in the telephone line and disbabling the initiation of the signal to summon the called party if the current in the telephone line goes to zero during the delay, and means for connecting the telephone set to the telephone line in response to the called party answering the telephone in response to the signaled incoming call.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
153 words
In a telephone answering device, the combination of: record means for reproducing a recorded announcement, means responsive to a ring signal for establishing an off-hook condition, means coupling the record means to a telephone line, when an off-hook condition is established, means for initiating the recorded announcement after the ring signal, means for detecting a pulse signal generated by the telephone set of the calling party and initiating a predetermined time delay period for initiating a signal to summon the called party to the telephone after the predetermined time delay, means for detecting a zero current level in the telephone line and disbabling the initiation of the signal to summon the called party if the current in the telephone line goes to zero during the delay, and means for connecting the telephone set to the telephone line in response to the called party answering the telephone in response to the signaled incoming call.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The telephone answering system of claim 5 further characterized by electrical means for preventing the ring of the bell within the subscriber handset in response to an incoming ring signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The combination of claim 5 further characterized by means for recording a message from the calling party as an alternative to transmitting the dialed signal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
218 words
In a telephone answering device, the combination of: announcement recording means for storing an announcement, audio amplifier means for recording on and reproducing from the announcement recording means, transformer means for coupling the device to a telephone line, ring signal detector means for detecting an incoming ring signal and connecting the transformer means to a telephone line in response to an incoming ring signal, dial detector means for detecting a signal transmitted by the calling party and initiating a predetermined time delay period, means for initiating a signal to summon the called party after the time delay period, zero current sensing means for sensing a zero current level in the telephone line during the predetermined time delay and disabling the means for initiating te signal to summons the called party, Circuit means having: a transmit mode for coupling the announcement recording means to the input of the amplifier means to the telephone line in response to a ring signal being detected by the ring signal detector means, a receiving mode for coupling the telephone line to the input of the amplifier means and the output of the amplifier means to the dial detector in response to termination of an announcement, and means responsive to the called party answering the telephone for connecting the telephone to the telephone line.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
218 words
In a telephone answering device, the combination of: announcement recording means for storing an announcement, audio amplifier means for recording on and reproducing from the announcement recording means, transformer means for coupling the device to a telephone line, ring signal detector means for detecting an incoming ring signal and connecting the transformer means to a telephone line in response to an incoming ring signal, dial detector means for detecting a signal transmitted by the calling party and initiating a predetermined time delay period, means for initiating a signal to summon the called party after the time delay period, zero current sensing means for sensing a zero current level in the telephone line during the predetermined time delay and disabling the means for initiating te signal to summons the called party, Circuit means having: a transmit mode for coupling the announcement recording means to the input of the amplifier means to the telephone line in response to a ring signal being detected by the ring signal detector means, a receiving mode for coupling the telephone line to the input of the amplifier means and the output of the amplifier means to the dial detector in response to termination of an announcement, and means responsive to the called party answering the telephone for connecting the telephone to the telephone line.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The combination of claim 8 further characterized by message recording means, and wherein the circuit means connects the output of the amplifier means to the message recording means in the receive mode.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
144 words
In a telephone system, the combination of: means for interconnecting a calling subscriber station and a called subscriber station in response to a request from a calling party and for transmitting a ring signal to the called subscriber station, the called subscriber station comprising: means for automatically answering the ring signal with a recorded announcement and conditioning the called subscriber station to receive an additional signal dialed from the calling subscriber station, means for detecting an additional dialed signal transmitted from the calling subscriber station and initiating a predetermined time delay, means for indicating an incoming call at the called subscriber station after the predetermined time delay, means for detecting a zero current level in the telephone line, and means for disabling the means for indicating an incoming call if the current in the telephone line goes to zero during the predetermined time delay.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
144 words
In a telephone system, the combination of: means for interconnecting a calling subscriber station and a called subscriber station in response to a request from a calling party and for transmitting a ring signal to the called subscriber station, the called subscriber station comprising: means for automatically answering the ring signal with a recorded announcement and conditioning the called subscriber station to receive an additional signal dialed from the calling subscriber station, means for detecting an additional dialed signal transmitted from the calling subscriber station and initiating a predetermined time delay, means for indicating an incoming call at the called subscriber station after the predetermined time delay, means for detecting a zero current level in the telephone line, and means for disabling the means for indicating an incoming call if the current in the telephone line goes to zero during the predetermined time delay.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The combination of claim 10 wherein the called subscriber station includes: means for preventing an audible signal in response to the ring signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
The combination of claim 11 wherein the called subscriber station is further characterized by means for recording a message as an alternative to receiving the additional signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
96 words
In a telephone answering system, the combination of: means for detecting an inComing ring signal and establishing an off-hook condition, means for detecting an additional signal originated by the calling party and initiating a predetermined time delay period, means for initiating a signal to summon the called party to the telephone after the predetermined delay, means for detecting a zero current level in the telephone line, and means for preventing the initiation of the signal to summon the called party if the current in the telephone line goes to zero during the predetermined time delay period.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
96 words
In a telephone answering system, the combination of: means for detecting an inComing ring signal and establishing an off-hook condition, means for detecting an additional signal originated by the calling party and initiating a predetermined time delay period, means for initiating a signal to summon the called party to the telephone after the predetermined delay, means for detecting a zero current level in the telephone line, and means for preventing the initiation of the signal to summon the called party if the current in the telephone line goes to zero during the predetermined time delay period.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
92 words
The combination of claim 13 wherein: the means for detecting an additional signal comprises a first latch responsive to a pulse on the line for establishing a first condition, delay means initiated by the first condition and producing a second condition after a predetermined delay, a second latch responsive to the second condition for producing a third condition which initiates the signal to summon the called party, and wherein the means for preventing the initiation of the signal to summon the called party disables the delay means from producing the second condition.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-02-18 | 1977-08-20 | 1978-02-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-02-18 | 1981-08-20 | 1982-02-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-02-18 | 1985-08-20 | 1986-02-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |