EP0112967A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Call interceptor
Assignee: Wang Laboratories Inc
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Filing: 1983-08-30
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-08-30
Abstract
Abstract Automatic telephone answering equipment is disclosed which is associated with a telephone set connected to a switching system along with other telephone sets, and the answering equipment function with central message recording equipment which is also connected to the switching system. Unanswered incoming calls originating from within or without the switching system are answered by the automatic answering equipment which then transfers the call to either another of the telephone sets or to the message recording equipment, as selected by the user of the answering equipment. When the call is transferred to the central message recording equipment the identity of the telephone set to which the call was directed is forwarded to the recording equipment. Only upon the calling party recording a message in the central message recording equipment, the recording equipment uses the called telephone set identity to call the originally called telephone set. Upon the telephone answering equipment answering the call from the message recording equipment the recording equipment sends a signal which causes a message waiting visual indication to be provided at the answering equipment. Thereafter, in response to the visual message waiting signal the message recording equipment may be called by the user of the telephone set and the recorded message is played back.
Inventors
- 👤 Lawrence Edmond Bergeron
- 👤 Richard Nmn Bergeron
- 👤 Bernard Lawrence Hayes
- 👤 Deane Carl Osborne
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:33
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/50; H04M3/53; H04M3/533; H04M3/54
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
257 words
Automatic telephone call answering apparatus located at and functioning with telephone sets connected via telephone set lines to central switching equipment, each telephone set having its own telephone number, and central message recording equipment also connected to the switching equipment via a telephone line and having its own telephone number, 'said recording equipment for recording messages intended for users of said telephone sets, said call answering apparatus comprising: means for answering an incoming call not answered by a user of of first one of said telephone sets by placing an off-hook condition on said first telephone set line, means for controlling said call answering means to place a momentary on-hook condition on said first telephone set line to signal said switching equipment that said incoming call is to be transferred, and signalling means responsive to said controlling means for sending the telephone number of said recording equipment to said switching equipment which then connects said incoming call to said recording equipment, then upon said recording equipment answering said transferred incoming call said controlling means controls said signalling means to signal the telephone number of said first telephone set so said recording equipment knows the telephone set for which the recorded message of said transferred incoming call is intended, and at some later time the user of said first telephone set dials the telephone number of said recording equipment and upon said recording equipment answering the user dials the telephone number of said first telephone set to which the recording equipment responds and plays back the recorded message.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
257 words
Automatic telephone call answering apparatus located at and functioning with telephone sets connected via telephone set lines to central switching equipment, each telephone set having its own telephone number, and central message recording equipment also connected to the switching equipment via a telephone line and having its own telephone number, 'said recording equipment for recording messages intended for users of said telephone sets, said call answering apparatus comprising: means for answering an incoming call not answered by a user of of first one of said telephone sets by placing an off-hook condition on said first telephone set line, means for controlling said call answering means to place a momentary on-hook condition on said first telephone set line to signal said switching equipment that said incoming call is to be transferred, and signalling means responsive to said controlling means for sending the telephone number of said recording equipment to said switching equipment which then connects said incoming call to said recording equipment, then upon said recording equipment answering said transferred incoming call said controlling means controls said signalling means to signal the telephone number of said first telephone set so said recording equipment knows the telephone set for which the recorded message of said transferred incoming call is intended, and at some later time the user of said first telephone set dials the telephone number of said recording equipment and upon said recording equipment answering the user dials the telephone number of said first telephone set to which the recording equipment responds and plays back the recorded message.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
89 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said answering means comprises: means for sensing ringing signals indicating an incoming call directed to said first telephone set, means for placing an off-hook condition on said first telephone set line to answer incoming calls not answered by a user of said first telephone set, said controlling means is responsive to said sensing circuit for operating said off-hook means to answer said incoming call, and for operating said off-hook means to place said momentary on-hook condition on said first telephone set line.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
166 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said recording equipment calls said first telephone set using said first telephone set number forwarded to it when said incoming call is transferred to it only when a message is recorded intended for the user of said first telephone set, and said recording equipment transmits a first signal upon an off-hook condition being placed on said first telephone set line responsive to said recording equipment call, and wherein said call answering apparatus further comprises: means for detecting said first signal by monitoring every user unanswered call automatically answered by said off-hook means, said detecting means providing an indication of the presence of said first signal to said controlling means which responds thereto not to transfer said incoming call from said call answering apparatus to said recording equipment, and means responsive to said controlling means receiving said first signal indication for providing an indication to the user of said first telepone set of a recorded message in said recording equipment.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 further comprising means for detecting if said first telephone set is on-hook or has been taken off-hook by the user, said controlling means being responsive to said detecting means providing an off-hook indication for not operating said off-hook means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
S. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said indicating means is a visual indicator.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
140 words
A method of automatically answering all user unanswered incoming telephone calls from calling parties and directed to ones of a plurality of telephone sets connected to central switching apparatus via telephone lines, and transferring calls that are not completed to a called party user at a first one of said telephone sets to central message recording apparatus also connected to the switching equipment for said calling party to record a message therein for sa.id user comprising the steps of: answering a user unanswered incoming call directed to said first telephone set by placing an off-hook condition on said first telephone set line, but without completing said incoming call to said user using said first telephone-set, and transferring said incoming call to said recording apparatus by momentarily interrupting said first telephone set line and dialing the number of said recording apparatus.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
140 words
A method of automatically answering all user unanswered incoming telephone calls from calling parties and directed to ones of a plurality of telephone sets connected to central switching apparatus via telephone lines, and transferring calls that are not completed to a called party user at a first one of said telephone sets to central message recording apparatus also connected to the switching equipment for said calling party to record a message therein for sa.id user comprising the steps of: answering a user unanswered incoming call directed to said first telephone set by placing an off-hook condition on said first telephone set line, but without completing said incoming call to said user using said first telephone-set, and transferring said incoming call to said recording apparatus by momentarily interrupting said first telephone set line and dialing the number of said recording apparatus.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
81 words
The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said incoming call transferring step comprises the steps of: momentarily interrupting said first telephone set line to signal said switching apparatus that said incoming call is to be transferred, dialing the number of said message recording apparatus, the calling party of calls transferred to said message recording apparatus being able to record a message for the user of said first telephone set, and placing an on-hook condition on said first telephone set line.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method in accordance with claim 7 further comprising the steps of: providing an indication at said first telephone set of a message stored in said central recording apparatus by said calling party for said user of said first telephone set following said calling party being transferred to said recording apparatus and recording said message.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
83 words
The method in accordance with claim 8 immediately following the step of dialing the number of the message recording apparatus, and further comprising the steps of: monitoring said first telephone set line for a first signal from said recording apparatus indicating that said recording apparatus is connected to said first telephone set, and forwarding the number of said first telephone set to said recording apparatus so that the destination for the message that may be recorded by the transferred calling party is known.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
173 words
The method in accordance with claim 9 where said step of providing an indication comprises the steps of: placing a call from said recording apparatus to said first telephone set via said switching apparatus under control of said recording apparatus following said calling party storing a message therein, sending a second signal from said recording apparatus to said first telephone set after said off-hook condition is applied to said first telephone line, said second signal indicating that said recording apparatus is connected to said first telephone set. returning the telephone number of said first telephone set therefrom to said recording apparatus in response to said second signal, said telephone number confirming the connection of said first telephone set to said recording apparatus, and sending a third signal from said recording apparatus to said first telephone set, said third signal causing said indication to be provided at said first-telephone set to indicate that there is a message stored in said recording apparatus by said calling party for said user of said first telephone set.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
79 words
The method in accordance with claim 10 wherein said step of answering the user unanswered incoming calls comprises the step of: checking for the presence of said second signal upon answering every user unanswered incoming call by placing an off-hook condition on said first telephone set line, and upon detecting said second signal said last mentioned telephone line is not momentarily interrupted, but said first telephone set number is forwarded from said first telephone set to said recording apparatus.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the call answering step further comprises: counting the number of ringing signals applied by said switching apparatus to said first one of said telephone sets indicating an incoming call thereto, and placing an off-hook.condition on said first telepone set line following cotmting a predetermined number of ringing signals.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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