EP0817457A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Anonymous voice communication
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1997-06-30
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-06-30
Abstract
Abstract The invention provides a trusted agent for anonymous voice communication using telephones. The trusted agent includes an access network communications unit, a memory device and a voice bridge processor coupled to the memory device and the access network communications unit. The voice bridge processor receives information through the access network communications unit from at least one user and connects the at least one user to a telephone network for anonymous voice communication. The voice bridge processor displays to the at least one user a display panel prompting the at least one user to enter a telephone number and an identification. The voice bridge processor searches the memory device for an entry corresponding to the identification entered by the at least one user. If the entry corresponding to the identification is found, then the voice bridge processor connects the at least one user with another user identified with the identification entered by the at least one user. If the identification entered by the at least one user is not found, the voice bridge processor creates an entry in the memory device corresponding to the at least one user.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Bernard Leipow
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 14:39
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/42008; H04M15/00; H04M2203/00; H04M2203/45; H04M2203/4536; H04M2203/50; H04M2203/5054; H04M3/56
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
60 words
A trusted agent that provides for anonymous
voice communication using telephones, comprising: a network communications unit; and a voice bridge processor coupled to the network
communications unit, wherein the voice bridge processor
receives information through the network communication unit
from at least one user and connects the at least one user to
a communications network for the anonymous voice
communication.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
37 words
The trusted agent of claim 1, wherein the voice
bridge processor communicates with the at least one user
through the network communications unit and receives from the
at least one user a telephone number and an identification.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The trusted agent of claim 2, wherein the voice
bridge processor displays to the at least one user a display
panel prompting the at least one user to enter the telephone
number and the identification.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
78 words
The trusted agent of claim 2, further
comprising: a memory device, wherein the identification is
an identification of another user and identifies the another
user as an anonymous voice communication partner, the voice
bridge processor reading an identification of the at least
one user and searching in the memory device for an entry
corresponding to the identification of the another user that
also identifies the identification of the at least one user
as an anonymous voice communication partner.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
87 words
The trusted agent of claim 4, wherein if the
entry corresponding to the identification of the another user
is found in the memory device, then the voice bridge
processor connects the at least one user with the another
user over the communications network, the voice bridge
processor connecting the at least one user with the another
user using the telephone number of the at least one user and
a telephone number of the another user contained in the entry
corresponding to the identification of the another user.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
The trusted agent of claim 5, wherein the voice
bridge processor waits a preset time before connecting the at
least one user with the another user to allow the at least
one user and the another user to make available telephone
lines corresponding to the telephone numbers of the at least
one user and the another user, respectively.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
The trusted agent of claim 4, wherein if the
entry corresponding to the another user is not found, then
the voice bridge processor creates an entry in the memory
device corresponding to the at least one user, the entry
containing at least the telephone number of the at least one
user, the identification of the at least one user and the
identification of the another user as an anonymous voice
communication partner.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
The trusted agent of claim 2, further
comprising a memory device, wherein the identification is a
voice room name, the voice bridge processor reading an
identification of the at least one user and searching in the
memory device for an entry corresponding to the voice room
name.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
66 words
The trusted agent of claim 8, wherein if the
entry corresponding to the voice room name is found, then the
voice bridge processor connects the at least one user to a
voice conference corresponding to the voice room name over
the communications network, the entry corresponding to the
voice room name containing information required to connect
the at least one user to the corresponding voice conference.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
56 words
The trusted agent of claim 9, wherein the voice
bridge processor waits a preset time before connecting the at
least one user with the voice conference corresponding to the
voice room name to allow the at least one user to make
available a telephone line corresponding to the telephone
number of the at least one user.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
70 words
The trust agent of claim 8, wherein if the
entry corresponding the voice room name is not found, then
the voice bridge processor initiates a voice conference
corresponding to the voice room name over the communications
network, connects the at least one user to the voice
conference and creates an entry in the memory device
corresponding to the voice room name that includes
information which identifies the corresponding voice
conference.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
56 words
The trusted agent of claim 11, wherein the
voice bridge processor waits a preset time before connecting
the at least one user with the voice conference corresponding
to the voice room name to allow the at least one user to make
available a telephone line corresponding to the telephone
number of the at least one user.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
67 words
A method for providing anonymous voice
communication using telephones through a trust agent,
comprising: receiving information from at least one user
through a network communications unit; and connecting the at least one user to a
communications network for the anonymous voice communication,
wherein a voice bridge processor receives the information
from the at least one user and connects the at least one user
to the communications network.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving
step comprises: communicating with the at least one user using
the voice bridge processor through the network communications
unit; and receiving from the at least one user a
telephone number and an identification.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 14, wherein the
identification is an identification of another user and
identifies the another user as an anonymous voice
communication partner, the method further comprising: reading an identification of the at least one
user; and searching in a memory device for an entry
corresponding to the another user that also identifies the
identification of at least one user as an anonymous voice
communication partner.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
82 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising: connecting the at least one user with the
another user over the communications network, if the entry
corresponding to the identification of the another user is
found in the memory device, the voice bridge processor
connecting the at least one user with the another user using
the telephone number of the at least one user and a telephone
number of the another user contained in the entry
corresponding to the identification of the another user.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising: creating an entry in the memory device
corresponding to the at least one user, if the entry
corresponding to the another user is not found in the memory
device, the entry containing at least the telephone number of
the at least one user, the identification of the at least one
user and the identification of the another user.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 14, wherein the
identification is a voice room name, the method further
comprising: reading an identification of the at least one
user; and searching in a memory device for an entry
corresponding to the voice room name.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
90 words
The method of claim 18, further comprising: connecting the at least one user with a voice
conference corresponding to the voice room name over the
communications network, if the entry corresponding to the
voice room name is found in the memory device, the voice
bridge processor connecting the at least one user with the
voice conference corresponding to the voice room name using
the telephone number of the at least one user and the
information contained in the entry corresponding to the voice
room name that identifies the voice conference.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 18, wherein if the entry
corresponding to the voice room name is not found in the
memory device, then the method further comprising: initiating a voice conference corresponding to
the voice room name; and creating an entry in the memory device
corresponding to the voice room name, the entry containing at
least the information identifying the voice conference
corresponding to the voice room name.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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