EP0844773A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Telephone answering machine with caller ID dependent message operation
Assignee: Cybiotronics Ltd
•
Filing: 1997-10-14
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Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-10-14
Abstract
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.
Inventors
- 👤 Boon-Chen Lim
- 👤 Yeung-How Lim
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 23:42
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M1/00; H04M1/57; H04M1/26; H04M1/27; H04M1/274; H04M1/2745; H04M1/27485; H04M1/575; H04M1/578; H04M1/66; H04M1/663; H04M1/571; H04M1/64; H04M1/642
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
95 words
In a caller-ID device interfaced to a telephone
line, a method for processing caller-ID information comprising
the steps of: detecting an incoming call signal; extracting the caller-ID information from said
incoming call signal; comparing the caller-ID information to a list of
stored information to determine if there is a matching entry; determining, when there is a matching entry, whether
said matching entry has an announcement control code appended
to it; and outputting one or more pre-recorded announcements
according to said announcement control code when said matching
entry has an announcement control code appended to it.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
The caller-ID device of claim 1, wherein said
announcement control code includes a voice-announcement
control code for controlling activation of a voice
announcement for the user; and wherein said step of outputting one or more pre-recorded
announcements includes a step of outputting a
specified voice announcement to a user responsive to said
voice-announcement control code.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
64 words
The caller-ID device of claim 1, wherein said
announcement control code includes an outgoing-greeting
control code for controlling activation of an outgoing
greeting for a caller; and wherein said step of outputting one or more pre-recorded
announcements includes a step of seizing the
telephone line and outputting a specified outgoing greeting
over the telephone line to the caller responsive to said
outgoing-greeting control code.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1, further including the
steps of: determining whether said matching entry has a reject
control code appended to it; and rejecting said incoming call signal when said
matching entry has a reject control code appended to it.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 4, wherein said step of
rejecting said incoming call includes a step of suppressing a
ring alarm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 4, wherein said
announcement control code includes a reject-announcement
control code for controlling activation of a reject
announcement for a caller; and wherein said step of outputting one or more pre-recorded
announcements includes the steps of seizing the
telephone line and outputting a pre-recorded reject
announcement over the telephone line to the caller responsive
to said reject-announcement control code.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
84 words
In a caller-ID device interfaced to a telephone
line, a method for processing the caller-ID information
comprising the steps of: detecting an incoming call signal; extracting caller-ID information from said incoming
call signal; identifying when said caller-ID information
corresponds to a block-caller-ID code; determining, responsive to said block-caller-ID
code, whether said caller-ID device is in a reject-blocker
mode; retrieving a reject-blocker control code when said
caller-ID device is in a reject-blocker mode; and rejecting said incoming call signal according to
said reject-blocker control code.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said reject-blocker
control code includes a reject-announcement control
code for controlling activation of a reject announcement to
the caller; and wherein said step of rejecting said incoming call
signal includes the steps of seizing the telephone line and
outputting a pre-recorded reject message over the telephone
line to the caller responsive to said reject-announcement
code.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said reject-blocker
control code includes a disable-blocking-announcement
control code for controlling activation of a disable-blocking
announcement to the caller; and wherein said step of rejecting said incoming call
signal includes a step of seizing the telephone line and
outputting a pre-recorded disable-blocking announcement over
the telephone line to the caller responsive to said disable-blocking
announcement control code.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
95 words
The method of claim 7, wherein said reject-blocker
control code includes a manual-reject control code;
and wherein said step of rejecting said incoming call
signal includes the steps of: determining whether a user has indicated that a
reject message is to be output to the caller; seizing the telephone line and outputting a
pre-recorded reject message over the telephone line to
the caller when the user has indicated that a reject
message is to be output; and silently rejecting the call when the user has
not indicated that a reject message- is to be output.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
150 words
A caller-ID device comprising: a data storage unit for storing a plurality of phone
numbers; a desired phone number selector coupled to said data
storage unit; a dialing circuit, coupled to said desired phone
number selector and to a telephone line, said dialing circuit
including a first dialing-signal generator; a second dialing signal generator; a third dialing signal generator; and a dialer coupled to said first, second and
third dialing signal generators; wherein said dialer is responsive to a first
dialing signal to dial an exchange and an extension of
said desired phone number; wherein said dialer is responsive to a second
dialing signal to dial an area code, an exchange, and an
extension of said desired phone number; and wherein said dialer is responsive to a third
dialing signal to dial a long-distance code followed by
an area code, an exchange, and an extension of said
desired phone number.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
70 words
A caller-ID device for displaying caller-ID
information to a user, said device comprising: means for displaying a first caller's information in
a complete form; means for receiving a second caller-ID transmission
including a second caller's information; means for re-displaying said first caller's
information in a summary form; and means for displaying said second caller's
information in said complete form concurrently with re-displaying
said first caller's information in said summary
form.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
80 words
The caller-ID device of claim 12, further
comprising: a switch means for selecting between a first display
mode and a second display mode; wherein said first display mode comprises said first
caller's information being displayed in a complete form
concurrently with said second caller's information being
displayed in a summary form; and wherein said second display mode comprises said
first caller's information being displayed in a summary form
concurrently with said second caller's information being
displayed in a complete form.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The caller-ID device of claim 13, wherein said
switch means corresponds to a flash key.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
In a caller-ID device, a method of displaying
caller-ID information to a user, said method comprising the
steps of: displaying a first caller's caller-ID information in
a complete form; and displaying a second caller's caller-ID information
in a summary form concurrently with said step of displaying
said first caller's caller-ID information.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
27 words
The method of claims 15, wherein said first
caller's caller-ID information corresponds to a present caller
and said second caller's caller-ID information corresponds to
a call-waiting caller.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 15, wherein said first
caller's caller-ID information corresponds to a call-waiting
caller and said second caller's caller-ID information
corresponds to a present caller.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising the
steps of: selecting said second caller's caller-ID information
for display in said complete form; re-displaying said first caller's caller-ID
information in said summary form; and re-displaying said second caller's caller-ID
information in said complete form concurrently with said step
of re-displaying said first caller's caller-ID information in
said summary form.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
70 words
In a caller-ID device, a method for displaying
caller-ID information to a user, said method comprising the
steps of: displaying a first caller's caller-ID information in
a complete form; receiving a second caller's caller-ID information; re-displaying said first caller's caller-ID
information in a summary form; displaying said second caller's caller-ID
information in said complete form concurrently with said step
of re-displaying said first caller's caller-ID information in
said summary form
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
59 words
In a caller-ID device, a method of displaying
caller-ID information to a user, said method comprising the
steps of: displaying said first caller's caller-ID information
in a complete form; receiving a second caller's caller-ID information;
and displaying said second caller's caller-ID
information in a summary form concurrently with said first
caller's caller-ID information being displayed in said
complete form.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 20, further comprising the
steps of: selecting said second caller's caller-ID information
for display in said complete form; re-displaying said second caller's caller-ID
information in said complete form; re-displaying said first caller's caller-ID
information in said summary form concurrently with said step
of re-displaying said second caller-ID transmission in said
complete form.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising a
step of indicating a call order for said first and second
caller.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising a
step of indicating a status for said first and second caller
as either engaged with the user or waiting.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
142 words
A caller-ID device for displaying caller-ID
information to a user comprising: a caller-ID receiver for receiving caller-ID
information; a caller-ID memory for storing caller-ID
information; a display panel including a plurality of display
elements arranged in plurality of rows, said plurality of rows
including: a first set of one or more rows adapted to
display caller-ID information in a complete form; and a second set of one or more rows adapted to
display caller-ID information in a summary form; and a display controller having an input coupled to said
caller-ID receiver and to said caller-ID memory, and an output
coupled to said display panel; wherein said display controller is configured to
output a first caller's caller-ID information on said display
panel in said complete form, and to concurrently output a
second caller's caller-ID information on said display panel in
said summary form.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
116 words
The caller-ID device of claim 23, further
comprising a switch coupled to said display controller, and
wherein said display controller is further configured to
select between a first display mode and a second display mode
responsive to said switch; wherein said first display mode comprises said first
caller's caller-ID information being output on said display
panel in said complete form concurrently with said second
caller's caller-ID information being output on said display
panel in said summary form; and wherein said second display mode comprises said
second caller's caller-ID information being output on said
display panel in said complete form concurrently with said
first caller's caller-ID information being output on said
display panel in said summary form.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
72 words
The caller-ID device of claims 23, wherein said
display panel further comprises a first sequence indicator
adjacent to said first set of one or more rows, and a second
sequence indicator adjacent to said second set of one or more
rows, said first and second sequence indicators for indicating
a call order of a first and second caller corresponding to
said first caller's caller-ID information and said second
caller's caller-ID information, respectively.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
72 words
The caller-ID device of claim 23, wherein said
display panel further comprises a first status indicator
adjacent to said first set of one or more rows, and a second
status indicator adjacent to said second set of one or more
rows, said first and second status indicators for indicating a
talking/waiting status of a first and second caller
corresponding to said first caller's caller-ID information and
said second caller's caller-ID information, respectively.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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