Telephonic communications – Special services – Call waiting
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-29
2001-11-06
Hong, Harry S. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Call waiting
C379S355010, C379S355090
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314173
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a telephone apparatus and, more particularly, to a telephone apparatus that allows the use of a so-called call-waiting service, whereby when a third party attempts to call a first party while the first party is conducting a telephone conversation with a second party, the first party's telephone line connection can be switched between the second party's telephone apparatus and the to the third party's telephone apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Many conventional telephones have a catch-phone (or hereinafter, referred to call-waiting) device that, if there is a call from a third party to a first party while the first party is conducting a conversation with a second party, the first party receives a “beep” from the exchange carrier. The first party may then signal the exchange carrier to switch the first party's telephone line connection from the second party to the third party. The first party may then switch back to the second party by using the same call-waiting device to switch the line connection. Therefore, this type of telephone apparatus can substantially eliminate incidents where a caller is kept waiting due to a continual busy state of a called party's telephone.
However, this type of telephone needs to have a call-waiting operating portion (i.e., buttons, mechanisms, etc.) in addition to the conventional operating portions, thereby increasing the number of component parts, as well as the production costs of the telephone. In late-model telephones, the structure of the operating portion of the telephone have become rather complicated due to the adoption of additional dial buttons, such as “*”, “#” and the like, and additional function buttons for, for example, abbreviated dialing (or speed dialing) whereby a telephone number pre-stored in a memory device, such as a non-volatile memory, is read out of memory and dialed. Therefore, a dedicated call-waiting operating portion may give rise to problems in installation space or external design.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 07-32188 discloses a telephone that has a function whereby a first party operates a button that interrupts a call between a first party and a second party and simultaneously sends an “imitation holding sound” to the second party. However, the telephone only sends an “imitation holding sound” to the second party and does not perform a call-waiting-type function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a telephone apparatus that allows the use of a call-waiting service without employing a dedicated call-waiting operating portion.
According to the invention, there is provided a telephone apparatus including a call-waiting unit that, when there is a call from a third party during a first party's telephone communication with a second party, switches the first party's telephone line connection from the second party's telephone to the third party's telephone. The telephone includes a call-waiting operating portion operable to instruct the call waiting unit to switch the line connection. The call-waiting operating portion is structured so that the call-waiting operating portion has a function other than a function of the call-waiting operating portion.
In the telephone apparatus of the invention, the call-waiting operating portion that instructs the call-waiting unit to switch the line connection is structured so as to also function as a predetermined operating portion having a different function. Therefore, the telephone apparatus allows the call-waiting service to be used although an operating portion dedicated to the call-waiting function is not provided. Consequently, the telephone apparatus of the invention achieves the call-waiting function and, at the same time, reduces the number of the component parts required for the operating portions and the related production costs. Furthermore, since there is no need to separately provide an operating portion dedicated to the call-waiting function, the telephone apparatus of the invention does not give rise to problems in installation space or external design. Consequently, the cost of developing a new telephone model can be minimized.
The telephone apparatus of the invention may further include a determining unit and a function switching unit. In this embodiment, the determining unit determines whether the telephone apparatus is connected to another telephone apparatus. Based on the determination by the determining unit, the function switching unit switches the call-waiting operating portion between the two different functions thereof in the following manner. For example, when it is determined that the telephone line of the telephone apparatus is not connected, the function switching unit causes the call-waiting operating portion to function as the predetermined operating portion having a different function. When it is determined that the line is connected, the function switching unit causes the call-waiting operating portion to function as the call-waiting operating portion. Since the call-waiting unit switches the line connection only when the telephone apparatus is connected to another telephone apparatus, the function switching unit switches the call-waiting operating portion between the different functions thereof in accordance with the determination as to whether the telephone line is connected.
With this structure, the telephone apparatus causes the call-waiting operating portion to function as the call-waiting operating portion only in a case where the call-waiting unit is effective and, in the other cases, causes the call-waiting operating portion to function as the predetermined operating portion having a different function. Therefore, the telephone apparatus with this structure does not cause a substantial inconvenience while using the call-waiting operating portion for the call-waiting function and a different function.
The telephone apparatus of the invention may further include a storage unit that stores a telephone number, and a memory calling unit that reads the telephone number from the storage unit and calls the telephone number. In this embodiment, the predetermined operating portion is an operating portion that is operable to instruct the memory calling unit to make a call.
With this structure, the memory calling unit reads a telephone number from the storage unit and calls the number, upon operation of the call-waiting operating portion when the call-waiting operating portion has been switched to the function of the predetermined operating portion. Therefore, it becomes possible to call a telephone apparatus very easily without mis-dialing. Since the memory calling unit is normally not used when the telephone apparatus is connected to a telephone apparatus by a telephone line, there is no substantial problem if the call-waiting operating portion functions only as the call-waiting operating portion when the line is connected. Thus, the telephone apparatus with this structure makes it possible to call a telephone apparatus very easily without mis-dialing and substantially eliminates the inconvenience that may be caused by the use of the call-waiting operating portion for the two different functions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3963874 (1976-06-01), Pommerening et al.
patent: 7-321888 (1995-12-01), None
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Hong Harry S.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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