Telephonic communications – Reception of calling information at substation in wireline... – Blocking caller id transmission
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-17
2001-06-12
Kuntz, Curtis (Department: 2643)
Telephonic communications
Reception of calling information at substation in wireline...
Blocking caller id transmission
C379S188000, C379S194000, C379S200000, C379S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246756
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telephone systems, and more particularly to telephone systems with monitoring and control functions.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The telephone is one sign of modem life. Since its invention, the telephone has seen a remarkable expansion in both usage and functionality. Today, the telephone is a necessity for every business and the majority of homes. The basic idea of a telephone system is simple. Changes in air pressure, or sound waves, are converted to electrical signals by a microphone. The electrical signals are transmitted via a communication path to a receiver. The receiver converts the transmitted signals back to sound.
Telephone systems have continuously become more complex due to the utilization of different technologies. These technologies have substantially increased the telephone systems usage and functionality. Loudspeakers have been added to provide hands free functions. Wireless technologies have been employed to provide wireless functions. Memories and processors have been used to provide many functions, such as speed dial, answering services, routing functions, and access control functions, among others. Many modem telephone systems employ some software programming and hardware adjustments to provide control functions and automation, such as operating lights, appliances, thermostats, motorized drapes, phones, and other devices.
Within home or office environments, the integration of wireless technologies into telephone systems has provided the cordless telephone. In the latter, a handset of the telephone system is remotely coupled to a base without using a cord. Communication is established between the base and the handset by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. Since the frequency range of the human sound is relatively low, a carrier wave of a much higher frequency is modulated (based on the sound of the user) and transmitted by a transmitter to a receiver. The received modulated wave is decoded and the information carried by the wave is extracted. Cordless telephone systems may use a range of frequency to facilitate the communication between the base and the handset. Cordless telephones are designed for use within the boundaries of a building. The energy associated with the communication signal, between the base and the handset, allows the signal to propagate only for a limited distance.
As the development of telephone systems continues, many services associated with telephones are made available almost on everyday. With the vast increase in services that are available just by dialing phone numbers, a concern may arise about the time that is spent by an individual using the telephone. Concerns may also arise about the nature of a call that is placed by the individual, the type of the service that the individual is using, and the cost associated with the usage of the telephone. Unfortunately, some of the services that are easily available through the phone may not be appropriate for some users. For example, many of today services that utilize the
900
dialing structure may not be appropriate for young users. Some of these services are directed toward specific groups of the population, such as teenagers. Not only is using some of these services inappropriate, but also their usage may also result in costly telephone bills. Furthermore, parents may prefer that their children spend no time on the telephone (for some destinations) or a limited time while they talk with their friends. Children may neglect to manage their time properly and they may spend more time on the telephone than on other activities, such as doing their homework. Therefore, telephone systems that enable control, such as parental control, over their usage are desirable. Furthermore, telephone systems that enable metering their usage are also desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a telephone system that enables configurable metering of selected outgoing calls, where the metering is configurable by the owner of the system. The metering functions enable controls over the time spent on calls (collectively and per call) and the specific time when the call is made per the specific destination per the specific user. The telephone system comprises an entry device that is configured to dial phone numbers of destination stations, a transmitter that is configured to transmit the initiated outgoing call, and a metering circuitry that is coupled to the entry device and to the transmitter. The metering circuitry is used to examine and to meter the phone number of the outgoing call prior to transmission. The metering circuitry is configured to store at least one list of a plurality of lists; such that each list includes at least one entry that is indicative of a phone number of an outgoing call and/or a user. The metering circuitry receives a first series of dialing signals from the entry device that is entered by the user. The first series may include dialing signals for both the outgoing destination and an identification code for the user. The received first series is encoded into a corresponding code using an encoder/decoder (codec) unit within the metering circuitry. The corresponding code (or the encoded first series) is indicative of at least one of the phone number and the user. The metering circuitry compares the corresponding code with entries that are stored in the list. Each of the stored entries may comprise one of more fields containing information about the phone number of the outgoing destination, the user, the time of the day when the outgoing destination may be metered, and the overall time allowed for calling the outgoing destination.
The corresponding code is compared with one or more fields whereas the value of a clock time is verified with the time of day. The metering circuitry is configured to meter the user's usage of the telephone system if the corresponding code matches at least one entry that is stored in the list, based on a set of control actions that are established based on the content of the entry. The metering circuitry denies the user an access to use the telephone system if the user's usage of the telephone reaches specific parameters according to predetermined criteria. Furthermore, the metering unit is configured to route the outgoing call to the transmitter if the information contained in the encoded first series does not match any of the entries stored within the lists, thus permitting the outgoing call to be transmitted upon the communication line.
The present invention further contemplates a metering circuitry within the telephone system that comprises a card reader that is configured to read a card that is assigned to a user. The card reader is adapted to register an access identification code of the user. Further, the card reader may be configured to read pre-recorded information from the card such as the telephone usage time and to update such information according to the usage of the telephone by a cardholder or a user. The telephone system further comprises an access control unit, an announcement generator, and a selector. The access control unit is configured to enable storing of entries in the lists using an access code that is known by the owner. The announcement generator is configured to broadcast at least one of a plurality of announcements in response to various control actions that are performed by the metering circuitry. Different announcements may be broadcast based on the type of outgoing phone number dialed, the user, the time of the day, and the user's access status with respect to a specific destination or to the use of the telephone system. The selector is also configured to capture at least the phone number of an incoming call prior to forwarding the call for reception or during the reception of the incoming phone call. The metering circuitry is configured to use the captured information from the incoming phone call in manner similar to that of a dialed outgoing phone number through the en
Borland David J.
Hartmann Al
Advanced Micro Devices , Inc.
Conley Rose & Tayon PC
Hood Jeffrey C.
Kuntz Curtis
Tieu Binh K.
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