Telephonic communications – Special services – Repetitive call attempts
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-14
2003-09-16
Deane, William J (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Repetitive call attempts
C379S210010, C379S210020, C379S214010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06621896
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the benefit of German application 19938627.7-31 filed on Aug. 14, 1999 which in hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns means in a telephone, preferably in a cell-phone, which being switched on has the purpose to avoid disturbing the receiver; however, in urgent cases the receiver can be reached by any caller.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is common in business communication via stationary telephones, that arriving calls will be received by a central phone or a secretary, who decides, if the call can be put through to the requested receiver or if the call would be inconvenient at this moment. In the latter case the secretary will ask, if the caller would like to call again some time later or if he would refer to be called back, and make a note of this call.
If this kind of filter is not available, as it is the case with cell phones generally, quite often calls will disturb the receiver unnecessarily, as the caller has no information, that momentarily his call is inconvenient.
To avoid disturbances there are means at the use of a cell phone:
1. The cell phone will be shut off. The disadvantage is, that even in urgent cases the receiver cannot be reached.
2. The cell phone is set on a mode, which does not accept the call, but the phone number of the caller will be stored for a later call back by the receiver. As in case 1 one cannot be reached in urgent cases without delay.
3. The cell phone is set on a mode to transmit only calls originating from preselected phone numbers. These calls may be urgent or not. All other calls will be suppressed, even if urgent.
The patent application DE 196 48 991 A I (which is hereby incorporated by reference) describes a circuit for a cell phone, by which, when activated, an arriving call will be answered automatically by a stored message (e.g. the call is inconvenient at the moment, therefore the caller is asked to call again some time later, or the caller may wait a moment and not hang up). In the latter case the connection will be maintained for a certain time, within which the receiver can take the call.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The means according to this invention surpasses the a.m. patent application DE 196 48 991 A L For it includes the caller in a semiautomatic dialogue and offers him some alternative choices without disturbing the receiver, similar to a dialogue with a secretary as described above. Moreover the use of this invention in stationary telephones makes sense too.
The task of this invention is to provide means in a telephone, preferably in a cell phone, which—without the filter of a secretary and without disturbing the receiver—informs the receiver in a semiautomatic dialogue, that his call at the moment is inconvenient and offers him some choices for a later communication or in an urgent case puts him through in spite of the inconvenience.
This task of the invention is solved by a special and additional mode S (Secretary) according to the patent claim. The function S consists of the combination of known circuits and programs, as they are state of the art in fax-machines, automatic answering machines and comfort telephones. The program according to this invention offers different time windows to the caller. After having been informed about the inconvenient moment of his call the caller can decide by using one of these time windows, to shut his call off, in order to call again some time later or to be called back, or to be put through because of an urgent case, which vindicates disturbing the receiver.
The multitude of various functions, the miniaturization of the cell phones and the striving for less energy consumption—all features fulfilled in modem cell phones—demand complex high-integrated microprocessor circuits. The different functions result from the programs stored in the circuit and started by defined events.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4926470 (1990-05-01), Sanford
patent: 5442814 (1995-08-01), Seo
patent: 5495235 (1996-02-01), Durinovic-Johri et al.
patent: 5668876 (1997-09-01), Falk et al.
patent: 5699514 (1997-12-01), Durinovic-Johri et al.
patent: 6128375 (2000-10-01), Punzalan et al.
patent: 3010745 (1981-09-01), None
patent: 19535612 (1996-03-01), None
Deane William J
Liniak Berenato & White
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