Telephonic communications – Reception of calling information at substation in wireline... – Blocking caller id transmission
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-09
2001-12-25
Tieu, Binh (Department: 2643)
Telephonic communications
Reception of calling information at substation in wireline...
Blocking caller id transmission
C379S093230, C379S001010, C379S142050, C379S142120, C379S142170, C455S415000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333978
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone system which is composed of a set of a master unit and a slave unit and provided with a function of recognizing a caller telephone number, and more particularly relates to a technology for protecting privacy from being infringed. Although the telephone system of the invention is mainly a cordless telephone, a master unit may be provided with a facsimile apparatus, as a master unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a telephone system which is ready for a number display service (a caller telephone number display service) and a modem dial-in service, there is provided a telephone system whose master unit and slave unit are both provided with a function of storing a caller telephone number. Further, there is also provided a telephone system which is provided with a function of setting a called terminal between a master unit and a slave unit for each caller telephone number.
These telephone systems are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-191497 (1993). The telephone systems disclosed in this publication that utilize a selective calling system are equipped with a management table where identification numbers which are respectively associated with a master unit and a slave unit are registered. When a call comes in, the master unit compares the telephone number of the incoming call with the identification numbers stored in the management table. In the case where the telephone number matches one of the identification numbers, only the master unit or slave unit that is associated with the identification number is called, and in the case where the telephone number does not match any of the identification numbers, both the master unit and the slave unit are called.
In the conventional telephone systems which are ready for the number display service, the master unit is absolutely capable of storing a history of incoming caller telephone numbers and displaying it, with the result that a caller telephone number which comes in for the slave unit can be known at the master unit and privacy is sometimes invaded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made for the purpose of solving the aforementioned problem, and it is an object of the invention to protect privacy of a manager of a slave unit with respect to incoming caller telephone numbers as well as to protect privacy of a manager of a master unit with respect to incoming caller telephone numbers.
It is assumed that a telephone system relating to the invention comprises a master unit and at least one slave unit and the master unit has a function of recognizing caller telephone number data which comes in from a line. Then, in order to make caller telephone numbers of calls for the master unit perceived only by the manager of the master unit and to protect the privacy of the manager of the master unit with respect to incoming caller telephone numbers from a person other than the manager, the telephone system is configured in a manner that when caller telephone number data which comes in the master unit is associated with the master unit, the caller telephone number data is displayed/held only at the master unit. Further, in order to make caller telephone numbers of calls for the slave unit perceived only by the manager of the slave unit and protect the privacy of the manager of the slave unit from a person other than the manager of the slave unit, the telephone system is configured in a manner that when caller telephone number data which comes in the master unit is associated with the slave unit, the caller telephone number data is held in the master unit for each slave unit or transmitted from the master unit to the associated slave unit, and in the case where it is held in the master unit, only the manager of the slave unit can perceive it by inputting a secret number while the caller telephone number data is displayed/held only at the associated slave unit which receives the caller telephone number data. Herein, “display/hold” means either displaying or holding, and both of displaying and holding. This applies to the description of accompanying claims.
The present invention provides a telephone system comprising a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is displayed/held only at the master unit, and when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the slave unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is transmitted from the master unit to the associated slave unit and displayed/held only at the associated slave unit.
According to the invention concerning a telephone system whose master unit is provided with a function of recognizing caller telephone number data and transmitting caller telephone number data to a slave unit, caller telephone number data which is associated with the master unit is displayed/held only at the master unit, whereby privacy on the data is protected from the manager of the slave unit and so on, and caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed/held only at the slave unit, whereby privacy on the data is protected from the manager of the master unit, the manager of the other slave unit and so on.
In the invention it is preferable that when the transmission of the incoming caller telephone number data from the master unit to the associated slave unit ends in failure, the incoming caller telephone number data is merely held at the master unit in association with the associated slave unit.
According to the invention, in the case where the transmission to the associated slave unit ends in failure, the incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is merely held at the master unit in association with the associated slave unit, with the result that the incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit can be preserved as a history, and since the data is not displayed at the master unit, privacy on it can be a protected.
In the invention it is preferable that a transmission of the incoming caller telephone number data from the master unit to the associated slave unit is attempted again after the failure of transmission and when said transmission is successfully conducted, the incoming caller telephone number data which is held at the master unit in association with the associated slave unit is deleted.
According to the invention, in the case where the transmission of the incoming caller telephone number data to the associated slave unit ends in failure, when a transmission of the incoming caller telephone number data to the associated slave unit is attempted again and the master unit and the slave unit are connected to each other, the incoming caller telephone number data which is held at the master unit is deleted upon the transmission of the incoming caller telephone number data to the associated slave unit, with the result that protection of privacy of the manager of the slave unit is ensured.
In the invention it is preferable that incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the master unit is displayed/printed by inputting a secret number at the master unit, while incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed by inputting a secret number at the slave unit.
According to the invention, both at the master unit and at the slave unit, incoming caller telephone number data which comes in for the respective units is displayed/printed only when a respectively required secret number is inputted, with the result that it is possible to confirm incoming history data by one operation, and since only the associated person is capable of confirming it, it is possible to protect privacy.
The present invention provides a telephone system comprising a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the incoming caller telep
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Tieu Binh
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