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US 4,536,617 AGranted
Remotely-activated switching apparatus
AssigneeKeptel, Inc.
InventorSteven B. Perry
Life of this patent
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AssigneeKeptel, Inc.
InventorSteven B. Perry
Estimating the term…
Apparatus is disclosed for disconnecting and reconnecting equipment to a telephone line in response to at least one signal sent over the telephone line. The apparatus includes a voltage threshold circuit, a voltage regulator circuit, a current chargeable element such as a capacitor, a discharge circuit, a switch and a switch control. The switch is coupled to the telephone line and to the equipment and disconnects the equipment from the line in response to the signal sent over the line. The threshold circuit is coupled to the line and receives the signal. It provides an output signal to the regulator circuit only when the signal on the line exceeds a threshold voltage level. The voltage regulator circuit regulates the voltage at the output of the threshold circuit and provides a substantially constant voltage to the chargeable element. Since the voltage applied to the chargeable element is known, the time required to charge the chargeable element can be precisely determined. The chargeable element is coupled to the discharge circuit which causes the chargeable element to discharge when the signal to the threshold circuit falls below the threshold value, for example, when the signal is removed. The switch control is coupled to the discharge circuit and maintains the switch in a switched, equipment-disconnected condition while the chargeable element is discharging.
Apparatus adapted to be coupled to a link such as a telephone line and the like and to equipment to connect or disconnect the equipment from the link in response to a signal transmitted on the link from a location remote from the location at which the apparatus is located, the apparatus comprising switch means coupled to the link and to the equipment so as to connect and disconnect the link and the equipment in respective switch states of the switch means, energy storage means, regulator means having an input coupled to receive the signal from the link and for providing a predetermined substantially constant signal to the energy storage means whereby said energy storage means can be charged by said regulator means to a predetermined, repeatable level when said signal transmitted on the link is maintained for a predetermined time period, de-energizing means coupled to the energy storage means for de-energizing the energy storage means, the switch means having two states and being coupled to the de-energizing means, and being switched from one of the two states to the other of the two states when the energy storage means is de-energizing through the de-energizing means.
A switching device adapted to be coupled to a line such as a telephone line and the like to connect or disconnect equipment connected to the line in response to a signal transmitted on the line from a location remote from the location at which the device is located, the device comprising switch means coupled to the line and to the equipment so as to connect and disconnect the line and the equipment in respective switching states of the switch means, voltage threshold means having an input coupled to the line and having an output for providing a voltage when the magnitude of the voltage at said input exceeds a threshold voltage magnitude and substantially no voltage when the magnitude of the voltage at said input is less than the threshold voltage magnitude, said voltage at the output of the threshold means being equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude, voltage regulator means having an input coupled to the output of the voltage threshold means and an output providing a predetermined substantially constant voltage when said voltage magnitude is present at the output of the threshold means, chargeable means coupled to the output of the voltage regulator means adapted to charge when there is a voltage present at the output of the voltage regulator means, discharge means coupled to the chargeable means for discharging the chargeable means in a predetermined time period when the magnitude of the voltage at the chargeable means exceeds the magnitude of the voltage at the output of the regulator means, the switch means being coupled to the discharge means and being in one of the two states when the chargeable means is discharging through the discharge means and in the other of the two states when the chargeable means is not discharging through the discharge means.
A switching deivce adapted to be coupled to a line such as a telephone line and the like to connect or disconnect equipment connected to the line in response to a first signal transmitted on the line from a location remote from the location at which the device is located and reconnect the equipment in response to a second signal transmitted on said telephone line from said remote location, the device comprising switch means coupled to the line and to the equipment so as to connect and disconnect the line and the equipment in respective switching states of the switch means, first means coupled to the line and to the switch means responsive to the first signal when on the line to cause the switch means to switch from a first state connecting the equipment to a second state disconnecting the equipment from the line, second means substantially the same as and separate from the first means responsive to the second signal when on the line and coupled to the switch means for causing the switch means to switch from the second state to the first state, said first means comprising a first voltage threshold means which provides an output voltage causing the switch means to switch only when the voltage at the input of the first voltage threshold means exceeds a predetermined value, said second means comprising a second voltage threshold means which provides an output voltage causing the switch means to switch only when the voltage at the input of the second voltage threshold means exceeds a predetermined voltage of a polarity opposite to the polarity of the voltage at the input to the first voltage threshold means which is effective to cause switching, said first means further including a first voltage regulator coupled to the first voltage threshold means and said second means comprising a second voltage regulator coupled to the second voltage threshold means, said device further including first chargeable means coupled to the output of the first voltage regulator adapted to charge when there is a voltage present at the output of the first voltage regulator, second chargeable means coupled to the output of the second voltage regulator adapted to charge when there is a voltage present at the output of the second voltage regulator, first discharge means coupled to the first chargeable means for discharging the first chargeable means when the magnitude of the voltage at the first chargeable means exceeds the magnitude of the voltage at the output of the first voltage regulator, second discharge means coupled to the second chargeable means for discharging the second chargeable means when the magnitude of the voltage at the second chargeable means exceeds the magnitude of the voltage at the output of the second voltage regulator, the first discharge means being coupled to the switch means and controlling switching of the switch means from the first state to the second state when the first discharge means id discharging, the second discharge means being coupled to the switch means and controlling switching of the switch means from the second state to the first state when the second discharge means is discharging.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.