Telephone answering system and apparatus for direct caller selection of a party line extension
AssigneeProduct Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorJames H. Bowen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
With a plug-in tone responsive unit at each extension, a central answering unit responds to a caller initiated, telephone company generated, ring signal on the telephone line and establishes a connection with the calling phone. Each of the remote units responds to a different predetermined tone frequency. When the caller pushes a key on a standard Touch Tone phone key pad to select a specific extension, the responding remote unit generates a ringing signal for that extension.
Claims7
A remote unit for an automated telephone answering system for use with telephone extensions connected in parallel on a line, comprising in combination;
- means for coupling said remote unit to said line;
- means for coupling a telephone extension to said remote unit;
- means to detect a plurality of different caller generated tones;
- means to select at least one of said generated tones for response by said remote unit;
- means for generating a ring signal;
- and
- means to couple said ring signal to said telephone extension coupling means in response to detection of a tone selected by said selection means.
A remote unit for an automated telephone answering system for use with telephone extensions connected in parallel on a line, comprising in combination;
- means for coupling said remote unit to said line;
- means for coupling a telephone extension to said remote unit;
- means to detect a plurality of different caller generated tones;
- means to select at least one of said generated tones for response by said remote unit;
- means for generating a ring signal;
- means to couple said ring signal to said telephone extension coupling means in response to detection of a tone selected by said selection means;
- and
- means to inhibit response to said plurality of tones if said line has an on-hook status signal thereon.
An automated telephone answering system for telephone extensions coupled in parallel on a line, comprising in combination;
- a central unit for responding to incoming calls;
- means for coupling each of said units to said line;
- a plurality of remote units;
- means for coupling each of said units to said line;
- means to couple a telephone extension to each of said remote units;
- said remote units each having means to detect a plurality of caller generated tones;
- said remote units each having means to select at least one of said generated tones for response by said each remote unit;
- each of said remote units including ring signal generating means;
- and
- each of said remote units including means to couple said ring signal generating means to an extension coupled thereto in response to a tone for which it has been selected to respond.
An automated telephone answering system for telephone extensions coupled in parallel on a line, comprising in combination;
- a central unit for responding to incoming calls;
- means for coupling said unit to said line;
- a plurality of remote units;
- means for coupling each of said units to said line;
- means to couple a telephone extension to each of said remote units;
- central unit means for sending a tone to a caller in response to an incoming call;
- means for coupling each of said remote units in parallel to said line independently of said central unit;
- said remote units each having means to detect a plurality of caller generated tones;
- said remote units each having means to select at least one of said generated tones for response by said each remote unit;
- each of said remote units including ring signal generating means;
- and
- each of said remote units including means to couple said ring signal generating means to an extension coupled thereto in response to a tone for which it has been selected to respond.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.