US 5,764,731 A · Enhanced system for transferring, storing and using signaling information in a switched telephone network

Abstract

A system includes a telephone and a distant device. The distant device contains one or more telephone numbers which are later to be dialed at the telephone. The telephone numbers are transmitted in coded form, preferably dual tone multifrequency form, from the device to the telephone. The distant device may be a directory assistance service position, a caller ID receiver, and answering machine, a voice or electronic mail system, a terminal operated by a secretary or receptionist, or a simple DTMF keyboard. After the telephone numbers are received, they are stored in any of several memories in the telephone. Later, the user selects one of the entries for dialing and the entry is used for address signaling. Optionally, storage, selection and dialing of a memory entry can be further simplified by using voice processing techniques. The system is particularly pertinent to the driver of an automobile who is operating a cellular telephone, to a travelling individual who regularly receives and needs to return a large number of calls, to a pedestrian carrying a portable telephone, or to a person with a physical disability, because it saves the user having to jot down telephone numbers and dialing them manually. A particularly significant embodiment enables the user of this system to establish a customized paging service through an ordinary telephone network, using end-user, customer premises equipment only.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An end-user customizable, end-user telephone equipment-based paging and messaging system, the system comprising a server and a telephone each having a connection to a switched telephone network:

the server comprising:
an input device;
first reception means responsive to the input device for receiving a received telephone number into the server as a resident telephone number;
means responsive to a call initiation condition generated by a custom call initiation profile, to initiate a telephone call from the server to the telephone and initiate a connection therebetween over said switched telephone network;
an auxiliary memory storing an auxiliary telephone number which is the telephone number of the telephone, which the server shall use to signal said telephone;
and
emission means responsive to an emission command for emitting in coded form said resident telephone number, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as an emitted telephone number;
the telephone comprising:
a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys;
a telephone number memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing telephone numbers;
means responsive to an automatic call pickup condition to automatically pickup an incoming call and establish the connection between the server and the telephone;
second reception means responsive to receipt of said emitted telephone number over said connection between the server and the telephone for storing the emitted number into a storage location in the telephone number memory as a stored telephone number;
call termination means to terminate said connection following said storing of the emitted telephone number into the telephone number memory;
and
an output device outputting said stored telephone number.

12 more elements

A system for obtaining, storing and signalling telephone numbers, the system comprising a server and a telephone each having a connection to a switched telephone network:

the server comprising:
an input device;
first reception means responsive to the input device for receiving a received telephone number into the server as a resident telephone number;
emission means responsive to an emission command for emitting in coded form said resident telephone number, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as an emitted telephone number;
the telephone comprising:
a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys;
a voice pattern memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing a plurality of voice patterns as stored voice patterns;
a voice input and pattern generating device generating a machine-readable representation of a vocal utterance into the device;
voice storage means responsive to the voice input and pattern generating device for storing said machine-readable representation of said vocal utterance into the voice pattern memory as one of said stored voice patterns;
means for detecting a match between a second vocal utterance into the voice input and pattern generating device and one of said stored voice patterns;
a telephone number memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing telephone numbers;
second reception means responsive to receipt of said emitted telephone number over said connection between the server and the telephone for storing the emitted number into a storage location in the telephone number memory as a stored telephone number in association with one of said stored voice patterns;
and
retrieval and signalling means responsive to a retrieval and signalling command for retrieving the emitted number from its storage location in the telephone number memory and then calling said emitted number;
wherein
the emitted number is selected and retrieved from one of said plurality of storage locations in said telephone number memory, and then called, based upon detecting a match between said second vocal utterance and the stored voice pattern associated with said emitted number.

13 more elements

A system for obtaining, storing and signalling telephone numbers, the system comprising a server and a telephone each having a connection to a switched telephone network and having established a connection to one another over said switched telephone network:

the server comprising:
an input device;
first reception means responsive to the input device for receiving a received telephone number into the server as a resident telephone number;
and
first emission means responsive to an emission command for emitting in coded form said resident telephone number, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as an emitted telephone number;
and
the telephone comprising:
a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys;
a telephone number memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing telephone numbers;
second reception means responsive to receipt of said emitted telephone number in coded form from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween for storing the emitted number into a storage location in the telephone number memory;
retrieval and signalling means responsive to a retrieval and signalling command for retrieving the emitted number from its storage location in the telephone number memory and then signalling said emitted number;
and
conference call means responsive to the retrieval and signalling command, to signal and establish a conference call among several telephone addresses on the switched telephone network by retrieving and signalling telephone numbers stored in the telephone number memory;
wherein the retrieval and signalling command comprises an entry at the server input device emitted from the server to the telephone over the connection;
wherein the telephone, upon receipt of said retrieval and signalling command, initiates a first telephone call to a first telephone address by signalling an emitted telephone number stored in the telephone number memory while maintaining the connection between the telephone and server thereby establishing an initial conference call among the server, the telephone, and the said first telephone address, and similarly initiates additional telephone calls to additional telephone addresses by signalling emitted additional telephone numbers stored in the telephone number memory if the signalling command so indicates, while maintaining the initial conference call, thereby adding said additional telephone addresses to said initial conference call.

12 more elements

A system for obtaining, storing and signalling telephone numbers, the system comprising a server and a telephone each having a physical connection to a switched telephone network and having established a network connection to one another over said switched telephone network:

the server comprising:
a telephone number memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing telephone numbers;
an information memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing associated information linked to and associated with each of said telephone numbers stored in the telephone number memory;
first emission means responsive to an emission command for emitting in coded form a telephone number residing in the telephone number memory, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as an emitted telephone number;
second emission means responsive to said emission command for emitting associated information in the information memory and associated with said telephone number, in coded form, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as emitted associated information;
means responsive to a call received by the server from the telephone over the connection therebetween for collecting information indicative of a particular telephone number residing in said telephone number memory, desired by a caller placing said call;
means responsive to the information indicative of the particular telephone number desired by the caller for looking up said particular directory telephone number in said telephone number memory;
a password code memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing personal identification password codes associated with each directory telephone number in said directory telephone number memory;
and
means responsive to a second call from a second caller received by the server from the a second telephone over a second connection therebetween for operating upon said stored associated information;
wherein the emission command comprises successful completion of said looking up in said directory telephone number memory of said particular telephone number desired by the caller, the emitted telephone number is said directory telephone number yielded by said looking up, and the emitted associated information is said associated information associated with the emitted telephone number;
and
wherein the second caller, by supplying information indicative of the second caller's own directory telephone number and correctly supplying the personal identification password code associated with the second caller's own directory telephone number, is thereby enabled to operate upon the associated information linked to and associated with the second caller's own directory telephone number;
the telephone comprising:
a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys;
a second telephone number memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing telephone numbers;
reception means responsive to receipt of said emitted telephone number in coded form from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween for storing the emitted number into a storage location in the second telephone number memory, as a second stored telephone number;
second reception means responsive to receipt of said emitted associated information associated with the emitted telephone number, emitted in coded form from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, for receiving into the telephone said emitted associated information associated with said emitted telephone number;
and
retrieval and signalling means responsive to a retrieval and signalling command for retrieving the emitted number from its storage location in the second telephone number memory and then signalling said emitted number.

17 more elements

A telephone number and associated information server comprising:

a telephone number memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing telephone numbers;
an information memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing associated information linked to and associated with each of said telephone numbers stored in the telephone number memory;
first emission means responsive to an emission command for emitting in coded form a telephone number residing in the telephone number memory, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as an emitted telephone number;
second emission means responsive to said emission command for emitting associated information in the information memory and associated with said telephone number, in coded form, from the server to the telephone over the connection therebetween, as emitted associated information;
means responsive to a call received by the server from the telephone over the connection therebetween for collecting information indicative of a particular telephone number residing in said telephone number memory, desired by a caller placing said call;
means responsive to the information indicative of the particular telephone number desired by the caller for looking up said particular directory telephone number in said telephone number memory;
a password code memory comprising a plurality of storage locations storing personal identification password codes associated with each directory telephone number in said directory telephone number memory;
and
means responsive to a second call from a second caller received by the server from the a second telephone over a second connection therebetween for operating upon said stored associated information;
wherein the emission command comprises successful completion of said looking up in said directory telephone number memory of said particular telephone number desired by the caller, the emitted telephone number is said directory telephone number yielded by said looking up, and the emitted associated information is said associated information associated with the emitted telephone number;
and
wherein the second caller, by supplying information indicative of the second caller's own directory telephone number and correctly supplying the personal identification password code associated with the second caller's own directory telephone number, is thereby enabled to operate upon the associated information linked to and associated with the second caller's own directory telephone number.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Enhanced system for transferring, storing and using signaling information in a switched telephone network

Life of this patent

Enhanced system for transferring, storing and using signaling information in a switched telephone network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13