US 6,807,260 B2Granted

Telephone line management and environmental information monitoring system

AssigneeRoyal Appliance Mfg. Co.

InventorsMark E. Reindle, Jonathan Katz

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

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Abstract

A telephone line management system in communication with a telephone line is provided. In one aspect, the system includes a caller ID module operatively coupled to the telephone line for receiving and displaying a name and a telephone number of a calling party associated with a received telephone call and a false special information tone (SIT) generator module operatively coupled to the telephone line for sending a false signal on a telephone line substantially similar to at least a first part of a SIT in response to an incoming telephone call. In another aspect, the system includes a caller ID module, a false SIT generator module, and a controller for determining when the name and telephone number of a calling party is displayed and when the false signal is operationally coupled to the telephone line. In other embodiments, the system may include an answering machine module or a telephone module.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A communications device in communication with a telephone line, including:

an environmental information monitor module with a display device;
one or more sensors to detect one or more conditions within the environment of the communications device;
a false special information tone (SIT) generator module operatively connected to the telephone line for sending a false signal on a telephone line substantially similar to at least a first part of a SIT in response to an incoming telephone call;
and,
a controller in communication with the environmental information monitor module, the one or more sensors, and the false SIT generator module, wherein the controller receives one or more environmental conditions detected by the one or more sensors, wherein the controller controls the environmental information monitor module and determines when the one or more environmental conditions detected by the one or more sensors are displayed on the display device, wherein the controller controls the false SIT generator module and determines when the false signal is operationally coupled to the telephone line.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/337,541Filed 7 Jan 2003 · continuation
Priority: 20 Nov 2001
Published: US 2003/0095649 A129 May 2003
Granted: 19 Oct 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04M 15/06
Recording calls , or communications in printed, perforated or other permanent form: recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called…
H04M 1/50
Devices which can set up and transmit only one digit at a time: by generating or selecting currents of predetermined frequencies or combinations…
H04M 1/57
Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers: arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called…
H04M 1/663
With means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling: preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Family

Application09/989,644Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 20 Nov 2001
Application60/346,490Us provisional application · filed 7 Jan 2002
Application10/087,645Parent of this continuation · filed 1 Mar 2002
US 2003/0099339 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 May 2003
US 6,707,895 B2Parent of this continuation
Application10/087,645Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,671,369 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2003/0095649 A1Published application
US 2003/0095653 A1Published application
US 6,807,260 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.