Telephone interceptor
First Claim
1. An apparatus for intercepting telephone calls on a telephone channel connected to a telephone, comprising:
- a. a ring detector, in communication with the telephone channel, that is capable of detecting an incoming telephone call and that generates a ring signal upon detection of a incoming telephone call;
b. a user input that is capable of receiving an input from a user indicating that the user desires not to be called;
c. a counter, responsive to the user input, programmed to count a selected amount of time from assertion of the user input; and
d. a delay circuit, responsive to the counter, the ring signal and the user input, that is programmed to;
i. allow the telephone to ring if an incoming call has been detected and if more than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted; and
ii. prevent the telephone from ringing if an incoming call has been detected and if less than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus (310) for intercepting telephone calls on a telephone channel connected to a telephone includes a ring detector, that is in communication with the telephone channel. The ring detector is capable of detecting an incoming telephone call and generates a ring signal upon detection of an incoming telephone call. A user input receives an input from a user indicating that the user desires not to be called. A counter (320), that is responsive to the user input, is programmed to count a selected amount of time from assertion of the user input. A delay circuit (330), that is responsive to the counter, the ring signal and the user input, is programmed to allow the telephone to ring if an incoming call has been detected and if more than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted. The delay circuit (330) is also programmed to prevent the telephone from ringing if an incoming call has been detected and if less than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An apparatus for intercepting telephone calls on a telephone channel connected to a telephone, comprising:
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a. a ring detector, in communication with the telephone channel, that is capable of detecting an incoming telephone call and that generates a ring signal upon detection of a incoming telephone call;
b. a user input that is capable of receiving an input from a user indicating that the user desires not to be called;
c. a counter, responsive to the user input, programmed to count a selected amount of time from assertion of the user input; and
d. a delay circuit, responsive to the counter, the ring signal and the user input, that is programmed to;
i. allow the telephone to ring if an incoming call has been detected and if more than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted; and
ii. prevent the telephone from ringing if an incoming call has been detected and if less than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of intercepting telephone calls on a telephone channel connected to a telephone and a user input that indicates that a user desires not to be called, comprising the steps of:
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a. detecting an incoming telephone call on the telephone channel;
b. generating a ring signal upon detection of a incoming telephone call;
c. determining if the user input has been asserted by the user; and
d. allowing the telephone to ring if an incoming call has been detected and if more than a selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted; and
e. preventing the telephone from ringing if an incoming call has been detected and if less than the selected amount of time has passed since the user input was last asserted. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification