TELEPHONE SCREENING SYSTEM

• US 3,654,396 A
• Filed: 10/24/1969
• Issued: 04/04/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nicolaas Biezeveld
• Original Assignee: Nicolaas Biezeveld
• Inventors: Biezeveld, Nicolaas
• Primary Examiner(s): Claffy, Kathleen H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US04/869,209
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 179/18D,18DA,2A,5
• US Class Current: 379/199
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of telephone calling and receiving stations and central office equipment in which a line adapter receives at a telephone station, signals initiated by a calling station and establishes a communication path between the telephone receiving station and calling station. Logic circuitry for receiving and processing additional signals initiated by the calling station identifies such additional signals, compares the additional signals with a program code for validation, and actuates an indicator if the additional signals are validated.

Claims

1. A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of telephone calling and receiving stations having alerting means and call addresses, and central office equipment comprising:

line adaptor means for receiving at a telephone station signals initiated by calling station and for establishing a communication path between said telephone receiving station and said calling station upon completion of the call address of the receiving station by the calling station;

first circuit means for preventing operation of the alerting means at the telephone receiving station after completion of the call address of the receiving station by the calling station; and

second circuit means for receiving and processing additional signals initiated by said calling station, said circuit means comprising means identifying said additional signals, means comparing said additional signals with a programmed code for validation, and means for actuating the alerting means of the receiving station upon validation of said additional signals.

2. A system for screening incoming telephone calls as set forth in claim 1 wherein is also provided means for signalling to the calling station that a screening system is coupled with the telephone receiving station.

3. A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of central office equipment and telephone calling and receiving stations in which the conventional telephone bells are disconnected from the telephone line, comprising:

line adapter means for receiving at a telephone station signals initiated by a calling station, and for establishing a communication path between the telephone receiving station and the calling station;

means for signalling the calling station that a screening system is coupled to the receiving station, thereby requiring initiation of additional signals at the calling station to complete the call;

means for receiving, processing and validating additional signals initiated by said calling station comprising;

means for identifying the pulses in a train of pulses and for formatting said pulses for input to a programmed matrix;

programmed matrix means for providing output signals only in response to input data corresponding to a preselected code;

means responsive to the output from said matrix means for indicating validation of additional signals initiated by said calling station; and

timing means for disconnecting the communication path established between the calling and receiving stations when validation of additional signals initiated at the calling station does not occur within a specified time.

4. A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of telephone calling and receiving stations and central office equipment comprising:

line adapter means for receiving at a telephone station signals initiated by a calling station and for establishing a communication path between said telephone receiving station and said calling station;

means for signaling to the calling station that a screening station is coupled with the telephone receiving station; and

circuit means for receiving and processing additional signals initiated by said calling station comprising;

means for counting the nUmber of signal pulses in a train of pulses and for counting the number of pulse trains;

means formatting said counted pulses;

programmable matrix means having a predetermined code programmed therein, said formatting means being connected to the input of said matrix means, said matrix means being designed to pass only signals corresponding to the programmed code; and

means for generating a validation signal using the output from said matrix means.

5. A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of telephone calling and receiving stations and central office equipment comprising:

line adaptor means for receiving at a telephone station signals initiated by a calling station and for establishing a communication path between said telephone receiving station and said calling station;

means for signaling to the calling station that a screening system is coupled with the telephone receiving station; and

circuit means for receiving and processing additional signals initiated by said calling station comprising;

means for identifying the frequencies of signal pulses in a train of pulses;

means formatting said identified signals;

programmable matrix means having a predetermined code programmed therein, said matrix means being designed to pass only signals corresponding to the programmed code; and

means for generating a validation signal using the output from said matrix means.

6. A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of telephone calling and receiving stations and central office equipment comprising:

line adaptor means for receiving at a telephone station signals initiated by a calling station and for establishing a communication path between said telephone receiving station and said calling station;

means for signalling to the calling station that a screening system is coupled with the telephone receiving station thereby requiring additional signals to be initiated at the calling station in order to complete the call;

circuit means for receiving and processing additional signals initiated at the calling station comprising means for counting the number of signal pulses in a train of pulses and means for counting the number of pulses trains, each said pulse train corresponding to a digit;

means formatting each pulse train as a digit corresponding to the number of pulses comprising the train for input to a programmed selector matrix;

programmed selector matrix means having a plurality of inputs corresponding to digits and a plurality of outputs, each corresponding to a programmed digit;

code validation means responsive to the outputs from said selector matrix means to provide a validation signal upon receipt of sequential output signals from the selector matrix means in the sequence of the digits programmed therein;

means responsive to said validation signal to provide e an indication of validation of said additional signals generated at the calling station; and

timing means for disconnecting the communication path established between the calling station and the receiving station when a validation signal is not generated within a specified time period.

7. A system for screening incoming telephone calls as set forth in claim 6 wherein said code validation means includes means for sequencing validation of digit signals received at the input to said selector matrix comprising circuit means responsive to the number sequence of the digit pulse train being validated for gating the output from said selector matrix to permit an output signal only at the output for the position in the programmed digit sequence corresponding to the number position of the digit pulse being validated.

8. A system for screening incoming telephone calls as set forth in claim 6 wherein said programmed selector matrix is programmed with first and second sets of digits in specified sequence and wherein said selector matrix iS provided with first and second sets of outputs corresponding to the digits of said first and second sequences of digits and wherein said code validation means is provided with means for generating first and second validation signals upon validation of input signals to the selector matrix corresponding in value and sequence to the first and second sets of programmed digits respectively, and wherein is also provided first and second indicating means for indicating validation of signals generated at said calling station corresponding to the first and second sets of programmed digits, respectively.

9. A system for screening incoming telephone calls for use in a conventional telephone system of telephone calling and receiving stations and central office equipment comprising:

line adapter means for receiving at a telephone station signals initiated by a calling station and for establishing a communication path between said telephone receiving station and said calling station;

means for signalling to the calling station that a screening system is coupled with the telephone receiving station, thereby requiring additional signals to be initiated at the calling station in order to complete the call;

circuit means for receiving and processing additional signals initiated at the calling station comprising means for identifying the frequency of said signals;

means formatting the signals as digits corresponding to the signal frequencies comprising said signals for input to a programmed selector matrix;

programmed selector matrix means having a plurality of inputs corresponding to digits and a plurality of outputs, one corresponding to each digit programmed in said matrix, said matrix being programmed with a first set of digits in a defined sequence, said matrix formed to provide an output signal upon receipt of an input signal corresponding to a programmed digit;

circuit validation means responsive to the outputs from said selector matrix to provide a validation signal upon receipt of sequential output signals from the selector matrix in the sequence of the digits programmed in the selector matrix;

means responsive to said validation signal to provide an indication of validation of said additional signals generated at the calling station; and

timing means for disconnecting the communication path established between the calling station and receiving station when a validation signal is not generated within a specified time period.

10. A telephone screening system for operation with a conventional telephone system of telephone sending and receiving stations having alerting means and call addresses in which a sending station issues an address signal to the receiving station and the receiving station has means for tying in a direct line contact when actuated after receiving the signal, the improvement comprising:

means at the receiving station responsive to the address signal from the transmitting station to activate said receiving station into a tie with the transmitting station;

means at the receiving station for preventing operation of the alerting means at the receiving station after activation of the tie between the calling and receiving stations;

a code discriminator at said receiving station coupled for receiving additional signals initiated at the sending station, said discriminator at said receiving station responsive to only a predetermined series of additional code pulses initiated at said sending station; and

means at said receiving station for actuating the alerting means when the predetermined code is sensed by said discriminator.