Call tracing and identification system

• US 3,904,830 A
• Filed: 07/03/1972
• Issued: 09/09/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edward J. Mccabe, Robert H. Every Sr
• Original Assignee: Edward J. Mccabe, Robert H. Every Sr
• Inventors: McCabe, Edward J., Every, Robert H. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US05/268,670
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 179/18FH,5.5,6E,27DB,9AN,2A
• US Class Current: 379/142.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/573 Line monitoring circuits for detecting caller identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/00 Selecting arrangements H04Q5/00 - H04Q11/00 take precedence

Abstract

A call tracing and identification system for use with a public telephone network includes at least one interrogation and digital display circuit associated with a particular telephone of the network, and a plurality of encoder circuits associated with respective ones of all of the telephones in the system. The interrogation and digital display circuit responds to the ringing signal produced by an incoming call to generate an interrogation signal for actuating the encoder circuit associated with the calling party'"'"''"'"'s telephone. In response to the interrogation command, the encoder circuit generates a series of coded signals and applies the same to the telephone line for identifying the calling party by area code and telephone number. The identification signals are received by the display network of the called telephone where they are rapidly decoded, stored and displayed in digital form.

Claims

1. A call tracing and identification network for a telephone system connected to a calling-party telephone line and a calledparty telephone line, said network comprising encoder means, connected to the calling-party telephone line, for applying to the called-party telephone line identification signals identifying the calling-party telephone line, said encoder means including means initiated at the termination of an interrogation signal on the called-party telephone line for controlling the operation of the encoder means to generate the identification signals only after the interrogation signal;

and a called-party telephone device connected to the called-party telephone line including a. interrogation means for generating anD applying an interrogation signal to the called-party telephone line, b. means for receiving the identification signal of the calling-party telephone line from the called-party telephone line, and c. means responsive to the receiving means for displaying a visual identification of the calling-party telephone line.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said called-party telephone device is located entirely at a called-party substation.

3. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said receiving means includes storage means for storing said identification signals from said encoder means, and said displaying means includes digital display means connected with said storage means to display in digital form the visual identification of said calling-party telephone line represented by said stored identification signals.

4. The invention as recited in claim 3 wherein said called-party telephone device includes reset means connected with said storage means to reset the same in response to the generation of said interrogation signal.

5. The invention as recited in claim 3 wherein said digital display means includes a plurality of individual alphanumeric character display devices, and wherein said storage means includes a like plurality of counter circuits each connected to drive one of said plurality of display devices.

6. The invention as recited in claim 5 wherein said called-party telephone device includes storage sequencing means connected with said plurality of counter circuits to sequentially apply serial bits of information received on said called-party telephone line to each of said counter circuits.

7. The invention as recited in claim 6 wherein said storage sequencing means includes clock means and further includes a binary counter having an input connected with said clock means.

8. A call tracing and identification network for a telephone system connected to a calling-party telephone line and a called-party telephone line, said network comprising encoder means, connected to a calling-party telephone line, for applying to the called-party telephone line identification signals identifying the calling-party telephone line, said encoder means including memory means storing said identification signals and further including sequencing means connected with said memory means to sequentially condition the same for parallel readout of sequential bits of information, and said encoder means including means initiated at the termination of an interrogation signal on the called-party telephone line for controlling the operation of the encoder means;

and a called-party telephone device connected to the called-party telephone line including a. interrogation means for generating and applying an interrogation signal to the called-party telephone line, b. means for receiving the identification signal of the calling-party telephone line from the called-party telephone line, and c. means responsive to the receiving means for displaying a visual identification of the calling-party telephone line.

9. The invention as recited in claim 8 wherein said sequencing means includes clock means and further includes a binary counter having an input connected with said clock means.

10. The invention as recited in claim 8 wherein said encoder means further includes conversion means connected with said memory means to receive said parallel readout of each bit of information and convert the same to serial form, said conversion means including encoder clock means connected with said calling-party telephone line for applying serial pulse trains representing each bit of information to the calling-party telephone line and the called-party telephone line.

11. The invention as recited in claim 10 wherein said conversion means includes a plurality of serially connected flip-flops.

12. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said interrogation means is responsive to the receipt of a ringing signal on the called-party teLephone line to generate said interrogation signal.

13. The invention as recited in claim 12 wherein said interrogation means includes switch means actuable in response to said ringing signal and further includes pulse generation means for generating said interrogation signal in response to the actuation of said switch means.

14. A call tracing and identification network for a telephone system connected to a calling-party telephone line and a called-party line, said network comprising encoder means, connected to the calling-party telephone line, for applying to the called-party telephone line identification signals identifying the calling-party telephone line, said encoder means including means initiated at the termination of an interrogation signal on the called-party telephone line for controlling the operation of the encod means;

and a called-party telephone device connected to the called-party telephone line including a. interrogation means for generating and applying an interrogation signal to the called-party telephone line, b. means for receiving the identification signal of the calling-party telephone line from the called-party telephone line, and c. means responsive to the receiving means for displaying a visual identification of the calling-party telephone line, said interrogation means being responsive to the receipt of a ringing signal in the called-party telephone line to generate said interrogation signal, said interrogation means including switch means actuable in response to said ringing signal and including pulse generation means for generating said interrogation signal in response to the actuation of said switch means, said pulse generation means further including first monostable means connected to said switch means and responsive to actuation thereof for producing an output signal and second monostable means connected to said first monostable means for generating said interrogation signal upon receipt of said output signal from said first monostable means, said first monostable means delaying the actuation of said second monostable means until after completion of the first ringing signal burst.

15. A call tracing and identification network for a telephone system connected to a calling-party telephone line and a called-party telephone line, said network comprising encoder means, connected to the calling-party telephone line, for applying to the called-party telephone line identification signals identifying the calling-party telephone line, said encoder means including means initiated at the termination of an interrogation signal on the called-party telephone line for controlling the operation of the encoder means;

and a called-party telephone device connected to the called-party telephone line including a. interrogation means for generating and applying an interrogation signal to the called-party telephone line, b. means for receiving the identification signal of the calling-party telephone line from the called-party telephone line, and c. means responsive to the receiving means for displaying a visual identification of the calling-party telephone line, said interrogation means being responsive to the receipt of a ringing signal in the called-party telephone line to generate said interrogation signal, said interrogation means including switch means actuable in response to said ringing signal and including pulse generator means for generating said interrogation signal in response to the actuation of said switch means, and said interrogation means further including a storage capacitor connected between said switching means and said pulse generator means for preventing said pulse generator means from responding to ringing signals received after said first signal burst.

16. A call tracing identification network for a telephone system connected to a calling-party telephone line and a called-party telephone line, said network comprising an encoder circuit cOnnected to a calling-party telephone line, said encoder circuit including a. memory means for storing parallel binary identification signals representing the calling-party telephone number, b. sequencing means operated by an interrogation signal on the calling-party telephone line for sequentially operating the memory means to read out the parallel binary identification signals of each digit of the telephone number, c. conversion means connected to the memory means for converting the parallel binary signals from the memory means to serial binary identification signals and for applying the serial binary signals to the calling-party telephone line, and d. means connected to the calling-party telephone line and responsive to a dialing signal on the calling-party telephone line for enabling operation of the encoding circuit, said enabling means preventing operation of the encoding circuit prior to the dialing signal;

and a called-party telephone device connected to the called-party telephone line including a. interrogation means responsive to a first burst of a ringing signal on a called-party telephone line for generating and applying an interrogation signal to the called-party telephone line, b. means for receiving the serial binary identification signals of a calling subscriber telephone number, for converting the serial binary identification signals into parallel binary identification signals, and for storing the parallel binary identification signals, and c. means operated by the receiving means for displaying the calling-party telephone number.

17. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said interrogation means is initiated by a first burst of ringing signal on the called-party telephone line, and said interrogation means generates and applies the interrogation signal to the called-party telephone line only after the first burst of ringing signal.