Method and system for accumulating data over nondedicated telephone lines

• US 4,126,762 A
• Filed: 05/04/1976
• Issued: 11/21/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPPV Enterprises, LLC, Telease Incorporated
• Original Assignee: John R. Martin, Robert S. Block
• Inventors: Martin, John R., Block, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Claffy, Kathleen H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brigance, Gerald L.
• Application Number:
  US05/683,161
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 A, 179/2 AM, 179/84 R
• US Class Current: 379/106.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C

Abstract

A system wherein a telephone calling signal from a central station initiates the connection of a remote terminal, including a data accumulator, at a subscriber'"'"'s station to a nondedicated telephone line for reading by a billing processor computer at the central station. In one embodiment, sequential ringing signals having a different time spacing than the signals from a normal telephone call may, through operation of a ring muting circuit at the subscriber'"'"'s station, condition the remote terminal to intercept the ringing signals and to provide selective connection of the accumulator to the line without disturbing the subscriber or disrupting normal telephone operation. Alternatively, timing means may be operated at the subscriber'"'"'s station to condition the remote terminal and provide a short time window during a time of the day when the telephone there is not likely to be used for normal telephone calls so that a call made from the central station during the time window will cause connection of the data accumulator. In both embodiments conditioning and connection of the subscriber terminal are accomplished without actuating the subscriber ringer.

Claims

1. A method of accumulating data at a central location from a plurality of remote locations each including a telephone with an audible signalling means connected to nondedicated telephone lines without interference with normal telephone service comprising the steps of:

providing at each remote location a selectively operable telephone answering device, including an associated data accumulator, connected across the nondedicated telephone lines in parallel therewith;

accumulating data in each data accumulator;

selectively conditioning the answering device at one of the plurality locations to intercept a call over the telephone lines within a predetermined time window without actuating the audible signalling means on the telephone;

initiating a call from the central location to the telephone at one of the plurality of locations subsequent to conditioning the access device, and during the time window;

answering the subsequently initiated call with the answering device to thereby connect the remote and central locations over the nondedicated telephone lines without actuating the audible signaling means on the telephone; and

transferring data from the data accumulator at the remote location to a utilization device at the central location over the nondedicated telephone lines connecting the remote and central locations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the answering device at the remote location is selectively conditioned by:

dialing a telephone number associated with the telephone at the desired remote location to initiate a telephone call to the remote location over the nondedicated telephone lines;

muting the audible signalling meand during at least a portion of the first ringing signal received at the remote location over the nondedicated telephone lines; and

disconnecting the call initiated to the remote location prior to the time of the second ringing signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the answering device at the remote location is selectively conditioned by transmitting a signal to the remote location to set a timer at the remote location and enable the answering device to answer calls during said predetermined time window.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data accumulator is connected to receive viewing data from a pay TV subscriber for billing purposes.

5. A method of accumulating data at a central location from a plurality of remote locations each including a telephone with an audible signalling means connected to nondedicated telephone lines without interference with normal telephone service comprising the steps of:

providing at each remote location a selectively operable telephone answering device, including an associated data accumulator and a ring detecting means, connected to the nondedicated telephone lines in parallel therewith;

placing a first telephone call from the central location to the telephone at one of the remote locations to thereby initiate the transmission of sequential, periodic ringing signals to one remote location over the nondedicated telephone lines;

muting the audible signalling means during at least a portion of the first ringing signal received at the remote location;

in response to the muted portion of the first ringing signal, conditioning the answering device to intercept a subsequent ringing signal outside the periodic sequence of ringing signals of the first telephone call and to connect the data accumulator to the nondedicated telephone lines;

disconnecting the first telephone call prior to the transmission of the second ringing signal in the periodic sequence associated with the first call;

placing a second telephone call from the central location to the telephone at the one remote location to initiate the transmission of a second series of sequential, periodic ringing signals to the one remote location at a time such that the first ringing signal of the second telephone call is received at the one remote location outside the periodic sequence of the ringing signals of the first telephone call; and

connecting the data accumulator to the nondedicated telephone lines in response to detection by the answering device of the first ringing signal of the second telephone call without actuating the audible signalling means.

6. An accumulator access system comprising:

a plurality of selectively operable telephone answering devices at remote locations, each device including a telephone with an audible signalling means and an associated data accumulator and being connected across nondedicated telephone lines in parallel therewith so as not to interfere with normal telephone service;

means for selectively conditioning one of said answering devices to intercept a call over the telephone lines within a predetermined time window without actuating the audible signalling means on the telephone;

means for initiating a call from a central location including a data utilization device to one of the telephones subsequent to conditioning the access device, and during the time window;

means for answering the initiated call with the answering device to connect the remote location over the telephone lines without actuating the audible signalling means on the telephone; and

means for transferring data from the data accumulator at said one of said remote locations to the utilization device at the central location over the telephone lines connecting said remote location and said central location.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the system further comprises:

means for dialing a telephone number associated with the telephone at the desired remote location to initiate a telephone call to the remote location over the nondedicated telephone lines;

means for muting the audible signalling means during at least a portion of the first ringing signal received at the remote location over the nondedicated telephone lines; and

means at the central location for disconnecting the call initiated to the remote location prior to the time of the second ringing signal.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the answering device at the remote location includes a timer, and is adapted to be conditioned by a signal transmitted to the remote location to set the timer to enable the answering device to answer calls during said predetermined time window.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein means are included to provide the data accumulator with viewing data from a pay TV subscriber for billing purposes.

10. A system for accumulating data at a central location from a plurality of remote locations each including a telephone with an audible signalling means connected to nondedicated telephone lines without interference with normal telephone service comprising:

a selectively operable telephone answering device at each of said remote locations, each device inluding a data accumulator and a ring detecting means and being connected to nondedicated telephone lines in parallel therewith;

means responsive to placing a first telephone call from the central location to the telephone at one of said remote locations to initiate the transmission of sequential, periodic ringing signals to the one remote location over the telephone lines;

means for muting said audible signalling means during at least a portion of the first ringing signal received at the remote location;

means responsive to the muted portion of the first ringing signal for conditioning the answering device to intercept a subsequent ringing signal outside the periodic sequence of ringing signals of the first telephone call and connect the data accumulator to the telephone lines;

means at the central location for disconnecting the first telephone call prior to the transmission of the second ringing signal in the periodic sequence associated with the first call;

means for placing a second telephone call from the central location to the telephone at the one remote location and initiating the transmission of a second series of sequential, periodic signals to the one remote location at a time such that the first ringing signal of the second telephone call is received at the one remote location outside the periodic sequence of the ringing signals of the first telephone call; and

means connecting the data accumulator to the telephone lines in response to detection by the answering device of the first ringing signal of the second telephone call without actuating the audible signalling means.

11. An accumulator access system comprising:

a plurality of subscriber stations each having a telephone instrucment and a data accumulator;

a centerl station billing processor for collecting data from each of said subscriber stations including;

(1) means for initiating a call through a telephone system to establish a connection between the central station billing processor and a subscriber station through a telephone switching station which generates a calling signal comprising a series of spaced pulses each composed of a plurality of alternating voltage signals;

each subscriber station further including;

(1) a telephone instrument having an audio-frequency generating means normally operative in response to each of said series of pulses and

(2) a telephone call answering apparatus connected in parallel with the telephone comprising means for muting said audio-frequency generating means during at least part of the first pulse of a calling signal, means operable in response to the receipt of said first pulse for producing a gating signal having a duration which excludes the time within which the second pulse of a normal calling signal occurs, a gate having two inputs, means for applying the gating signal to one input of said gate, means for generating an operating signal pulse in response to a second calling signal pulse received during the duration of said gating signal, means for applying said operating (second calling) signal pulse to another input of said gate, and means connected to said gate for connecting said data accumulator to said telephone line without actuating said audio-frequency generating means.