Programmable automatic calling systems
First Claim
1. An improved automatic calling system for selectively outpulsing DTMF tone pairs on any of a plurality of channels in response to a service request signal received from a channel requiring service, said automatic calling system including processor means, tone generator means, and means for selectively interconnecting said processor means and said tone generator means to any of said pluraliity of channels to permit a determination of an off hook condition on any of said plurality of channels and an exchange of tone information, the improvement comprising:
- means interconnected to said processor means for providing an output signal thereto indicating a programming operation is about to be initiated;
means in said processor means responsive to said output signal indicating a programming operation is about to be initiated for determining if one of said plurality of channels has been placed in an off hook condition and has applied a predetermined DTMF row or column tone to said processor means; and
means in said processor means responsive to a detection of said one of said plurality of channels being placed in an off hook condition and supplying a single predetermined DTMF row or column tone to said processor means for receiving DTMF tone pairs in sequence from said one of said plurality of channels and storing information corresponding to DTMF tone pairs received as digits of a number sequence to be subsequently outpulsed in response to a service request from any of said plurality of channels.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A processor-controlled automatic calling system is connected to a plurality of telephone lines within a subscriber'"'"'s telephone system and all telephone sets within the subscriber'"'"'s telephone system are monitored for the occurrence of an off hook condition. Upon the occurrence of an off hook condition, a user is permitted a predetermined interval for initiating operation of the automatic calling system through entry of a service code to cause an accessed telephone number and billing code to be outpulsed. The accessed telephone number outpulsed, the response tone of a contacted computer monitored, and the billing code outpulsed by the automatic calling system upon receipt of such response tone, are readily programmable at the user'"'"'s site by placement of the automatic calling system in a program mode. In certain embodiments of the invention, an accessing telephone set is muted while the automatic calling system is performing outpulsing functions. Outpulsing functions are preferably performed under the control of a hardware timer to allow additional functions to be performed by a processor on a time-shared basis, and multiple telephone numbers and billing codes may be automatically accessed.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. An improved automatic calling system for selectively outpulsing DTMF tone pairs on any of a plurality of channels in response to a service request signal received from a channel requiring service, said automatic calling system including processor means, tone generator means, and means for selectively interconnecting said processor means and said tone generator means to any of said pluraliity of channels to permit a determination of an off hook condition on any of said plurality of channels and an exchange of tone information, the improvement comprising:
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means interconnected to said processor means for providing an output signal thereto indicating a programming operation is about to be initiated; means in said processor means responsive to said output signal indicating a programming operation is about to be initiated for determining if one of said plurality of channels has been placed in an off hook condition and has applied a predetermined DTMF row or column tone to said processor means; and means in said processor means responsive to a detection of said one of said plurality of channels being placed in an off hook condition and supplying a single predetermined DTMF row or column tone to said processor means for receiving DTMF tone pairs in sequence from said one of said plurality of channels and storing information corresponding to DTMF tone pairs received as digits of a number sequence to be subsequently outpulsed in response to a service request from any of said plurality of channels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Automatic calling apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of channel connector means for interconnecting a plurality of telephone sets to a plurality of telephone lines, each of said plurality of channel connector means selectively connecting an associated one of said plurality of telephone lines to at least one of said plurality of telephone sets, each of said plurality of channel connector means including means for sensing an off hook condition of a telephone set connected thereto and signal means for conveying signal information between said telephone line and said telephone set connected thereto and for conveying signal information to and from said telephone line and said telephone set; means for receiving signal information from said signal means present in any selected one of said plurality of channel connector means; means for applying signal information to said signal means present in any selected one of said plurality of channel connector means; means for receiving off hook condition information from said means for sensing in any selected one of said plurality of channel connector means; means for simultaneously monitoring for off hook condition information from said means for sensing and for signal information from said means for receiving signal information in any selected one of said plurality of channel connector means; means for providing an output signal indicating a programming operation is to be initiated; means responsive to said output signal indicating a programming operation is to be initiated for selectively scanning said means for sensing an off hook condition in each of said plurality of channel connector means to determine if a telephone set has been placed in an off hook condition, said scanning being conducted through said means for receiving off hook condition information; means for testing said signal means in each of said plurality of channel connector means to determine if a predetermined row or column DTMF tone has been entered at a telephone set placed in an off hook condition when an output signal indicating a programming operation is to be initiated is provided, said testing being conducted through said means for receiving signal information; and means for receiving DTMF tone pairs in sequence from said telephone set placed in an off hook condition and storing information corresponding to DTMF tone pairs received as digits of a number sequence to be subsequently outpulsed in response to a service request from a telephone set connected to any of said plurality of channel connector means, said means for receiving DTMF tone pairs acting to store said information corresponding to DTMF tone pairs received only if said means for testing has determined that a single predetermined row or column tone has been received. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification