Method for system and message activation based on distinctive ringing

• US 5,577,104 A
• Filed: 05/06/1994
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Communications, Inc. (Casio Computer Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Casio Phonemate Inc. (Casio Computer Company Limited)
• Inventors: Knuth, Stephen B., Karnowski, Mark J., Mazzolini, James W., Brown, III, Sanford M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRESSON, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US08/238,984
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 379/375, 379/373, 379/164, 379/165, 379/67, 379/82, 379/375, 379/374, 379/75, 379/76, 379/77, 379/31, 379/23, 379/418, 379/252, 379/253, 379/73, 340/825.15, 340/825.06
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/654 Telephone line monitoring circuits therefor, e.g. ring detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability

Abstract

A telephone answering device (TAD) determines the "distinctiveness" of an incoming ring signal, and responds accordingly. Distinctive ring features of some current telephone utilities have established ring patterns with plural ring signals occurring within a single ring cycle. Normally, one ring signal is present per ring cycle. In the distinctive ring TAD set forth herein, ring cycles with one or more ring signals are discriminated and responded to by playing a different outgoing message corresponding to the distinctiveness of the ring cycle. In a further enhancement, the TAD does not answer the incoming telephone call if the answer ring cycle (upon which the TAD is to answer the call) is cut short, indicating that the telephone call has been answered by a person.

Claims

1. A single telephone answering device for use with a single telephone line, comprising:

means in said single telephone answering device for recording a plurality of outgoing messages, each outgoing message being associated with a particular different type of ring received on the single telephone line;

a single ring type identification means in said single telephone answering device, coupled to the single telephone line, for identifying a ring type received on said single telephone line; and

a playback unit in said single telephone answering device, coupled to said ring type identification means and to said single telephone line, and being responsive to said ring type identification means for automatically playing back on said single telephone line a selected one of said plurality of recorded outgoing messages which corresponds to said received ring type identified by said ring type identification means; and

an incoming message recording/playback unit in said single telephone answering device for recording all incoming messages associated with all ring types identified by said ring type identification means and which are received on said single telephone line, and said incoming message recording/playback unit being responsive to a single interrogation for playing back all recorded incoming messages received on said single telephone line regardless of the ring type associated with the respective recorded incoming messages and regardless of which outgoing message a caller listened to.

2. The telephone answering device of claim 1, further comprising means responsive to said ring type identification means for causing said single telephone answering device not to respond to incoming telephone calls in response to at least one identified ring type.

3. The telephone answering device of claim 1, further comprising means responsive to said ring type identification means for causing said single telephone answering device to only play back an outgoing message without further action in response to at least one identified ring type.

4. The telephone answering device of claim 1, further comprising means responsive to said ring type identification means for causing said single telephone answering device not to play back an outgoing message and to only record an incoming message in response to at least one identified ring type.

5. The telephone answering device of claim 1, further comprising:

switching means for switchably controlling a response of said single telephone answering device, said switching means being coupled to said single outgoing message recording unit and to said incoming message recording means, and

said switching means being user controlled for setting said single telephone answering device so that when a telephone call is received, said single telephone answering device does not respond to said call, or only plays back an outgoing message, or only records an incoming message, in response to at least one identified ring type.

6. A process for deciding if a single telephone answering device is to answer an incoming telephone call on a single telephone line, comprising the steps of:

counting a total number of received ring cycles on said single telephone line, as they are received on said single telephone line, said step of counting including determining the end of each ring cycle by the steps of;

detecting ring signals in each said ring cycle, and

determining the absence of a ring signal of each ring cycle for a predetermined time period;

comparing said counted total number of ring cycles with a predetermined value;

measuring a length of a previous ring cycle;

measuring a length of a last-received ring cycle, said last-received ring cycle occurring immediately after said previous ring cycle;

comparing the measured length of said last-received ring cycle with the measured length of said previous ring cycle; and

answering said incoming telephone call only if said counted total number of ring cycles, including said last-received ring cycle, is equal to said predetermined value, and if said measured last-received ring cycle length is at least equal to said measured previous ring cycle length.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein:

said incoming telephone call is not answered when the measured last-received ring cycle length is shorter than said measured previous ring cycle length; and

further comprising answering said incoming telephone call when said counted total number of ring cycles exceeds said predetermined value, regardless of the measured length of said last-received ring cycle.

8. A process for deciding if a single telephone answering device is to answer an incoming telephone call on a single telephone line, comprising the steps of:

counting a total number of received ring cycles on said single telephone line, as they are received on said single telephone line, said step of counting including determining the end of each ring cycle by the steps of;

detecting ring signals in each said ring cycle, and

determining the absence of a ring signal of each ring cycle for a predetermined time period;

comparing said counted total number of ring cycles with a predetermined value;

measuring a length of a previous ring cycle;

measuring a length of a last-received ring cycle, said last-received ring cycle occurring immediately after said previous ring cycle;

comparing the measured length of said last-received ring cycle with the measured length of said previous ring cycle;

answering said incoming telephone call if said counted total number of ring cycles, including said last-received ring cycle, is equal to said predetermined value, and if said measured last-received ring cycle length is at least equal to said measured previous ring cycle length; and

not answering said incoming telephone call when said counted total number of ring cycles is equal to said predetermined value, and said measured last-received ring cycle length is less than said measured previous ring cycle length.

9. The process of claim 8, comprising answering said incoming telephone call on a next ring cycle after a last-received ring cycle having a measured length which is not at least equal to a measured length of the previous ring cycle, if said counted total number of ring cycles including said next ring cycle is greater than said predetermined value.