Ring-tone muting device and processing method
First Claim
1. A ring-tone muting device for use with a telephone having a telephone ringer, comprisinga gate for selectively conducting a ring signal to the telephone ringer, wherein said gate has at least two states, said states including a conductive state and a non-conductive state;
- sensing means for determining when an incoming ring signal arrives;
at least one delay timing means, responsive to said sensing means, for beginning a delay sequence being a predetermined period of time after a ring signal is sensed, said delay timing means having at least one mode of operation;
at least one window timing means, responsive to said delay timing means, for beginning a window sequence being a predetermined period of time after said delay sequence is completed;
gate controlling means responsive to said window timing means such that said state of said gate is conductive; and
,means for connecting said gate in series between a telephone line and telephone;
whereby a telephone ringer is disabled while the gate is in a non-conductive state and enabled while the gate is in a conductive state;
whereby further, said non-conductive state is coincident with the activation of said delay sequence of said delay timing means; and
, whereby further, said conductive state is controlled by the deactivation of said delay sequence and coincident with the activation of said window sequence of said window timing means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for muting a ringer of a telephone, the device being placed in series with a telephone ringer and having a gate alterable between a non-conductive state and a conductive state whereby a ring signal is selectively passed to the ringer. A remote calling party may activate the conductive state by sending a first and last ring signal separated by a preselected time interval, dependent upon the selected mode of the device. The device includes a gate controlled by output signals from a pair of interactive timing mechanisms, referred to as a delay timer and a window timer. In a first ring mode, the delay timer is activated by a remotely generated first ring signal and disregards all subsequent ring signals during completion of its timing sequence (the delay sequence). In a last ring mode, the delay timer is restarted upon receiving each ring signal, thus completing the delay sequence only after the last ring signal is received. When the power to the device is turned on, the device is initialized wherein the gate is placed into a non-conductive state preventing conduction of the ring signal to the ringer, thereby silencing the ringer. Thus, until the delay timer subsequently completes a time sequence (the delay sequence), the ringer remains disabled, the gate being in a non-conductive state. However, upon completion of the delay sequence, the delay time activates a window timer which places the gate into a conductive state (ring enabled).
59 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A ring-tone muting device for use with a telephone having a telephone ringer, comprising
a gate for selectively conducting a ring signal to the telephone ringer, wherein said gate has at least two states, said states including a conductive state and a non-conductive state; -
sensing means for determining when an incoming ring signal arrives; at least one delay timing means, responsive to said sensing means, for beginning a delay sequence being a predetermined period of time after a ring signal is sensed, said delay timing means having at least one mode of operation; at least one window timing means, responsive to said delay timing means, for beginning a window sequence being a predetermined period of time after said delay sequence is completed; gate controlling means responsive to said window timing means such that said state of said gate is conductive; and
,means for connecting said gate in series between a telephone line and telephone; whereby a telephone ringer is disabled while the gate is in a non-conductive state and enabled while the gate is in a conductive state;
whereby further, said non-conductive state is coincident with the activation of said delay sequence of said delay timing means; and
, whereby further, said conductive state is controlled by the deactivation of said delay sequence and coincident with the activation of said window sequence of said window timing means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A ring-tone muting device for use with a telephone having a telephone ringer, comprising
a gate for selectively conducting a ring signal to the telephone ringer, wherein said gate has at least two states, said states including a conductive state and a non-conductive state; -
sensing means for determining when an incoming ring signal arrives and a visual ring signal indicator responsive to said sensing means for indicating that a ring signal is sensed; at least one delay timing means, responsive to said sensing means, for beginning a delay sequence, being a predetermined period of time after a ring signal is sensed, and a visual indicator responsive to said delay timing means for indicating that the delay timing means is providing said delay sequence, said delay timing means having at least one mode of operation including a first ring mode of operation, comprising means by which said delay sequence is begun after the first ring signal is sensed and said delay sequence is maintained unaffected by subsequent ring signals while said delay sequence is maintained, and further including a last ring mode of operation, comprising means by which said delay sequence is begun after the first ring signal is sensed and said delay sequence is restarted by each subsequent ring signal until said window sequence is provided by said window timing means; a mode selection means for selecting alternatively said last ring mode and said first ring mode; user input means for setting said delay sequence of said delay timing means; at least one window timing means, responsive to said delay timing means, for beginning a window sequence, being a predetermined period of time after said delay sequence is completed, and a visual indicator responsive to said window timing means for indicating that the window timing means is providing a window sequence; user input means for setting window sequence parameters for said window timing means; gate controlling means, responsive to said delay timing means such that said state of said gate is non-conductive, and further responsive to said window timing means such that said state of said gate is conductive; means for connecting said gate in series between a telephone line and telephone; power means for supplying a direct current power source to operate said ring-muting device; off-hook connection means for connecting the telephone line to the telephone when a hookswitch of the telephone is closed, wherein said off-hook connection means is connected in parallel to said gate so that the telephone may be selectively connected to the telephone line without regard to said state of said gate; whereby a telephone ringer is disabled while the gate is in a non-conductive state and enabled while the gate is in a conductive state;
whereby further, said non-conductive state is coincident with the activation of said delay sequence of said delay timing means; and
, whereby further, said conductive state is controlled by the deactivation of said delay sequence and coincident with the activation of said window sequence of said window timing means.
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14. A method for muting a ring signal transmitted to a telecommunications system having terminal means operative upon receiving the ring signal, detection means for receiving and detecting the ring signal, and gating means for selectively interrupting transmission of the ring signal to the terminal means wherein said gating means includes at least a means for timing a first periodic interval and a means for timing a second periodic interval, comprising the steps of:
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disabling transmission of the ring signal through the gating means; detecting the ring signal by the detection means; activating the first periodic interval in response to the ring signal; terminating the first periodic interval and activating the second periodic interval in response thereto; enabling transmission of the ring signal to said terminal means through the gating means in response to the activation of the second periodic interval; and
,terminating the second periodic interval and disabling the transmission of the ring signal through the gating means in response thereto. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification