Restricted access telephones for logical telephone networks
First Claim
1. A restricted access telephone for use in a switched communications network, said restricted access telephone containing a first network access code identifying said restricted access telephone as a member of a first auxiliary logical network containing a plurality of telephones similar to one another, comprising:
- communications means for placing and answering telephone calls to establish a telephone connection with a second telephone over said switched communications network for permitting communication there between, said communications means including dialing means for dialing telephone numbers;
a network access code listing of network access codes of auxiliary logical networks to which said restricted access telephone is a member, including said first network access code;
call origination status monitoring means for monitoring whether said communications means places or answers a telephone call;
first verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has placed a call, for automatically determining whether a second telephone with which a telephone connection is established contains a listed network access code contained in said network access code listing and for thereafter automatically sending said listed network access code to said second telephone when said automatic determination is positive; and
second verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has answered a call from a second telephone, for automatically sending said first network access code to said second telephone and for thereafter automatically determining whether said second telephone contains said first network access code; and
perceptible indication means for providing a perceptible indication, responsive to either of said first and second verification means making a negative automatic determination.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A logical network is defined by a plurality of restricted class telephones in which such telephones incorporate a network access code characterizing the logical network. Each telephone contains a verification device that allows each telephone of such logical network to verify that others of such telephones are members of that logical network by transmission and receipt of a network access code. The logical network is useable on any telephone system, including public telephone service networks, cellular telephone systems and radio telephone systems. The verification device may be installed as a retroactive addition to the standard components found within existing cellular telephones or may be included as part of the technical design in new cellular telephones.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A restricted access telephone for use in a switched communications network, said restricted access telephone containing a first network access code identifying said restricted access telephone as a member of a first auxiliary logical network containing a plurality of telephones similar to one another, comprising:
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communications means for placing and answering telephone calls to establish a telephone connection with a second telephone over said switched communications network for permitting communication there between, said communications means including dialing means for dialing telephone numbers; a network access code listing of network access codes of auxiliary logical networks to which said restricted access telephone is a member, including said first network access code; call origination status monitoring means for monitoring whether said communications means places or answers a telephone call; first verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has placed a call, for automatically determining whether a second telephone with which a telephone connection is established contains a listed network access code contained in said network access code listing and for thereafter automatically sending said listed network access code to said second telephone when said automatic determination is positive; and second verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has answered a call from a second telephone, for automatically sending said first network access code to said second telephone and for thereafter automatically determining whether said second telephone contains said first network access code; and perceptible indication means for providing a perceptible indication, responsive to either of said first and second verification means making a negative automatic determination. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A restricted access telephone for use in a switched communications network, said restricted access telephone containing a first network access code identifying said restricted access telephone as a member of a first auxiliary logical network containing a plurality of telephones similar to one another, comprising:
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communications means for initiating and receiving telephone calls to establish a telephone communication with a second telephone over said switched communications network; said communications means comprising at least; keypad means for sending telephone numbers to said switched communications network for dialing another telephone in said switched communications network; transducer means for converting voiced words into electrical signals for transmission over said switched communications network; speaker means for audibly reproducing voiced words from electrical signals representative thereof received over said switched communications network; signaling means to provide indication that said telephone receiver is receiving a ring signal from said switched communications network when said telephone receiver is in an idle condition; and status transmitting means for indicating to said switched communications network when said restricted access telephone is on-hook and, thereby, in an idle condition and when said restricted access telephone is off-hook and, thereby, in use; call origination status monitoring means for monitoring whether said communications means places a call, wherein said restricted access telephone is the calling party, or answers a telephone call, wherein said restricted access telephone is the called party; said call origination status monitoring means including means for determining whether said restricted access telephone changed to said off hook condition (a) during the reception of a ring signal transmitted from said switched communications network, whereby said restricted access telephone is determined to be a called party telephone, or (b) in the absence of said ring signal, whereby said restricted access telephone is determined to be a calling party telephone; a network access code listing of network access codes of auxiliary logical networks to which said restricted access telephone is a member, including said first network access code; first verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has placed a call, whereby said restricted access telephone is the calling party, for automatically determining whether a second telephone with which a telephone connection is established contains a listed access code and for thereafter automatically sending said listed access code to said second telephone when said automatic determination is positive; said first verification means including;
;first timing means for prescribing a predetermined time interval for reception of a network access code transmitted by said called party telephone; checking means for checking any received network access code to determine whether such received access code is valid;
said checking means including;
means for storing said received network access code;
means for comparing said received access code against said network access code listing to determine if said received access code is contained in said network access code listing; and
validate means for providing a valid result when said received network access code is contained in said network access code listing, and an invalid result when said received network access code is not contained in said network access code listing;
means for automatically sending the same network access code to said called party telephone when said received network access code checks as valid; and
, alternatively, indication initiating means for initiating a perceptible indication of the failure to receive within said predetermined time interval any network access code or any network access code that checks valid;and second verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has answered a call from a calling party second telephone, whereby said restricted access telephone is a called party, for automatically sending said first network access code to said called party second telephone and for thereafter automatically determining whether said calling party second telephone also contains said first network access code; said second verification means including; means for automatically sending said first network access code upon answer of a call; timing means for prescribing a second predetermined time interval following the sending of said first network access code in which to receive a network access code transmitted by said calling party second telephone; means for checking any received network access code to determine whether such received network access code is valid;
said checking means including;
means for storing said received network access code;
means for comparing said received network access code against said network access code listing; and
means for providing a valid result when said received network access code is found in said network access code listing, and an invalid result when said received network access code is not contained in said network access code listing; and
indication initiating means for initiating generation of a perceptible indication of the failure to receive within said second predetermined time interval any network access code or to receive any network access code that checks valid;perceptible indication generating means for providing a perceptible indication that the other telephone to said communication is not a member of said logical auxiliary network, responsive to said indication initiation means of each of said first and second verification means; said perceptible generating means including at least one of the following perceptible indications; sensory warning means to indicate that said second telephone to the telephone connection is not a member of the same logical auxiliary telephone network; and disconnection means for disconnecting said telephone connection to prevent further communication and thereby indicate that said second telephone to the telephone connection is not a member of the same logical auxiliary network; bypass means for permitting said restricted access telephone to complete a call to selected out-of-logical auxiliary network telephones, said bypass means including means for disabling said first verification means responsive to placement of a call to one of said selected out-of-network telephones; said bypass means including;
a telephone number listing of out-of-logical network telephone numbers for telephones with which uninhibited telephone communications are to be permitted;bypass number monitoring means for monitoring the telephone number dialed and determining if said monitored telephone number is found within said out-of-network telephone listing; and
,means, responsive to a positive determination for said telephone number dialed, for disabling said first verification means. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. In combination with a first telephone, said telephone comprising communications means for initiating and receiving telephone calls to establish a telephone connection with another telephone over a switched communications network for permitting communication there between, said communications means including dialing means for dialing telephone numbers, a means for limiting access of said first telephone to other telephones, said access limiting means comprising:
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memory means, said memory means containing a network access code of at least one auxiliary logical network to which said first telephone is a member; and digital microprocessor means, said digital microprocessor means including;
a program;call origination status monitoring means for monitoring whether said communications means places or answers a telephone call; first verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has placed a call, for automatically determining whether another telephone with which a telephone connection is established also contains said network access code and for thereafter automatically sending said network access code to said another telephone when said automatic determination is positive; said first verification means including means for checking a network access code received from said other telephone against said network access code listing in said memory means; second verification means, responsive to said call origination status monitoring means determining that said communications means has answered a call from another telephone, for automatically sending said network access code to said another telephone and for thereafter automatically determining whether said another telephone also contains said network access code; said second verification means including means for retrieving and sending said network access code from said memory means and means for thereafter checking a network access code received from said another telephone against said network access code in said memory means; and perceptible indication generating means for providing a perceptible indication that said another telephone is not a member of said auxiliary logical network, responsive to either of said first and second verification means failure to determine that said another telephone contains said network access code.
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16. For use in completing a telephone call between a calling party telephone and a called party telephone in a switched telephone network that is accessible to telephones that are members of the same auxiliary telephone network and comprise auxiliary network telephones and other telephones that are not members of such auxiliary telephone network, said calling and called party auxiliary network telephones each including a listing of network access codes identifying the auxiliary networks with which the respective telephone is a member and the principal one of such auxiliary networks, and a listing of telephone numbers of out-of-network telephones with which said auxiliary network telephones are permitted uninhibited communication, a method of automatically representing the lack of status of a called party telephone to a calling party auxiliary network telephone and of a calling party telephone to a called party auxiliary network telephone as members of the same auxiliary telephone network, and to a called party telephone as not a member of an out-of-auxiliary network telephone authorized for communication with the calling party auxiliary network telephone, said method comprising the steps at said calling party auxiliary network telephone of:
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monitoring the change of state of an auxiliary network telephone from an idle condition to an off-hook condition to detect whether said auxiliary network telephone is placing or answering a call; said monitoring including the steps of detecting whether a change of state to the off-hook condition occurs during reception of a ring signal transmitted from said switched telephone network, whereby said auxiliary network telephone represents a called party auxiliary network telephone, or occurs in the absence of said ring signal, whereby said auxiliary network telephone represents a calling party auxiliary network telephone; dialing the telephone number of the called party telephone; monitoring the telephone number dialed and determining if said telephone number is found within an out-of-network telephone listing; and
, upon a positive determination, disabling the succeeding steps and permitting telephone communications over said telephone connection;detecting answer by said called party telephone to establish a telephone connection between said telephones; waiting a predetermined time interval following answer by said called party telephone for the reception of a network access code transmitted by said called party telephone; checking any received network access code to determine whether such received access code is valid; said checking including the steps of;
storing said received network access code;
comparing said received access code against a listing of network access codes maintained at said calling party telephone; and
providing a valid result when said received network access code is contained in said listing, and an invalid result when said received network access code is not contained in said listing;automatically sending the same network access code to said called party telephone when said received network access code checks as valid; and
, alternatively, generating a perceptible indication of the failure to receive any network access code within said predetermined time interval or to receive any network access code that checks valid;said method further comprising the steps at said called party auxiliary network telephone of; monitoring the change of state of an auxiliary network telephone from an idle condition to an off-hook condition to detect whether said auxiliary network telephone is placing or answering a call; said monitoring including the steps of detecting whether a change of state to the off-hook condition occurs during reception of a ring signal transmitted from said switched telephone network, whereby said auxiliary network telephone represents a called party auxiliary network telephone, or occurs in the absence of said ring signal, whereby said auxiliary network telephone represents a calling party auxiliary network telephone; automatically sending a network access code of the principal auxiliary network with which said called party auxiliary network telephone is a member when said called party auxiliary network telephone changes to the off-hook condition and detects its representation as a called party telephone; waiting a predetermined time interval following the sending of said network access code for reception of a network access code transmitted by a calling party telephone; checking any received network access code to determine whether such received access code is valid; said checking including the steps of;
storing said received network access code;
comparing said received access code against a listing of network access codes maintained at said calling party telephone; and
providing a valid result when said received network access code is contained in said listing, and an invalid result when said received network access code is not contained in said listing;generating a perceptible indication of the failure to receive any network access code within said predetermined time interval or to receive any network access code that checks valid. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. For use in completing a telephone call between a calling party telephone and a called party telephone in a switched telephone network that is accessible to telephones that are members of the same auxiliary telephone network and comprise auxiliary network telephones and other telephones that are not members of such auxiliary telephone network, said calling and called party auxiliary network telephones each including a listing of network access codes identifying the auxiliary networks with which the respective telephone is a member and the principal one of such auxiliary networks, a method of automatically representing the lack of status of a called party telephone to a calling party auxiliary network telephone and of a calling party telephone to a called party auxiliary network telephone as members of the same auxiliary telephone network, and to a called party telephone as not a member of an out-of-auxiliary network telephone authorized for communication with the calling party auxiliary network telephone, said method comprising the steps at said calling party auxiliary network telephone of:
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dialing the telephone number of the called party telephone; detecting answer by said called party telephone to establish a telephone connection between said telephones; waiting a predetermined time interval following answer by said called party telephone for the reception of a network access code transmitted by said called party telephone; checking any received network access code to determine whether such received access code is valid; automatically sending the same network access code to said called party telephone when said received network access code checks as valid; and
, alternatively,generating a perceptible indication of the failure to receive any network access code within said predetermined time interval or to receive any network access code that checks valid. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification