Lockout device for preventing telephone eavesdropping from an extension device, and method

• US 5,832,057 A
• Filed: 05/23/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elliot M. Furman
• Original Assignee: Elliot M. Furman
• Inventors: Furman, Elliot M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US08/652,825
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 379/167-168, 379/177, 379/184-185, 379/194, 379/7, 379/35, 379/8, 380/9, 380/19-20, 380/21, 380/38, 380/41, 380/53, 380/6, 380/8
• US Class Current: 379/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/68 Circuit arrangements for preventing eavesdropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/205 Eavesdropping prevention - indication of insecurity of line or network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls

Abstract

Remote telephone coder 10R and local telephone coder 10L provide coding and decoding for voice communication between remote telephone set 11R and local telephone set 11L through telephone line 12. An eavesdropper listening in on a listening device such as remote extension telephone 14R or local extension telephone 14L hears normal "in-the-clear" conversation (uncoded transmissions) when both of the telephone coders are in the normal mode. However, when both of telephone coders 10R and 10L are in the code mode, the extension eavesdropper using an extension telephone or other unauthorized listening device 14 (shown in phantom) hears only coded transmissions. Further, a remote eavesdropper on remote extension telephone set (main portion 17M with hand portion 17H) employing remote extension coder 16R is also excluded from the coded transmissions between remote telephone coder 10R and local telephone coder 10L.

Claims

1. A local communication coder for linking between a local telephone and a telecommunication system, and responsive to an in-coming wait signal from a cooperating remote communication coder linked to the telecommunication system, for enabling the local coder and the remote coder to encode and decode communications, and for locking out any cooperating extension communication coders linked to the telecommunication system from encoding and decoding communications, the local coder comprising:

wait means for advancing the local coder from a normal mode of operation during which out-going communications from the local coder are not encoded and in-coming communications to the local coder are not decoded, to a wait mode of operation during which the local coder listens for the wait signal from the remote coder;

listen delay means responsive to the wait means for opening a listen window in the local coder to the remote coder as the local coder advances from the normal mode of operation to the wait mode of operation;

listen means for detecting the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder during the wait mode to determine if the remote coder has advanced to the wait mode of operation;

send means responsive to the listen means for opening a send window, and for sending an out-going wait signal to the remote coder indicating that the local coder has advanced to the wait mode of operation;

lockout means responsive to the listen means and to the send means for advancing the local coder from the wait mode of operation to a code mode of operation during which the local coder and the remote coder are enabled to encode out-going communications and to decode in-coming communications, and for locking out any extension coders from the encoding and decoding;

code means responsive to the lockout means for the encoding out-going communications from the local coder to the remote coder during the code mode, and for decoding in-coming communications to the local coder from the remote coder during the code mode.

2. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the wait means comprises a user wait switch by which a local user advances the local coder from the normal mode to the wait mode.

3. The local communication coder of claim 2, wherein the wait switch is a momentary contact and release switch, and the wait means further comprises wait latch means responsive to the momentary contact wait switch for preventing the local coder from returning to the normal mode after the momentary contact wait switch has been released by the local user.

4. The local communication coder of claim 3, wherein the local coder further comprises:

system interface means for linking the local coder to the telecommunication system, and for sensing the presence of system current from the telecommunication system.

5. The local communication coder of claim 4, further wherein:

the wait latch means is responsive to the system interface means for permitting the local coder to advance from the normal mode to the wait mode when system current is present, and for returning the local coder to the normal mode when system current is not present.

6. The local communication coder of claim 3, wherein the local coder further comprises:

telephone interface means for connection to the local telephone for sensing whether the local telephone is cradled on hook or lifted off hook.

7. The local communication coder of claim 6, further wherein:

the wait latch means is responsive to the telephone interface means for permitting the local coder to advance from the normal mode to the wait mode when the local telephone is off hook, and for returning the local coder to the normal mode when the local telephone is on hook.

8. The local communication coder of claim 3, further wherein:

the wait latch means is powered by the local coder operating power for permitting the local coder to advance from the normal mode to the wait mode when the operating power is present, and for returning the local coder to the normal mode when operating power is not present.

9. The local communication coder of claim 2, wherein the wait means further comprises:

a wait mode indicator for indicating to the local user when the local coder has advanced to the wait mode of operation.

10. The local communication coder of claim 9, wherein the wait mode indicator is a user visible light on the local coder which is on when the local coder is in the wait mode.

11. The local communication coder of claim 9, wherein the wait mode indicator is a user audible tone which is played into the local telephone when the local coder is in the wait mode.

12. The local communication coder of claim 2, wherein the local coder is powered off while in the normal mode of operation and is powered on when the wait means advances the local coder from the normal mode of operation to the wait mode of operation.

13. The local communication coder of claim 12, wherein the local coder further comprises:

a battery power source for powering the local coder during the wait mode and the code mode.

14. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the wait means further comprises:

a system isolation means responsive to the wait switch for isolating the telecommunication system from the local coder while the local coder is in the normal mode, and for coupling the telecommunication system to the local coder while the local coder is in the wait mode or the code mode.

15. The local communication coder of claim 14, wherein the system isolation means is a relay means having an isolation position in which the local coder is disconnected from the telecommunication system and the local telephone is connected to the telecommunication system, and having a connected position in which the local coder is connected to the telecommunication system and the local telephone is connected to the local coder.

16. The local communication coder of claim 15, wherein the relay means is in the isolation position when the local coder is unpowered.

17. The local communication coder of claim 15, wherein the relay means comprises:

a system relay for isolating the telecommunication system from the local coder when in the isolation position; and

a telephone relay for isolating the local telephone from the local coder when in the isolation position.

18. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the listen window is opened by the listen delay means for a predetermined period of time.

19. The local communication coder of claim 18, wherein the predetermined period of the listen window is about one second, and the listen delay means is a resistor-capacitor charging circuit.

20. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the listen means further comprises:

a demodulator stage responsive to the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder for determining when the listen means has been listening to the in-coming wait signal for a minimum period of time;

a listen minimum stage responsive to the listen delay means during the listen window and to the demodulator stage after the minimum period for providing a listen minimum status;

the listen minimum stage responsive to the send means after the send window has closed and to the demodulator stage after the minimum period for providing the listen minimum status; and

a listen done stage responsive to the listen minimum status of the listen minimum stage and to the demodulator stage after the minimum period, for detecting the termination of the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder to provide a listen done status.

21. The local communication coder of claim 20, wherein the minimum period is about 0.4 seconds.

22. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the send means further comprises:

an open window stage responsive to the listen means for opening the send window in order to start sending the out-going wait signal to the remote coder;

send delay means responsive to the open window stage for holding the send window open for the duration of the send window;

a close window stage responsive to the send delay means for closing the send window in order to stop sending the out-going wait signal to the remote coder.

23. The local communication coder of claim 22, wherein the send window is held open by the send delay means for a predetermined period of time.

24. The local communication coder of claim 23, wherein the predetermined period of the send window is about two seconds, and the send delay means is a resistor-capacitor charging circuit.

25. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the code means further comprises:

routing means having a wait mode state for the wait mode of operation and a code mode state for the code mode of operation, and responsive to the listen means and the send means, for routing the out-going wait signal from the local coder to the remote coder when in the wait mode state, and routing the out-going communications from the local coder to the remote coder when in the code mode state, and for routing the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder to the listen means when in the wait mode state and routing the in-coming communications from the remote coder to the code means when in the code mode state.

26. The local communication coder of claim 1, wherein the code means further comprises:

encoder means for encoding out-going communications from the local coder to the remote coder when the local coder is in the code mode; and

decoder means for decoding in-coming communications to the local coder from the remote coder when the local coder is in the code mode.

27. The local communication coder of claim 26, wherein the local coder further comprises a code mode indicator.

28. The local communication coder of claim 26, wherein the code means is a frequency inversion device.

29. The local communication coder of claim 28, wherein the frequency inversion device has an inversion frequency of 3600 Hz.

30. A local cordless coder telephone comprising:

base unit for linking to a telecommunication system for communication with the remote coder, and having a local transmitter-receiver;

cordless unit having a local transmitter-receiver in communication with the base transmitter-receiver, a microphone-speaker for user communications, and a local coder coupled between the cordless transmitter-receiver and the microphone-speaker for encoding and decoding the user communications;

wait means within the local coder for advancing the local coder from a normal mode of operation during which communications transmitted from the cordless unit to the base unit are not encoded and communications received by the cordless unit from the base unit are not decoded, to a wait mode of operation during which the local coder listens for the in-coming wait signal from a cooperating remote coder also linked to the telecommunication system;

listen delay means within the local coder responsive to the wait means for opening a listen window as the local coder advances from the normal mode to the wait mode;

listen means within the local coder for detecting the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder during the wait mode indicating that the remote coder has advanced to the wait mode;

send means within the local coder responsive to the listen means for opening a send window, and for sending an out-going wait signal to the remote coder indicating that the local coder has advanced to the wait mode;

lockout means within the local coder responsive to the listen means and to the send means for advancing the local coder from the wait mode to a code mode during which the local coder and the remote coder are enabled to encode transmitted communications and to decode received communications, and during which any extension coders linked to the telecommunication system are locked out from the encoding and decoding; and

code means within the local coder responsive to the lockout means for encoding communications transmitted from the cordless unit to the base unit during the code mode, and for decoding communications received by the cordless unit from the base unit during the code mode.

31. A coder method of enabling encoding and decoding communications between a local telephone and a remote telephone and locking out any extension telephones, comprising:

providing a local coder in a normal mode of operation during which out-going communications from the local coder are not encoded and in-coming communications to the local coder are not decoded;

advancing the local coder from the normal mode of operation to a wait mode of operation during which the local coder listens for an in-coming wait signal from the remote coder;

opening a send window in the local coder to the remote coder during the wait mode;

sending an out-going wait signal to the remote coder during the send window indicating that the local coder has advanced to the wait mode;

closing the send window during the wait mode;

advancing the local coder from the wait mode of operation to a code mode of operation during which the local coder and the remote coder are enabled to encode out-going communications and to decode in-coming communications, and during which any extension coders are prevented from the encoding and decoding;

encoding out-going communications from the local coder to the remote coder during the code mode; and

decoding in-coming communications to the local coder from the remote coder during the code mode.

32. The coder method of claim 31, further comprising the additional step of:

listening for the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder after the send window has closed indicating that the remote coder has advanced to the wait mode.

33. The coder method of claim 31, further comprising the additional steps of:

opening a listen window in the local coder to the remote coder as the local coder advances from the normal mode to the wait mode;

listening for the in-coming wait signal from the remote coder during the listen window indicating that the remote coder has advanced to the wait mode.