Computer-based multifunction personal communication system with caller ID

• US 6,009,082 A
• Filed: 11/10/1994
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Multi-Tech Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Multi-Tech Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Sun, Ting, Reinarts, Timothy J., Davis, Jeffrey P., Caswell, Ty J., Johnson, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/338,340
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 370/24, 370/31, 370/32, 370/32.1, 370/79, 370/81, 370/110.1, 370/118, 370/60, 370/94.1, 370/60.1, 370/62, 370/7, 370/276, 370/204, 370/280, 370/281, 370/295, 370/296, 370/405 , 370/535, 370/537, 370/477, 370/476, 379/411, 379/410, 379/408, 379/409, 379/58, 379/93, 379/339, 379/98, 379/424, 379/388, 379/67, 379/89, 379/59, 379/96, 379/94, 379/95, 379/183, 379/182, 379/88, 379/202, 379/142 , 379/93.02, 379/93.06, 379/93.05, 379/93.08, 379/95.15, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/100.13, 379/118, 379/127, 379/128, 379/126, 379/130, 375/345, 375/222, 375/265, 380/23
• US Class Current: 370/276
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/04 using predictive techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6424 Access arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6427 Subscriber Access Module; Concentrator; Group equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6459 Multiplexing, e.g. TDMA, CDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6491 Echo cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6494 Silence suppression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/3416 in which the information is carried by both the individual signal points and the subset to which the individual points belong, e.g. using coset coding, lattice coding, or related schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/253 : Telephone sets using digital voice transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 : Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 : for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 : storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 : Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 : Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/064 : Data transmission during pauses in telephone conversation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/068 : using time division multiplex techniques; integrated services digital networks H04Q11/0428
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 : Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/002 : Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/08, echo suppressors or cancellers per se H04B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 : Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 : for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 : Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 : Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 : where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 : Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 : Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 : Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence

Abstract

An interface for personal communications systems is described which provides rapid identification of a caller and limited access based on a variety of parameters obtained from caller identification information encoded by the telephone company. The incoming telephone call information is compared to a preprogrammed access matrix to determine if the caller is authorized to access the personal communications system connected to the interface. A telephone call screening method and apparatus which incorporates the encoded caller identification is also described.

Claims

1. A multifunction communication system for use with a personal computer, the personal computer having a processor, a memory, and a peripheral data store, the multifunction communication system connected to a caller identification encoded telephone line, comprising:

a communications module connected to the personal computer, the module comprising;

communications interface means connected for communicating to the personal computer for transferring data between the personal computer and the communications module;

telephone line interface means for connection to the caller identification encoded telephone line;

telephone voice interface means for receiving local voice signals from a local user and for conveying remote voice signals from a remote user to the local user;

full-duplex conversion means for converting the local voice signals into outgoing digital voice data and for converting incoming digital voice data into the remote voice signals;

compression means for compressing the outgoing digital voice data into compressed outgoing digital voice data and for decompressing compressed incoming digital voice data into the incoming digital voice data;

main control means for receiving the compressed outgoing digital voice data from the compression means, for receiving outgoing conventional digital data from the personal computer through the communications interface means, and for multiplexing the compressed outgoing digital voice data and the conventional digital data to produced multiplexed outgoing data;

the main control means further for receiving multiplexed incoming data which contains incoming conventional digital data multiplexed with the compressed incoming digital voice data, for demultiplexing the incoming conventional digital data and the compressed incoming digital voice data, and for sending the incoming conventional digital data to the personal computer through the communications interface means and for sending the compressed incoming digital voice data to the compression means;

the personal computer executing software to communicate with the communications module through the communications interface and operable for initiating a telephone call to a remote site in response to the commands by local user and for causing the main control means of the communications module to perform multiplexing and demultiplexing; and

the personal computer further operable for receiving and storing the incoming conventional digital data received from the communications module over the communications interface and for transmitting the outgoing conventional digital data to the communications module over the communications interface.

2. A personal communication system for use with a caller identification encoded telephone network and a personal computer, comprising:

data interface means connected for transferring data to and from the personal computer;

telephone line caller identification interface means for connection to a plurality caller identification encoded telephone lines including a first telephone line and a second telephone line;

telephone handset means for receiving local voice signals from a local user and for conveying remote voice signals from a remote user to the local user;

full-duplex conversion means connected to the telephone handset means for converting the local voice signals into outgoing digital voice data and for converting incoming digital voice data into the remote voice signals;

voice compression means connected to the full-duplex conversion means for compressing the outgoing digital voice data into compressed outgoing digital voice data and for decompressing compressed incoming digital voice data into the incoming digital voice data;

main control means connected for

receiving the compressed outgoing digital voice data from the voice compression means,

receiving outgoing conventional digital data from the personal computer through the data interface means,

multiplexing and transmitting the compressed outgoing digital voice data with the outgoing conventional digital data, and

passing the remote voice signals to the second telephone line.

3. The personal communications system of claim 2 wherein the telephone line caller identification interface comprises:

data storage device connected to a data comparator;

caller identification decoder connected to the data comparator; and

hang up means connected to the data comparator.

4. The personal communications system of claim 2 wherein the telephone line caller identification interface comprises:

storage means for storing access information;

caller identification decoding means to decode caller identification information;

telephone line switching means for routing caller identification signals to the caller identification decoding means;

telephone line connection means for maintaining a telephone connection from an authorized caller;

comparison means to compare the caller identification information to stored access information; and

hang up means for terminating access.

5. The personal communications system of claim 4 wherein the storage means includes means for storing caller telephone number, caller name, time of day, date, number of calls.

6. The personal communications system of claim 4 wherein the caller identification decoding means decodes the caller identification information including caller telephone number, caller name, time of day, and date.