Telephone with environmentally-influenced call indicator

• US 6,122,366 A
• Filed: 07/16/1998
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Veschi, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Storm, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US09/116,504
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 379/376, 379/373, 379/106.09, 379/79, 379/374
• US Class Current: 379/373.02
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal

Abstract

A telephone according to the invention includes an indicator adapted to provide an indication of the presence of an incoming call, and a sensor adapted to sense an environmental condition and adjust the indicator based on the sensed condition. For example, the sensor can sense an ambient light level and adjust a ringer to not ring or a speaker to mute when the ambient light level is below a threshold and/or based on an ambient noise level. In an alternative embodiment, a method of responding to a ringing signal includes the steps of sensing a level of ambient light, and adjusting an audible indicator based on the sensed level of ambient light.

Claims

1. A telephone, comprising:

a ringer;

a ringing circuit adapted to receive a ringing signal and output a signal to actuate the ringer in response thereto;

a photosensor adapted to sense a level of ambient light and to disable the ringer if the sensed level of ambient light is below a first threshold; and

a speaker portion of a telephone answering device, wherein the sensor is further adapted to disable the speaker portion if the sensed level is below the threshold.

2. A telephone, comprising:

ringer;

a ringing circuit adapted to receive a ringing signal and output a signal to actuate the ringer in response thereto;

an acoustic sensor adapted to sense a level of ambient noise; and

a photosensor adapted to sense a level of ambient light, and to disable the ringer if the sensed level of ambient light is below a first threshold and the sensed level of ambient noise is below a second threshold.

3. A telephone as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

a speaker portion of a telephone answering device, wherein the sensor is further adapted to disable the speaker portion if the sensed level is below the threshold.

4. A telephone as recited in claim 2, further comprising an alternative indicator, wherein the photosensor is adapted to enable the alternative indicator when it disables the ringer.

5. A telephone as recited in claim 4, wherein the alternative indicator is a light.

6. A method of controlling a sound emanating from a speaker portion of a telephone answering machine, comprising:

sensing at least one of a level of ambient light and a level of ambient noise; and

adjusting the speaker portion based on the sensing.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the adjusting step disables the speaker if the ambient light is below a first threshold.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the adjusting step also disables the speaker if the ambient noise is below a second threshold.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the adjusting step disables the speaker if the ambient noise is below a second threshold.

10. A method of responding to a ringing signal, comprising:

sensing a level of ambient light;

sensing a level of ambient noise; and

disabling a ringer if the sensed levels are below respective thresholds.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the step of enabling an alternative indicator.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the alternative indicator is a light.

13. A method of responding to a ringing signal, comprising the steps of:

sensing a level of ambient light; and

adjusting an audible indicator based on the sensed level of ambient light by muting the audible indicator if the sensed level of ambient light is below a first threshold,

setting the audible indicator to a first volume if the sensed level of ambient light is greater than the first threshold but less than a second threshold, and

setting the audible indicator to a second volume if the sensed level of ambient light is greater than the second threshold.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the second volume is greater than the first volume.