Personal computer interactive phone system

• US 6,310,940 B1
• Filed: 04/23/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Ratz, Roger W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/298,409
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 379/198, 379/165, 379/166, 379/167, 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.14, 379/93.15, 379/159, 379/160, 379/91.01, 379/110.01, 379/88.23, 379/88.26, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 370/419, 370/524, 370/260, 370/263, 370/264, 370/384
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• 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 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725

Abstract

A telephone system for providing advanced telephony includes a first phone system adapter and a phone system controller. The first phone system adapter is coupled between a first telephone handset and a telephone line. Furthermore, the first phone system adapter is operable to (i) selectively couple the first telephone handset to the telephone line, (ii) receive an oral command from the first telephone handset when the first telephone handset is decoupled from the telephone line, and (iii) transmit the oral command to the phone system controller via the telephone line while the first telephone handset is decoupled from the telephone line. The phone system controller is coupled to the telephone line. Moreover, the phone system controller includes a personal computer system having an interactive phone system board and a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium includes programs that configure the personal computer system and the interactive phone system board to (i) receive the oral commands via the telephone line, and (ii) execute the oral command.

Claims

1. A phone system controller for use with a phone system adaptor that is interposed between and selectively couples a telephone to a first access point of a telephone line, the phone system controller comprising:

a computer system operable to be coupled to a second access point of the telephone line comprising a processor and an expansion slot operable to couple an expansion card to said processor, and

an interactive phone system board coupled to said expansion slot, said interactive phone system board including a connector operable to connect said computer system to the second access point of the telephone line, said interactive phone system board operable to (i) establish a communication channel with said phone system adapter that permits normal concurrent use of said telephone line by another telephone couplable to a third access point of the telephone line while said communication channel is established, (ii) receive audio signals from said telephone, and (iii) provide said computer system with said audio signals via said communication channel.

2. The phone system controller of claim 1, wherein:

said audio signals include an auto-dial request, and

said computer system is operable to (i) determine from a database of said computer system a telephone number corresponding to said auto-dial request, and (ii) provide said interactive phone system board with first control signals which cause said interactive phone system board to dial said telephone number by applying signals to said telephone line.

3. The phone system controller of claim 2, wherein:

said interactive phone system board is further operable to (i) establish a control channel to said phone system adapter, and (ii) transmit second control signals to said phone system adapter via said control channel in response to receiving said first control signals from said computer system, said second control signals causing said phone system adapter to couple said telephone set to said telephone line.

4. The phone system controller of claim 1, wherein:

said audio signals include an auto-dial programming request and a telephone number, and

said computer system is operable to update a database of said computer system with said telephone number corresponding to said auto-dial programming request.

5. The phone system controller of claim 1, wherein:

said audio signals include a voice addressed intercom request that includes an intercom location, and

said computer system is operable to (i) determine from a database of said computer system an intercom associated with said intercom location, and (ii) establish said communication channel such that said communication channel is operable to carry voice signals between said telephone set and said intercom associated with said intercom location.

6. A telephone system for providing advanced telephony features, comprising a first phone system adapter and a phone system controller, wherein:

said first phone system adapter is coupled between a first telephone handset and a first access point of a telephone line, said first phone system adapter operable to (i) selectively couple said first telephone handset to said telephone line, (ii) receive an oral command from said first telephone handset when said first telephone handset is decoupled from said telephone line, and (iii) transmit said oral command to said phone system controller via said telephone line while said first telephone handset is decoupled from said telephone line, and

said phone system controller is coupled to a second access point of said telephone line, said phone system controller comprising a personal computer system having an interactive phone system board and a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium including programs that configure said personal computer system and said interactive phone system board to (i) receive said oral commands via said telephone line, and (ii) execute said oral command.

7. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein:

said oral command includes an auto-dial request, and

said phone system controller is operable to (i) determine from a database of said personal computer system a telephone number corresponding to said auto-dial request, and (ii) provide said interactive phone system board with first control signals which cause said interactive phone system board to dial said telephone number by applying signals to said telephone line.

8. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein:

said interactive phone system board is further operable to (i) establish a control channel to said first phone system adapter, and (ii) transmit second control signals to said first phone system adapter via said control channel in response to receiving said oral command via said communication channel, said second control signals causing said first phone system adapter to couple said first telephone set to said telephone line.

9. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein:

said oral command includes an auto-dial programming request and a telephone number, and

said phone system controller is operable to update a database of said personal computer system with said telephone number corresponding to said auto-dial programming request.

10. The telephone system of claim 6, further comprising:

a second phone system adapter which is coupled between a second telephone handset and said telephone line, wherein;

said oral command includes a voice addressed intercom request that includes an intercom location which corresponds to said second phone system adapter, and

said phone system controller is operable to (i) determine from a database of said personal computer system that said intercom location of said voice addressed intercom request corresponds to said second phone system adapter, and (ii) re-establish said communication channel such that said communication channel is operable to carry voice signals between said first telephone set and said second telephone set via said first phone system adapter and said second phone system adapter and said telephone line without interfering with normal use of said telephone line.

11. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein:

said first phone system adapter is further operable to (i) modulate said oral command to obtain a modulated oral command that lies outside of a normal audio band for said telephone line, and (ii) transmit said oral command to said phone system controller by transmitting said modulated oral command to said phone system controller via said telephone line, and

said interactive phone system board of said phone system controller is operable to demodulate said modulated oral command to obtain said oral command.

12. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein:

said first phone system adapter is further operable to (i) modulate said oral command upon a carrier having a frequency between 270 KHz and 540 KHz to obtain a modulated oral command, and (ii) transmit said oral dialing command to said phone system controller by transmitting said modulated oral command to said phone system controller via said telephone line, and

said interactive phone system board of said phone system controller is operable to demodulate said modulated first oral dialing command to obtain said first oral dialing command.

13. The telephone system of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of phone system adapter boxes respectively coupled between a plurality of telephone sets and said telephone line, said plurality of phone system adapter boxes operable to (i) selectively couple said respective telephone set to said telephone line, and (ii) audibly present information via a respective speaker of said plurality of phone system adapter boxes, wherein;

said oral command includes a voice broadcast intercom request, and

said phone system controller is operable to (i) determine via speech recognition software of said personal computer system that said oral command is a broadcast intercom request, and (ii) re-establish said communication channel such that said communication channel is operable to carry voice signals between said first telephone set and said respective speakers of said plurality of phone system adapter boxes via said telephone line without interfering with normal use of said telephone line.

14. The telephone system of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of phone system adapter boxes respectively coupled between a plurality of telephone sets and said telephone line, said plurality of phone system adapter boxes operable to (i) selectively couple said respective telephone set to said telephone line, and (ii) audibly present information via a respective speaker of said plurality of phone system adapter boxes, each of said phone system adapter boxes having a unique address, wherein;

said phone system controller is further operable to (i) obtain caller ID information from an incoming call, (ii) determine from a database of said personal computer system and said caller ID information a list of phone system adapter boxes said incoming call is to be routed, and (iii) routing said incoming call to said phone system adapter boxes of said list.

15. The telephone system of claim 14, wherein:

said phone system controller is further operable to (iv) obtain a distinctive ring from said database based upon said caller ID information, and (v) apply said distinctive ring to each of said speakers of said phone system adapter boxes of said list.

16. The telephone system of claim 14, wherein:

said phone system controller is further operable to (iv) obtain an audio clip associated with said caller ID information from said database, and (v) apply said audio clip to each of said speakers of said phone system adapter boxes of said list.

17. The telephone system of claim 14, wherein:

said phone system controller is further operable to (iv) save said caller ID information in a memory location of said personal computer system, (v) receive an oral caller ID save request via a telephone set coupled to said plurality of phone system adapter boxes, (vi) receive an audio clip to associate with said caller ID information, and (vii) store said audio clip and said caller ID information in said database of said personal computer system.

18. A method of providing a telephone with an advanced telephony feature, comprising the steps of:

decoupling said telephone from a telephone line;

transmitting an oral command from said telephone to a phone system adapter box coupled to said telephone line via a first access point while said telephone is decoupled from said telephone line;

transmitting said oral command from said phone system adapter box to an interactive phone system board of a personal computer system via said telephone line while said telephone is decoupled from said telephone line; and

processing said oral command at said personal computer system in order to provide said advanced telephony feature.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting an auto-dial request, and

said processing step comprises the steps of (i) determining that said oral command is an auto-dial command, (ii) obtaining a telephone number associated with said auto-dial command from a database of said personal computer system, and (iii) applying signals to said telephone line in order to dial said telephone number.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting a voice addressed intercom request comprising an oral intercom location, and

said processing step comprises the steps of (i) determining that said oral command is a voice address intercom request, (ii) obtaining an intercom address from a database of said personal computer system based upon said oral intercom location, and (iii) establishing an audio communication channel on said telephone line that audibly couples said telephone set and an intercom associated with said intercom address without interfering with the normal operation of said telephone line.