Telephone system

• US 6,333,978 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1999
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tamura, Harumichi
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/328,891
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/167, 379/168, 379/171, 379/172, 379/173, 379/177, 379/179, 379/182, 379/183, 379/184, 379/188, 379/189, 379/199, 379/200, 455/415, 455/462, 455/465
• US Class Current: 379/142.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

It is an object of the invention to provide a telephone system which is capable of protecting privacy of a manager of a slave unit on an incoming caller telephone number as well as protecting privacy of a manager of a master unit on an incoming caller telephone number. The telephone system of the invention comprises a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the caller telephone number data is displayed only at the master unit and held in a history storage buffer, and when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the slave unit, the caller telephone number data is transmitted from the master unit to the associated slave unit to be displayed at the associated slave unit as well as held in a history storage buffer. By inputting a secret number at the master unit, incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the master unit is displayed/printed, and by inputting a secret number at the slave unit, incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed.

Claims

1. A telephone system comprising:

a master unit and at least one slave unit;

wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is displayed or held only at the master unit, and when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the slave unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is transmitted from the master unit to the associated slave unit and displayed or held only at the associated slave unit; and

wherein when the transmission of incoming caller telephone number data from the master unit to the associated slave unit ends in failure, the incoming caller telephone number data is held at the master unit in association with the associated slave unit.

2. The telephone system of claim 1,

wherein a transmission of the incoming caller telephone number data from the master unit to the associated slave unit is attempted again after the failure of the transmission, and when said transmission is successfully conducted, the incoming caller telephone number data which is held at the master unit in association with the associated slave unit is deleted.

3. A telephone system comprising:

a master unit and at least one slave unit;

wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is displayed or held only at the master unit, and when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the slave unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is transmitted from the master unit to the associated slave unit and displayed or held only at the associated slave unit; and

wherein incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the master unit is displayed or printed by inputting a secret number at the master unit, while incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed by inputting a secret number at the slave unit.

4. A telephone system comprising a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is displayed or held only at the master unit, and when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the slave unit the incoming caller telephone number data is held in the master unit in association with the associated slave unit;

wherein incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the master unit is displayed or printed by inputting a secret number which is associated with the master unit, at the master unit,

incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed or printed by inputting a secret number which is associated with the slave unit, at the master unit, and

incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed or printed at the master unit via a radio communication by inputting a secret number which is associated with the slave unit, at the slave unit.

5. A telephone system comprising:

a master unit and at least one slave unit;

wherein when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the master unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is displayed or held only at the master unit in association with the master unit;

when incoming caller telephone number data is associated with the slave unit, the incoming caller telephone number data is transmitted from the master unit to the associated slave unit to display only at the associated slave unit, and is held in the master unit in association with the associated slave unit;

wherein incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the master unit is displayed or printed by inputting a secret number which is associated with the master unit, at the master unit,

wherein incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed or printed by inputting a secret number which is associated with the slave unit, at the master unit, and

incoming caller telephone number data which is associated with the slave unit is displayed or printed at the master unit via a radio communication by inputting a secret number which is associated with the slave unit, at the slave unit.