Caller ID equipment which displays location of caller

• US 6,353,664 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cequint Incorporated (Trident Private Holdings I LLC)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Guardian Corp. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johanson, James A., Cannon, Joseph M., McDowell, Richard Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US08/980,824
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88-9-, 379/142, 379/93.23, 379/120, 379/127, 379/130, 379/133-134, 379/354, 379/127.01, 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.1, 379/142.17, 379/142.18, 379/245
• US Class Current: 379/142.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party

Abstract

Customer premises telephone equipment and methods are provided for identifying a calling party'"'"'s telephone number, household name, and city and/or state location, to a called party. The equipment and method includes one or more directories containing city and state location information corresponding to a complete listing of all area codes an local exchanges throughout a selected calling region or country. A receiver receives an incoming telephone number of an incoming telephone call and a comparator compares the received incoming telephone number with the directory or directories containing the city and state location information to identify a city and state location associated with the incoming telephone number. The equipment includes a display for displaying the incoming telephone call number, the household name, and/or the city and state location associated with the incoming call.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a calling party to a called party, comprising:

receiving through an analog telephone line interface a telephone number of an incoming telephone call;

comparing an area code of said telephone number with an area code/location directory stored directly within non-networked caller ID equipment of said called party to identify a state associated with said telephone number;

comparing an associated local exchange of said telephone number with a local exchange/location directory stored directly within said caller ID equipment of said called party to identify a city associated with said telephone number; and

providing said city and said state associated with said telephone number of said incoming call.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a household name associated with said telephone number of said incoming call; and

providing said household name.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said telephone number of said incoming call is received from a central office.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing directly within said caller ID equipment of said called party a directory of household names associated with telephone numbers;

said telephone number of said incoming call being compared with said directory of household names to identify a name associated with said received telephone number of said incoming call; and

displaying said name.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying said telephone number of said incoming call and said location associated with said telephone number of said incoming call on said caller ID equipment of said called party.

6. A method of identifying a calling party to a called party, comprising:

providing non-networked caller ID equipment having within said equipment an area code/location directory to determine state location of said calling party and a local exchange/location directory to determine city location of said location of said calling party;

receiving through an analog telephone line interface, at said caller ID equipment, a telephone number of an incoming telephone call;

comparing an area code of said telephone number of said incoming call with said area code/location directory to identify a state associated with said telephone number of said incoming call;

comparing a local exchange of said telephone number of said incoming call with said local exchange/location directory to identify a city associated with said telephone number of said incoming call;

displaying said telephone number of said incoming call; and

displaying said state and said city associated with said telephone number of said incoming call.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

receiving through an analog telephone line interface, at said caller ID equipment, a household name associated with said telephone number of said incoming call; and

displaying said household name.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said caller ID equipment further comprises:

a directory of household names associated with telephone numbers;

said received telephone number of said incoming call being compared with said directory of household names to identify a name associated with said received telephone number of said incoming call; and

displaying said name.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein:

said telephone number of said incoming call and said location associated with said telephone number of said incoming call are displayed on said caller ID equipment.

10. Non-networked caller ID equipment for identifying a calling party to a called party, comprising:

an area code/location directory corresponding state locations to area codes of telephone numbers;

a local exchange/location directory corresponding city locations to local exchanges of telephone numbers;

receiving means for receiving through an analog telephone line interface an incoming telephone number of an incoming telephone call;

comparing means for comparing said received incoming telephone number with said area code/location directory and said local exchange/location directory to identify a state and a city, respectively, associated with said received incoming telephone number; and

a display to display said received incoming telephone number and said state and said city associated with said received incoming telephone number.

11. The caller ID equipment according to claim 10, wherein:

said receiving means is constructed and arranged to receive through an analog telephone line interface a household name associated with said incoming telephone number of said incoming call; and

said display is constructed and arranged to display said household name.

12. The caller ID equipment according to claim 10, wherein:

said display is a three-line LCD display.

13. The caller ID equipment according to claim 10, wherein said comparing means comprises:

a microprocessor.

14. The caller ID equipment according to claim 10, further comprising:

a numeric keypad and telephone handset.

15. The caller ID equipment according to claim 10, wherein:

said directory is contained in memory that is accessible by said microprocessor.

16. Non-networked caller ID equipment for identifying a calling party to a called party, comprising:

an area code/location directory corresponding state locations to area codes of telephone numbers;

a local exchange/location directory corresponding city locations to telephone numbers;

a receiver to receive through an analog telephone line interface an incoming telephone number of an incoming telephone call;

a comparator to compare said received incoming telephone number with said area code/location directory and said local exchange/location directory to identify a state and a city, respectively, associated with said received incoming telephone number; and

a display to display said received incoming telephone number and said state and city associated with said received incoming telephone number.

17. The caller ID equipment according to claim 16, wherein:

said receiver is further to receive through an analog telephone line interface a household name associated with said telephone number of said incoming call; and

said display is constructed and arranged to display said household name.

18. The caller ID equipment according to claim 16, wherein:

said display is a three line LCD display.

19. The caller ID equipment according to claim 16, wherein said comparator comprises:

a microprocessor.

20. The caller ID equipment according to claim 16, further comprising:

a numeric keypad; and

a telephone handset.

21. The caller ID equipment according to claim 19, wherein:

said directory is contained in memory that is accessible by said microprocessor.