Apparatus for disabling a telephone ringer
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for disabling a telephone ringer comprising:
- a light sensing device operable to produce a signal indicative of a level of ambient light;
a recording device operable to play back a recording to a calling party, the recording prompting the calling party to provide indicia that the call is a priority call; and
a controller communicating with the light sensing device and the recording device, the controller being operable to receive the signal and both (I) to disable the telephone ringer, and (ii) enable the recording device such that the recording device may play back the recording to the calling party, when the signal indicates that the ambient light has reached a predetermined level, the controller being operable to initiate an emergency sequence when the indicia indicates that the call is a priority call.
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Abstract
An apparatus for disabling a telephone ringer includes a light sensing device operable to produce a signal indicative of a level of ambient light; and a controller operable to receive the signal and disable the telephone ringer when the signal indicates that the ambient light has reached a predetermined level.
45 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An apparatus for disabling a telephone ringer comprising:
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a light sensing device operable to produce a signal indicative of a level of ambient light;
a recording device operable to play back a recording to a calling party, the recording prompting the calling party to provide indicia that the call is a priority call; and
a controller communicating with the light sensing device and the recording device, the controller being operable to receive the signal and both (I) to disable the telephone ringer, and (ii) enable the recording device such that the recording device may play back the recording to the calling party, when the signal indicates that the ambient light has reached a predetermined level, the controller being operable to initiate an emergency sequence when the indicia indicates that the call is a priority call. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for disabling a telephone ringer comprising:
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a light sensing device operable to produce a first signal indicative of a level of ambient light;
a timing-device operable to produce a second signal indicative of a timing condition;
a recording device operable to play back a recording to a calling party, the recording prompting the calling party to provide indicia that the call is a priority call; and
a controller communicating with the light sensing device, the timing device and the recording device, the controller being operable to receive the first and second signals and both (i) disable the telephone ringer, and (ii) enable the recording device such that the recording device may play back the recording to the calling party, when either (i) the first signal indicates that the ambient light has reached a predetermined level, or (ii) the second signal indicates that a predetermined timing condition has been satisfied, the controller being operable to initiate an emergency sequence when the indicia indicates that the call is a priority call. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for disabling a telephone ringer comprising:
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a recording device operable with a telephone to play back an instruction recording to a calling party, the recording prompting the calling party to provide designated signal that the calling party'"'"'s call is a priority call; and
a controller communicating with said recording device, said controller being operable;
(i) to disable the telephone ringer; and
(ii) to enable the recording device such that the recording device may play back said instruction recording to a calling party, the controller being operable after a calling party provides said designated signal to initiate an emergency sequence and re-enable the ringer when said signal from the calling party indicates that the calling party'"'"'s call is a priority call. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. Apparatus operable with a telephone including a ringer and a telephone answering device (TAD), comprising:
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(i) a controller adapted for connection with said telephone and said TAD for selectively disabling the telephone ringer and connecting the TAD to receive the call and to deliver a playback message to the caller with instruction for the caller to override the ringer disablement so that the telephone will ring if said call is a priority call, (ii) said TAD adapted to provide an instruction to the caller to use his/her telephone key pad or to speak into his phone microphone a designated code indicating that the calling party'"'"'s call is a priority call, said controller, when it receives said code, adapted to override said disablement of said ringer and allow said call to activate said ringer so that the call can be received, (iii) a timing device electronically coupled to said controller and operable to produce a first signal indicative of a preselected timing condition (such as 11;
00 PM turn off time) for which said controller is to automatically disable said ringer and enable the TAD for providing its instruction playback, and(iv) a light sensing device electronically coupled to said controller and operable to produce a second signal indicative of a preselected level of ambient light (such as lights out or darkness condition) for which said controller is to automatically disable said ringer and enable the TAD for providing its instruction playback, said controller adapted for the following conditions;
(a) where said timing device is activated and said light sensing device is not activated, to receive and respond to said first signal from said timing device and to disable said ringer, or (b) where said light sensing device is activated and said timing device is not activated, to receive and respond to said second signal from said light sensing device and to disable said ringer, or (c) where both said timing device and said light sensing device are activated, to receive said first signal (such as 11;
00 PM turn off time) and to disable said ringer, but to disregard said first signal if the second signal (such as lights out or darkness condition) is not yet been received, or(d) where both said timing device and said light sensing device are activated, to receive said second signal (such as lights out or darkness condition) and to disable said ringer, but to disregard said second signal if said first signal has not yet been received, or (e) where neither said timing device nor said light sensing device is activated, to respond to manual switching to disable said ringer. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A telephone answering system, comprising:
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(i) a telephone including a ringer, (ii) a telephone answering device (TAD), and (iii) a controller adapted for connection with said telephone and said TAD for selectively disabling the telephone ringer and connecting the TAD to receive the call and to deliver a playback message to the caller with instruction for the caller to override the ringer disablement so that the telephone will ring if said call is a priority call, said TAD adapted to provide an instruction to the caller to use his/her telephone key pad or to speak into his phone microphone a designated code indicating that the calling party'"'"'s call is a priority call, said controller, when it receives said code, adapted to override said disablement of said ringer and allow said call to activate said ringer so that the call can be received, (iv) a timing device electronically coupled to said controller and operable to produce a first signal indicative of a preselected timing condition (such as 11;
00 PM turn off time) for which said controller is to automatically disable said ringer and enable the TAD for providing its instruction playback, and(v) a light sensing device electronically coupled to said controller and operable to produce a second signal indicative of a preselected level of ambient light (such as lights out darkness condition) for which said controller is to automatically disable said ringer and enable the TAD for providing its instruction playback, said controller adapted for the following conditions;
(a) where said timing device is activated and said light sensing device is not activated, to receive and respond to said first signal from said timing device, or (b) where said light sensing device is activated and said timing device is not activated, to receive and respond to said second signal from said light sensing device, or (c) where both said timing device and said light sensing device are activated, to receive said first signal (such as 11;
00 PM turn off time) and to disable said ringer, but to disregard said first signal if the second signal (such as lights out or darkness condition) is not yet been received, or(d) where both said timing device and said light sensing device are activated, to receive said second signal (such as lights out or darkness condition) electronically coupled to said controller and to disregard said second signal of said first signal has not yet been received, or (e) where neither said timing device nor said light sensing device is activated, to respond to manual switching to disable said rings.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeHaley Korn, Jonathan Korn
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Original AssigneeHaley Korn, Jonathan Korn
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InventorsKorn, Jonathan, Korn, Haley
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Primary Examiner(s)Isen, Forester W.
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Assistant Examiner(s)HAROLD, JEFFEREY F
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Application NumberUS09/248,436Time in Patent Office2,343 DaysField of Search379/37, 379/38, 379/47, 379/67.1, 379/74, 379/77, 379/88.2, 379/373.01, 379/373.02US Class Current379/373.01CPC Class CodesH04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital formH04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised cal...H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for meas...
