Method for intelligent home controller and home monitor

• US 7,263,370 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Infosino, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, PIERRE LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US10/915,037
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 455/556, 455/414, 455/456.1, 379/201.6
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

A method utilizing a transmitter emitting a unique signal and a base station receiver having a database of household members is used to ascertain the identity of household members who are home at any particular time. Such information is used by the local telephone network to provide specialized telephone services to the household based on the identity of the household members who are home. A manual and emergency services override is provided to permit the completion of telephone calls from emergency services personnel and other persons irrespective of the presence or absence of any household member. The information regarding the presence or absence of household members also may be used to intelligently provide other household services such as heating and cooling or home security depending on the identity of persons who are home.

Claims

1. A method for managing telephone service for a plurality of persons sharing a common telephone and utilizing a plurality of telephone numbers that may be accessed via the common telephone, each of the telephone numbers being associated with one or more of the persons, based on determining whether a person associated with a telephone number and sharing the common telephone is as the location served by the common telephone and for restricting completion of a telephone call to one of the telephone numbers accessible via the common telephone to permit said telephone call to be completed only when a person associated with that telephone number is present at the location served by the common telephone, comprising the steps of:

periodically transmitting a unique signal from a transmitter adapted to accompany the person;

receiving said signal in a base station serving each person sharing the common telephone at the location served by the common telephone, the base station containing a processor, a receiver, and for each person sharing the common telephone, a database record unique to the person;

the signal emitted by said transmitter having sufficient strength to be received by said base station receiver only when said transmitter is in close proximity to said receiver;

processing said unique signal within the base station;

correlating said unique signal to the unique record maintained for each person in the base station database;

recording a receipt of said signal in said base station database record;

recording a failure to receive said signal in said base station database record;

whereby the base station database maintains a record for each person sharing the common telephone indicating whether that person is or is not at the location served by the common telephone;

upon detecting a change in at least one of said records in said base station database, initiating a wire line telephone call over the common telephone to a local telephone network controller located in the telephone network providing telephone service to the common telephone;

uploading said changed records in the base station database via the wire line telephone call into a network database maintained by the local telephone network controller, thereby to record in the network database whether each of the persons sharing the common telephone is or is not at the location served by the common telephone;

after uploading said base station database, disconnecting said telephone call to the local telephone network controller;

maintaining in the network database records a database of subscriber numbers including the plurality of telephone numbers associated with the common telephone;

maintaining in the network database records, for each of the telephone numbers associated with the common telephone, a list of persons associated with each of the telephone numbers;

receiving an inbound telephone call to one of the telephone numbers associated with the common telephone;

checking the updated network database to determine whether at least one person associated with the telephone number is present at the location served by the common telephone; and

permitting said inbound telephone call to be completed only if said at least one required person is present at the location served by the common telephone; and

providing another service to the caller if said at least one required person is not present at the location served by the common telephone.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

maintaining within the base station database records a list of telephone numbers associated with at least one of the persons sharing the common telephone;

upon a change in at least one of the records in said base database list of telephone number associations, initiating a wire telephone call over the common telephone to the local telephone network controller;

uploading said changed telephone number list records in the base station database via the wire line telephone call into the network database records, thereby to record in the network database an updated list of telephone numbers associated with persons sharing the common telephone;

after uploading said base station database, disconnecting said telephone call to the local telephone network controller.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing another service to the caller if said at least one required person is not present at the location served by the common telephone is selected from the steps of:

giving an appearance to a caller that a telephone is ringing without being answered, transferring a caller to a voice mailbox, transferring a caller to a predetermined alternate telephone number, and giving a caller an opportunity to select another call recipient.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of permitting a call waiting signal to be given only if the person associated with telephone number being called is home.

5. A method for managing telephone service for a plurality of persons sharing a common telephone line based on determining whether a person sharing the common telephone line is as the location served by the common telephone line and for restricting completion of a telephone call over the common telephone line to permit said telephone call to be completed only when a required person is present at the location served by the common telephone line, comprising the steps of:

periodically transmitting a unique signal from a transmitter adapted to accompany the person;

receiving said signal in a base station serving each person sharing the common telephone line at the location served by the common telephone line, the base station containing a processor, a receiver, and for each person sharing the common telephone line, a database record unique to the person;

the signal emitted by said transmitter having sufficient strength to be received by said base station receiver only when said transmitter is in close proximity to said receiver;

processing said unique signal within the base station;

correlating said unique signal to the unique record maintained for each person in the base station database;

recording a receipt of said signal in said base station database record;

recording a failure to receive said signal in said base station database record;

whereby the base station database maintains a record for each person sharing the common telephone line indicating whether that person is or is not at the location served by the common telephone line;

upon detecting a change in at least one of said records in said base station database, initiating a wire line telephone call over the common telephone line to a local telephone network controller located in the telephone network providing telephone service to the common telephone line;

uploading said changed records in the base station database via the wire line telephone call into a network database maintained by the local telephone network controller, thereby to record in the network database whether each of the persons sharing the common telephone line is or is not at the location served by the common telephone line;

after uploading said base station database, disconnecting said telephone call to the local telephone network controller;

maintaining in the network database records a database of subscriber numbers including a subscriber number associated with the common telephone line and at least one subscriber telephone numbers including a subscriber number associated with the common telephone line that has restrictions on completing telephone calls;

maintaining in the network database records, for each of said subscriber telephone numbers that have restrictions on completing telephone calls, a list of at least one restricted telephone number;

maintaining within the base station database records a list of at least one restricted telephone number associated with at least one of the persons sharing the common telephone line;

upon detecting a change in at least one of the records in said base database list of restricted telephone numbers, initiating a wire line telephone call over the common telephone line to the local telephone network controller;

uploading said changed restricted telephone number list records in the base station database via the wire line telephone call into the network database records, thereby to record in the network database an updated list of restricted telephone numbers associated with persons sharing the common telephone line;

after uploading said base station database, disconnecting said telephone call to the local telephone network controller;

maintaining a network database of unrestricted telephone numbers for emergency service providers;

receiving a telephone call completion attempt with respect to the subscriber number of the common telephone line;

checking the network database to determine if the telephone call completion attempt involves one of the telephone numbers for emergency service providers, and if so, always permitting a telephone call completion attempt with respect to said emergency service providers to be completed, and if not,

checking the network database to determine whether said telephone call completion attempt is with respect to a subscriber telephone number that has restrictions on completing telephone calls;

checking the updated network database list of restricted telephone numbers to determine whether said telephone call completion attempt with respect to said subscriber telephone number may be completed only if at least one required person is present;

checking the updated network database to determine whether said at least one required person is present at the location served by the common telephone line; and

permitting said inbound telephone call to be completed only if said at least one required person is present at the location served by the common telephone line; and

providing another service to the caller if said at least one required person is not present at the location served by the common telephone line.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a list of unrestricted telephone numbers in the base station; and

always permitting a telephone call attempt with respect to the telephone numbers in said unrestricted telephone number list to be completed.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of uploading said list of unrestricted telephone numbers to the local telephone network controller whenever there is a change to said list of unrestricted telephone numbers.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of updating said database of unrestricted telephone numbers by performing a step selected from:

telephoning a customer service department within a local telephone network provider, sending electronic mail to a customer service department within a local telephone network provider, and sending mail to a customer service department within a local telephone network provider.