Timed ring suppressor

• US 7,529,564 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silver, Edward Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US10/610,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20040266490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 455/401, 455/415, 455/567, 455/556.2, 455/556.1, 455/95, 455/552.1, 455/550.1, 455 901- 903, 455418-420, 455/461, 455/428, 455/403, 37937501-37502, 379/256, 379/252, 37921103-21104, 379/207.16, 37920708-20709, 379/179, 37910605-10609, 379/82, 379/215.01, 379/88.21, 379/88.26, 379/142.08, 379/210.01
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

Systems and methods for timed ring suppression are disclosed. After a communications device receives an incoming call and the ringer is activated to produce an initial audible alert, the ringer of the communications device may be silenced for subsequent audible alerts until the calling party hangs up or until the call is further processed.

Claims

1. A timed ring suppressor device, comprising:

a database of timed ring suppression profiles including (i) an identifier of reference data associated with an incoming line identification signal and (ii) a timing parameter associated with the identifier, the timing parameter describing an amount of time in which alerts to an incoming call are silenced;

a processor causing an initial alert to alert of the incoming call, thereafter the processor retrieving the timing parameter and causing subsequent alerts to be silenced according to the amount of time described by the timing parameter; and

a timed ring suppressor coupled with the processor and suppressing a ringer of a communications device such that the timed ring suppressor silences the subsequent audible alerts of the incoming call.

2. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit coupling the timed ring suppressor and the ringer of the communications device, the circuit responsive to the timed ring suppressor to enable timed ring suppression of the ringer, and the circuit further responsive to the timed ring suppressor to disable timed ring suppression of the ringer.

3. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface to the communications device.

4. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 3, further comprising:

a system controller operating with the processor to control communications with at least one of the communications device, the timed ring suppressor device, and the communications network.

5. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, wherein the communications device comprises at least one of a wireless communications device, a POTS phone, a mobile phone, a wireless phone, a WAP phone, an IP phone, a satellite phone, a computer, a modem, a pager, a digital music device, a digital recording device, a personal digital assistant, an interactive television, a digital signal processor, and a Global Positioning System device.

6. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a keyboard subsystem for communicating data to the timed ring suppressor device, the keyboard subsystem comprising at least one of the following;

a keyboard;

a punch button; and

a stylus.

7. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display for communicating visual data; and

an audio subsystem for communicating audio data.

8. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, further comprising:

means for visually alerting of a timed ring suppressed call.

9. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source for the timed ring suppressor device.

10. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 9, wherein the power source comprises a battery.

11. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, wherein the identifier of reference data associated with an incoming line identification signal comprises at least one of (i) a telephone number associated with the incoming line identification signal, (ii) a directory name associated with the incoming line identification signal, (iii) a date/time identifier associated with the incoming line identification signal, (iv) a geographical identifier associated with the incoming line identification signal, and (v) a caller control signal associated with the incoming line identification signal.

12. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, the database of timed ring suppression profiles further comprising a telephone number dialed from the communications device.

13. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 1, wherein after the amount of time expires, as described by the timing parameter, then the processor enables subsequent rings to resume alerting of the incoming call.

14. A timed ring suppressor device, comprising:

at least one input/output processor to access, input, and output a timed ring suppression profile, the timed ring suppression profile comprising at least one of (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) a communications address, (iii) an identifier of a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (iv) a timing parameter associated with the identifier of the calling party, the timing parameter describing an amount of time which alerts to an incoming call are silenced;

at least one communications device interface for interconnecting a timed ring suppressor circuit with at least one of a communications network and the communications device;

a memory device for storing the timed ring suppression profile; and

a processor communicating with the memory device, the processor operating with a timed ring suppression program for causing an initial alert of the incoming call, and therefore the processor retrieving the timing parameter and causing susequent alerts to be silenced according to the amount of time described by the timing parameter.

15. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 14, further comprising at least one of:

a display console;

a keyboard;

a punch button;

a stylus;

an audio recorder; and

an audio/video player.

16. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 14, further comprising:

at least one of a wireless communications transceiver and a wired communications port for communicating with at least one of the communications network, the calling party'"'"'s communications device, and a data network.

17. The timed ring suppressor device of claim 14, further comprising:

a biometric sensor for identifying a user of the timed ring suppressor device.

18. A computer readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions for performing a method of suppressing alerts, the method comprising:

querying a database of timed ring suppression profiles including (i) an identifier of reference data associated with an incoming line identification signal and (ii) a timing parameter associated with the identifier, the timing parameter describing an amount of time in which alerts to an incoming call are silenced;

causing an initial alert to alert of the incoming call, thereafter retrieving the timing parameter and causing subsequent alerts to be silenced according to the amount of time described by the timing parameter; and

suppressing a ringer of a communications device such that the subsequent audible alerts of the incoming call are silenced.

19. A method for timed ring suppression, comprising:

querying a database of timed ring suppression profiles including (i) an identifier of reference data associated with an incoming line identification signal and (ii) a timing parameter associated with the identifier, the timing parameter describing an amount of time in which alerts to an incoming call are silenced;

causing an initial alert to alert of the incoming call, thereafter retrieving the timing parameter and causing subsequent alerts to be silenced according to the amount of time described by the timing parameter; and

suppressing a ringer of a communications device such that the subsequent audible alerts of the incoming call are silenced.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

enabling a user to suppress the ringer such that a subsequent audible alert of the incoming call is silenced according to a timing parameter; and

during the uninterrupted on-hook state of the incoming call, receiving an instruction from the communications device to suppress the ringer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the timing parameter is a multiple of six seconds.