Methods and apparatus for displaying caller-ID information for a call waiting caller

• US 6,067,355 A
• Filed: 11/20/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cybiotronics Limited
• Original Assignee: Cybiotronics Limited
• Inventors: Lim, Yeung-How, Lim, Boon-Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N.
• Application Number:
  US09/197,345
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/355, 379/215
• US Class Current: 379/142.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/571 Blocking transmission of caller identification to called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Abstract

A caller-ID device and/or an integrated caller-ID and answering machine device which is configurable 1) to play a pre-recorded announcement for the user when the caller-ID information received over the PSTN corresponds to stored information indicating an important caller; 2) to play a pre-recorded "block-the-blocker" outgoing message for the caller when a blocked-caller-ID code is received; and/or 3) to play a pre-recorded "reject call" outgoing message for the caller when the caller-ID information corresponds to stored information indicated an undesirable caller. Also disclosed are an economical method and apparatus for displaying caller-ID information for a call-waiting caller simultaneously with the caller-ID information of a present caller and a method and apparatus for enabling a caller-ID device to selectively dial the last seven digits of a phone number, the area code and the last seven digits, or a "1", the area code, and the last seven digits of a phone number.

Claims

1. A caller-ID device for displaying caller-ID information to a user, said device comprising:

means for displaying a first caller'"'"'s information in a complete form at a particular position;

means for receiving a second caller-ID transmission including a second caller'"'"'s information;

means for re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s information in a summary form at another position, when the active caller changes from one caller to another caller; and

means for displaying said second caller'"'"'s information in said complete form at said particular position concurrently with re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s information in said summary form at said other position when the active caller changes from one caller to another caller.

2. The caller-ID device of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch means for selecting between a first display mode and a second display mode;

wherein said first display mode comprises said first caller'"'"'s information being displayed in a complete form concurrently with said second caller'"'"'s information being displayed in a summary form; and

wherein said second display mode comprises said first caller'"'"'s information being displayed in a summary form concurrently with said second caller'"'"'s information being displayed in a complete form.

3. The caller-ID device of claim 2, wherein said switch means corresponds to a flash key.

4. In a caller-ID device, a method of displaying caller-ID information to a user, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying a first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in a complete form at a particular position;

displaying a second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in a summary form at another position, concurrently with said step of displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information;

selecting said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information for displav in said complete form when active caller changes from one caller to another caller;

re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said summary form at said other position; and

re-displaying said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said complete form at said particular position, concurrently with said step of re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID in said summary form at said other position.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information corresponds to a present caller and said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information corresponds to a call-waiting caller.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information corresponds to a call-waiting caller and said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information corresponds to a present caller.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

selecting said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information for display in said complete form;

re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said summary form; and

re-displaying said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said complete form concurrently with said step of re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said summary form.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of indicating a call order for said first and second caller.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of indicating a status for said first and second caller as either engaged with the user or waiting.

8. In a caller-ID device, a method for displaying caller-ID information to a user, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying a first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in a complete form at a particular position;

receiving a second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information;

re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in a summary form when the active caller changes from one caller to another caller;

displaying said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said complete form at said particular position concurrently with said step of re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said summary form at another position.

11. A caller-ID device for displaying caller-ID information to a user comprising:

a caller-ID receiver for receiving caller-ID information;

a caller-ID memory for storing caller-ID information;

a display panel including a plurality of display elements arranged in plurality of rows, said plurality of rows including;

a first set of one or more rows at a particular position adapted to display caller-ID information in a complete form; and

a second set of one or more rows at another position adapted to display caller-ID information in a summary form; and

a display controller having an input coupled to said caller-ID receiver and to said caller-ID memory, and an output coupled to said display panel;

wherein said display controller is configured to output an active caller'"'"'s caller-ID information on said display panel in said complete form using said first set of rows, and to concurrently output another caller'"'"'s caller-ID information on said display panel in said summary form using said second set of rows, whenever there is a change of active caller from one caller to another caller wherein said active caller'"'"'s caller-ID information is always presented using said first set of rows.

12. The caller-ID device of claim 11, further comprising a switch coupled to said display controller, and wherein said display controller is further configured to select between a first display mode and a second display mode responsive to said switch;

wherein said first display mode comprises said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information being output on said display panel in said complete form concurrently with said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information being output on said display panel in said summary form; and

wherein said second display mode comprises said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information being output on said display panel in said complete form concurrently with said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information being output on said display panel in said summary form.

13. The caller-ID device of claims 11, wherein said display panel further comprises a first sequence indicator adjacent to said first set of one or more rows, and a second sequence indicator adjacent to said second set of one or more rows, said first and second sequence indicators for indicating a call order of a first and second caller corresponding to said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information and said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information, respectively.

14. The caller-ID device of claim 11, wherein said display panel further comprises a first status indicator adjacent to said first set of one or more rows, and a second status indicator adjacent to said second set of one or more rows, said first and second status indicators for indicating a talking/waiting status of a first and second caller corresponding to said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information and said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information, respectively.

15. A caller-ID device for displaying caller-ID information to a user, said device comprising:

a caller-ID receiver for receiving caller-ID information;

a caller-ID memory for storing caller-ID information;

a display panel including a plurality of display elements, said plurality of display elements arranged into;

a first display position at a first particular position;

a second display position at a second particular position; and

a caller-ID status information area for displaying caller-ID status information for an active call presented on one of said positions;

a display controller having an input coupled to said caller-ID receiver and to said caller-ID memory, and an output coupled to said display panel;

wherein said display controller is configured to output a first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information on said display panel at a particular one of said display positions, to concurrently output another caller'"'"'s caller-ID information on said display panel at a secondary one of said display positions, and to concurrently present caller-ID status information at said caller-ID status information area for whichever of said calls is an active call whenever there is a change of active caller from one caller to another caller.

16. In a caller-ID device, a method for displaying caller-ID information to a user, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying a first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in a complete form at a particular position on a display having a character length less than a number of characters transmitted in an automatic number identification (ANI) signal transmitted from a telecommunications provider;

receiving a second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information;

re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in a summary form, when the active caller changes from one caller to another caller;

displaying said second caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said complete form at said particular position concurrently with said step of re-displaying said first caller'"'"'s caller-ID information in said summary form at another position.