U S West, Inc.

Mediaone Group, Inc.

Qwest Communications Int'l., Inc.

U S West Advanced Technologies, Inc.

Adam N Marx

Jafar S Nabkel

Loren M Sylvan

James E Miller

An apparatus and method provide for interfacing a facsimile machine with a computer network. Specifically, an apparatus provides a fax interface for exchanging faxes with fax machine and a network interface for communicating with and retrieving electronic documents from a computer network. The apparatus further includes a memory for storing the electronic documents received from the computer network and the faxed pages received from the fax machine and a controller for comparing the electronic documents to the faxed pages. The apparatus may be employed to retrieve various electronic documents from the computer network in response to received faxes.

Apparatus and method for interfacing a computer network to a facsimile machine

The privacy system apparatus and method of the present invention allow users of a publicly accessible terminal to privately access information displayed on a visual monitor of the terminal. In one embodiment, the privacy system,is implemented with a terminal,having a visual monitor,being disposed within a user area,. The user area,provides a space for users,to privately access the terminal,and is at least partially separated from an external area,by a barrier assembly,. A first filter,receives radiation,from the visual monitor,and transmits linearly polarized radiation,into the user area,. A second filter,disposed between the user area,and the external area,transmits linearly polarized radiation,. By selecting first and second filters,,and,, respectively, with orthogonal transmission axes, radiation,emitted by the visual monitor,is substantially blocked from transmission to the external area

Polarizing privacy system for use with a visual display terminal

An enhanced telephony system for use in premises monitoring is disclosed. More particularly, such system provides an alert signal upon sensing of a predetermined condition of interest at a business or residential premises. The system provides for the receipt of a sensor signal at telephony service equipment, located at the premises in response to the sensing of a predetermined condition of interest. In turn, such telephony equipment is employed, in response to receipt of a sensor signal, to automatically provide at least one of a human-perceivable alert signal at the premises, or the initiation of a telephony call to a predetermined telephone number corresponding with the service control point maintained within a telephony services network. Preferably, the human-perceivable alert signal provided comprises a ringer cadence distinct from that employed in connection with the receipt of incoming telephone calls from third-parties. Such distinct cadence alerts individuals at the monitored premises that the predetermined condition of interest has been sensed. When a telephony call is initiated to a number corresponding with the service control point, additional AIN-enabled features may be included. Such features include directing of an alert call to one or more predetermined numbers corresponding with service companies for monitoring premises, emergency response stations (e.g., fire, police, etc.), call forwarding stations, and mobile stations. Such added features provide a readily configurable system for providing alert signals upon the detection of one or more predetermined conditions of interest at the monitored premises.

Enhanced telephony system for premises monitoring

A method and system for processing an incoming call during a call-in-progress utilizes a communication station for detecting the incoming call from a new caller to a subscriber telephony device. The communication station determines whether the subscriber telephony device is busy on a call with a first telephony device. An adjunct processor then determines interruption information about the first telephony device which identifies whether or not the call-in-progress with the first telephony device can be interrupted. The adjunct processor then generates a corresponding signal for receipt by the communication station based on whether or not the call-in-progress with the first telephony device can be interrupted by the new caller.

Method and system for processing incoming calls during calls-in-progress

An improved user interface for use in interactive electronic devices. The user interface eliminates the complexity and ambiguity problems encountered in conventional interfaces through the incorporation of a physical overlay designed for use in cooperation with a contiguous touch screen or a plurality of individual touch screens. The physical overlay delineates the touch screen or screens into a plurality of context sensitive task and information display regions which may be accessed by direct user manipulation.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Adam N Marx