Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

Akhteruzzaman

Paul Raymond Sand

Ian A Schorr

Wayne C Fite

Amitava Hazra

Ronald Joseph Rees

An arrangement for enhancing the capabilities of emergency service provisions for telephone stations served by a cable system. In accordance with the prior art, telephone stations served by cable systems are frequently provided with access to an emergency telephone line for making emergency calls when the cable system lacks power, or is otherwise inoperative. In accordance with this invention, the emergency service line is used for making incoming calls directed to all telephones connected to the emergency line, using a different telephone number for the emergency call. Outgoing service is also provided to the telephones connected to the emergency line. Advantageously, the value of the emergency line service is substantially enhanced.

Enhanced life-line service for cable telephone customers

A method for enhancing the stability associated with an individual telecommunications line interface circuit comprises measuring a phase angle between a battery voltage and an output voltage. The phase angle measurement is processed by a digital signal processor for synthesizing a comparator circuit to generate an output voltage if the phase angle is a value other than forty-five degrees (45&deg;). The new output voltage is then applied to the line interface circuit and the phase angle is recalculated to determine if it is a closer approximation of 45&deg;. In an alternative embodiment, a database including a plurality of output voltage and electrical parameter values is stored in the digital signal processor and indexed by measured phase angles between the battery voltage and the output voltage. If a phase angle other than 45&deg; is measured, the measured phase angle is used to obtain a new output voltage and electrical parameters from the database. The new output voltage is generated by the digital signal processor so that the line interface circuit operates at a greater degree of stability.

Method for optimizing stability of a line interface circuit in a telecommunications network

The remote subscriber line unit provisioning system which operates on a shared facilities basis with the voice communication facilities of the remote subscriber line unit. This architecture eliminates the need for dedicated communication facilities to interconnect the remote subscriber line unit with the central facilities management system.

Remote subscriber line unit provisioning system for use with voice communication facilities

A telephone with an automatic muting circuit that mutes the microphone in response to detection of speaking pauses of the local user to reduce noise due to acoustical feedback that are detected by comparing the waveforms from the microphone and the audio speaker after being amplified by amplifiers with automatic gain control circuits to the same level with speech subtractor. During pauses when the signals compared are substantially the same, then automatic muting circuit is activated by the speech subtractor to mute the microphone but when the local user speaks into the microphone the subtraction of the waveforms does not yield a null result and the microphone is unmuted.

Telephone with automatic pause responsive, noise reduction muting and method

A speed control system for a device includes a microprocessor based module for established a window or speed range having an upper and a lower speed limit. Operator control of the speed of the device is permitted within the window. In a first mode, a windowed comparator is engaged immediately that the device speed attains the lower limit of the established speed range. In a second mode, the device speed must be substantially constant at a speed within the established speed range for a predetermined time before the windowed comparator is engaged.

Windowed control system

Pin fraud of battery reversal pulse metered sophisticated coin telephones is detected, an announcement of the detected fraud made, and the fraud is stopped if the detected fraud continues by the method and apparatus of the invention. By carefully monitoring within the switch office the loop current that is flowing in the 48 volt battery circuit, especially in the more positive terminal portion of the 48 volt battery circuit, loss of current to a fraud ground at a remote coin telephone can be detected. Once a fraud ground is detected, an announcement is made to at least the calling station where the pin fraud was detected, which says in effect 'The pay telephone you are using is charging improperly for the service provided. If such improper charging continues the present call will be discontinued.' A convenient location in the switch office and an inexpensive component configuration make the addition of this pin fraud detection, announcement and prevention apparatus very cost effective.

Method and apparatus for detecting and announcing pin fraud on coin

A method and system for providing redundancy for security systems served by the public switched telephone network (PSTN) includes a cable modem interconnected to a security system controller. Upon detection of inoperability of a telecommunications line serving the system via the PSTN, the cable modem extends an alert message to a security monitoring service via a packet data network. Advantageously, the cable modem can also send video images and audio from the secured premises to the security monitoring system due to the bandwidth capabilities of the packet data network.

Method and system for providing redundancy in security systems served by

A method for reducing frequency-related power losses in a telecommunication line interface circuit comprises operating a switching converter circuit at an optimum frequency. Determination of the optimum frequency is based upon a subscriber loop length. Particularly, the subscriber loop voltage is detected at a battery feed circuit of the line interface circuit, and used to access an optimum frequency stored in an initialized database. The optimum frequency information is received in the switching converter circuit, and determines its operating frequency.

Method for customizing operation of a line interface circuit in a

A line interface circuit (LIC) used in telecommunications networks operates in either a high frequency mode or a low frequency mode, depending upon the status of its associated customer premises equipment. A LIC main controller detects a change in state of customer premises equipment via a battery feed circuit. If the customer premises equipment is off-hook, a switch associated with a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit is activated to lower the resistance value of the RC circuit, and thereby, increase the operating frequency of the LIC. During on-hook intervals, the main controller deactivates the switch, and the LIC operates at a lower, default frequency.

Method for controlling power losses associated with line interface

Pin fraud of battery reversal pulse metered sophisticated coin telephones is detected and prevented by the method and apparatus of the invention. By carefully monitoring within the switch office the loop current that is flowing in the 48 volt battery circuit, especially in the more positive terminal portion of the 48 volt battery circuit, loss of current to a fraud ground at a remote coin telephone can be detected. Once a fraud ground is detected, the call is terminated. The current detector of this method and apparatus can also be used to terminate a call for the normal on-hook break of the loop current. A convenient location in the switch office and an inexpensive component configuration make the addition of this pin fraud detection and prevention apparatus very cost effective.

Method and apparatus for preventing pin fraud on coin telephones that

A method for controlling power losses associated with the operation of line interface circuits in telecommunications networks comprises detecting a loop current of at least one subscriber loop interconnected to at least one line interface circuit. The detected loop current is used to access a threshold voltage value from a line interface circuit database. A threshold voltage based on the threshold voltage value retrieved from the database is compared to a feedback voltage to control a duty cycle of a switching converter circuit in the line interface circuit. Controlling the duty cycle of the switching converter circuit enables control of battery voltages based on the comparison of the threshold voltage and the feedback voltage. In the preferred embodiment, the battery voltage is controlled to be a minimum voltage needed to provide a predetermined magnitude of the minimum loop current.

Method for customizing operation of a battery feed circuit in a

This invention relates to a universal authenticator for use with an ordinary telephone station over an ordinary telephone line. The authenticator, which is the size and shape of a credit card, receives a query number by being held against the receiver of the telephone station and receiving audio signals in a receiver. Using its own key, it transforms the received query number into an individualized response number which it transmits via its speaker when the authenticator is held against the microphone of the telephone station.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

Akhteruzzaman