Agere Systems Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Other

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Charles William Berthoud

Mohd Majed Hobbi

Syed S Ali

Lakshmi Narayana Jampanaboyana

James J Greybush

Jeffrey Paul Grundvig

Scott Wayne McLellan

Kouros Azimi

Paul Joseph Davis

James Thomas Cargo

Steven C Szep

James Skorko

Arupratan Gupta

Kultaransingh N Hooghan

Bradley M Feick

James A Johnanson

Apparatus and processes to provide notification to a remote user upon the occurrence of a qualifying event determined by a voice messaging system based on logged call related information, e.g., Caller ID information. A return call data directory table is maintained associating predetermined events based on logged call related information with a telephone number to be called in the event of the satisfaction of a designated event. Designated events may include a predetermined number of calls from a particular caller within a predetermined range of time or days, or a total number of calls from any caller within a predetermined range of time. An auto dialing calling module automatically dials a designated or default telephone number to notify the user of the satisfaction of the designated event. A notification message is played to the remote user, and the user is either informed of the details of the satisfied event and/or is allowed to playback voice messages or otherwise control the operation of the voice messaging system. The user may add, delete or modify any of the entries in the return call data directory table either local to the voice messaging system or from a remote location through an established telephone call.

Telephone answering device which notifies a user based on call related information received from a calling party

A performance indication system for use with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) signal. In one embodiment, the performance indication system includes a rate discrimination subsystem that is configured to provide a determination of a data transfer rate of the USB signal corresponding to a full-speed operation and a high-speed operation. The rate discrimination subsystem is coupled to a condition indication subsystem that is configured to provide a signal indicating the data transfer rate.

Performance indication system for use with a universal serial bus signal and a method of operation thereof

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for detecting if a person has attempted to tamper with an integrated circuit (IC). The apparatus is located on the IC and comprises detection circuitry that detects a build up of electrical charge on the IC and disablement circuitry that disables the IC when the detection circuitry detects a build up of electrical charge on the IC. The method comprises detecting if a build up of electrical charge on the IC has occurred and disabling the IC when a build up of electrical charge on the IC has been detected.

Method and apparatus for disabling an integrated circuit (IC) when an attempt is made to bypass security on the IC

Apparatus and method for notifying an Internet user of an attempted incoming telephone call to the same telephone line used to interconnect the called-but-busy party with the Internet. The disclosed embodiment comprises an Internet communication module and a message recorder/IP formatter at an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The ISP is contacted, either directly by a calling party via a telephone call, or by the central office via a telephone call, and a desired called-but-busy party is identified (e.g., with a telephone number). The ISP provides a notification message to the called-but-busy user via the data communication link established for Internet use between the called-but-busy party and their servicing ISP. The notification message may be textual (e.g., an e-mail message) and/or audible (e.g., a '.wav' file attached to an e-mail message). Moreover, the notification message may be passive, requiring the called-but-busy party to actively receive the notification request, e.g., by retrieving their e-mail. Alternatively, the notification message may be automatically activated upon receipt by the called-but-busy Internet user, e.g., using a self-executing JAVA applet or the like.

Telephone call interuption request via internet

Supplied with only a telephone number, a device is capable of locating and then forwarding the name and/or address associated with the telephone number. The name or address is forwarded to a near-end device, such as a telephone, using an existing caller identity delivery (&ldquo;CID&rdquo;) data link.

Methods and devices for forwarding identification data

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a remote control device includes a HELP feature which is driven by the activation of the button in question itself. In particular, if a multiple-use button is pressed quickly (i.e., for less than a given duration), or in another embodiment if held for a long time (i.e., for more than another given duration), then the HELP mode is triggered for that key. The help may be spoken and/or displayed from either the remote control device itself, or from the controlled device.

Remote control help feature

A method and apparatus for placing a telephone call is provided in which an email address is used to identify an intended recipient of the call and initiate a telephone connection. An email address is input and transmitted to an email address receiver. A telephone number is determined by a central communications provider via accessing a database or series of databases of telephone numbers associated with the email address. The telephone number thus determined is dialed to connect the user with the intended recipient.

Telephony access using an email address

A method and apparatus for transferring convenience feature data (e.g., speed dial numbers, etc.) from one telephone to another local telephone within the same home or small office. In particular, the telephone includes a memory located within a corded or cordless telephone configured for storing data, and a transfer module configured to transfer requested data between the memory and a target device in response to a transfer request. The corded telephone utilizes a DTMF generator/receiver, a demodulation/modulation module, or a Bluetooth module to establish a communication path between the corded telephone and the target device. The cordless telephone utilizes a DTMF generator/receiver, a demodulation/modulation module, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, or a Bluetooth module to establish a communication path between the cordless telephone and the target device. A transfer request may be a download, upload, or synchronization request between the memory of the corded or cordless telephone and the target device. By providing means to transfer data between corded or cordless telephone and a transfer device, information may be automatically shared locally or remotely between multiple devices. Moreover, telephones with corrupted memories or erased memories may be automatically updated or restored.

Telephone having convenience feature data transfer capability

A technique and apparatus for integrating a speaker with button (or keyboard) components such as a tactile membrane and/or PCB. The tactile membrane conventionally used between buttons and switch mechanisms to provide tactile feedback to a user upon depression of the button is extended to form a vibrating portion of a speaker. The vibrating portion is doped with or otherwise includes an activating material (e.g., copper) which will be physically affected by a magnetic field. The activating material may be adhered to the upper and/or lower side of the vibrating portion, or doped therein. A coil for the speaker is formed with a coil tracing pattern formed on one or more layers of a PCB. One or more amplifier circuits may be included to drive one or more coil patterns, to cause a fluctuating magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the vibrating portion of the tactile membrane. The vibrating portion of the tactile membrane responds to the fluctuations in the magnetic field, causing audible sounds to be output.

Field layer speaker for consumer products

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for receiving Type II CID data in an environment containing multiple off-hook cordless telephones, all being fitted for receiving CID data, and all residing on the same subscriber line. This is achieved by coordinating the sending, receiving, and acknowledging (i.e., handshaking) of muting control signals within a cordless link between a designated master telephone unit and designated slave telephone extensions.

Receipt of type II caller identification in multi-cordless environment

The present invention utilizes common hardware and software routines already present in most digital telephone devices, e.g., a DTMF detector; to download data over a telephone line to a digital telephone device. Each symbol of a numeric system, e.g., a hexadecimal system, used to represent the data is associated with a DTMF tone pair. The DTMF tone pair is downloaded from a data source such as a manufacturer of the digital telephone device, to the digital telephone device using a telephone line. Other tones may be used to provide control signals between the data source and the digital telephone device. Thus, using common and inexpensive routines in a typical digital telephone device, the expense of a modem or other conventional data communication device is not necessary to receive data.

DTMF download technique for digital telephone devices

A system for, and method of, calculating a capacity of a rechargeable battery having an initial terminal voltage and a battery power supply incorporating the system or the method. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a dummy load couplable to the battery to initiate a battery discharge cycle of a given discharge rate and (2) a controller, coupled to the dummy load, that periodically collects, and generates an accumulation of, terminal voltage samples during the battery discharge cycle until the terminal voltage reaches a predefined terminating level, the capacity being a function of a magnitude of the accumulation.

Battery capacity calculator and method of calculating battery capacity

In one embodiment according to the invention, a method is provided for handling a flash-hook signal from a telephone engaged in a first telephone call with a first distant party when a second telephone call with a second distant party is in a hold status. The method includes the steps of placing the first telephone call with the first distant party in the hold status, connecting the second telephone call, and providing a Caller ID indication to the telephone. In an alternative embodiment, a telephone according to the invention includes a flash-hook, and a Caller ID display. The telephone is adapted to display Caller ID data associated with a first call, and to be updated upon connection of a second call, in response to activation of the flash-hook, to display Caller ID data associated with the second call.

Flash-hook Caller ID

A method and apparatus for testing a customer premises equipment (CPE) alert signal detector used to detect the start of a Caller ID data transmission using test CPE alert signals generated by a testing platform and mixed with a voice signal as an input to the detector. The testing platform also generates a special sync signal which is input to control circuitry connected to the CPE alert signal detector. An active sync signal indicates when a valid CPE alert signal should be detected. The control circuitry is configured to execute a test algorithm that monitors both the sync signal and the output of the detector and indicates when the CPE alert signal detector has validly detected a CPE alert signal, falsely detected a CPE alert signal, or failed to detect a CPE alert signal. The number of valid, false, and missed CPE alert signal detections are totaled and can be used to calculate the talkoff and talkdown error rates for the detector.

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Bethlehem, PA, United States of America

Charles William Berthoud