Lucent Technologies Inc.

Guido Bertocci

William J Nealon

Walter Tomkoski

Hon-Chi Yu

Siegfried F Rehwinkel

Howard M Singer

A cordless telephone provides for increased features available at a portable unit that have heretofore been available only at a base unit which combines a cordless telephone fixed station and telephone answering device. The cordless telephone includes a call screening feature which allows a user at the portable unit to monitor incoming messages received over telephone lines as they are being recorded at the telephone answering device without the user having to configure the portable unit in any way during actual receipt of the message. A built-in loudspeaker is incorporated into the portable unit so that the user may easily listen to the incoming messages. Once receipt of the incoming message is completed, amplifier circuitry driving the loudspeaker is turned off. The cordless telephone also includes a caller-ID feature which informs the user at the portable unit of the identity of a preidentified calling party before the call is answered. This operation is achieved by the user entering into a memory table in the telephone each one of a plurality of desired telephone numbers for subsequent access and comparison when a caller-ID number is received from a calling party. The user also associates with each telephone number a voice message which is subsequently generated in the loudspeaker in the portable unit in response to a favorable comparison between the caller-ID signal and the stored telephone number.

Method and apparatus for accessing a telephone answering device from a

A cordless telephone system achieves synchronism for each one of multiple portable units to the same communication channel for communicating with a common base unit. The cordless system uses a dual channel process to allow both the freedom to dynamically change channels as needed to avoid interference while simultaneously providing a capability to resynchronize any portable unit with the base unit on a selected active channel. This is achieved through the use of a fixed service channel and an active channel which changes as needed. If a channel change is made during a call, after the call is completed, the base unit returns to the previous active channel and broadcasts a message to the multiple portable units indicative of the new active channel. Also, any portable unit that attempts to communicate with the base unit on the wrong channel and fails to get a response will transmit a message on the fixed service channel requesting the current active channel from the base unit. Responsive to this request, the base unit provides information indicative of the active channel over the service channel. Once equipped with the current active channel information, the portable unit is able to reach and establish communications with the base unit.

Apparatus and method for synchronizing a cordless telephone base unit

A cordless telephone provides both basic and enhanced features that are accessible through the combination of a portable unit and an auxiliary recharge cradle, some of these features being heretofore available only at a base unit which combines a cordless telephone fixed station and a telephone answering device. The cordless telephone includes a call screening feature which allows a user at the portable unit to monitor incoming messages received over telephone lines as they are being recorded at the telephone answering device. A loudspeaker is incorporated into the recharge cradle and, while the portable unit is in this recharge cradle, a user may configure the portable unit and cradle in a manner to monitor the incoming messages through the loudspeaker. An incoming message is received by the portable unit through a radio frequency link commonly shared by this unit and the base unit and then advantageously coupled from the portable unit via optical devices to amplifying circuitry in the recharge cradle for driving the loudspeaker. The amplifying circuitry is turned on upon receipt of the ringing signal by the portable unit. Once receipt of the incoming message is completed, the amplifier circuitry is turned off. The cordless telephone also includes a caller-ID feature which permits the user of the portable unit to selectably identify certain incoming messages for generation by the loudspeaker. In this aspect of the invention, the user of the portable unit is advantageously provided with incoming messages only from pre-identified calling parties and can listen to a message from one of these parties before the call is answered. This operation is achieved by the user entering into a memory table is the telephone each one of a plurality of desired telephone members for subsequent comparison with a caller ID number received from a calling party.

Method and apparatus for remotely accessing a telephone answering device

A location registering apparatus provides for redirecting of telephone calls intended for a mobile station to, for example, a land-line subscriber telephone number through the use of a station registering device and a suitably configured cellular recharger for charging a battery located in the mobile station. In operation, when a user places the mobile station in the cellular recharger, a signal from the cellular recharger and reflective of this action is provided to the station registering device. Upon receiving this signal, the station registering device initiates a call to a location register in the telephone network and reconfigures information for the mobile station in this network so that all calls intended for this mobile station are rerouted to the previously provided subscriber telephone number, for example, the station user's home or office number. When the mobile station is removed from the cellular recharger, the registering device initiates a telephone call to the telephone cellular network and reconfigures the information for the mobile station so that all calls for the mobile station are once again routed to and received directly by the mobile station.

Location registering apparatus for use with a cellular telephone mobile

A cordless telephone system includes an arrangement wherein multiple portable units operate with a common base unit using the same security code without conflict or confusion. When a portable unit attempts to establish a radio link with the base unit, for example, this originating portable unit generates a random number which is retained by this unit and also transmitted to the base unit. This random number is substituted for the common stored security code, then shared by the base unit and all of the portable units, for creating a temporary unique security code that is known only to the base unit and the originating portable unit. Interference from other portable units attempting to gain access to the base unit while the originating portable unit is actively communicating with the base unit is thereby advantageously prevented.

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Freehold, NJ, United States of America

Guido Bertocci