Lucent Technologies Inc.

Agere Systems Inc.

Xiqun Zhu

Dale Harvey Nelson

Timothy Noonan Comerford

A telephone line-powered power supply, a method of operating the same and telephone line-powered ancillary equipment. In one embodiment, the power supply includes: (1) a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding and (2) an energy storage device (which may, but is not required to, be a capacitor) series-coupled to the primary winding, the primary winding and the energy storage device adapted to be coupled to, and provide a terminating resistance for, a telephone line. A node between the primary winding and the energy storage device provides DC power. Another embodiment employs a control switch to regulate an energy storage device, thereby dispensing with a need for the transformer.

Telephone line-powered power supply for ancillary equipment and method of operation thereof

A feature-function telephone capable of requesting and receiving special function programs from a telephone company is provided. The feature-function telephone includes an EEPROM for storing special function programs. Upon a user requesting a special service, a microprocessor determines whether the special purpose program corresponding to the special service requested is resident in the EEPROM. If it is established by the microprocessor that the special purpose program corresponding to the special service requested by the user is resident in the EEPROM, then the microprocessor sends a special function code to the telephone company and subsequently carries out the special service requested. Otherwise, the microprocessor sends a reconfiguration request to the telephone company. A method for remotely reconfiguring a feature-function telephone is also provided.

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Ocean, NJ, United States of America

Xiqun Zhu