The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 31, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 16, 1996
William Adamson Lagoni, Indianapolis, IN (US);
Robert Lawrence O'Brien, Indianapolis, IN (US);
Dennis Ronald McCarthy, Syracuse, NY (US);
Thomson Licensing S.A., Boulogne, FR;
Abstract
A television receiver includes telephone network interface circuitry which allows the receiver to receive and process Caller-ID signals for display during the ringing period of the telephone set. The television receiver also includes circuitry which allows a list of priority callers to be entered. In this way, the incoming Caller-ID codes are compared to the telephone numbers of the priority callers. Upon detection, the Caller-ID information of a priority caller is displayed on screen during television viewing. The telephone numbers of those callers not listed as priority callers are not displayed during the ringing period of the telephone. Both displayed and non-displayed telephone numbers which correspond to unanswered telephone calls are stored in a Caller-ID list for display at the user's convenience. In this way, the user is able to enter data to select beforehand which calling telephone numbers are permitted to interrupt his or her television show by displaying Caller-ID information on the screen.