Shared line answering system with enhanced extension device features
US5432844A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 1, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jul 11, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 1, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/715
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system of telephone answering devices includes a master telephone answering device (MTAD) and at least one (and often a plurality) of extension telephone answering devices (ETADs). If a telephone call is answered by someone, others nearby may be paged through the ETADs from any telephone. The ETADs can be temporarily disarmed so that they do not respond to tone codes that might otherwise activate them. When activated, the ETADs transmit back to the caller noticeably different ringback signals to indicate that the activated ETAD is responding to the caller's commands. For telephone utilities offering a distinctive ring service, the ETADs may respond to distinctive rings corresponding to the ETADs by usurping the function of and disabling the MTAD and by subsequently answering the telephone call.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.