Patent · US Expired

System and method for terminating a telephone call after simulating a telephone connection failure

US6130936A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
21References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 1997
Grant dateOct 10, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 19, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M1/57
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention comprises an improved telephone system and method for terminating a telephone call after simulating a telephone connection failure. After establishing a telephone connection, a user can terminate the telephone call by depressing a switch on the telephone. The telephone then receives a signal that the switch has been depressed, generates a sound in the telephone line, and then terminates the telephone call. In one embodiment, the user terminates the telephone call because the user no longer wishes to continue conversing with the caller. In another embodiment, the caller terminates the telephone call before the user answers the telephone call after the user determines the identity of the caller. The generated sound simulates a failure in the telephone connection. For example, the sound could be noise to attempt to persuade the caller that the telephone connection is unusable. Thus, a user can terminate a telephone call without the user giving any explanation to the caller of why the user needs to terminate the telephone call.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.