Telephone disable feature
US6339643B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 15, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/725
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Apparatus and process for allowing a user to selectively disable all or a portion of the manual controls, e.g., the keypad and/or other buttons (including switches, keys, on-hook button, and/or other buttons) of customer premises equipment. The customer premises equipment includes a button disabling module which allows subsequent control signals relating to the particular keys or buttons which have been disabled to be essentially ignored. Thus, for instance, if an on-hook button is inadvertently depressed while the on-hook button has been disabled by the button disabling module, the telephone line interface of the telephone will not signal the termination of the telephone call to the central office. The manual controls of the customer premises equipment can be disabled by the user in any of a number of different ways. For instance, a dedicated button at either the base unit or the handset of a telephone may be provided, or a sequence or simultaneous combination of alphanumeric keys and/or other buttons may be sensed. The disabled button(s) can be re-enabled either manually by the user, or automatically, e.g., after hanging up the telephone. A timer can be included to automatically …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.