Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to an automated telephone directory
and in particular to a computerized telephone directory system for identifying
and displaying directory information related to incoming and outgoing
telephone calls.
Prior art telephone directory systems consist of either a telephone
with a small amount of memory for storage of a limited quantity of often used
telephone numbers, (U.S. Patent No. 4,924,496 - Figa, Romek et al) or a
personal computer hooked into a telephone line that requires special software
to access telephone directory databases, (U.S. Patent No. 5,457,738 - Sylvan,
Loren).
The former systems are unsatisfactory because they require the
manual entry of data into a main database. Even when a new telephone
number, decoded during an incoming telephone call, is saved in the log, the
remaining directory information (name and address) must be researched and
manually entered into the main d~t~h~ce. Moreover, such systems are
completely ineffective if the caller is not known by the owner. The latter type of
system necessitates a relatively large capital cost and only functions when the
personal computers are turned on. Moreover, these systems are relatively
slow due to their layered software, which requires operating systems and
specialized software. This approach provides flexibility at the cost of speed
and efficiency. None of the prior art systems provide the combination of an
incoming and an outgoing call log.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the
shortcomings of the prior art by providing an automated telephone directory
system that requires no manual data entry and can identify callers even if they
are strangers to the owner of the system.
Another object of the present invention to provide an automated telephone
directory system constructed specifically for the purpose of facilitating the
management of directory information for incoming and outgoing calls into a
series of individual and combined databases, which are automatically
appended by a central processing unit, using a faster and more cost efficient
system architecture.
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Accordingly the present invention relates to an automated
telephone directory for use in combination with a telephone and an incoming
call number identification signal decoder for logging incoming telephone calls
including first database means containing the telephone directory information
for a given geographical region sorted into a plurality of records, each record
including a name field and a telephone number field; second database means
for storing the telephone directory information of the source of incoming
telephone calls; first processing means for searching said first d~t~h~ce means
for the record containing a telephone number of the source of an incoming
telephone call and for copying the record from said first database means into
said second dat~h~ce means; display means for displaying the telephone
directory information of the source of an incoming telephone call or for
displaying a plurality of records from one of said d~t~h~ce means, said plurality
of records defining a page; and selector means for selecting which of said
database means to display on said display means, whereby when an incoming
telephone call is received by the telephone, the call number identification signal
decoder provides the telephone number of the source of the incoming call to
said first processing means, which searches said first database means for a
record containing the telephone number and, if found, stores the record in said
second database means and displays the record on said display means.
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the
present invention wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the automated telephone
directory of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the directory of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the page browser of the
directory of Fig 1; and
Figures 4 to 7 are plan views of the console of the directory of
Fig. 1 and illustrate the various screens displayed thereby.
With reference to Figure 1, the automated telephone directory
system is enclosed in a housing, generally indicated at 1, and includes a
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telephone handset 2, a display screen 3, numeric input key pad 4, text input
key pad 5, database selector key pad 6, function key pad 7 and a page
browser 8.
Although the automated telephone directory of the present
invention could possibly be used with an existing telephone, in order for the
system to reach its fullest potential, the two should be fully integrated.
Illustrated schematically in Figure 2, the automated telephone
directory system of the present invention is connected to the public telephone
network 11 using the standard two conductor wire (not shown) and analog
hardware 12. However, some of the features which would normally directly
interact with the Public Telephone Network 11 are under the control of a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 13. A parallel interface 14 is used to allow the CPU 13
to monitor the status of the analog hardware 12 and to control several analog
subsystems. For example, when the handset 2 is lifted from a control cradle
16, a hookswitch 17 signals the CPU 13 via the parallel interface 14. The CPU
13 responds with a command via the parallel interface 14 to a hook control 18
to take the telephone off-hook. Similarly, if a speaker phone function key on
the function key pad 7 is depressed, the CPU 13, via the parallel interface 14,
signals the hook control 18 to take the phone off-hook and sends a command
to the control cradle 16 to route the audio through a remote speaker 19 and a
remote microphone 21.
Another feature controlled by the CPU 13 is a dual tone multi-
frequency (DTMF) generator 22, i.e. when the numeric keys 4 are depressed,
the CPU 13 signals the DTMF generator 22 to send the appropriate signals. A
line monitor 23 informs the CPU 13 that the telephone line is in use by another
extension and whether the call originated as an incoming or an outgoing call,
for reasons that will be discussed in g,eaLer detail below.
Analog features not controlled by the CPU 13 include a ringer
driver 24 for activating a standard ringer 26 and audio transmissions, indicatedby arrow 27, between the handset 2 (or speaker 19 and microphone 21) and
the public telephone network 11.
~_ 219S355
The CPU 13 is called upon to do a variety of search and display
activities, and in order for it to be responsive it has been constructed with a
sixteen bit wide ~lat~r~th running at a minimum of sixteen megahertz. The
CPU 13 has two on-board universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters
(UART's) 28 and 29 for serial data e,ccha"ge. A keyboard controller 31, which
is a small microprocessor which scans all of the push button key pads 4, 5, 6
and 7 and interprets the output of the page browser 8, is connected to the firstUART 28. A caller number identification signal decoder 32, which is standard
off-the-shelf hardware, interprets the signals sent with any incoming call by the
telephone company to subscribers and provides the decoded information in a
serial format ta the CPU 13 via the second UART 29.
An address bus 33 and a data bus 34, with a sixteen bit wide
cl~t~p~th (the same as the CPU 13), are the predominant mechanisms used to
move data between the various memory mapped subsystems and the CPU 13
and is normally controlled thereby.
The memory mapped subsystems include a mass data storage
device 36, program ROM 37, static RAM 38 and flash RAM 39. The mass
storage device 36, shown here as a standard IDE CD ROM with an IDE
controller 41, could be any data storage medium capable of storing large
amounts of data. The CD ROM was chosen because of cost effectiveness and
universality. Ideally, the device 36 would hold the directory information, public
(white pages) and business (yellow pages), for an entire region, province, stateor country sorted alphabetically by name and by business type and numerically
by telephone number. Every record in the device 36 includes a plurality of
fields including a name field (personal or business), an address field (street,
province or state, postal or zip code), a telephone number field and a business
type field, where applicable.
The program ROM 37 stores the program code used by the CPU
13 to perform all of the functions of the automated telephone directory of the
present invention. To increase efficiency the object code is burned into ROM
chips for use by the CPU 13.
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The static RAM 38, which is volatile memory and is erased when
the power is shut off, has two uses. First, it is used to store variables and
arrays used by the program, thereby enabling functions such as d~t~hase
searches to be performed. Second, it is used to store the contents of the color
display 3. A display driver 42 uses buses 33 and 34 to pick up information,
written by the CPU 13 into the static RAM 38, and displays it on the color
display screen 3. The display driver 42 is a custom integrated circuit that
continually refreshes the color display 3 and periodically makes a request of
the CPU 13 to take control of the buses 33 and 34 to make a direct memory
access of the static RAM 38 for displaying the information found therein.
The flash RAM 39 is non-volatile memory (i.e. is not erased if the
power is shut off) and is used to store a variety of d~t~h~ses including the
directory information for incoming and outgoing calls, a personal directory,
pager numbers and pager messages. These databases are explained in
greater detail below.
Another feature of the present invention is a pager receiver 43 for
receiving alphanumeric page messages. Upon receipt, a message is stored in
a small buffer incorporated in the page receiver 43. The parallel interface 14
then notifies the CPU 13 that a valid message has been received and is ready
to be read.
The page browser 8 is a unique input device for searching a
database by jumping forward or backward by any number of pages. A page
being defined as the number of records from a database that are displayed on
the display screen 3 at one time. For our purposes a page will be five records.
With reference to Figure 3, the page browser 8 is designed to take
advantage of the human finger's electromagnetic damping characteristics. The
page browser 8 has a laminated structure including a bottom conductive
(copper) layer 46, which has a high frequency signal injected therein by a
browser driver/multiplexer 45 (Fig. 2). A layer of thin, parallel, copper strips 47
is separated from the bottom layer 46 by a thin layer of fiberglass material 48,known under the trademark FR-4. The strips 47 are coupled to the layer 46
using a capacitive coupling for picking up the high frequency signal. An upper
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protective layer 49 prevents any foreign matter from entering the page browser
8. When a human finger 51 passes over the device in a direction perpendicular
to the copper strips 47, they are subject to a reduced level of signal, which issensed by the browser driver/multiplexer 45. Each strip 47 is connected to a
sensor circuit in the driver/multiplexer 45 which is scanned, in turn, by the
keyboard controller 31 for any signal fluctuation. With this arrangement, the
keyboard controller 31 can sense which direction (up or down) the human
finger 51 passes over the page browser 8 which is translated by the CPU 13 to
indicate whether the operator wishes to search forward or backward in the
displayed database. To jump more than a single page, the operator simply
uses the numeric key pad 4 to enter the number of pages to be jumped. Each
time the page browser 8 is actuated, the CPU 13 sends an audio sound
simulator signal via the parallel interface 14 to a digital to analog converter
(DAC) 52, which activates the speakers 19 to broadcast the sound of a page
being turned. The DAC 52 also converts analog signals to digital signals when
the speaker phone 19 is in use.
Figures 4 to 7 illustrate the console of the directory and disclose
the database selector key pad 6 including keys 60 ("PERSONAL"), 61
("PEOPLE & PLACES") and 62 ("SHOPPERS GUIDE"), the function key pad 7
including function keys 70-83 and the different formats displayed on the displayscreen 3 to illustrate the plurality of databases.
The primary or first database, which is stored on a mass storage
device 36, is divided into two sections, namely a public directory or "PEOPLE &
PLACES" and a business directory or "SHOPPERS GUIDE". A sample display
of the public directory is shown in Figure 4 and includes a name field 84, an
address field 85, and a telephone number field 86. A sample display of the
business directory is found in Figure 5 and includes the name field 84, the
address field 8~, the telephone number field 86, a quadrant field 90, and a
business type field 100. The quadrant field 90 indicates which section of the
city (or metropolitan area) the business is located. The business type field 100defines what category of business (e.g. automobile repair, lawyers) the
company falls into.
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To browse the first database the operator initially pushes the
public ("PEOPLE & PLACES") key 61 or the business ("SHOPPERS GUIDE")
key 62 thereby displaying the first page of the selected database. The operator
may then flip through the pages of dat~hase by using the page browser 8 or
define a search using the text input key pad 6. When the first three (or more)
letters of the name (for the public directory) or of the business type (for the
business directory) are typed, the CPU 13 initiates a search of the database
and display the first page of records with that criteria. Initially, the business
directory has the same format on the screen 3 as the public directory (Figure 4)but a special feature of the business directory enables the operator to display
the quadrant field 90 of all the displayed records by pushing the "SHOPPERS
GUIDE" key 62, again. Moreover, after a specific record is selected using a
pointer up key 77 and/or a pointer down key 78, all the records from the same
quadrant are displayed by pushing the "SHOPPERS GUIDE" key 62, once
again (See Figure 5).
The remaining d~t~h~-ces are stored on the flash RAM device 39
and include an incoming call log (second database), a personal directory (third
database), an outgoing call log (fourth database), a pager number directory
(fifth database), a pager text message directory (sixth database) and an all call
directory (seventh database).
The third database is a personal directory created by the owner of
the device using records copied from the first or second database or by
manually entering the information using key pads 4 and 5. This directory has
the same format on the display screen as the first directory (see Figure 4). Formanual entry, the "PERSONAL" directory key 60 is pushed, followed by the
"CREATE" function key 80 and then the necessary information is input using
the key pads 5 and 6. To copy a record from the first database, the "PEOPLE
& PLACES" directory key 61 or the "SHOPPERS GUIDE" key 62 is depressed
to select which database is to be accessed (Fig.4). Then, the key pad 5 can
be used to spell out the beginning of the name of the person, company or
business type to be called which signals the CPU 13 to display the first page ofrecords with that criteria. (Note: the more letters entered, the closer to the
~ 21953~5
appropriate record.) Alternatively, the page browser 8 can be used to find the
appropriate page. Finally, the pointer up key 77 or the pointer down key 78
are used to highlight the exact record to be copied and a "COPY" function key
79 is depressed thereby copying the highlighted record into the third database.
A record from the second database can be copied directly into the third
database using the "COPY" key 79.
The second database stores the directory information of the
source of incoming calls, and the date, time and, if completed, the duration of
the incoming calls. When an incoming call is received, the caller identificationdecoder 32 interprets the caller ID signal, which is provided by the telephone
company to subscribers, and provides the telephone number of the source of
the incoming call to the CPU 13. The CPU 13 then initiates a search of the
telephone number field in the first and third databases for an equivalent
telephone number. If an equivalent telephone number is found, the CPU 13
displays the entire record (name, address, telephone number, business type
etc.) on the display 3 and copies the record into the second database. The
CPU 13, by accessing an internal clock, then adds the date, the start time and,
when completed, the duration of the call to the newly crealecl record in the
second database. If the call is not completed the duration field is left blank.
An "IN" function key 70 is depressed to display the second database. As seen
in Figure 6, the second database includes a name field 84, an address field 85,
a telephone number field 86, a date field 87, a start time field 88, and a call
duration field 89.
Placing a telephone call using the automated telephone directory
of the present invention can be initiated by one of two ways. The first includeslifting the handset 2 and manually dialing the number using the numeric key
pad 4. This process signals the CPU 13 (via the hookswitch 17) that a call is
being placed and that the appropriate DTMF signals are to be sent using the
DTMF generator 22. Moreover, the process initiates a search by the CPU 13 in
the first and third dat~h~es for a record including the dialed telephone
number. If a corresponding record is found, the CPU 13 displays the record on
the screen 3 to give a visual indication that the correct number was dialed. The
~ 219~:355
second way includes selecting one of the databases using the directory
selector key pad 6, selecting the appropriate page using the page browser 8 or
the key pad 5 to spell out the beginning of the name, selecting the appropriate
record using the pointer up or pointer down keys 77 or 78, respectively, and
depressing the "CALL" function key 82. This process initiates the same call
initiating actions to be done by the CPU 13 as above. If the connection cannot
be made because the other end is busy, the CPU 13 will automatically hang-up
and redial the appropriate number until the call is connected or the caller
hangs up using the handset 2 or the speaker key 76.
The fourth database is a log of outgoing telephone calls including
the directory information (name, address, postal code and business type) of the
destination of the call as well as the date, time and, if completed, duration ofthe call (same format when displayed as the second database, Figure 6). If the
call is not completed the duration field is left blank. If the call is placed
manuàlly, the CPU 13 appends the fourth database with the record found
during the search of the first and third databases along with the date, time andduration calculated using the internal clock. If the call is placed using the
directory key pad 6 and the function key pad 7, the CPU 13 appends the fourth
database with the selected record along with the date, time and duration of the
call. The fourth database is displayed by pushing the "OUT" key 71.
The fifth database includes a list of names along with their
corresponding pager numbers. A sample page from the fifth database is
shown in the left column of Figure 7 and includes a name field 91 and a pager
number field 92. The sixth database includes a plurality of preset, often used
alphanumeric page messages. A sample page from the sixth database is
- shown in the right column of Figure 7 and includes a message field 93. The
"PAGER" function key 74 is depressed to display the fifth database on the
display ~ (Fig. 7) and the specific number is selected using any of the selection
processes described above. If the message to be sent is numeric, the "CALL"
function key 82 is depressed and the number is entered using the keys 4.
Alternatively, numeric messages can be sent using the fifth database. The
process includes pressing the "PAGER" key 74, selecting the appropriate
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record using the selection processes described above, and pressing the
"CALL" key 82. This process automatically transmits the caller's telephone
number as well as the signal generated from the # key, which activates an
optional feedback message from the pager server. Text messages can be
sent by one of two ways. The first way includes pressing the "MESSAGE"
function key 75, pressing the "CREATE" function key 80, typing the message
using the key pad 5 and pressing the "CALL" function key 82. The second way
includes pressing the "MESSAGE" function key 75 which displays the sixth
database beside (split screen) the fifth database. Then, using the variety of
selection methods described above, a preset message is selected from the
sixth rl~t~hace and aligned with the pager number from the fifth dat~hase. The
message is sent by pressing the "CALL" function key 82. The CPU 13 is
programmed to convert the text messages into DTMF (dual tone multi-
frequency) signals, according to any given code, and using the DTMF
generator 22 to transmit the signals over a normal telephone line to a remote
page provider station for reconversion and decoding.
To ensure that a message has been processed and transmitted,
by the paging company the CPU 13 is programmed with a page check system
which sends a copy of all outgoing page messages to the caller's own pager
receiver 43.
The seventh database is a combination of the second and fourth
d;~t~h~c.es (incoming and outgoing calls) which can be displayed using the
"ALL" function key 72. This database chronologically stores a record of all
telephone and pager traffic to be displayed at one time (Fig. 6).
A "SPEAKER" key 76 activates the speaker phone 19 and volume
control keys 83 adjust the volume up or down.
Pressing the "SET" key 73 displays a menu on the display screen
3 that enables several of the systems settings to be adjusted. These settings
include the date, the ringer volume and the light intensity of the screen 3.
Another feature of the directory system is call and database
indicator system programming which instructs the CPU 13 to change the
background color of the display screen 3 according to the type of call or
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database displayed. Ideally, the "PEOPLE & PLACES" section of the first
d~t~h~-~e would have a white background, the "SHOPPERS GUIDE" section of
the first database would have a yellow background, the third database
("PERSONAL") would have a green background, the second database
(incoming) would have a pink background, and the fifth and sixth databases
would have an orange background. With re~erence to Figure 6, the
background colors of the fourth and seventh databases are indicative of the
type of call (incoming or outgoing) and indicate the database from which
database the outgoing calls were initiated. In general, records of incoming
calls have a pink background 95, records of outgoing calls placed manually
have a blue background 96 and records of other outgoing calls have a
background indicative of the database from which the call was placed. For
example, a call placed using the "PEOPLE & PLACES" d?.t~hase has a record
with a white background ,and if the "SHOPPERS GUIDE" is used the
background 97 is yellow. Records of pager calls have an orange background
98 and records of calls that use the third or "PERSONAL" database have a
green background 99. The business field 100 has a yellow background 101.
For added convenience, when an incoming call is being received,
the CPU 13 signals the display driver 42 to turn the display screen 3 pink to
give a visual indication to anyone proximate to or remote from the screen 3 thata call is being received. Moreover, if an outgoing call, placed on an extension,is in progress, the line monitor 23 signals the CPU 13, which instructs the
display driver 42 to turn the display screen blue. This gives a visual indication
that the line is in use.
