Did You Know...
...that to encourage use of his new invention, the shopping cart, market owner Sylvan Goldman hired fake shoppers to push the carts around his store in Oklahoma City? Seems his customers were reluctant to give up their hand-carried baskets.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5880703 | Apparatus for displaying individual television programs or the like In an apparatus which previously displays a television program or the like most desired for each person on an individual timetable, or enables the family to look at the TV channel number displayed on the timetable, it provides means for storing data of th... | 03/09/1999 |
| 5559863 | Car telephone accessory device with telephone answering function The present invention is directed to enable a car telephone to receive incoming calls and a telephone answering device to be activated even though the ignition key is removed. A housing is fitted onto a car telephone cradle and a handset is placed on the ... | 09/24/1996 |
| 5555289 | Telephone answering device with operating status confirmation means The present invention is directed to provide a means for indicating an incoming message recording mode of a telephone answering device, such as a fixed or variable mode, by means of a distinguishable audible signal, which is outputted to speaker 9 or tele... | 09/10/1996 |
| 5521975 | Telephone terminal device with means for detecting abandonment of call A telephone terminal device, which is activated by a predetermined number of ringing signals even if a telephone call occurred immediately after a previous caller had abandoned a call before engagement of the telephone line. When the telephone terminal de... | 05/28/1996 |
| 5517256 | Reservation codes to automatically control a TV and VCR when set to either a TV mode or a VCR mode In a combination television and videocassette recorder device which is automatically controlled by TV program reservation codes, when the selector switch is set to the TV mode side, it is possible to automatically control the television by the reservation... | 05/14/1996 |
| 5499102 | Display device for videocassette recorder recording reservations A device which allows a user to enter TV program recording reservations into a VCR memory and record the TV programs on videotape based on the reservations. This device is also capable of distinguishing between reservation data for TV programs which have ... | 03/12/1996 |
| 5479267 | Device for combining VCR and TV A video cassette recorder (VCR) automatically controlled by the "G Code" ("Plus Code") and a television set for monitoring purposes each have their own tuner. A user is able to monitor on the TV set a program designated by the "G Code," even though the VC... | 12/26/1995 |
| 5452342 | Telephone terminal device with function for preventing unnecessary utilization of telephone line by unsolicited facsimile signal In a telephone terminal device, for example, a telephone answering device, when the device receives an inadvertent facsimile signal while it is in operation, the telephone line is disengaged via a facsimile signal detecting means for the purpose of preven... | 09/19/1995 |
| 5432835 | Telephone device for amplifying opposite party's voice after user's telephone is placed on-hook This device is designed so that although voice of the opposite party will be amplified when telephone 1 on the side of the device is first placed on-hook during a telephone conversation, amplification will not occur if the opposite party places his or her... | 07/11/1995 |
| 5420913 | Device for making videotape recording reservations over a telephone line A remotely controlled device for making videotape recording reservations on a videocassette recorder using a remote pushbutton telephone to enter recording reservation codes such as PlusCodes, constructed so that the audio portion of the TV program curren... | 05/30/1995 |
| 5341411 | Caller ID blocking method and processing system (block caller ID information) In caller ID telephone service system, if a calling party does not want to display his telephone number on the called party side, the calling party takes an authorized key number (hereinafter called "blocking key number") with the telephone exchange offic... | 08/23/1994 |
| 5258875 | Video tape recorder with the function of repetitive playback A video tape recorder with the function of repetitive playback mainly used for learning purposes detects whether a recordable tape or a playback only tape is used as a master tape when driving independently two video tapes with tape ends to be used as a s... | 11/02/1993 |
| 5216228 | Bar code transmission and reception system and method A bar code communication system and method uses a bar code reader to scan a bar code to develop an audible signal that is acoustically coupled to a telephone line. The signal on the telephone line is received by a called station, decoded and the content o... | 06/01/1993 |
| 5191488 | Audio visual device using an endless video tape An audio visual apparatus of the invention has a standard cassette tape (T-2) having record-prevention tabs and an endless video cassette tape (T-1). When the cassettes are installed in two VCR units, respectively and a power switch is turned on, the T-1 ... | 03/02/1993 |
| 5179439 | Personal channel display device in a TV program reservation system In a TV program reservation system for reserving a TV program suitable to an individual's taste, a reserved TV channel number is always displayed on a display unit of a TV set, and an alarm signal can be generated when a reserved time comes so as to infor... | 01/12/1993 |
| 5172404 | System for coupling telephone answering device and voice mail apparatus together A system combines a telephone answering device, or TAD, installed at each subscriber's premises and a voice mail center station. When IC memory is used as recording media of the TAD to record messages from a calling party, the memory becomes full to its c... | 12/15/1992 |
| 5138652 | Multifunctional telephone answering device A conventional telephone answering device (hereinafter called TAD) commonly available in the market does not work if a child picks up the handset of a telephone set half in fun during the particular period when a call signal is received but the TAD is not... | 08/11/1992 |
| 5077786 | System and method for controlling facsimile apparatus in response to a computer generated signal or a CNG signal A facsimile apparatus connected to a telephone line and incorporating an automatic telephone answering and recording device, which is able to be responsive to various inputs, for example, a calling tone (CNG) or similar signal sent from a calling party's ... | 12/31/1991 |
| 5075771 | Method of and apparatus for optimal scheduling of television programming to maximize customer satisfaction In a method of and apparatus for providing a list of optimal television programs for each individual, it is possible to give a computer center a subscriber's complaints about the individual television program list (timing table), through a telephone line ... | 12/24/1991 |
| 5046079 | Telephone answering device with TV telephone A telephone answering device with TV telephone for receiving and displaying a picture signal sent from a calling party through a telephone line, in the intermission of ringing signals, so that a called party can confirm who is calling by seeing the pictur... | 09/03/1991 |
| 5029197 | Automatic dialing and responding device An automatic dialing and responding device, wherein it is possible for a user to make an international call through a toll telephone exchange office easily and surely by automating the whole operation until a desired called party answers the call. The spe... | 07/02/1991 |
| 5025324 | Method of and apparatus for recording information on both a main recording medium and an endless recording medium for repeated event monitoring In an audio/video information recording/playback apparatus with repeating monitor function which includes an endless type recording medium T-1 of about twenty seconds for one cycle and a main recording medium T-2 with tape ends, while both media are drive... | 06/18/1991 |
| 5018014 | TV receiver and method for concurrently displaying a reproduced stored program and a received program When a user wants to reproduce a necessary scene once more again during the TV reviewing, a main picture is continuously displayed on a TV screen while a side picture and sound which are recorded without using a conventional endless tape. The size of the ... | 05/21/1991 |
| 5010422 | Driving system for endless video tape by one-touch timer A driving system for endless video tape controlled by a one-touch timer wherein when an endless video tape is loaded into a video tape recorder (VTR), a switch is changed over to an endless side to prevent tape operation beyond a predetermined period of t... | 04/23/1991 |
| 4975940 | Telephone ringing adapter for operating upon reception of a preset number of calling signals A telephone ringing adapter has a preset number of ringing tones of a calling signal applied from a telephone call diverting device or the like. When the incoming ringing number coincides with the preset number, a relay is energized so that the calling si... | 12/04/1990 |
| 4974253 | System and method for controlling facsimile apparatus in response to a computer generated signal or a CNG signal A facsimile apparatus connected to a telephone line and incorporating an automatic telephone answering and recording device, which is able to be responsive to various inputs, for example, a calling tone (CNG) or similar signal sent from a calling party's ... | 11/27/1990 |
| 4958366 | Telephone answering method and device providing outgoing message in a selected language A telephone answering device wherein an outgoing message translated from an original language into each of several different foreign languages is sent out in a predetermined order to a calling party of any foreign country when he pushes ten-keys on a push... | 09/18/1990 |
| 4953201 | Additional telephone equipment and method for protecting against nuisance calls An additional piece of telephone equipment for protecting against nuisance calls as a substitute for a telephone answering device, wherein after the equipment is engaged upon reception of an incoming call, one or the other of a dummy busy tone or a dummy ... | 08/28/1990 |
| 4922523 | Videotex with telephone call screening system If a call waiting signal is supplied to a telephone line during reception of a videotex information through a videotex center, a control unit responds to the calling signal to actuate call waiting equipment and an associated switching unit for transmittin... | 05/01/1990 |
| 4920559 | Telephone answering device with remote control timing mark In a conventional telephone answering device with a remote retrieval function, the user sends a remote control signal during anytime of the playback of the outgoing message in order to retrieve the incoming message from the remote location, and so the sec... | 04/24/1990 |
| 4918721 | Push button phone capable of sending to the telephone line alphabetical characters A pushbutton telephone is used by a calling party to transmit both upper and lower case alphabetical characters on the telephone lines. Upper and lower case characters are selected for transmission by the caller by pressing combinations of keys, including... | 04/17/1990 |
| 4916730 | Telephone answering device with automatic translating machine Since telephone answering systems have made great progress together with the telephone system and the market thereof has expanded, the calling party of any country all over the world does not always speak the same language as the outgoing message. Then th... | 04/10/1990 |
| 4908849 | Telephone answering device capable of repeatedly playing back outgoing message A telephone answering device wherein an outgoing messsage can be repeatedly played back from the beginning in response to a predetermined special signal sent out by a calling party. In case of a call to the device through a telephone operator, the calling... | 03/13/1990 |
| 4903289 | Telephone equipment with multiple function Conventional telephone answering devices incorporated in or combined with a telephone set are now generally used. However, one type of conventional telephone set has a plurality of buttons, for instance, speed dialing, mute, flash or redial buttons, and f... | 02/20/1990 |
| 4897742 | Single button VCR operation system A VCR operation system, wherein it is possible to perform a backspace function by operation of a switch button during record or playback. During record or playback of a VCR with a rotary head, if a user wants to play back scenes which he has just watched,... | 01/30/1990 |
| 4882744 | Automatic paging system An automatic paging system which can handle a calling for both subscribers of conventional (old) beepers without a message display function and new type beepers wherein a message, such as his telephone number, from a calling party can be displayed, when t... | 11/21/1989 |
| 4878243 | Call forwarding system and method A call forwarding device forwards calls from a calling party via private equipment B operating in a call forwarding mode to a predetermined called party identified by a preprogrammed telephone number. The device is remotely controllable by the calling par... | 10/31/1989 |
| 4876707 | Two-directional call forwarding device According to conventional telephone call forwarding devices, after a party at a telephone set A calls a party at a set B, a set C calls set D to forward the call, and when set D responds to set C, an alternate loop is formed between A and D. In some of sa... | 10/24/1989 |
| 4873584 | Computer control for VCR including display of record playback listing and playback order selection A VCR control system using a computer, wherein a list of all programs which were recorded in accordance with an individual program table within a predetermined period of time during a user's absence is displayed once on a display. If a user has no time to... | 10/10/1989 |
| 4866754 | Automatic telephone answering machine utilizing voice synthesis An automatic telephone answering and recording device, wherein if an incoming call is received when an incoming message tape is full or an owner fails to set the telephone answering device to an automatic answering mode prior to leaving, the telephone lin... | 09/12/1989 |
