...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7113577 | Caller identification employing a digital content set An information server according to one embodiment of the invention includes a communication interface configured to communicate over a communication network and a processing system connected to the communication interface. The processing system is configured to rece... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7113768 | Controlling charging for wireless message services The invention relates to a method in a wireless communications system (WCS) of controlling charging procedures for message services which enable transport of messages from a mobile station (MS) to a service center (SC), the method comprising transporting a message f... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7111064 | Network system, network server and terminal device A network system, a network server and a terminal device, capable of easily and surely transmitting various information to a user being the destination of the information. The terminal device to be used by a user is recorded in the network server 22. The netw... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7107047 | Employment of established telephone number of mobile device supported by serving mobile switching center to connect a call to the mobile device An apparatus in one example comprises an originating mobile switching center and a serving mobile switching center that serve to connect a call from a communication device to a mobile device that is supported by the serving mobile switching center. The mobile device... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7106702 | On-demand dynamically updated user database and AAA function for high reliability networks A method is provided for operating a wireless communication network (10) including a plurality of nodes (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e). Each of the nodes has a user database and is equipped to c... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7106852 | Telephone accessory for generating conversation utterances to a remote listener in response to a quiet selection A user conducts a telephone conversation without speaking. It does this by moving the participant in the public situation to a quiet mode of communication (e.g., keyboard, buttons, touchscreen). All the other participants are allowed to continue using their usual au... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7107447 | Use of pseudonyms vs. real names An apparatus and method is provided for allowing users to share services without sharing identities. Specifically, the apparatus and method allow users to share pseudonyms instead of actual user names, thus protecting both users from unwanted emails, IM messages, an... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7103360 | Switching telephone calls between wireline and cellular telephones A telephone subscriber having both a wireline and a cellular telephone can switch calls between these phones. A routing table identifies that a subscriber is entitled to this service, and a look up table maintains the telephone numbers of the two different telephone... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7101810 | Transparent article having protective silicon nitride film Transparent articles comprising transparent, nonmetallic substrate and a transparent film stack is sputter deposited on the substrate. The film stack is characterized by including at least one infrared reflective metal film, a dielectric film over the metal film, an... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7103333 | System and method of exchanging identification information for mobile stations A system is provided for allowing mobile stations to exchange identification information using a predetermined communication path for the purpose of obtaining identification information to use in establishing a different communication path for communicating. ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7103348 | Mobile station (MS) message selection identification system A method for identifying a message selection made at a mobile station (MS), the method including the steps of uniquely associating an inbound telephone number with a message, attaching the inbound telephone number to the message, sending the message and the attached... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7103389 | Radio communication device capable of generating melody patterns via sound, tactical and visual notifications Sound source pulses are output to a sound drive circuit based on first to fourth sound source data of a ringer melody. Thus, the sound drive circuit drives a speaker based on the sound source pulses. As a result, the ringer melody including first to fourth melodic l... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7099658 | Mobile communication terminal having remote-controlled camera and photographing method using the same A photographing method is disclosed that uses a mobile communication terminal having a camera, with the method including steps of entering a remote-control photographing mode, receiving a predetermined call, determining whether or not a telephone number of the prede... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7099657 | Method of obtaining information on the identity of a caller in a terminal of a telephone communications network The invention relates to identifying callers in a terminal of a telephone communications network in which the caller's number is transmitted by the network at the time of an incoming call. The invention proposes providing the terminal with an agent which, on or afte... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7099653 | Pre-connection call authentication within a telephony network A method for providing call authorization within a telephony network can include receiving a telephony connectivity request for establishing a telephony voice channel between the originating device and a receiving device. The specified receiving device can be determ... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7099445 | Name-alias based delivery of subscriber services A method, system and apparatus for name-alias based delivery of services through the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A method for resolving caller identity in a PSTN can include detecting an attempt to establish a telephone call between a calling party and... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7096009 | Advanced voice and data operations in a mobile data communication device A system and method for integrating voice and data operations into a single mobile device capable of simultaneously performing data and voice actions. The mobile device working in a network capable of exchanging both cell phone calls and data items to the mobile dev... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7096050 | Portable telephone The present invention provides a portable telephone comprising an openable/closable casing having a display 13a, a magnetic sensor 18b for detecting whether the casing is opened or closed, and a control circuit 10. When a message i... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7092739 | System and method for text to dialable number conversion in a mobile platform A mobile platform for use in a mobile communications network. The mobile platform includes an alphanumeric input device adapted to receive alphanumeric input from a user as an input alphanumeric string; memory; and a processor coupled to the alphanumeric input devic... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7093016 | Network system, network server and terminal device A network system, a network server and a terminal device, capable of easily and surely transmitting various information to a user being the destination of the information. The terminal device to be used by a user is recorded in the network server 22. The netw... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7093009 | Uploading personal agents to personalize network services A subscriber unit in a telephone network may receive personalized services from a network by providing personalized software to the network. The subscriber unit may prepare or have prepared particular personal agent software that implements certain enhanced function... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7092743 | Method and apparatus to reply to call Briefly, a method and a wireless communication system that may include at least one mobile station and at least one base station to reply to an incoming call addressed to the mobile station with a predefined message. The mobile station may be configured to reply to ... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7092740 | High density information presentation using space-constrained display device A high-density information presentation is provided on a space-constrained display device by associating individual display indications with user-definable states. For example, using a portion of a space-constrained display of a mobile phone, pager personal digital ... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7092700 | Method and a device for signaling a call or a message to its addressee In a method of signaling an incoming call or electronic message from a given sender to the user of a receiver terminal to whom the call or message is addressed, the receiver terminal identifies the sender, allows for at least one changeable or predetermined paramete... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7089012 | Method and system for use in reducing cost associated with lost connections in wireless communication The present embodiments provide apparatuses, methods and systems for use in notifying a remote communication device when a local wireless device loses its wireless link. In some embodiments, a method detects when a wireless connection is lost with a first communicat... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7088802 | Method and apparatus for obtaining telephone status over a network A system and method for determining telephone status over a network. The system and method provides for off hook status to be determined by a switch or other monitor that then provides that information to a telephone status file. The telephone status file is accessi... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7088987 | Pre-paid wireless interactive voice response system with variable announcements A wireless communications system providing interactive voice response is disclosed. The system is menu-driven, and can accept information and requests from customers. In response to one type of request, the system can provide the customer with information regarding ... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7088991 | Portable telephone system A portable telephone terminal 1 has a built-in memory 18, in which either the content of a new call arrived is recorded while continuing prevailing communication or recording of the content of the prevailing communication call is started while answerin... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7088994 | Network address lookup for telephony devices Embodiments of the present invention generally provide systems, methods and articles of manufacture for locating one component of callee information in response to receiving another associated component of the callee information. In a particular embodiment, a user i... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7088996 | Tracing in mobile communications system A tracing facility is used for tracing the activities of various entities in the network when specific events occur within the system. The problem with prior art tracing is that activation as well as deactivation of this facility is done manually at the switching ce... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7089010 | Method and apparatus for presentation of calling subscriber number in mobile networks Methods and apparatus for reliable transmission of a calling subscriber number (“A-numbery”) received at a Gateway Mobile Switching Center (“GMSC”) of a home Public Land Mobile Network (“PLMN”) along with an incoming call towards a roaming destination su... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7089208 | System and method for electronically exchanging value among distributed users A system and method for facilitating a value exchange transaction. A first party initiates the transaction by selecting or providing an identifier of another party and the value to be exchanged. The second party may be identified by a pre-existing identifier such as... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7085557 | Network-based wireless telephone communication device A network-based wireless telephone communication device is proposed, which can be either an independent device or integrated to a portable information platform, and which is capable of providing an interactive multi-person voice communication session for the user to... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7085358 | Visual caller identification A visual caller identification system and method are provided. A caller identification device of a called party's telephone, whether integrated with the telephone or stand-alone, includes a series of colored lights for visually alerting the called party to an incomi... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7085257 | Method and system for making accessible wirelessly a network phonebook and journal database There is disclosed a method and system to provide a wireless terminal online access capability to a system phonebook, such as a WLAN, which calls for instructing the system to start a phonebook application such that for incoming calls the phonebook application comme... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7084885 | Image processing apparatus and display control method An example image display apparatus includes processing circuitry such as a communication processor and a game processor. The processing circuitry continuously processes a communication-related function and selectively processes a game-related function. When the game... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7085555 | Location blocking service from a web advertiser Location-blocking and identity-blocking services that can be commercially offered by a service promoter, e.g., a cellular service provider or a web advertiser. In the identity-blocking service, the service promoter may disclose the current physical location of a mob... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7079837 | Caller identification queue for wireless telephones A method and system are provided for collecting and storing caller identification information associated with a calling party directed to an out of service wireless telephone. When calls are made to a wireless telephone, a determination is made as to whether the tel... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7079631 | Localized broadcast information based on call related information A method and apparatus for accessing an one of a plurality of highly localized weather broadcasts based on the reception by a weather forecast service of call related information (e.g., Caller ID information) relating to an incoming call. A server associated with th... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7076488 | XML-LDAP adapters and methods therefor An arrangement for transforming data between an XML (extensible markup language) data source and an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) interface is disclosed. The arrangement includes a XML-LDAP adapter for transforming first data into second data. The fir... | 07/11/2006 |