Did You Know...
...that one person who claimed to be the inventor of the television is Russian emigre Vladimir Zworykin? In 1929 David Sarnoff, founder of RCA, asked Zworykin what it would take to develop TV for commercial use. He said: a year and a half and $100,000. In reality, it took 20 years and $50 million! Before his death in 1982 at the age of 92, Zworykin said of his invention: "The technique is wonderful. It is beyond my expectations. But the programs! I would never let my children even come close to this thing."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7567660 | Message pad subsystem for a software-based intercom system The invention is a messaging subsystem used in combination with a software based intercom system for receiving and handling voice telephone calls from a plurality of callers and/or notes. The invention comprises a message pad module resident in the intercom system f... | 07/28/2009 |
| 7353907 | Speaker enclosure for a wall mounted speaker system A process and kit is provided for retro-installing a speaker enclosure for a wall mounted speaker. The process includes mounting a selected speaker surround member in a building wall between the front and back wall surfaces and between the wall studs and around the ... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7177410 | Local control of call features in a telephone system A residential phone system allows for local control of call features from any phone extension. The phone system may include a microcontroller that communicates along the phone lines at a non-utilized frequency to several extension phones in a residence. The microcon... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7135959 | Apparatus and method for wireless doorbell and security control panel interaction An apparatus and method for wireless doorbell and security control panel interaction is provided. The system includes a wireless doorbell, a security control panel, and at least one control panel activation device having a transmitter and a manually activated switch... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7113578 | Vandal proof intercom system for apartment buildings An electronic apartment station intercom unit, housed in a vandal proof enclosure, providing a means for a tenant to communicate with apartment building main entrance door panel and means to unlock said door. This unit has a power storage unit that enables this unit... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7085361 | Methods and systems for communication from an exterior of a location Methods and systems for allowing communication between an exterior and an interior of a location, or a person associated with the location. A device positioned exterior to the location is connected to a communications system of the location. The device includes a si... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7075415 | Conversion of light signals to audio A system for the automated conversion of light signals to audio. ... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7023975 | Privacy mode system and method for home network telephone A system and method are provided for controlling communications privacy in a Home Network telephone system. The method comprises: using a gateway to send and receive calls on at least one external telephone line; supplying privacy and public mode bridging options; a... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6947534 | Telephone intercom methods and systems Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for providing an intercom service. In an embodiment of the present invention, an intercom service request is received. The intercom service request includes a calling number associated with a locatio... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6882715 | Method and apparatus for communication with a gate entry controller and providing secure communication A security system and method is disclosed for use with a security gate entry system that uses a telephone or other communication system at a security gate for communication by a person seeking entry into the secure area with a residence or other unit in the secure a... | 04/19/2005 |
| 6854015 | System for isolating ethernet network traffic A card, particularly a digital line card is provided for use with a chassis having a slot for receiving the digital line card. The chassis has an Ethernet bus for receiving packets from the line card and has a power supply and power strip for supplying power to the ... | 02/08/2005 |
| 6819682 | System and method for the synchronization and distribution of telephony timing information in a cable modem network A method for synchronizing clocks in a packet transport network. The method comprises, receiving an external network clock at a central packet network node and transmitting timing information to a plurality of packet network devices, the timing information based upo... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6711238 | Parallel-connected dialing signal transmission inhibiting device for data transfer over a telephone link A parallel-connected dialing signal detection and transmission-inhibiting device is disclosed which detects dual-tone multi-frequency dialing signals across tip and ring conductors of a telephone link and switches in an a.c. load that attenuates the dialing signals ... | 03/23/2004 |
| 6539085 | Automatic phone line re-allocation For single line telephone service, let red/green denote a pair that is connected to the central office, and yellow/black denote an unused pair, but which also appears at the connections to the subscribers equipment. Any computer or other device that is to... | 03/25/2003 |
| 6438221 | Electronote wall mounted messaging device A wall-hung or shelf situated free-standing voice memorandum system allows an individual to record a message for another member of the household. the system can be used in connection with a household doorbell system so that at the user's choice, the syste... | 08/20/2002 |
| 5933775 | Mechanism for providing wireless audio and control channels for personal computer interactive phone (PCIP) system An interface circuit provides a wireless channel and a line channel to a telephone set. The wireless channel is coupled to a controller (e.g. a PC) and to another telephone set, and the line channel is coupled to a telephone network. A switch circuit conn... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5905787 | Method and apparatus for installing telephone intercom--voice messaging apparatus at doorbell for dwelling A doorbell response system is utilized in a dwelling. The dwelling includes a telephone, includes a telephone line connected to the telephone, and includes a doorbell and a pair of doorbell electrical wires which power the doorbell. The doorbell response ... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5898756 | Parallel-connected dialing signal transmission-inhibiting device for data transfer over a telephone link A parallel-connected dialing signal detection and transmission-inhibiting device is disclosed which detects dual-tone multi-frequency dialing signals across tip and ring conductors of a telephone link and switches in an a.c. load that attenuates the diali... | 04/27/1999 |
| 5881142 | Integrated communications control device for a small office configured for coupling within a scalable network An integrated communications control device integrates the telecommunications environment of a small office with an interface to the telephone network. The device is a stand alone unit including a programmable control processor configured by a user based ... | 03/09/1999 |
| 5784446 | Method and apparatus for installing telephone intercom-voice messaging apparatus at doorbell for dwelling A doorbell response system can be retrofit in an existing doorbell system without requiring the incorporation of new wiring in the existing doorbell system.... | 07/21/1998 |
| 5774039 | Programmable doorbell control A programmable doorbell controller for the operation of a doorbell. In a preferred embodiment, an audible announcement is recorded and stored by a doorbell control module using speech controller integrated circuitry. A self-contained remote module may int... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5754637 | Collective house interphone system and method therefore A collective house controller for relaying a call and guarding the houses is provided, in a collective house including a plurality of blocks separated from each other, each block including a plurality of households. The collective house controller include... | 05/19/1998 |
| 5657380 | Interactive door answering and messaging device with speech synthesis An automatic door answering and message system is disclosed. A preferred embodiment of the system has an interior unit and an exterior unit that communicate via an RF link. The system uses voice recognition and synthesis to interact with visitors. In addi... | 08/12/1997 |
| 5612994 | Interphone system An interphone system includes an outdoor interphone device and a plurality of indoor interphone devices each of which is connected to the outdoor interphone device via a common interphone line, a plurality of televisions electrically connected to a camera... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5594788 | Telephone system and interface device An improved telephone interface device communicatively couples a local telephone set to an inside telephone wire which, in turn, is communicatively coupled to an outside telephone line from a central office of a telephone service provider. The interface d... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5283825 | Telephone adaptor for telephone sets A telephone adaptor unit for a telephone set connectible, with other like telephone adaptor units for other telephone sets, between the respective telephone set and a common telephone line, includes a first switching device effective, when an off-hook con... | 02/01/1994 |
| 5138656 | Intercom with transducer enclosure to attenuate resonant frequencies An intercom system has a speaker or two-way transducer with a sound attenuation enclosure to minimize oscillation.... | 08/11/1992 |
| 4554411 | Intercom system A communication system includes a master control with optional inside, door or patio remote units, door chime, phone coupler, or programming such as radio, phonograph, tape player or the like. The inside remote units and the master control are connected t... | 11/19/1985 |
| 4401847 | Telephone communication system A multi-wire telephone system which facilitates voice and data communication between any two telephones connected to each other with one of a plurality of standard shielded twisted-pair cables. The telephones, which are battery-powered, feature standard t... | 08/30/1983 |
| 4172967 | Automatic answering device for use in live speech communication and circuit components thereof This device enables apartment dwellers to communicate with and thereby identify persons desiring ingress to an apartment building through a controlled access vestibule. The convenience and security of a conventional intercom is provided by this device, bu... | 10/30/1979 |
