Did You Know...
...that Thomas Edison's patent application on his phonograph was approved by the Patent Office in just seven weeks? In contrast, it took Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, 30 years to obtain his patent -- finally awarded in 1988!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7466817 | Tone generator device for driving light emitting elements Tone generating sequence data are sequentially read out in accordance with a performance sequence, and tone generation control parameters are decoded from the read-out sequence data. The decoded tone generation control parameters are sequentially written into a cont... | 12/16/2008 |
| 7292136 | Audible signal device and machines using same An audible signal device which includes a DC to DC converter is provided. A group of work machines is further provided, including at least two work machines having electrical systems with different operating voltages. First and second audible signal devices are coup... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7266194 | Self-lighting type push button input device A self-lighting type push-button input device according to the presently disclosed subject matter can include a button base portion formed of a transparent material. Holes can be formed in predetermined positions of the button base portion, and spring portions can b... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7249861 | Keypad assembly A keypad assembly (100) for a communication device (200) utilizes two boards, a main circuit board (102) with electronic components including light emitting diodes (LEDs) (104) and a keypad board (108). A lightguide (106) is... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7236773 | Conference call method and apparatus therefor A conference call facility is described in which one (2a) of a group of communication devices (2a,2b,2c,2d) connected to a low power radio frequency network (9) is able to set up a call to ... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7230927 | Non-blocking expandable call center architecture An improved call center architecture includes a switch which communicates with agents either over a broadband network or through a conventional legacy PBX. The hybrid configuration also includes N+1 fault tolerance and the ability to linearly expand the capacity of ... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7200663 | Management method for parameter sets for a data technologically parameterizable device A central computer receives from a supplier a parameter set for a data technologically parameterizable device and buffer-stores it. The central computer communicates the parameter set to a decision-maker. It incorporates the parameter set into a parameter set list i... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7181003 | Direct drive for a subscriber line differential ringing signal A method of generating a subscriber line ringing signal includes the step of applying a time-varying waveform W(t) to the tip line while maintaining the ring line at a pre-determined supply level for a duration T/2. The time-varying waveform is subsequently applied ... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7181004 | Direct drive for a subscriber line differential ringing signal having a DC offset A method of generating a subscriber line differential ringing signal with a DC component includes providing a time-varying supply level, W(t), having a plurality of non-equidistantly spaced critical points along a folding line. W(t) is coupled to the tip line while ... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7176948 | Method, apparatus and computer program product for controlling LED backlights and for improved pulse width modulation resolution A method for driving an LED backlight device using pulse width modulation with an additional timer to manage the power consumption, thermal output, and lighting level of the device with improved resolution. ... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7110530 | System and method for providing universal access to voice response systems A present invention comprises a device and method for monitoring dial pulse (DP) signals on a line and recognizing a digit pattern comprising at least one digit on the line. In response to the recognized digit pattern, the invention determines when to initiate trans... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7088708 | System and method for remotely communicating with a broadband modem A method for remotely communicating with a Broadband modem is provided. Once a communication error is detected on a Broadband modem, a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) connection is established between the Broadband modem and a remote server. Communication then occ... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7085371 | Push-button signal receiving device and a gain control method A push-button signal receiving device and a gain control method whereby error in validity determination of a received signal that accompanies the insertion of an AGC circuit can be prevented. An input bush-button signal is amplified by amplifying circuit and separat... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7079638 | System and method for privacy screening with special information tones A system and method delivers an audible tone to an unidentified caller who places a call to a subscriber to a privacy screening service with special information tones (SITs). The service is initiated when an unidentified caller places a telephone call to a subscribe... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7076460 | Interactive remote auction bidding system An interactive remote auction bidding system for conducting an auction utilizes a data input device for communication over a network to the auction site. The system includes a data processor located at the auction site for generating bid information for communicatio... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7068777 | True DTMF dialer A circular dial buffer is implemented in appropriate random access memory (RAM) accessible by a DSP for the purpose of storing DTMF digits to be generated and output on, e.g., a telephone line. To the processor, the DSP appears to behave much like an off-the-shelf s... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7069243 | Interactive remote auction bidding system An interactive remote auction bidding system for conducting an auction utilizes a data input device for communication over a network to the auction site. The system includes a data processor located at the auction site for generating bid information for communicatio... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7031465 | Network interface device and method A network interface device includes a first interface operable to receive at least two incoming calls over a subscriber line, and a second interface operable to facilitate communication between the first interface and a first telephone line and between the first int... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7027590 | Dynamic allocation of overhead voltage to support simultaneous transmission of signals on a telecommunication line Overhead voltage is allocated in a telecommunication system among different AC signals, such as POTS, on-hook transmission POTS, PPM and XDSL signals, communicated between a telephonic switch and a user device. The allocation is based on the available overhead volta... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7023987 | Method and apparatus for adapting a phone for use in network voice operations An interface is provided between a conventional telephone and a conventional computer configured for network voice applications including a sound card and modem. The interface allows for use of the telephone during network voice applications such as IP telephony and... | 04/04/2006 |
| 7020271 | Ring control device A system and method that allows a ringer of a telephone to be silenced on demand without preventing outgoing calls to be placed. In an embodiment of the invention, there is a ring control device comprising a switch, a voltage control device in electrical series with... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7013393 | Universal intelligent card for secure access to system functions A method and apparatus for secure access to secured system functions utilizing a universal access card. The card includes a bank of tuned amplifier circuits and tuned audio transducers to maximize audio output power from the card, such as for telephone communication... | 03/14/2006 |
| 7005595 | Light emitting keypad assembly A light-emitting keypad assembly is mounted on a substrate of a cellular phone and has a silicon layer, an illuminating layer formed on top of the silicon layer, multiple keys formed on top of the illuminating layer and multiple protrusions formed on the bottom of t... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6975714 | Method and apparatus for defeating predictive telemarketing systems by simulating facsimile machines or modems upon answering incoming calls A method and apparatus that generate a 2100 Hz answer tone, similar to the answer tones sent by facsimile machines and modems, upon answering an incoming call. This causes predictive telemarketing dialers to remove the telephone number from their databases. ... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6959030 | Method and apparatus for generating an interleaved code An interleaved coding method can be used in a transmitter, in which the two or more pseudonoise (PN) codes are interleaved to form a longer interleaved code. The method can be used in a transmitter that includes a first code generator generating a first code of n sy... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6928297 | Portable telephone, diffuser and lighting device provided therein In a portable telephone including a plurality of input buttons 1 for inputting various indications, light emitting elements 7 which emit a light, when any one of the input buttons 1 is pushed on, diffusers 8 which are located under a plur... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6917681 | Peak power management and active decoupling arrangement for span-powered remote terminal access platforms A power management circuit for a remote access platform extracts power from a wireline for powering a ring generator that generates a ringing voltage signal that is distributed to a plurality of subscriber circuits. A power-limited voltage converter steps up the wir... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6842517 | Meter pulse filtering circuit for analog modems A filtering circuit is described for filtering out meter pulses of analog telephone communication, for example in analog modems. The circuit is mainly composed of resistors and capacitors and is configured as a double T element or a Wien bridge circuit. The filterin... | 01/11/2005 |
| 6775364 | Method and apparatus for selectively sending a false system information tone on a telephone line A method and apparatus for selectively sending a false system information tone (SIT) in response to an incoming telephone call is provided. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a telephone line interface, caller identification (caller ID) module, programmable os... | 08/10/2004 |
| 6671369 | Method and apparatus for returning a false special information tone for an incoming telephone call A method and apparatus (10) for returning a false signal substantially similar to at least a first portion of a special information tone (SIT) after a device receiving an incoming telephone call puts the telephone line (11) in an off-hook condition is pro... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6671315 | DTMF signal generator A DTMF signal generator simplifies frequency characteristic design of a telephone line interface so as to make it easy to carry out alteration of a low tone group frequency component and a high tone group frequency component of a DTMF signal, and to lower... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6668057 | Apparatus for receiving tone signal, apparatus for transmitting tone signal, and apparatus for transmitting or receiving tone signal An arithmetic processing section is designed to repeatedly execute product-sum arithmetic processing a number of times equal to the number of samples corresponding to each of the frequencies, in which a value obtained by subtracting a product-sum arithmet... | 12/23/2003 |
| 6519338 | Tone burst generator and its application to telephony A differential pair of a first and a second transistor is used in a tone burst generator circuit for generating tone bursts for periodic pulse metering. The first transistor carries all of the current through the differential pair when no tone burst signa... | 02/11/2003 |
| 6498847 | Dialer programming and device with integrated printing process An improved account access system and device in which a portable electronic card may be loaded into a combined programming and printing system to be programmed with predetermined signals and imprinted with associated variable data. The predetermined and p... | 12/24/2002 |
| 6477390 | Apparatus and method for intuitive audio keypad navigation for a wireless communication device A wireless communication device (101) having intuitive audio keypad navigation features is provided. Each of the keys (140-151) of a keypad (132) of the wireless communication device (101) is assigned a different audible signal (FIGS. 3-4). When a user of... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6445790 | Digital tone generator A digital tone generator (1110) includes a digital signal generator (1138) which generates a digital waveform data sequence which is representative of a tone having a predetermined waveform, and an adaptive duty cycle pulse-width modulator (1132) which is... | 09/03/2002 |
| 6415269 | Interactive remote auction bidding system An interactive remote auction bidding system for conducting an auction among participants located at remote locations from the auction site utilizes a data input device for communication over a network to the auction site. The system includes a data proce... | 07/02/2002 |
| 6400821 | Digital tone generator A digital tone generator (1110) includes a digital signal generator (1138) which generates a digital waveform data sequence which is representative of a tone having a predetermined waveform, and a pulse-width modulator (1132) which provides an adaptive du... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6373941 | Tone generator for electronic exchange A tone supplying device generates various tone signals which an exchange can provide for public subscribers. Address signals generated by a counting operation of a first counter are inputted to a plurality of tone tables, which in turn successively output... | 04/16/2002 |
| 6366669 | System and method for providing universal access to interactive voice response systems A system and method for allowing callers using DP telephones to access IVR systems, including monitoring DP signals until a dialed digit is recognized, where the DP signals are generated by a transmission element and received by a reception element within... | 04/02/2002 |
