Did You Know...
...that the first rickshaw was invented in 1869 by an American Baptist minister, the Rev. E. Jonathan Scobie, to transport his invalid wife around the streets of Yokohama?
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8150025 | Flexible ring-tone service A subscriber associates a ring-tone media selection based on a media genre, author, or title to a calling number. When an incoming call is detected, a particular ring-tone media selection, based on the subscriber's association, may be streamed from a central server ... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8107614 | Enhanced colorful ring-back tone by mixing content streams in real time Methods and systems for enhanced Colorful Ring-Back Tone (eCRBT) services by mixing multiple digital content streams in real time are provided, including audio, video, data, text-based message, and hypermedia object streams. One or more properties of the content str... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8098811 | Methods and systems for selectively playing received ringtones Methods and systems are described for selectively playing received ringtones. Receipt at a communication device of an incoming voice call that includes a ringtone is detected. A ringtone preselected for the communication device is played in response to receiving the... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8014513 | Caller identification through non-textual output Caller identification information is conveyed to the called party in manners other than through the display of textual information on a display screen. The caller ID information may be provided as musical tones where the characters of the caller ID information are m... | 09/06/2011 |
| 7970119 | Ring tone visualizer A device may retrieve a ring tone, an image, and a visual effect from a database based on a client line identifier. In addition, the device may generate frequency samples based on the ring tone, may transform the image based on the frequency samples and the visual e... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7961868 | Systems and methods for caller-controlled tune notification of a call A system and method for a caller to control a tune notification for a telephone call includes a service switching point and a service control point. The service switching point is operable to receive a tune notification service access code and a called directory num... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7792279 | Distinguishing audio alerts Methods, systems, computer program products, and devices distinguish audio alerts emitted from a device. A method involves relating an audio alert and distinctive data associated with an audio alert triggering event to the audio alert triggering event, detecting an ... | 09/07/2010 |
| 7734033 | Ring-tone identification of urgent phone calls A method for activating a distinctive ring-tone can include the steps of extracting caller identifying data from an incoming phone call; comparing the caller identifying data to data in a caller list; determining whether the caller is authorized to activate a distin... | 06/08/2010 |
| 7599482 | Systems and methods for caller-controlled tune notification of a call A system and method for a caller to control a tune notification for a telephone call includes a service switching point and a service control point. The service switching point is operable to receive a tune notification service access code and a called directory num... | 10/06/2009 |
| 7558384 | Audio alert system and method A user-programmable audio alert system, device, and method includes an audio alert created by a user and programmed into a device, such as a wireless telephone. A user programs and stores in the device a data structure relating an audio alert triggering event to the... | 07/07/2009 |
| 7454009 | Ring-tone identification of urgent phone calls A method for activating a distinctive ring-tone can include the steps of extracting caller identifying data from an incoming phone call; comparing the caller identifying data to data in a caller list; determining whether the caller is authorized to activate a distin... | 11/18/2008 |
| 7440444 | IP telephone system, IP telephone apparatus and method for identifying destination user An IP telephone system includes a source IP telephone apparatus, a destination telephone apparatus, a Web server and an ENUM server. The IP telephone apparatuses are connected to an IP network. The Web server stores ring tone information corresponding to a telephone... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7392066 | Volume control system and method for a mobile communication device In accordance with one or more embodiments, a method for adjusting volume of a mobile device in relationship to environment noise is provided. The method comprises sampling ambient noise around the mobile device to obtain at least one audio sample; measuring volume ... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7379760 | Data transmission-reception system and data transmission-reception method A data communication system is disclosed which comprises: first terminal devices for transmitting contents and content provider identification data identifying the providers of the contents; a server device for receiving and storing the transmitted contents and cont... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7373181 | Method and apparatus for sender controllable modalities A method and apparatus (110) for sender controllable modalities includes the step of generating a communication command (108). The method and apparatus further includes generating a priority command (110) wherein the priority command includes a ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7359737 | Data transmission-reception system and data transmission-reception method A data communication system is disclosed which comprises: first terminal devices for transmitting contents and content provider identification data identifying the providers of the contents; a server device for receiving and storing the transmitted contents and cont... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7353047 | Integrated mobile phone ring scheduler A mobile telephone comprises a ringer to provide an audible alert of an incoming telephone call. The mobile telephone has a ringer schedule interface to receive a ringer control schedule. The ringer control schedule indicates times at which a parameter of the ringer... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7343150 | Log-based ringtones A method is disclosed for determining properties of an output signal that notifies a user of an incoming message, based on information that is available to and associated with the user's telecommunications terminal. In particular, in the illustrative embodiment one ... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7340050 | Apparatus and method for controlling incoming melody In an apparatus and method for controlling an incoming melody, a receiver's telephone terminal allows a caller who transmits a call request signal to select a specific receiver with whom the caller wants to establish a voice call. The receiver's telephone terminal o... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7302280 | Mobile phone operation based upon context sensing A mobile device is provided that includes at least one sensor that provides contextual information to the device. When the mobile device receives an incoming message, or notification, the device responds thereto based at least in part upon the contextual information... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7295864 | Methods and apparatuses for programming user-defined information into electronic devices A device for programming user-defined information into an electronic device is provided. The programmer allows a user to program customized information, such as user-selected audio, video, or Internet access information into his or her programmable device. Such elec... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7289102 | Method and apparatus using multiple sensors in a device with a display In a device having a display, at least one sensor signal is generated from a sensor in the device. One or more context values are then generated from the sensor signal. The context values indicate how the device is situated relative to one or more objects. At least ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7286657 | Method and system for providing enhanced caller identification information including tailored announcements A system and method deliver audible caller identification information when standard Caller ID information can not be provided. A calling party is prompted by an announcement to provide the audible caller identification information. The announcement may be tailored b... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7272398 | Providing to sender of message an identifier of service provider associated with recipient of the message An apparatus in one example comprises a gateway component that provides an identifier of a service provider to a sender of a message through employment of a user address associated with the recipient of the message. ... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7266187 | Caller ID system with retransmitted caller ID information Upon detecting an incoming call, a call screening system determines the CALLER ID information associated with the call and compares it to a database of allowable calling parties. If the calling party is to be allowed to ring through, the call screening system routes... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7257221 | Method of calling up called party, communication equipment, calling party information server, and calling control device To make a call, a calling-end terminal station (3) notifies a call-up control unit (71) of a communications network (7) of the terminal station number of a called-end terminal station (5) so as to cause it to stand by for a connection. Th... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7251321 | Crescendo telephone ringer Crescendo telephone ringers and methods of providing a crescendo telephone ring signal. The crescendo telephone ringer provides a gradual increase in audible ringing volume as a sequence of incoming electrical ring signals is detected. According to one embodiment, u... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7248900 | Compound ring tunes A manner of providing ring-tune alerts to announce the arrival of incoming communications at a communication device such as a mobile station operable in a wireless communication network. When notification an incoming communication arrives at the mobile station, the ... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7241946 | Method and device for music format switching A method and device for music format switching. A tone editor is first selected to compose ring tones in accordance with a first music format. It is determined whether a switch operation has been executed. If the switch operation has been executed, the ring tones ar... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7239690 | System and method for identifying redirected calls In a particular embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a system for identifying redirected calls that includes a service switch point and a service control point. The service switch point is coupled to a communications network. The service switch point is configu... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7224785 | Method and system for providing enhanced caller identification A system (100) and method deliver audible caller identification information when standard Caller ID information can not be provided, even when a subscriber to the service has per line blocking. A service control point (106) detects the directory number... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7224792 | Personalized telephone announcement According to the invention, a method for alerting a user of an incoming phone call is disclosed. In one step, notification of the incoming phone call is received with an identifier that is associated with the incoming phone call. The identifier associated with the i... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7221950 | Auto sensing home base station for mobile telephone with remote answering capabilities The present invention discloses in one embodiment a mobile telephone capable of communicating with a home base station through radio signals. The mobile telephone registers with a home base station before beginning to communicate with the home base station. The home... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7212840 | Cellular phone and incoming call reception informing method Incoming call tones and program numbers as numbers used to specify respective incoming call tones are stored in a memory of a cellular phone so as to be set in correspondence to each other. The program numbers are used to specify corresponding incoming call tone mel... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7200425 | Device and method for augmenting cellular telephone audio signals A system and method is described for augmenting cellular telephone signals for a cellular telephone. In an exemplary embodiment, a cellular battery is equipped with a sound generating device that stores one or more audio signals that are activated upon receipt of a ... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7197135 | Systems and methods for caller-controlled tune notification of a call A system and method for a caller to control a tune notification for a telephone call includes a service switching point and a service control point. The service switching point is operable to receive a tune notification service access code and a called directory num... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7194083 | System and method for interfacing plain old telephone system (POTS) devices with cellular networks A system and method for interfacing plain old telephone system (PATS) devices with a cellular network is presented. In a broad sense, the system includes an interface that bridges the POTS devices with the cellular network. The interface is configured to convert POT... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7190945 | Security alarm operation in telephone device An apparatus and technique for providing a monitoring alarm telephone which not only automatically dials a predetermined alarm notification telephone number upon activation of a suitable alarm device (e.g., tripping of a motion detector), but which also provides aud... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7174007 | Method and apparatus providing caller identification telephone service with a real time audio message An Audio Caller ID service is provided which permits the calling party to speak a real time audio message that can be received and played by the called party's Caller ID equipment while his telephone equipment remains in the “on-hook” state. A calling party whic... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7170994 | Method and apparatus for selecting an alert mode based on user biometrics A communication apparatus includes a communication device (130) and an activity monitoring device (120). The communication device (130) includes an alert device (275) for notifying a user (110) of an incoming call. The communicatio... | 01/30/2007 |
