摘要:
A videocommunication network is connected between videophone terminals and a picture bank through voice switching units and wide-band switching units included in central offices. A purely telephonic communication can be established between two videophone terminals during a videocommunication between one of the two terminals and the picture bank. Once the videocommunication has been established between the videophone terminal and the picture bank via network voice switching units, the local telephone line assigned to the videophone terminal is automatically released while only a local wide-band line assigned to the videophone terminal is occupied for exchanging vision signals and also data signals with the picture bank via wide-band switching units.
摘要:
A technique for processing pictorial information to enable its display on a desired display device independent of the latter's resolution characteristics includes a unique encoding procedure and a corresponding decoding and display procedure. Attributes of each element of a picture or image (such as its color) are specified by a group of N bits. The bits are assembled to form M-bit active portions of a series of bytes. M and N need not be integrally related. Ones of the words also define the size of the elements with respect to a unit display space (the horizontal and vertical dimensions of each element can be different), the order in which the elements are arranged in the picture (e.g., left to right or vice versa) and the value of N. The bytes are decoded and the picture displayed by locating each pel in the unit screen coordinate space, mapping each location to a corresponding storage location in an array formed by a frame memory, writing the attributes of each pel in one or more of the storage locations, and sequentially reading the contents of the memory and applying the output to the display device.
摘要:
The power of computer-based services is made available to telephone subscribers by a telephone station set (10) including a telephone handset (17) for audio transduction, a video output display screen (13) and manual input key facilities (16,20,23) coupled for interaction by a data processing facility (43). All of those elements are included in a common station set housing for programmable interaction under control of the station set user. The input key facilities include a full ASCII key set, additional buttons (30-32) for signaling standard computer service functions, and keys (16) for user selection of predetermined different text portions of the display screen. Also shown are various electrical and mechanical features which facilitate the combining of the functional parts into the common housing and illustrative processes (FIGS. 8-12) for demonstrating the programmable facility interaction.
摘要:
A system is disclosed for marketing merchandise or services by telephone using brief prerecorded audio demonstrations stored in an audio program repeater and connected to a customer's telephone line by a switching system under control of a data processor in response to a code entered by a customer service operator via the switching system or a code entered directly by the customer through his push-button telephone. In the latter case the data processor is in direct communication with the customer who uses the telephone push buttons to respond to prerecorded messages transmitted from the audio program repeater under control of the data processor. Otherwise the customer communicates with a customer service operator through the switching system and the customer service operator in turn selects the demonstration through the data processor. Having heard the demonstration, the customer indicates whether or not he wishes to purchase the merchandise or services, either to the customer sevice operator, who enters the purchase order in the data processor, or directly to the processor by telephone push-button operation. The data processor then transfers the order to an order processing system and updates both inventory records and the customer's history record.
摘要:
Processor for use between an earpiece of a keyboard telephone set serving to interrogate a computer by means of multi-frequency code interrogation signals and to receive from said computer digital serial answer words beginning with a start signal and frequency modulating an answer carrier, and a television set for displaying alpha-numeric characters corresponding to these digital answer words. The conventional telephone sets include means for inhibiting the answer signals from being applied to the earpiece when a key of the keyboard is depressed. Also when a key of the telephone set is depressed on overvoltage is produced across the earpiece terminals which would give rise to false start signals if no precaution was taken. Accordingly, the processor comprises a frequency demodulator for receiving the frequency modulated signals corresponding to values zero and one of the bits of the answer words, a receive register controlled by the start signals and means for allowing the frequency demodulator to generate a zero output signal when the frequency of the frequency modulated carrier has the value corresponding to a selected binary value, one or zero, of the bits of the answer words so that, when a key of the keyboard of the telephone set is depressed and the answer frequency modulated carrier is then inhibited, the output signal from the demodulator is the same as when a modulation frequency corresponding to said selected value is received.
摘要:
Improvement to video-telephone systems allowing a called subscriber to have at his disposal on his television receiver screen, before he takes off his handset, information about the person who has initiated the call. Each subscriber station has a handset, a television camera, a television receiver and a character generator and is connected to a switching network by a telephone line, an incoming video line and an outgoing video line. Means are provided in the calling station for connecting to the outgoing video line the character generator when the calling subscriber takes down the handset and the television camera when video signals are detected on the incoming video line and in the called station for supplying with current the television receiver when ringing tone signals are detected on the telephone line.
摘要:
A controller for automatically answering and disconnecting calls to and from telephone interfaced facsimile terminals is compatible with conventional installations of ordinary telephone sets. The controller comprises an actuator arm for mechanically operating the cradle switch of an associated telephone set, a driver for the actuator arm, and a control circuit for the driver. If desired, the controller may be overriden by disengaging the actuator arm from the driver. Otherwise, however, the actuator arm is moved away from and toward the cradle switch by the driver in response to control signals supplied by the control circuit. To that end, incoming calls to be answered are sensed by inductively detecting any ringing voltage applied to the telephone set, and incoming or outgoing calls to be disconnected are sensed by a ''''time out'''' operation which is initiated whenever the associated facsimile unit stops while the telephone set is ''''off-hook.
摘要:
Apparatus for setting from a remote location the descending monetary register of a postage meter to increase the amount of register credit against which the meter will continue to issue postage. Upon request, telephone communication is established between a central agency and the remote meter, whereupon a coded signal is dispatched to the meter which automatically compares the incoming signal with correspondingly coded information stored in the meter. Upon completion of receipt of a proper signal a driving mechanism is actuated to drive the monetary register in an ascending direction by a predetermined amount, whereas an improper signal disables the driving mechanism to prevent further operation until the meter is opened, inspected and manually set.