Abstract:
A method and apparatus for simulating telephony services and providing information about telephony services and products without the use of a public carrier telephone system. The system includes at least one Telephone Interface (TI), connected between a telephone and the simulation system. The emulator receives, decodes and validates a user initiated command signal, converts it into a control signal and activates a playback sequence which emulates telephone services. A plurality of different telephone functions and services can be simulated without connection to external telephone lines or wireless service.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to telephony systems. More specifically, it is a method and apparatus for simulating telephony services and providing information to potential customers about telephony services without the use of a public carrier telephone system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Consumers are faced with an ever expanding universe of choices with regard to telephone services and products. Sales of telecommunications products and services can be increased by allowing potential customers to sample products and demonstrate features such as call waiting, caller ID and cellular services. Currently, to fully demonstrate services and features, a telephone communications retailer must use the actual telecommunication line. This requires that at least two telephones with appropriate service connections be available for use by the potential customers. If multiple users desire to sample the services or products simultaneously, there must be sufficient phone pairs connected to the public telephone switch network available, increasing the cost and complexity of the demonstration. Allowing potential customers to use the actual services and products ties up equipment needed to provide service to current paying customers. 
     The present invention obviates the disadvantages that have been noted above using a conventional touch pad of a telephone instrument, through a self contained network, to provide access to a computerized data base which will emulate telephone services and products in a retail premises without connection to the public carrier network. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for receiving signals through an interface. A decoder transforms the signals into digital data. The digital data is sent to a microcontroller, where it is compared with preprogrammed data. If the digital data matches the preprogrammed data, the microcontroller then sends a command signal to a playback device. The playback device transmits the selected data describing or emulating telephone services in response to the command signal of the microcontroller. If ringing the telephone is appropriate as part of the demonstration, the microprocessor generates a ring signal which is sent to a ring signal generator. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a system for demonstrating telephone capabilities and service which includes a telephone for producing dual tone multiple frequency signals and a telephone interface for sending and receiving signals to and from the dual tone multiple frequency generator. The telephone interface simulates a standard telephone line. A dual tone multiple frequency decoder transforms the dual tone multiple frequency signals from the telephone into digital data which is sent to a microcontroller. The microcontroller has memory containing instructions for comparing signals from the dual tone multiple frequency generator with preprogrammed data in the memory. If there is a match in the comparison the microcontroller produces an output signal which is sent to a data storage and playback device that receives said output signal of said microcontroller and transmits data describing or emulating telephone services in response to the output signal of said microcontroller. The ring generator, upon receiving a signal from the microcontroller sends signals via the telephone interface to cause the telephone to ring. 
     Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specification that follows. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment disclosed below and that alternative embodiments and methods will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 A block diagram representing the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 A schematic of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 A table showing the components and performance specifications of the components used in the preferred embodiment of the schematic in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 A flow chart representing the process of getting a valid DTMF code. 
     FIG. 5 A flow chart representing the process of inducing a ringing in the demonstration telephone. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     This invention is directed to a method and apparatus for demonstrating telephone capabilities and services on telephones without the necessity of using actual public carrier circuits. The invention transmits information from the data base to a telephone instrument permitting a potential customer to receive information about the telephone services and options available. The user depresses one or more of the alpha-numerically marked keys on the telephone keypad. This sends a signal from the telephone to a microprocessor which reads the frequency of the tones and commands a pre-programmed data storage and playback device to find, retrieve and send information to the telephone. The pre-programmed data base and playback device provides a normal response transmitted through the telephone receiver to the caller, as audible intelligence response to commands issued from the telephone device. 
     Modern telephones transmit discrete frequency signals corresponding to the numbers 0 through 9 on the keypad. These frequency signals can be used for data and command inputs for information playback. A 12-button telephone handset, for example, can develop 12 signals corresponding to the numbers 0 through 9, plus the symbols * and #. Pressing on of the keys causes an electronic circuit to generate two tones, hence the term Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) signals. There is a low frequency tone for each row on the keypad and a high frequency tone for each column. Thus, it is possible to transmit discrete signals corresponding to the 12 digits and symbols to a playback device. A standard telephone can be used to send signals to activate the emulation system and it is not necessary to purchase a new signaling tone generator. Also, the present invention requires a minimum of additional wiring to the premises when installed. 
     FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram showing the components of the claimed invention. A Command Signal generator  10 , produces a signal when a keypad is depressed. In the preferred embodiment the Command Signal Generator  10  is a standard telephone. If a standard telephone is used, the signal is sent through the closed telephonic communications network to an interface device, the Telephone Interface (TI)  20 . The TI  20  may emulate a standard telephone jack or a wireless telephone service such as cellular or PCS. If a digital signal generator is used, that is not a standard telephone, such as a device which produces digital data directly, then the TI  20  may not be necessary. The TI  20  forwards the digital information to the DTMF Decoder  30 . The DTMF Decoder  30  determines the two frequency components of the DTMF signal (high and low frequency) and sends an 8 bit digital signal representing the keypad button that was pressed to generate that signal to the Microcontroller  60 . When the system is initially powered up by Power Supply  70 , the Microcontroller  60  generates a signal from Read Only Memory (ROM) to Playback Device  50 . The Playback Device  50  may be any digital data storage device, such as magnetic tape, a computer disk or hard drive. The preferred embodiment uses a compact disc (CD) player with a standard Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interface  47 . Upon power up, the Microcontroller  60  sends a signal which initiates the download of data contained in a “control” track on the CD. The control track contains instructions which are read into Random Access Memory (RAM) in Microcontroller  60 . The ability to load data from the Playback Device  50  into RAM in microcontroller  60  simplifies the process of updating the system. New storage media, such as a compact disc is relatively inexpensive and easy to produce and can be distributed widely to update the invention to be able to demonstrate new capabilities or features. When a signal is sent from DTMF Decoder  30  to the Microcontroller  60 , the microcontroller compares the input signal to the data stored in RAM. The mapping of the input signal from the DTMF Recorder to the data in RAM indicates which track of the CD in the Playback Device  50  is to be used to emulate the corresponding telephone service. 
     FIG. 2 is a wiring schematic of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The Power Supply  70  powers the DTMF Decoder  30 , the Telephone Line Interface  20 , and Sound Amplifier  37 , which amplifies audio signals from the Playback Device  50  connected to the circuit via the IDE  47  and controlled by Microcontroller  60 . FIG. 3 is a table showing the various components and the individual specifications for the wiring diagram in FIG.  2 . FIG. 4 is a flow chart representing the logic sequence the DTMF Decoder  30  uses to determine if a valid DTMF code has been received from the TI  20 . The DTMF main loop program waits for an input signal  410 . If a signal is received the program determines if the code is valid  420 , and if not, returns  430  to the main loop  410 . If the DTMF signal is valid, the Decoder transforms the DTMF signal into a digital signal and saves the digital signal  440 . If the DTMF signal matches a valid code the Microcontroller  60  is notified a valid digital signal is present in the Decoder&#39;s  30  memory  460  and sent to the Microcontroller  460  when commanded by the Microcontroller  60 . The Microcontroller  60  will compare the digitized DTMF signal with a table stored in RAM. The Microcontroller  60  will then determine which track of the CD in the Playback Device  50  will be played and sent directly to the TI  20 . If the demonstration requires a ring signal, the Playback Device  50  sends a command to the Ring Generator  40  to generate a signal which will cause the Command Signal Generator  10  to ring. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the logic used in the Ring Generator  40  to induce the Command Signal Generator  10  to ring. The program first determines if the Command Signal Generator is off hook  505 . If it is the ring mode is cleared  510 , the program waits 100 milliseconds  515  and the program returns to step  505 . If the Command Signal Generator is not off hook, the ring mode counter is increased by one 525, the program waits 125 milliseconds  530 ,  535  and then the ring signal is sent  540 . The ring command is then set to off (0)  545 , and the predetermined number of ring cycles is decremented by one  550 . If the number of cycles remaining is zero the program goes to step  510 . If there are cycles remaining, the program goes to step  535  to wait 25 milliseconds. Next the ring status is checked at step  540  and if the ring status was set to 0 at  545 , the program checks to determine if the Command Signal Generator  10  is off hook  565 . If the Command Signal Generator is hook the program proceeds to step  510  to return to the beginning. If the Command Signal Generator is not off hook the program proceeds to step  570  where the ring command is set to on (1) and the program executes another ring cycle, which will be repeated the Command Signal Generator  10  is off hook of the number of ring cycles left is zero. 
     The following describes one possible demonstration sequence. A customer approaches a display with a standard push button telephone or cordless telephone. A placard instructs the customer to lift the handset on the telephone or push the talk button on the cordless telephone or wireless telephone. When the customer lifts the handset the TI  20  detects the “off hook” signal which is sent to Microcontroller  60  as a digitized signal. The Microcontroller  60  following instructions in ROM, compares the signal against a table stored in RAM. The “off hook” signal indicates the “track” having the “welcome” message should be played. The Playback Device  50  then proceeds to play the the audio welcome message through the TI  20  to the Command Signal Generator  10 . At the conclusion of the welcome message, the customer is invited to press a key on the Command Signal Generator  10  to demonstrate a telephone service or feature. If the customer selects caller identification, the audio track will instruct the customer to hang up the telephone. The Microcontroller  60  will instruct the Ring Generator  40  to send a ring signal via TI  20 . Once the ring signal has been sent, the Microcontroller  60  will instruct the Playback Device  50  to send the information necessary to display caller identification information, which is typically transmitted as frequency shift keying. The demonstration will end after a predetermined number of rings or if the Command Signal Generator  10  goes off hook. Once the demonstration is complete, the customer can pick up the telephone handset again and press another key for a demonstration of other services or telephone product features or use another telephone to compare the same feature on a second telephone. The type of services and features that can be demonstrated via this apparatus and method span the full gamut of telephony. Those skilled in the art will be able to program the Playback Device with all necessary signals to emulate telephony features such as Caller ID, Call Waiting and fax machine by recording audio information on the playback device which simulates the appropriate data. Wireless, communications can also be demonstrated. An adapter may be attached to the antenna socket of a wireless telephone which is linked to an analog to digital converter, if the telephone is not digital. The Decoder includes the appropriate multiplexer circuitry (such as Time Domain, Frequency Domain, or Code Division Multiple Access) for the telephones being demonstrated. The output signal of the telephone is sent directly to the emulator and not through the airwaves. The return signals are coded and sent to the telephone in the reverse process.