Patent ID: 7020292

Claim:
An apparatus for generating a muting signal, the apparatus comprising: a training mode on/off switch; an audio signal detector for remotely receiving an audible ring signal transmitted via an acoustic medium; and a processor in communication with the detector, wherein the processor is configured to: convert the received audible ring signal into a digitized received audio ring signal; in response to a first setting of the training mode on/off switch, store the digitized received audio ring signal in one of a memory device and a storage device associated with the processor as a predetermined digitized audio ring signal; in response to a second setting of the training mode on/off switch, compare the digitized received audio ring signal with one or more predetermined digitized audio ring signals, wherein each of the one or more predetermined digitized audio ring signals is associated with a corresponding device and is pre-stored in one of the memory device and the storage device; and generate a muting signal based on the comparison when at least a component of the digitized received audio ring signal matches one of the one or more pre-stored predetermined digitized audio ring signals.