Importance

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Abstract

A television receiver incorporating telephone interface circuitry permitting the viewer to not only answer incoming calls but also place outgoing calls by means of the television receiver is disclosed. An infrared link is used for remote control telephone answering and dial-out with a tuner-integrated microcomputer used to drive a character generator permitting the number dialed to be displayed on the television receiver's video display and to be provided to a standard telephone line. An automatic re-dial feature is provided by means of the microcomputer's memory whereby the last phone number dialed by the remote transmitter may be stored in memory, recalled by means of a single button selection, presented on the on-screen display and automatically dialed. The microcomputer-driven character generator also controls telephone interface circuitry and switching between television and telephone modes while providing for a privacy mode in which a television-mounted microphone is turned off in selectively muting audio output to the other telephone subscriber.

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First Claim