Importance

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Abstract

An enhanced telephony call waiting feature and apparatus is provided wherein identifying information related to a third party wishing to converse with a first party already communicating with a second party is provided to the first party during a mute condition in a manner that minimizes the time period of the mute condition. The method is fully compatible with existing services while allowing for new services. The method comprises the steps of the local switching office sending a call waiting tone having predetermined characteristics to the first party and its apparatus responding thereto by generating an acknowledgment signal. The apparatus then initiates a mute condition simultaneous with the ACK signal generation, or in response to detection of a carrier signal, or at some other time after exchange of the call waiting tone and/or the acknowledgment signal has occurred. Various methods are disclosed which initiate and terminate the mute condition in the apparatus of the first and second party to allow for the receipt, storage, and display of caller identifying data while minimizing the period of time the first and second party are muted from communicating. The first party may either accept or reject the waiting call in the conventional manner as based on the third party identifying information. Additional features such as voice announcement of the identifying data and comparison with pre-stored data records is also discussed.

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First Claim