[54] VIDEO-TELEPHONE SYSTEM INITIALLY SIGNIFIES CALLER TO CALLED SUBSCRIBER
[76] Inventors: Marc A. Leclercq, Ecole Lafontaine, voie due Bon Puits, Wissous, France, 92320; Alain M. Poirier, 82, rue de la Republique, Meudon, France, 92190; Jacques M. Guichard, 42, rue Gerard, Paris, France, 75013
[22] Filed: Apr. 25, 1975
[21] Appl. No.: 571,700
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Apr. 26, 1974 France 74.14599
[52] U.S. CI 179/2 TV; 179/5.5
[51] Int. CI.2 H04M 11/08
[58] Field of Search 179/2 TV, 5.5
[56] References Cited
UNITED STATES PATENTS
3,787,626 1/1974 Subieta 179/5.5
3,816,662 6/1974 Shaver et al 179/2 TV
FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS
998,475 1/1952 France 179/2 TV
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Review of the Electrical Communication Laboratories,
Vol. 21, Nos. 9-10, pp. 582-596, Sept.-Oct. 1973.
"Video Response Equipment—Data Display with
Video Telephone," T. Kamae et al.
Primary Examiner—Kathleen H. Claffy
Assistant Examiner—George G. Stellar
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Abraham A. Saffitz
[57] ABSTRACT
Improvement to video-telephone systems allowing a
called subscriber to have at his disposal on his televi-
sion 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 genera-
tor and is connected to a switching network by a tele-
phone 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.
3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures
