TeleBouncerTM, a 3 Way Call Management System, has been introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev., and is currently being manufactured and sold by Dasym Technologies Inc., of Mesa, Arizona.

While TeleBouncerTM blocks telemarketing calls from ringing any home telephones, this product also offers many other privacy features and benefits, having little to do with telemarketing calls.

Thus TeleBouncerTM provides much greater value to the consumer's overall telephone privacy, than just blocking telemarketing calls.

For example, other features and benefits include Distinctive Ringing capability, as well as providing a Do-Not-Disturb feature, and identifying “unknown” Caller ID calls as wanted callers.

In addition, TeleBouncerTM can be used as a single line Home/Office Call Attendant, allowing incoming call classification with distinctive ringing, and blocking Junk FAX and Telemarketing calls to the Business. In addition, the Do-Not-Disturb Mode is ideal for small business meetings.

While the National Do-Not-Call Registry has been generally successful, the significant Do-Not-Call Registry exemptions has only reduced the number of telemarketing calls to these households, not eliminated them. The most recent election's political calls to all households clearly reinforces the impact of such exemptions.

Thus TeleBouncerTM continues to have value, even to those households on the Registry, since calls from the National Do-Not-Call Registry Exemptions will be blocked. TeleBouncerTM will have even greater value for the larger number of consumers who have not yet listed their numbers with the Registry.

A. National Do-Not-Call List has significant Exemptions

Exemptions included calls from:

  1. Businesses who have existing business relationship
  2. Businesses that have had business relationship in the past 1.5 years.
  3. Businesses who have been contacted for a business inquiry in the past 3 Months.
  4. Charitable and Non-Profit Organizations, including 3rd party solicitors.
  5. Calls made from within your state (Registry and FTC deals with interstate commerce)
  6. Political Fundraising and Political Campaigns
  7. Polling Surveys
  8. Banks
  9. Credit Card Companies
  10. Long Distance Companies
  11. Airline Companies
  12. Insurance Companies
  13. Federal Credit Unions and Savings and Loan Co.

B. TeleBouncerTM provides Function/Benefits unrelated to Telemarketing:

  1. Distinctive Ringing

Distinctive Ringing occurs when TeleBouncerTM is in the Telemarketing Mode. When a caller presses “1”, “2”, or “3”, TeleBouncerTM rings a telephone as follows:

Caller Presses “1” - One Long Ring

Caller Presses “2” - Two Short Rings

Caller Presses “3” - One Short and One Long Ring

This feature enables the user to know who is being called, or the identity of the caller. For example, Mom and Dad can tell their children to tell their friends to press “2” when friends call. Thus Mom and Dad will not answer any calls when they hear 2 short rings. In another application, the wife tells all her friends to press “2”, and the husband tells his friends to press “3”. Thus husband and wife can determine who is being called, when the telephone rings. As a last example, Mom is told to press 2 when she calls her children's home. Thus the children will always know Mom is calling when she presses “2”, and the two short rings occur.

  1. The Do-Not-Disturb Mode

In the Do-Not-Disturb Mode, only urgent callers are allowed to ring through to a home phone. All callers (including friends, neighbors and associates) are silently answered and sent to a home answering system, without ringing any home phones. Urgent callers can be instructed to press "#" to ring through to a telephone.

There is no other product on the market that, at the touch of a button, can silently screen calls from neighbors and friends, when it is desired to have some personal quiet time. Of course all messages are received, and urgent calls can always ring through. Examples of personal quiet time include:

    1. Daytime sleeping
    2. Watching Pay per View Movies, or favorite TV program.
    3. Study hour for children
    4. Visiting with company for the evening
    5. Dinner Time

  1. Identifies “Unknown” Caller ID calls as wanted

There are about 35 Million lines[1] with Caller ID in the U.S. About 1/3 of all calls on a Caller ID display are “unknown” such as “Unavailable”, “Private”, “Out of Area”... etc. Many times these “unknown” callers are wanted callers. Thus about 1/3 of the time, the Caller ID user is faced with a dilemma of two choices:

1) Either pick up the ringing telephones and be at risk to talking to an unwanted caller, or

2) Let all the phones ring throughout the home, disturbing all persons within, until the answering system picks up the call (about 30 seconds of ringing typically).

In either case, one third of all incoming calls pose a problem to the user of Caller ID.

TeleBouncerTM solves this problem when used in the Caller ID mode. An “Unknown” Caller ID call is screened, and then identified as a wanted caller, when caller rings through to a telephone.

TeleBouncer™ allows Caller ID data to be displayed on a user's Caller ID unit, then pre-screens callers as in the Telemarketing Mode. When the wanted caller rings through with “Unknown” Caller ID information, the user is NOT at risk to speaking to an unwanted caller. If the Caller ID information is “known”, this wanted caller can be screened in a normal manner. If the caller does NOT ring through, there is no need to even look at the Caller ID unit.

  1. Small Home/Office Application

TeleBouncer™ can also add value to a single line small Home/Office environment. Many Home/Office businesses report they are frustrated by not knowing how to answer a single line call, especially when their Caller ID information is “Unidentified”

With Distinctive Ringing, user can address incoming calls with screening announcement asking callers to Press Ring Numbers “1”, “2” and “3” to classify the incoming call. For example:

“Welcome to XYZ Company, please press extension “1” for the operator, extension “2” for Sales, and extension “3” for Marketing information, or stay on the line to leave a message” Or:

“Please press “1” to reach members of the home, or “2” to reach XYZ Company, otherwise please leave a message.”

The small Home/Office users can then determine who should address the call and how to answer the call based on the distinctive ringing.

TeleBouncer™ can not only stop telemarketing calls from wasting time at the Home/Office, but can also either stop Junk FAX calls to the Home/Office, or allow receipt of Home/Office FAX calls silently.

By requiring all FAX callers to press “1” to access the FAX machine, all automated Junk FAX calls will be eliminated.

By connecting the FAX machine anywhere on the Home/Office Line, and switching the FAX machine to answer on FAX tones ONLY (Not on a ring signal), receipt of all incoming FAX calls and messages will be silent. In this configuration, TeleBouncer™ answers the call silently. When the local FAX machine at the home detects the FAX signals from the remote FAX call, it will answer the call. TeleBouncerTM will detect that an “Extension” is in use, and disconnect itself from the line. This eliminates Junk FAX calls from ringing and disturbing the home in early hours (i.e. at 2AM), and reduces the stress at the Home/Office, since there is no ringing and no action required to receive a FAX on the single Home/Office Line. .

Dasym believes this Home/Office application has value for users who operate a small Home/Office environment with a single line.

  1. User Can Select Who Can Leave a Message

The user can define who can leave a message on their home answering machine.

    1. Only callers who ring through can leave a message. This eliminates bothersome telemarketing messages on a home answering machine. - OR --
    2. All callers can leave a message.