Invalidity dossier
US 5907604
Image icon associated with caller ID
Current assignee: Thomson Licensing SAS
Added 9/23/2026, 6:37:48 PM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US5907604A
Title: Image icon associated with caller ID
Patent number: US5907604A; Application No. US08/823,939
Inventor: P. Robert Hsu
Original assignee: Sony Corp; Sony Electronics Inc. (Current Assignee listed as Thomson Licensing SAS.)
Filing/priority date: 1997-03-25. Publication/grant date: 1999-05-25. Status: Expired – Lifetime; anticipated expiration 2017-03-25.
Purpose: To let a person receiving a telephone call identify a caller in advance of answering, by displaying an image associated with the caller's Caller ID. The patent notes drawbacks of conventional Caller ID: names/numbers are often a poor mnemonic, may be unavailable or obscure, and integrate poorly with video services; audible announcement works poorly during video conferencing. The image (e.g., a caller's face, family members, a company logo, or a fanciful/humorous image) may be shown on a telephone display, television, personal computer, or other display coupled to the telephone system.
Plain-language scope: In one embodiment, a method uses a telephone receiver, display device, processor, storage device, and user input device. Steps include: storing an image in a storage medium; storing an association indicating a predetermined Caller ID identifier is associated with the image; receiving an incoming call and incoming Caller ID identifier; determining that the incoming identifier matches the predetermined one; displaying the image; accepting signals from the user input device; and selectively answering the call in response. The calling party may define and transmit the image before or concurrently with the call; the image is stored with the Caller ID indication and retrieved on later calls. Images may also be supplied via the Internet, diskette, or CD ROM. Figures cover videophone, conferencing, PC, and entertainment configurations. Classifications include H04M1/576 (pictorial/graphical representation of calling party) and H04N7/14.
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US5907604](/patent/US5907604)/en
Not established by the excerpt: The full claim set, detailed description, drawing contents, cited prior art, prosecution history, and any details of the omitted portions. The excerpt does not establish the operability of specific hardware/software, standards compliance in practice, or actual commercial implementation.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:42:39 PM
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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