Henning.es@XEROX.ARPA (11/08/85)
In a book called "Curiosa", by Felton, Bruce and Mark Fowler, published 1984, the following device was described: "Best Protection Against Obscene Phone Calls: Telident, Inc. has developed a device that makes it a snap to trace calls. It consists of a box attached to the receiving telephone and provides a digital readout of the caller's phone number and area code." Does anyone know of Telident? Where they might be located, or their phone number? Anyone have an idea how such a box might work? Thanks very much, // Tom
Henning.es@XEROX.ARPA (11/21/85)
Re: my request on the whereabouts of Telident: "Best Protection Against Obscene Phone Calls: Telident, Inc. has developed a device that makes it a snap to trace calls. It consists of a box attached to the receiving telephone and provides a digital readout of the caller's phone number and area code." I have received several replies, but no one seems to know who or where Telident is. Some responses: "Such a box will require the local telephone company's switcher to collect and transmit the caller's number to it. For inter-exchange calls the calling number must be transmitted between exchanges and for "long distance" calls your long distance carrier must also carry the calling number across its network. Other than some local trials using AT&T's 1AESS switch and CCIS6 inter-exchange signalling you won't have this service available until the BOCs, LECs and OCCs get their ISDN capabilities deployed. Don't purchase the box yet." "I doubt that such a device could be built. The New York Times of Nov 9 (Patent section) describes a device just patented that requires mods to the phone exchange. It transmits the caller's number between the first and second rings. But until these things are installed, I don't think there is any way to find the caller's number from the receiver's end." "It takes more than just a box on the phone! When ISDN comes into being, that info will be available to subscribers. You might even be able to do it w/ CCS, but unless the CO is programmed to send you that info, you are out of luck. Calls entering from a far office would require reprogramming of that office as well. It will take a coordinated effort of many COs to get this one to work. Nice feature, but I don't think anyone could have it --- yet."
telecom@ucbvax.UUCP (11/27/85)
> In a book called "Curiosa", by Felton, Bruce and Mark Fowler, published > 1984, the following device was described: > > "Best Protection Against Obscene Phone Calls: Telident, Inc. has > developed a device that makes it a snap to trace calls. It consists of a > box attached to the receiving telephone and provides a digital readout > of the caller's phone number and area code." > > Does anyone know of Telident? Where they might be located, or their > phone number? Anyone have an idea how such a box might work? Ha! This type of device has been claimed by various companies for a number of years - generally for the purpose of inducing technically-naive potential investors in putting their money in such a business venture. The simple fact is this: There is not and never has been any type of telephone central office installed in North America which sends any information in any form (encoded or otherwise) to a CALLED subscriber which contains the identity of the CALLING telephone. Period. Not only that, but even in the most sophisticated ESS central offices if the call originated in ANY OTHER CO, the destination CO has NO information anywhere in its processor as to the identity of the calling party other than on what interoffice trunk the call came in on. There is no possible motivation for an operating telephone company to install apparatus in its CO to make calling party identification available to subscribers - even if the information were available. The ONLY exception to the above is for Public Emergency Reporting Telephone Service (i.e., 911) which is made available only to police and fire departments. Such service provides calling party identifcation because the `911' dialed number is really a specially equipped CO trunk (similar to that for toll calls), rather than a subscriber line number. While there is a far out technical feasibility for sending calling party identity data back to the called subscriber, for all intents and purposes it is neither practicable or desireable. In cases where a subscriber reports nuisance calls to police or telco security personnel, an ESS office can be programmed to put the called number on `call trace' which records the calling identifcation (actual number if within the same CO, or incoming trunk ID if any other CO) on magnetic media which ONLY the telco has access to. It is much more difficult to trace the call if it originates in some other CO than the subscriber, since the calling number (actually part of it) has to be put up on `call trace' in any suspect originating offices. The situation is much more complex in electromechanical offices - in some cases requiring a switchman to be present to "trace" a call while in progress. In any event, it is not the policy of telco security personnel to merely give a listing of all calling party identities to a nuisance call complainant, since security personnel do not want call trace capabilities abused for ulterior purposes. So, no telco wants to use any "call tracing telephones" - even if they DID exist. Getting back to your specific questions about Telident, they were first reported in the January 1974 (that's right - 11 years ago) issue of "Popular Mechanics" in a small article on page 111. They claimed an address of 304 South Broadawy, Los Angeles, CA 90012. I do not believe the company ever manufactured anything. It is sort of interesting that in February 1977 here in Clarence, NY we had a local `self-educated' (ahem...) engineer by the name of Frank A. Kennedy (with a past record of failed businesses) claim to have developed a similar device. He had a nice little picture article ("Buffalo Evening News", 2/8/77 page 29) showing himself, a telephone with a built-in LED display connected to a piece of `associated apparatus'. The `associated apparatus' was in fact a piece of medical electronic monitoring apparatus which one of his defunct companies manufactured! Mr. Kennbedy's apparent motive was that of a scam for investors... I have also heard an amusing rumor (which is amazingly persistent) that telephone companies are going to offer a "Calling Party Identification Service" for use by BBS operators! That'll be the day... === Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York === === UUCP {decvax,dual,rocksanne,rocksvax,watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry === === VOICE 716/741-9185 {rice,shell}!baylor!/ === === FAX 716/741-9635 {AT&T 3510D} ihnp4!/ === === === === "Have you hugged your cat today?" ===