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From: telecom@ucbvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.telecom
Subject: Re: digital readout of the caller's phone number
Message-ID: <8511270347.AA04630@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Date: Tue, 26-Nov-85 22:47:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8511270347.AA04630
Posted: Tue Nov 26 22:47:22 1985
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> 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        ===
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