Telephone with card-reader

• US 10,278,036 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Chi Fai, Chiu, Shin Cheung Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Moutaouakil, Mounir
• Application Number:
  US14/821,737
• Time in Patent Office: 1,361 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/305 using wired telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/026 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A telephone with a card reader is disclosed. The telephone includes means for providing a first communication service. The card includes a memory, which stores information, where the telephone reads the information stored in the memory and provides a means for providing a second communication service based on the information. In providing the second communication service, the telephone obtains second communication service information from a datastore, which includes pairs of information and corresponding second communication service information. The telephone may include the datastore. The telephone may alternatively obtain the second communication service information from or a service server in response to a request. Alternatively, the information stored in the memory can be the second communication service information itself.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone activated for a cellular telephone service, the mobile telephone configured with a first set of components enabled for the cellular telephone service, the mobile telephone further configured to:

connect to the cellular telephone service over a service network, wherein the cellular telephone service comprises receiving a first cellular telephone call over the service network using the first set of components;

after connecting to the cellular telephone service, read a card to obtain a user identity stored on the card for the user of the mobile telephone for a purpose of activating an Internet Protocol (IP) based voice service;

send a request over the service network to activate the IP based voice service using the user identity, wherein the user identity matches one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs, wherein telephone service information of the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs is used to activate the IP based voice service;

receive a response to the request, the response comprising communication service information; and

using the communication service information, enable a second set of components of the mobile telephone for the IP based voice service in addition to the enabled first set of components, wherein the IP based voice service allows the user to receive a second IP voice call over a wireless network using the second set of components, wherein the second IP voice call is a different call than the first cellular telephone call.

2. The mobile telephone of claim 1, further configured to:

connect to a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs, wherein the mobile telephone matches the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs of the plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs to the user identity read from the card.

3. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the card comprises a subscriber identification module (SIM) card.

4. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the reading of the card comprises reading a visually readable barcode.

5. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises a WiFi network or an IP over cellular network.

6. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the IP based voice service comprises one or more of the following:

news;

weather report;

road condition report;

stock report; and

emergency alert.

7. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the IP based voice service comprises a conferencing service, wherein the second set of components comprises a camera enabled for the conferencing service.

8. The mobile telephone of claim 1, wherein the IP based voice service comprises a corporate voice service or a voice message service.

9. The mobile telephone of claim 8, wherein the user identity stored on the card comprises employee information or guest information.

10. A mobile telephone configured with a first set of components enabled for an Internet Protocol (IP) based voice service, the mobile telephone further configured to:

connect to the IP based voice service over a service network comprising a WiFi data network, wherein the IP based voice service comprise receiving a first IP voice call over the WiFi data network using the first set of components;

after connecting to the IP based voice service, read a card to obtain a user identity stored on the card for a user of the mobile telephone for a purpose of activating an IP based cellular telephone service associated with a telephone number of the mobile telephone;

send a request over the service network to activate the IP based cellular telephone service using the user identity, wherein the user identity matches one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs, wherein telephone service information of the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs is used to activate the IP based cellular telephone service;

receive a response to the request, the response comprising communication service information; and

using the communication service information, enable a second set of components of the mobile telephone for the IP based cellular telephone service in addition to the first set of components, wherein the IP based cellular telephone service allows the user to receive a second IP voice call over a cellular data network using the second set of components, wherein the second IP voice call is a different call than the first IP voice call.

11. The mobile telephone of claim 10, further configured to:

connect to a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs, wherein the mobile telephone matches the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs of the plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs to the user identity read from the card.

12. The mobile telephone of claim 10, further comprising an optical means for reading the card.

13. The mobile telephone of claim 10, wherein the second set of components comprises a touchscreen or a camera.

14. A method for enabling an Internet Protocol (IP) based voice service on a mobile telephone, the mobile telephone configured with a first set of components enabled for a cellular telephone service, the method comprising:

(a) connecting to the cellular telephone service over a service network, wherein the cellular telephone service comprises receiving a first cellular telephone call using the first set of components

(b) after connecting to the cellular telephone service, reading a card to obtain a user identity stored on the card for the user of the mobile telephone for a purpose of activating the IP based voice service;

(c) sending a request over the service network to activate the IP based voice service using the user identity, wherein the user identity matches one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs, wherein telephone service information of the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs is used to activate the IP based voice service;

(d) receiving a response to the request, the response comprising communication service information; and

(e) using the communication service information, enabling a second set of components of the mobile telephone for the IP based voice service in addition to the enabled first set of components, wherein the IP based voice service allows the user to receive a second IP voice call over a wireless network using the second set of components, wherein the second IP voice call is a different call than the first cellular telephone call.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the reading (b) further comprises:

(b1) connecting to a datastore by the mobile telephone, the datastore comprising a plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs; and

(b2) matching, by the mobile telephone, the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs of the plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs to the user identity read from the card.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the card comprises a subscriber identification module (SIM) card.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the reading (b) comprises:

(b1) reading a visually readable barcode to obtain the user identity.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless network comprises a WiFi network or an IP over cellular network.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the IP based voice service comprises one or more of the following:

news;

weather report;

road condition report;

stock report; and

emergency alert.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the IP based voice service comprises a conferencing service, wherein the second set of components comprises a camera enabled for the conferencing service.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the IP based voice service comprises a corporate voice service or a voice message service.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the user identity stored on the card comprises employee information or guest information.

23. A method for enabling an Internet Protocol (IP) based cellular telephone service on a mobile telephone, the mobile telephone configured with a first set of components enabled for an IP based voice service, the method comprising:

(a) connecting to the IP based voice service over a service network comprising a WiFi data network, wherein the IP based voice service comprises receiving a first IP voice call over the WiFi data network using the first set of components;

(b) after connecting to the IP based voice service, reading a card to obtain a user identity stored on the card for a user of the mobile telephone for a purpose of activating the IP based cellular telephone service associated with a telephone number of the mobile telephone;

(c) sending a request over the service network to activate the IP based cellular telephone service using the user identity, wherein the user identity matches one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs, wherein telephone service information of the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs is used to activate the IP based cellular telephone service;

(d) receiving a response to the request, the response comprising communication service information; and

(e) using the communication service information, enabling a second set of components of the mobile telephone for the IP based cellular telephone service in addition to the enabled first set of components, wherein the IP based cellular telephone service allows the user to receive a second IP voice call over a cellular data network using the second set of components, wherein the second IP voice call is a different call than the first IP voice call.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the reading (b) further comprises:

(b1) connecting to a datastore by the mobile telephone, the datastore comprising a plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs; and

(b2) matching, by the mobile telephone, the one or more user identity/telephone service information pairs of the plurality of user identity/telephone service information pairs to the user identity read from the card.