Wireless payphone system and charging method
First Claim
1. A wireless payphone, comprising:
- a conventional wireline payphone; and
a wireless interface device connected to the conventional wireline payphone through a wireline telephone line, the device operating to interface payphone user telephone communications between a wireless cellular air interface and the wireline telephone line.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A conventional wireline payphone is connected to an external wireless interface device through a telephone line. The external wireless interface device operates as an interface between a selected digital wireless cellular air interface and the telephone line connection to the wireline payphone. Communication is established over the digital air interface to allow the serving network to collect calling information relating to a payphone user'"'"'s call request. This information is processed centrally in the cellular network to determine whether the user is financially authorized to engage in the requested call. If so, call handling information relating to an authorized time duration for the call is supplied to a serving switch that then controls further handling, and if necessary termination, of that call in accordance with that information.
11 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A wireless payphone, comprising:
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a conventional wireline payphone; and
a wireless interface device connected to the conventional wireline payphone through a wireline telephone line, the device operating to interface payphone user telephone communications between a wireless cellular air interface and the wireline telephone line. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A wireless payphone system, comprising:
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a wireless payphone device operable to transceive user communications over a wireless cellular air interface; and
a supporting cellular communications network including means within the network for calculating a permitted duration for user communications effectuated through the wireless payphone device and monitoring a call connection to ensure the call does not exceed the calculated permitted duration. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method, comprising the steps of:
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responding to a received call origination dialed by a wireless cellular payphone to a certain telephone number recognized in a supporting cellular communications network as being associated with a payphone subscription by triggering supporting cellular network calculation of a permitted use time for user communications effectuated through that wireless cellular payphone;
through connecting the wireless cellular payphone to a user called destination to establish a call connection; and
monitoring a duration of the established call connection against the calculated permitted use time. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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27. A method, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a call origination from a wireless payphone, the call origination dialed to a first telephone number associated with a wireless payphone subscription;
triggering at a serving mobile switching center responsive to the received call origination and the dialed first telephone number the execution of an incoming message coordination feature;
collecting within the execution of the incoming message coordination feature a second telephone number identifying a called party and information concerning a method of payment for the call;
determining within a payment system of the supporting cellular network the calculation of a permitted use time for user communications effectuated through the wireless payphone and with the called party;
sending of a location request message including the first telephone number from the serving mobile switching center to a home location register that stores the wireless payphone subscription;
recognizing at the home location register that the location request message concerns a wireless payphone subscription and querying the payment system to retrieve the second telephone number and the permitted use time;
communicating the second telephone number and the permitted use time from the home location register to the serving mobile switching center;
through connecting the wireless payphone to the called party to establish a call connection; and
monitoring a duration of the established call connection against the calculated permitted use time.
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32. A wireless cellular payphone system, comprising:
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a mobile switching center serving a wireless cellular payphone, the mobile switching center receiving a call origination from a wireless payphone, wherein the call origination is dialed to a first telephone number associated with a wireless payphone subscription, and triggering the execution of an incoming message coordination feature;
an interactive voice response system connected to the mobile switching center and activated by the incoming message coordination feature to collect from the wireless cellular payphone a second telephone number identifying a called party and information concerning a method of payment for the call;
a payment system connected to the interactive voice response system and operable to calculate a permitted use time for user communications effectuated through the wireless payphone and with the called party; and
a home location register connected to the mobile switching center and the payment system and operating to store a subscription associated with the first telephone number;
wherein the mobile switching center pre-routes a call to the first telephone number to the home location register;
wherein the home location register recognizes that the pre-routing concerns the first telephone number subscription and queries the payment system to retrieve the second telephone number and the permitted use time for delivery to the mobile switching center; and
wherein the mobile switching center through connects the wireless payphone to the called party to establish a call connection, and monitors a duration of the established call connection against the calculated permitted use time. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification