Coin operated telephone

• US 4,698,840 A
• Filed: 03/22/1985
• Issued: 10/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiscor Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seiscor Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Dively, Lee V., Grubbs, Jack M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ham, Mark E.
• Application Number:
  US06/714,771
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 179/6.3 R, 179/2 C, 179/2 EA, 179/81 R, 179/84 C, 179/90 D, 379/143, 379/155, 379/112, 379/132
• US Class Current: 379/144.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/023 Circuit arrangements

Abstract

A self-contained, pre-pay coin operated telephone wherein when the user removes a handset from a switchhook, a local dial tone is generated, prompting the user to enter a telephone number of a called party. Once the first digit of that telephone number has been entered, the locally generated dial tone is removed and the user completes the entry of the telephone number. Once the proper coin has been deposited, the internal computer causes the telephone to couple itself to a central office. The telephone number entered by the user is then sent to the central office under control of the internal computer. During this time, the microphone in the handset is muted to disable communication. Once the user hears the called party answering, then the user must actuate a push-to-talk switch to indicate to the computer that the party has answered. The user is then allowed to speak to the called party and deposited coins are retained at the termination of the call. If the call is terminated without the push-to-talk switch being actuated, then deposited coins are returned to the user. Restricting incoming calls to prevent the user from accepting collect calls is accomplished by the phone answering the incoming call for approximately one second, then automatically dropping the incoming call, thereby readying the telephone for initiation of an outgoing call. Alternatively, a minimum charge, or no charge, can be required to answer an incoming call.

Claims

1. A coin operated telephone comprising:

(a) a handset having an earphone;

(b) a switchhook for receiving the handset and for enabling removal of the handset from the switchhook;

(c) a dial tone generator disposed within the coin operated telephone;

(d) means for coupling the dial tone generator to the earphone when the handset is removed from the switchhook;

(e) means for entering a telephone number of a called party; and

(f) means for enabling coupling of the coin operated telephone to a telephone of the called party after a predetermined amount of coins have been deposited by a user.

2. A coin operated telephone as recited in claim 1 wherein the means for coupling includes means for decoupling the dial tone generator from the earphone upon entry of the telephone number of the called party.

3. A method of operating a coin operated telephone comprising the steps of:

(a) producing an internally generated dial tone at an earphone of a handset at initiation of a call to signal to a user of the coin operated telephone to enter a telephone number of a called party;

(b) muting selectively audio transmission by the user while allowing audio reception by the user;

(c) enabling completion of the call to the called party once the user has deposited a predetermined amount of coins into the coin operated telephone;

(d) detecting that the called party has answered after the call has been completed;

(e) allowing audio transmission by the user to the called party and collecting coins deposited after detecting that the called party has answered; and

(f) returning coins deposited at termination of the call if the called party has not answered.

4. The method for operating a coin operated telephone as recited in claim 3 wherein:

initiation and termination of the call is indicated by removal of the handset from a switchhook and by replacement of the handset onto the switchhook, respectively.

5. The method for operating a coin operated telephone as recited in claim 3 wherein:

detecting that the called party has answered is by sensing a momentary line reversal generated by a central office connected to the coin operated telephone.

6. The method for operating a coin operated telephone as recited in claim 3 wherein:

detecting that the called party has answered is by the user activating a manually operated switch upon hearing the called party answering.

7. The method for operating a coin operated telephone as recited in claim 3 wherein:

the internally generated dial tone is disabled upon entry of the telephone number.

8. The method for operating a coin operated telephone as recited in claim 3 wherein:

collecting of deposited coins upon the answering of the called party is delayed until termination of the call.

9. A coin operated telephone comprising:

(a) an earphone;

(b) a microphone, selectively muted so that audio transmission through the microphone is inhibited;

(c) local dial tone generator means, internal to the coin operated telephone and coupled to the earphone, for indicating to a user of the coin operated telephone to enter a telephone number of a called party at the initiation of a call;

(d) call completion means, responsive to the entered telephone number, for enabling coupling of the coin operated telephone to a telephone of the called party after a predetermined amount of coins have been deposited by the user; and

(e) means for detecting the called party answering wherein upon detection of the called party answering the coins deposited are collected and the microphone is selectively unmuted allowing audio transmission through the microphone, otherwise, deposited coins are returned at termination of the call.

10. A coin operated telephone as recited in claim 9 further comprising;

a handset containing the earphone and microphone; and

switchhook means, coupled to the local dial tone generator means, for indicating the initiation and termination of the call by removal and replacement of the handset on the switchhook.

11. A coin operated telephone as recited in claim 9 wherein the local dial tone generator means includes means for disabling the local dial tone generator upon the entry of the telephone number of a called party.

12. A coin operated telephone as recited in claim 9 wherein:

the means for detecting the called party answering includes means for detecting a momentary line reversal generated by a central office to which the coin operated telephone is coupled.

13. A coin operated telephone as recited in claim 9 wherein:

the means for detecting the called party answering includes a manually operated switch which is activated by the user of the coin operated telephone activates upon hearing the called party answering.

14. A method of operating a telephone, the telephone connected to a telephone line, the telephone including a switchhook, a handset having a microphone and a speaker, a local dial tone generator, a money acceptance slot, a dial pad and a dialer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) removing the handset from the switchhook;

(b) connecting the local dial tone generator to the speaker after the handset is removed from the switchhook;

(c) disabling the microphone; and

(d) entering a telephone number of a party to be called into the dial pad, after the local dial tone generator is connected to the speaker.

15. A method as in claim 14 and further comprising:

(e) disconnecting the local dial tone generator from the speaker after at least a first portion of the telephone number is entered into the dial pad;

(f) storing the telephone number of the party to be called;

(g) calculating a minimum charge for the call;

(h) depositing the minimum charge into the money acceptance slot;

(i) coupling the dialer to the telephone line after the minimum charge is deposited;

(j) feeding the stored telephone number of the party to be called to the dialer;

(k) causing the dialer to send the stored telephone number of the party to be called over the telephone line;

(l) detecting the called party answering; and

(m) enabling the microphone.

16. A coin operated telephone for allowing a user to complete a telephone call to a called party over a telephone line, comprising:

(a) a switchhook;

(b) a handset including a speaker and a microphone, the handset adapted to couple to said switchhook when not in use;

(c) dial tone generator means, disposed within the telephone, for generating a local dial tone signal;

(d) prompting means, fed by said dial tone generator and coupled to said handset, for prompting the user to enter a telephone number of the called party by coupling the local dial tone signal to the speaker of said handset after the user removes said handset from said switchhook;

(e) telephone number acceptance means, operated by the user, for obtaining from the user the telephone number of the called party;

(f) dialing means, fed by said telephone number acceptance means and coupled to the telephone line, for dialing the telephone number of the called party;

(g) detection means, coupled to the telephone line, for detecting the presence of the called party; and

(h) microphone control means, coupled to said switchhook and said detection means, for disabling the microphone of said handset when the user removes said handset from said switchhook and for enabling the microphone of said handset when said detection means detects the presence of the called party.