Telephone communications system with portable handsets

• US 4,776,000 A
• Filed: 01/28/1987
• Issued: 10/04/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raoul Parienti
• Original Assignee: Raoul Parienti
• Inventors: Parienti, Raoul
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/007,613
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91, 379/144, 379/61, 379/63, 379/62, 379/56, 235/379, 235/380
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/737 Characterised by transmission of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. infrared waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• 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 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

This is a telephone communications system having at least one fixed terminal connected by at least one subscriber'"'"'s line to a telephone exchange and a plurality of portable handsets, the fixed terminal and the portable handsets having infrared transmitters and receivers for exchanging unit charging information and sound data information, the fixed terminal transmitting to a given handset unit charging signals received from the telephone exchange during a call, each portable handset accommodating a support for a programmable read-only memory and logic circuit for deducting from the programmable read-only memory unit charges corresponding to the unit charging signals transmitted by the terminal, each portable handset further transmitting a pay signal to the fixed terminal after having deducted the unit charge fee from the programmable read-only memory, and the fixed terminal further arranged for cutting off the call in case of failure to receive a pay signal after having transmitted a unit charging signal, interference between portable units being avoided by the use of time multiplexed bursts of pulses.

Claims

1. A telephone communications system comprising at least one fixed terminal connected by at least one subscriber'"'"'s line to a telephone exchange and a plurality of portable handsets, said fixed terminal and said portable handsets having infrared transmitting means for exchanging unit charging information and sound data information, said fixed terminal comprising means for transmitting to a given handset unit charging signals received from said telephone exchange during a call, each portable handset comprising means for accommodating a support of a programmable read-only memory and means for deducting from said programmable read-only memory unit charges corresponding to said unit charging signals transmitted by said terminal, said portable handset further comprising means for transmitting a pay signal to the fixed terminal after having deducted said unit charge fee from said programmable read-only memory, and said fixed terminal further comprising means for cutting off the call in case of failure to receive a pay signal after having transmitted a unit charging signal.

2. A telephone communication system comprising at least one fixed terminal connected by a plurality of subscribers'"'"' lines to a telephone exchange and a plurality of portable handsets, said fixed terminal and said portable handsets having infrared transmitting means for exchanging charging data information and sound data information, said fixed terminal comprising means for transmitting to a given handset charging signals received from said telephone exchange during a call, each portable handset comprising means for accommodating a support of a programmable read-only memory and means for deducting from said programmable read-only memory unit charges corresponding to said charging signals transmitted by said fixed terminal, said fixed terminal comprising means to exchange said charging information and said sound data information with a plurality of portable handsets by time multiplexing of bursts of pulses emitted by infrared diodes, said fixed terminal and said portable handsets further comprising control means for controlling said infrared diodes.

4. Telephone communication system according to claim 2, characterized in that each bundle of pulses includes pulses corresponding to a multiplicity of samplings preceding its emission, and the fixed terminal and the portable handsets contain means of combinational logic for determining, from the pulses of a multiplicity of successive pulse bundles, the information most probably transmitted.

5. Communication system according to claim 4, characterized in that each bundle of pulses contains pulses identifying the portable handset to which it is addressed or from which said bundle of pulses originates.

3. A telephone communication system comprising at least one fixed terminal connected by at least one subscriber'"'"'s line to a telephone exchange and a plurality of portable handsets, said fixed terminal and said portable handsets having infrared transmitting means for exchanging charging information and sound data information, said fixed terminal comprising means for transmitting to a given handset charging signals received from said telephone exchange during a call, each portable handset comprising means for accommodating a support of a programmable read-only memory and means for deducting from said programmable read-only memory unit charges corresponding to said charging signals transmitted by said fixed terminal, each portable handset having memory means for memorizing a code assigned thereto, said fixed terminal comprising means for receiving on said subscriber'"'"'s line a call containing such a code and to emit a burst of pulses containing the code received with said call, and each handset comprising means for emitting a signal in response to the reception of a burst of pulses containing its own code thereby being connected with said subscriber'"'"'s lines through said fixed terminal.