Short time validity storage of a billing account number at a local telecommunications station
First Claim
1. A localized telecommunications device for processing a telephone call for a user in conjunction with a telecommunications network wherein the user may utilize a billing account number comprising:
- circuitry at the device for determining the validity of said billing account number using the telecommunications network; and
circuitry for storing said billing account number at the device for a predetermined period of time if said billing account number is determined to be valid, such that said billing account number need not be revalidated for calls made during said predetermined period of time.
30 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A telephone system and method of operation are disclosed which use a microprocessor control system (10), a speech generator (34) and speech memory (46) to interact with a calling party placing a long distance phone call. The telephone receives a billing account number from the calling party through a keypad (24). The telephone determines the validity of the billing account number and, if the billing account number is valid, a communication path is established through a telephone line interface (38). Valid billing account numbers are stored in the telephone for a predetermined period of time. The stored numbers are polled prior to the validation process to determine if an entered number has already been validated. In this manner, a calling party making multiple calls with the same billing account number need only wait for his account number to be verified once.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A localized telecommunications device for processing a telephone call for a user in conjunction with a telecommunications network wherein the user may utilize a billing account number comprising:
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circuitry at the device for determining the validity of said billing account number using the telecommunications network; and circuitry for storing said billing account number at the device for a predetermined period of time if said billing account number is determined to be valid, such that said billing account number need not be revalidated for calls made during said predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A localized telecommunications device to be utilized by users in conjunction with a telecommunications network wherein users may utilize billing account numbers comprising:
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circuitry for attempting to make a first telephone call to a first called party using a billing account number; circuitry for determining if said billing account number is valid using the telecommunications network; circuitry for creating a first connection path through the telecommunications network from the device to the first called party in order to place said first telephone call if the determination is made that said billing account number is a valid billing account number; circuitry for storing said valid billing account number for a predetermined period of time; circuitry for attempting to make an additional telephone call to an additional called party; circuitry for receiving a new billing account number entered by the user in order to place said additional telephone call; circuitry for determining if said new billing account number and said stored valid billing account number are the same; and circuitry for creating an additional connection path through the telecommunications network from the device to the additional called party in order to place said additional telephone call if said new billing account number and said stored valid billing account number are determined to be the same. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method of processing a telephone call for a user utilizing a localized telecommunications device in conjunction with a telecommunications network wherein the user may utilize a billing account number comprising the steps of:
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storing the billing account number in a memory for a predetermined period of time if the billing account number is determined to be valid using the telecommunications network, such that the billing account number need not be revalidated during the predetermined period of time; and polling the memory to determine if the billing account number has already been determined to be valid. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of processing telephone calls for users utilizing a localized telecommunications device in conjunction with a telecommunications network wherein users may utilize billing account numbers comprising the steps of:
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attempting to make a first telephone call to a first called party using the device and a billing account number; determining if the billing account number is valid using the telecommunications network; creating a first connection path through the telecommunication network from the device to the first called party in order to place the first telephone call if the billing account number is determined to be a valid billing account number; storing the valid billing account number for a predetermined period of time; attempting to make an additional telephone call to an additional called party using the device; receiving a new billing account number entered by the user in order to place the additional telephone call; determining if the new billing account number and the valid stored billing account number are the same; and creating an additional connection path through the telecommunications network from the device, to the additional called party in order to place the additional telephone call if the new billing account number and the valid stored billing account number are determined to be the same. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification