Method and apparatus for performing an automated collect call

• US 5,093,858 A
• Filed: 06/11/1990
• Issued: 03/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: T-Netix, Inc. (Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Intellicall, Inc.
• Inventors: Rice, Michael R., Hird, John A., Owen, Lindsey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHREYER, STAFFORD
• Application Number:
  US07/536,200
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 379/132, 379/91, 379/93, 379/97, 379/144
• US Class Current: 379/132
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/00 Selecting arrangements H04Q5/00 - H04Q11/00 take precedence

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 automatically place collect calls without the need of a live operator. The telephone uses the microprocessor control system (10) and a speech record/playback generator (44) to receive a destination number and a recorded name from a user. The telephone uses the speech generator (34) to play audio messages to prompt the user throughout the process. The phone informs a called party of the identity of the user and receives responses from the called party through a DTMF receiver (52). A communication path is established through a telephone line interface (38) if the phone receives a response indicating the called party accepts the charges for the collect call. The microprocessor control system (10) generates a billing record for the call which is stored in a call record memory (11). The billing record can later be retrieved to facilitate billing the call.

Claims

1. Apparatus for performing an automated collect call from a localized pay telephone station remote from a central office comprising:

circuitry resident in the station for transmitting access format information from the station to a telecommunications network to establish contact with a called party;

circuitry resident in the station for generating prompts from the station to inform the called party of the desired collect call;

circuitry resident in the station for recording billing information for the call such that a chargeable amount for the call may be billed to the called party, said billing information comprising information indicating a time of day for the call, a day of week for the call and a chargeable amount of time for the call.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising:

circuitry at the station for transferring said billing information to a remote location to enable the billing of the call to the called party.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising:

circuitry at the station for receiving caller identification information from the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said caller identification information comprises the user'"'"'s name in audible form.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said circuitry for generating prompts generates an audio rendition of the user'"'"'s name to the called party to assist the called party to decide whether or not to accept the collect call.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising:

circuitry associated with the station for establishing a temporary communication path between the user and the called party such that the user may identify himself to the called party to assist the called party in deciding whether or not to accept the collect call; and

circuitry at the station for prompting the user to identify himself to the called party.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:

circuitry at the station for using audible voice prompts to inform the user during the placement of the collect call; and

circuitry at the station for attenuating call status signals received from the telecommunications network and audibly transmitted to the user such that selected ones of said voice prompts may be audibly transmitted to the user simultaneously with said call status signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:

means at the station for receiving currency from the user such that the user may alternatively place a coin call from the station; and

circuitry at the station for storing rate information associated with the placement of coin calls from the station.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 and further comprising:

circuitry for receiving said rate information through said telecommunications network and transmitting said rate information to said circuitry for storing rate information.

7. A method for performing an automated collect call from a local pay telephone station remote from a central office, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the station destination determining information input by a user;

transmitting from the station access format information and said destination determining information to a telecommunications network to establish contact with the called party;

generating signals from the station to inform the called party of the desired collect call;

establishing a communication path between the user and the called party; and

recording billing information at the station such that a chargeable amount of time for the call may be calculated,

the billing information comprising information indicating a time of day of the call, a day of week of the call and a chargeable amount of time for the call.

8. The method of claim 7, and further comprising:

providing the user with a plurality of choices for completing the call, the user able to generate different responses to the station in order to select the desired type of call to be placed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the types of calls comprises a collect call.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the types of calls comprises a call completed by a call completion assistant.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the signals to the called party inform the called party of the identity of the user and request the called party to generate a response indicating acceptance of the collect call.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the response from the called party comprises depression of selected keys on a telephone keypad.

13. The method of claim 7, and further comprising the step of:

billing said chargeable amount to the called party.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the response of the called party comprises not hanging up for a predetermined period of time, the method further comprising the steps of:

waiting for the predetermined period of time prior to said step of establishing a communication path; and

detecting if the called party has hung up during the predetermined period of time.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the response of the called party comprises audio signals spoken by the called party and wherein said step of receiving at the station response signals further comprises the step of detecting at the station the audio signals.