Information network
First Claim
1. An information network comprising:
- a central controller;
a plurality of regional controllers connected for communication with the central controller;
a plurality of remote communications terminals divided into regions, each region comprising a plurality of such terminals served by a regional controller by being connected for communication therewith; and
a plurality of discrete information units, each comprising a user-inaccessible memory programmable only by means of a remote communication terminal characterized in that;
the central controller comprises means for generating a list of unit identification numbers (U.I.N.s) each U.I.N uniquely identifying a discrete information unit, means for correlating each U.I.N. with at least one regional controller based upon past communication between the discrete information unit and remote communications terminals in the region served by the regional controller, and means for transmitting the U.I.N.s on the list to only those regional controllers with which they are individually correlated,each regional controller comprises means for storing those U.I.N.s in a regional list and means for transmitting its regional list to terminals in the region it serves andeach remote terminal comprises means for programming a user-inaccessible memory of a discrete information unit on the regional list stored thereby when that discrete information unit next communicates with that remote terminal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to an information network such as a telepoint network, having discrete communications units, such as telephone communications handsets (14), where each unit has a user-inaccessible memory. The invention also applies to networks of other units, such as smart cards. The network has regional controllers (11 and 12) for funnelling information from base stations (10) into a central controller (13). At the central controller, analysis of past communications is carried out and, based upon this, instructions are sent out to selected regional controllers for programming the memories of selected regional controllers for programming the memories of selected discrete units when those discrete units next communicate with base stations associated with the selected regional controllers.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. An information network comprising:
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a central controller; a plurality of regional controllers connected for communication with the central controller; a plurality of remote communications terminals divided into regions, each region comprising a plurality of such terminals served by a regional controller by being connected for communication therewith; and a plurality of discrete information units, each comprising a user-inaccessible memory programmable only by means of a remote communication terminal characterized in that; the central controller comprises means for generating a list of unit identification numbers (U.I.N.s) each U.I.N uniquely identifying a discrete information unit, means for correlating each U.I.N. with at least one regional controller based upon past communication between the discrete information unit and remote communications terminals in the region served by the regional controller, and means for transmitting the U.I.N.s on the list to only those regional controllers with which they are individually correlated, each regional controller comprises means for storing those U.I.N.s in a regional list and means for transmitting its regional list to terminals in the region it serves and each remote terminal comprises means for programming a user-inaccessible memory of a discrete information unit on the regional list stored thereby when that discrete information unit next communicates with that remote terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of controlling the use of discrete information units in an information network comprising a central controller, a plurality of regional controllers connected for communication with the central controller and a plurality of remote communications terminals divided into regions, each region comprising a plurality of such terminals served by a regional controller by being connected for communication therewith, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a list of unit identification numbers (U.I.N.s) at the central controller, each number uniquely identifying a discrete information unit, correlating, at the central controller, each U.I.N. with at least one regional controller based upon past communications between the discrete information unit and remote communications terminals in the region served by the regional controller, transmitting the U.I.N.s on the list to only those regional controllers with which they are individually correlated, storing those U.I.N.s at the regional controllers in regional lists, transmitting the regional list stored by each regional controller to remote communication terminals in the region served thereby and storing that list at those terminals and programming a user-inaccessible memory of a discrete information unit on the regional list of a remote terminal when that discrete information unit next communicates with that remote terminal.
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Specification