Telephone dialer card

• US 5,377,263 A
• Filed: 12/29/1992
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dial One Fastcard
• Original Assignee: Dial One Fastcard
• Inventors: Bazemore, James, Bazemore, Jeanine J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US08/104,263
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 379/216, 379/355, 379/356, 379/357, 379/352, 379/353, 379/354
• US Class Current: 379/357.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories

Abstract

A credit card thin speed dialing apparatus has a battery, a tone generator with memory, and a crystal and a round transducer sandwiched by "O" rings. The outer surfaces of the apparatus have a selector slide and a push button on the top and an opening on the bottom below the transducer. The slide selects one number sequence. The apparatus is activated when the button is pushed, sending energy from the battery to the tone generator. The tone generator then sends the complete stored electrical signal to the transducer, vibrating the transducer for emitting dial tone frequencies from the vibrations of the transducer through the opening in the bottom of the frame of the apparatus. The card has a complex number memory storage capacity, which includes nine digits, two pauses and a PIN code which may be fourteen digits or more, with 35 elements or more in sequence. The start button and the transducer opening are on opposite sides, near the same end.

Claims

1. A telephone dialer card apparatus comprising two credit card-like sheets sealed around edges thereof and having first and second outer faces enclosing a cavity, the first outer face having a push button switch in a first opening for activating a tone generator placed between the two sheets, and a slide switch in a second opening for selecting one of plural tone sequences generated by the activated tone generator, and the second outer face having a transducer in a third opening for receiving the selected tone sequence, emitting a dial tone frequency and supplying said frequency as an audible signal to a receiver, said apparatus further comprising first and second O-rings positioned between the transducer and the first outer face and the transducer and the second outer face respectively for permitting vibration of the transducer, wherein the first and second O-rings are positioned along null lines on opposite surfaces of the transducer, wherein the sheets have first and second long edges and first and second short edges, and wherein the first opening for the push button switch is generally formed in a corner of the outer face proximal an intersection of the first long edge and the first short edge and wherein the third opening is generally formed midway between the first and second longer edges and nearer the first short edge than the second short edge.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising positioned between the credit card-like sheets a power source, the tone generator being connected to the power source, the slide switch connected to the tone generator for selecting one of plural tone sequences, and wherein the transducer is connected to the tone generator for supplying audible signals through the third opening.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the power source is a battery and wherein the tone generator comprises a microprocessor memory chip and a crystal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the microprocessor chip comprises a twenty terminal chip and wherein the battery is connected between adjacent terminals, wherein the crystal is connected between other adjacent terminals and wherein the transducer is connected between further adjacent terminals.

5. A telephone dialer card apparatus, comprising first and second credit card-size plastic sheets enclosing a cavity, a tone generator memory chip positioned on an upper surface of the first sheet, a crystal connected to the memory chip and positioned on the upper surface of the first sheet, a start switch connected to the memory chip and positioned on the upper surface of the first sheet, a selector switch connected to the memory chip and positioned on the upper surface of the first sheet, a power source connected to the memory chip and positioned on the upper surface of the first sheet, a transducer connected to the memory chip and to the power source and positioned on the upper surface of the first sheet, the second sheet being positioned over the transducer, the memory chip, the crystal, the start switch, the selector switch and the battery, edges of the first and second sheets being aligned and being sealed, wherein operating the start switch activates the tone generator to generate plural tone sequences, one of at least two of the tone sequences being selected by the selector switch, the selected tone sequence being sent to the transducer for vibrating the transducer and emitting a dial tone frequency and supplying said frequency as an audible signal to a receiver, said apparatus further comprising first and second O-rings positioned between the transducer and the first sheet and the transducer and the second sheet respectively for permitting vibration of the transducer, wherein the first and second O-rings are positioned along null lines on opposite surfaces of the transducer, wherein the sheets have rectangular form with first and second parallel long edges and first and second parallel short edges, and wherein a first opening in the first sheet is formed midway between the first and second long edges and nearer the first short edge than the second short edge, the first opening being aligned with the transducer, said apparatus further comprising a second opening in the second sheet and the start switch being positioned between the sheets adjacent the second opening, wherein the second opening is positioned in a corner of the second sheet near an intersection of the first long edge and the first short edge.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the start switch is a push button switch with a button which projects into the second opening.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a third opening in the second sheet, wherein the selector switch is positioned between the sheets near the third opening.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the selector switch is a two-position slide switch and wherein the third opening is elongated for permitting a slide on the slide switch to be moved between first and second positions.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a slide operator projects into the third opening.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the power source is a battery and wherein the memory chip is a twenty terminal UM9120DM chip.