Method and system communicating with a voice response unit over a cellular telephone network

• US 5,974,307 A
• Filed: 12/21/1995
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Wilson, Michael, Vasquez, Steven, Kovlakas, Steve, Coffy, Jean-Hiram
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/577,683
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/412, 455/424, 455/425, 455/560, 455/63, 379/112, 379/114, 379/130, 379/131, 379/140, 379/91.02, 379/144, 370/445, 370/356
• US Class Current: 455/405
• 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 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• 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: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a voice response unit that communicates rapidly and directly with a metered cellular telephone network with minimum human intervention. The rapid communication is achieved by knowing the question or prompt posed by the voice response unit and preparing a response which is speed dialed to the voice response unit. The voice response unit also calculates a check sum to determine if there is an error in the information transmitted to the voice response unit. The check sum may be the total of the absolute value of the request code, account number, serial number, access code and amount desired to be added to the cellular phone divided by ten. If, the check sum calculated by the voice response unit is not divisible by ten, the voice response unit knows that the information it received is incorrect. Then, the voice response unit would ask for the information it received to be retransmitted at a different rate of speed.

Claims

1. A system for metering cellular telephone usage and connecting one or more cellular telephones to a telephone network, said system comprising:

a plurality of cellular telephones having a first processor having a program that resides therein that contains information that represents funds or call units that have been placed in said first processor so that the funds or call units are removed from said first processor when calls are made and added to said first processor when funds are added;

a telephone exchange that is coupled to a data center having a second processor having a program that resides therein that represents funds or call units that have been placed in or removed from said first processor, so that said cellular telephones are connected to the network if sufficient funds are present in said first processor and are not connected to the network if sufficient funds are not present in the first processor;

a voice response unit containing a plurality of prerecorded prompts or questions to enable a user to add funds to said first processor, said unit is located in the data center;

means located in the cellular telephone responsive to said voice unit for the user to enter information requested by said voice unit and the amount of additional funds or call units the user wants to be added;

means located in the cellular telephone for calculating a check sum;

means located in the cellular telephone for using a seed to encrypt the check sum;

means located in the data center for calculating a check sum; and

means located in the data center using the seed to encrypt the check sum;

means located in the data center for requesting the values of the components that comprise the encrypted check sum to be transmitted at a slower rate, if the encrypted check sum calculated by the data center does not equal the encrypted check sum transmitted by the cellular telephone.

2. The system claimed in claim 1, further including:

means located in said enter means for rapidly entering information.

3. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephone means for calculating a check sum comprises:

means for determining the value of a request code;

means for determining the value of a account number;

means for determining the value of a serial number;

means for determining the value of a access code;

means for determining the value of a amount of funds or call units desired to be added to the cellular telephone;

means for summing the values of the request code, the account number, the serial number, the access code and the amount of funds or units to be added; and

means for transmitting the values of the request code, the account number, the serial number, the access code, the amount of funds or units to be added and the check sum to the data center.

4. The system claimed in claim 3, further including:

means for dividing the output of said summing means by ten.

5. The system claimed in claim 3, wherein said data center means for calculating a checksum comprises:

means for determining the value of the request code;

means for determining the value of the account number;

means for determining the value of the serial number;

means for determining the value of the access code;

means for determining the value of the amount of funds or call units desired to be added to the cellular telephone; and

means for summing the values of the request code, the account number, the serial number, the access code and the amount of funds or units to be added.

6. The system claimed in claim 5, further including:

means for dividing the output of said summing means by ten.

7. The system claimed in claim 6, further including:

means for comparing the output of said telephone means for calculating a checksum and said data center means for calculating a checksum.

8. A system for communicating with a metered cellular telephone that connects one or more cellular telephones to a telephone network and includes a plurality of cellular telephones that contained information that represents funds or call units that have been placed in the cellular telephone and a telephone exchange that is coupled to a data center that contains information that represents funds or units that have been placed in or removed from the cellular telephone, said system comprises:

a voice response unit located in the data center, said unit contains a plurality of prerecorded prompts or questions to enable the user to add funds or units to the cellular telephone and the data center.

means located in the cellular telephone responsive to said voice unit for the user to enter information requested by said voice unit and the amount of additional funds or call units the user wants to be added;

means located in said enter means for rapidly entering information;

means for calculating a check sum to determine if there is an error in the information transmitted to said voice response unit;

means located in the cellular telephone for calculating a check sum;

means located in the cellular telephone for using a seed to encrypt the check sum;

means located in the data center for calculating a check sum;

means located in the data center for using a seed to encrypt the check sum; and

means located in the data center for requesting the values of the components that comprise the encrypted check sum to be transmitted at a slower rate if the encrypted check sum calculated by the data center does not equal the encrypted check sum transmitted by the cellular telephone.

9. The system claimed in claim 8, wherein said telephone means for calculating a check sum comprises:

means for determining the value of a request code;

means for determining the value of a account number;

means for determining the value of a serial number;

means for determining the value of a access code;

means for determining the values of a amount of funds or call units desired to be added to the cellular telephone;

means for summing the values of the request code, the account number, the serial number, the access code and the amount of funds or units to be added; and

means for transmitting the values of the request code, the account number, the serial number, the access code, the amount of funds or units to be added and the check sum to the data center.

10. The system claimed in claim 9, further including:

means for dividing the output of said summing means by ten.

11. The system claimed in claim 9, wherein said data center means for calculating a checksum comprises:

means for determining the value of the request code;

means for determining the value of the account number;

means for determining the value of the serial number;

means for determining the value of the access code;

means for determining the value of the amount of funds or call units desired to be added to the cellular telephone; and

means for summing the value of the request code, the account number, the serial number, the access code and the amount of funds or units to be added.

12. The system claimed in claim 11, further including:

means for dividing the output of said summing means by ten.

13. The system claimed in claim 12, further including:

means for comparing the output of said telephone means for calculating a checksum and said data center means for calculating a checksum.