Coin telephone data port protection

• US 5,978,460 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Macauley, Daniel Warren, Butts, Michael Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N.
• Application Number:
  US08/941,555
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 379/143, 379/145, 379/146, 379/147, 379/148, 379/149, 379/150, 379/151, 379/189
• US Class Current: 379/145
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/023 Circuit arrangements

Abstract

A package advantageously to be mounted within the housing of a coin telephone permits the telephone set to exhibit a jack to which a personal computer may be connected without danger of the jack being used for fraudulent purposes by normally maintaining the jack isolated from the central office conductors. A local battery powers a microprocessor which senses when a modem is connected to the jack. The microprocessor controls the connection to the central office conductors which then supply power for the further continuous monitoring of the conductors to determine whether the connection is being used legitimately or whether tones are applied at the jack to simulate the deposit of coins. In addition, the jack is disconnected from the central office conductors during the time that the initial rate test is being performed by the central office.

Claims

1. A circuit package for installation in a coin telephone set having conductors extending to a remote central office and a jack for permitting a modem to complete a direct connection to said central office, comprising:

a. a switch adapted to isolate said jack from said central office conductors;

b. a local battery;

c. a circuit powered by said local battery for sensing when said modem is connected to said jack;

d. an arrangement responsive to said battery powered circuit for operating said switch to connect said jack to said central office conductors;

e. means operative when said switch has been operated to connect said jack to said central office for monitoring said conductors to detect the appearance of fraudulent usage conditions thereon.

2. A circuit package for installation in a coin telephone set having conductors extending to a remote central office and a jack for permitting a modem to complete a central office connection, comprising:

a. means for sensing the making of a connection to said jack;

b. means responsive to said sensing means for extending a direct connection from said jack to said conductors;

c. means for detecting the closure of a loop circuit to said central office over said conductors; and

d. means responsive to the detection of a fraud condition at said jack for disabling said extending means for a predetermined time interval.

3. A circuit package according to claim 2 wherein said sensing means and said extending means includes a microprocessor powered by a local battery independently of central office battery.

4. A circuit package according to claim 2 wherein said means for detecting the closure of a loop circuit to said central office includes means responsive to the appearance of central office battery on said conductors.

5. A microprocessor controlled anti-fraud circuit package for insertion in a coin telephone set having a jack for permitting the connection of a user device, comprising

a. a local battery (B1) for powering said microprocessor (200) to monitor connections made to said jack prior to completing a direct connection from said jack to central office conductors;

b. a switch (K1) controlled by said microprocessor for temporarily connecting said central office conductors to said jack in response to said completing of said connection to said jack;

c. a detector (TD) for detecting the appearance of a simulated coin deposit tone on said loop toward said jack;

d. a voltage regulator (VR) for powering said microprocessor and said tone detector from said central office conductors;

e. a transistor circuit (Q7) for responding to the completion of a loop toward said central office for signaling said microprocessor to maintain said switch operated, said microprocessor disabling said transistor in response to said detector detecting said simulated coin deposit tone.

6. A microprocessor controlled anti-fraud circuit package for insertion in a coin telephone set having a jack for permitting the direct connection of a user device to make a central office telephone call, said microprocessor controlling said circuit to:

a. monitor for a user generated interrupt while said processor is powered by local battery;

b. respond to said interrupt to connect said microprocessor to central office battery;

c. respond to the appearance of central office battery to monitor;

i. loop continuity over conductors leading toward said central office;

ii. loop continuity toward said jack;

iii. for appearance of simulated coin deposit tone;

d. respond to the removal of central office battery to;

i. isolate said jack from said central office conductors; and

e. respond to the appearance of simulated cone deposit tone to prohibit connection to said central office for a predetermined time interval.