Apparatus for querying a central service

• US 6,381,319 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Le Camus, Xavier Auguste Gabriel, Ledran, Josette, Goy, Philippe Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Application Number:
  US09/701,746
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.15, 379/114.2, 379/143, 379/144.04, 379/144.05, 379/144.07, 379/144.08, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/155
• US Class Current: 379/144.08
• 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 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An apparatus for querying a central service dials telephone numbers to establish contact with the central service, and accesses services housed in the central service. The geographical location of the apparatus is stored in a tie unit and sent to the apparatus upon request. The apparatus forwards this information to the central service that then provides information about facilities (e.g., restaurants, sports venues, theaters, etc.) at that location.

Claims

1. Apparatus for interrogating a server center, comprising:

means (26, 42) for dialing telephone numbers for establishing a link with a server center (38) plugged into a telephone network (22) to which the apparatus is connected, and means (28, 32) for accessing services hosted in the server center (38) that includes means (32) for navigating around said services and means (28) for displaying data supplied by said services and transmitted to the apparatus in response to an action on the navigating means (32);

means (24) for transmitting to the server center information representative of a geographical location of the apparatus in order to enable selection by said apparatus (10), from said services hosted in the server center (38), data corresponding to the location of the apparatus (10);

the geographical location of the apparatus being stored in a unit (40) for tying the apparatus into a public payphone network (34),

the apparatus further comprising means (24) for sending a signal for instructing the dispatching, by the tie unit (40), of said information to the apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, constituted by a public payphone (10) plugged into a cabled telephone network (22) and equipped with a reader (30) of telecommunications payment chip cards, and further comprising means (18, 20, 24) for effecting communication with a telephone set of a corresponding called party according to a first communication protocol and with the server center (38) according to a second communication protocol, said protocols using distinct telecommunication channels.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data supplied by said services includes telephone numbers of corresponding parties situated in the geographical area of the apparatus, and wherein the apparatus includes means (32) for selecting said numbers, plugged into means (18, 24) for automatically dialing selected numbers.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said server center accesses databases chosen from the group of databases consisting of commercial establishments, meteorological data, sports news, cultural news, and transport vehicles.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for accessing a database that includes information relating to points of sale of telecommunications payment chip cards.

6. A system for interrogating a server center, the system comprising:

a telephone for dialing a telephone number of a server center that is connected to a telephone network to which said telephone is connected, said telephone also being part of a payphone network, said telephone including a selector and a display that access information from the server center;

a tie unit that connects the payphone network to the telephone network and stores a geographical location of said telephone; and

said telephone including a central drive unit that requests the location of said telephone from said tie unit and forwards the location to the server center, which responsively provides to said telephone information related to the location.

7. A system for interrogating a server center, the system comprising:

means for dialing a telephone number of a server center that is connected to a telephone network to which said means for dialing is connected, said means for dialing also being part of a pay-for-service network, said means for dialing including selection and display means for accessing information from the server center;

a tie unit that connects the pay-for-service network to the telephone network and stores a geographical location of said means for dialing; and

said means for dialing including central drive means for requesting the location of said means for dialing from said tie unit and forwarding the location to the server center, which responsively provides to said means for dialing information related to the location.