Wireless prepaid telephone system with dispensable instruments

• US 6,473,610 B1
• Filed: 10/27/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dot 23 Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Francine Berry
• Inventors: Nilsson, Byard G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Green, Miguel D.
• Application Number:
  US09/428,002
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/90, 455/517, 455/550, 455/556, 455/563, 455/564, 455/569, 455/409, 455/565, 379/420.01, 379/433.1, 379/434, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.04
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• 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 17/005 Disposable prepaid communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/026 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A telecommunication system incorporates individual station instruments simplified by wireless operation, voice dialing, prepaid accounting and out-call operation, all enabled by cooperative system operation including supporting central equipment. Wireless operation of the central equipment involves a multiple port wireless platform along with other units for interfacing a multitude of mobile station instruments simultaneously for interactive audio communication to, regulate control, monitor and record operations of the instruments, and bridge communication with selected remote terminals through the public switched telephone network. Message capability, emergency abort to an operator station and security features supplement the basic system. Communication is controlled for the individual instruments to be either voice or dial-up signals. Voice recognition units alternatively are located in the central equipment and/or the individual station instruments and controlled accordingly. Manual control at instruments accommodates either voice or number outgoing communication.

Claims

1. A system for wireless telephonic communication between telephone terminals through a public switched telephone network, comprising:

a plurality of discardable, keyless, wireless telephone instruments including a transceiver, an instrument control unit, an earphone output and an input structure consisting of a microphone unit for converting voice sound to representative audio signals;

a central station that stores prepaid balances of the wireless telephone instruments;

a wireless platform located at the central station to communicate with the wireless telephone instruments;

a central control unit located at the central station;

a voice generator and a voice recognition unit controlled to sequence vocal prompts provided from the voice generator to the earphone output and number signals provided from the input structure of a discardable keyless, wireless telephone instrument to the voice recognition unit to accomplish a dial-up called number for one of the telephone terminals for use by a switched telephone network.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the voice generator and voice recognition unit are located in the instrument control unit.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the voice generator and voice recognition unit are located in the central control unit.

4. A wireless, keyless telephone instrument for prepaid and discardable use with an approving central station capable of bridging to a public switched telephone network for outgoing communication by the wireless telephone instrument with remote stations, said wireless telephone instrument consisting of:

a housing defining an interior space;

an earphone fixed to the housing to provide represented vocal sounds from audio signals;

a microphone structure fixed to the housing to provide representative audio signals from vocal sounds;

a wireless transceiver fixed to the housing and coupled to the earphone, and the microphone to communication with the central station and through the public switched telephone network to select remote stations;

a memory fixed to the housing, storing instrument data on the wireless telephone instrument;

an activation switch fixed to the housing; and

a control unit fixed to the housing and coupled whereby, activation of the activation switch to place an outgoing call transfers instrument data on the wireless telephone instrument from the memory to the wireless transceiver for transmission to the central station, and then to receive prompting signals for the earphone to prompt for spoken numbers to the microphone for a select remote station to attain a connection through the public switched telephone network to the select remote station.

5. A wireless telephone instrument according to claim 4 wherein instrument data on the wireless telephone instrument includes an identification number he instrument.

6. A wireless telephone instrument according to claim 4 wherein the wireless transceiver includes an antenna and the activation switch is controlled by the position of the antenna.

7. A wireless telephone instrument according to claim 4 wherein the transceiver and the control unit are integrated as an electronics package powered battery pack.

8. A wireless telephone instrument according to claim 4 wherein the telephone instrument is configured as a writing instrument.

9. A process for wireless telephonic communication to accomplish an interface between wireless, keyless telephone instruments and a central station to establish communication with remote telephone terminals through a public switched telephone network, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of keyless and wireless, discardable instruments having prepaid usage values, capable of transmitting an identification signal, on activation, to the central station indicating a desire to communicate with a desired remote telephone terminal;

receiving the identification signal at the central station from an active keyless and wireless, discardable telephone instrument to test for a proper call;

upon a successful test for a proper call;

actuating the wireless telephone instrument to prompt for spoken numbers indicating a telephone calling number for a desired remote telephone terminal;

transmitting signals representative of the spoken numbers from the active keyless and wireless, discardable telephone instrument to the central station;

applying the signals representative of the spoken numbers from the wireless telephone instrument as dial-up signal representations to the public switched telephone network to attain a connection with the desired remote telephone terminal; and

bridging the wireless telephone instrument to the desired remote telephone terminal.

10. A process according to claim 9 wherein the test for a proper call includes testing the identification signal from the wireless telephone instrument.

11. A process according to claim 9 wherein the test for a proper call includes testing the identification signal from the wireless phone instrument to determine the adequacy of a prepaid balance.

12. A process according to claim 9 including a further step of transmitting prepaid balance signals to the wireless telephone instrument for announcing a prepaid balance.

13. A process according to claim 9 including a further step of monitoring a call bridging the wireless telephone instrument to a desired remote station and accounting for the call in the prepaid balance.

14. A process according to claim 10 including a further step of transmitting prepaid balance signals to the wireless telephone instrument for announcing a prepaid balance.

15. A wireless, keyless telephone instrument for prepaid and discardable use with an approving central station capable of bridging to a public switched telephone network for outgoing call communication by the wireless, keyless telephone instrument with remote stations, said wireless, keyless telephone instrument comprising:

a housing defining an interior space;

an earphone fixed to the housing to provide represented vocal sounds from audio signals;

a microphone structure fixed to the housing to provide representative audio signals from vocal sounds;

a wireless transceiver fixed to the housing and coupled to the earphone and the microphone, communicating with the central station and through the public switched telephone network, to select remote stations for outgoing calls;

a voice-recognition structure to convert voice signals representative of spoken numbers to dial-up signals; and

a control unit for sequencing the operation of the wireless transceiver to selectively transmit either representative voice audio signals or numerical dial-up signals to attain communication with a remote station.

16. A wireless, keyless telephone instrument according to claim 15 wherein said control unit operates with a manual switch to select transmission of either representative voice audio signals or numerical dial-up signals.

17. A wireless, keyless telephone instrument for prepaid and discardable use with an approving central station capable of bridging to a public switched telephone network for communication by the wireless, keyless telephone instrument with remote stations, said wireless, keyless telephone instrument consisting of:

a housing defining an interior space;

an earphone fixed to the housing to provide represented vocal sounds from audio signals;

a microphone structure fixed to the housing to provide representative audio signals from vocal sounds;

a wireless transceiver fixed to the housing and coupled to the earphone and the microphone, communicating with the central station and through the public switched telephone network, to select remote stations;

a voice-recognition structure to convert voice signals representative of spoken numbers to dial-up signals; and

a control unit including a phase register to indicate a plurality of operating phases, including voice conversation communication and numerical signal communication.

18. A wireless telephone instrument according to claim 17 wherein said operating phases further include a standby phase for receiving calls.