Wireless prepaid telephone system with extended capability

• US 6,754,481 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• 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): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/814,537
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/414, 455/563
• 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 1/0285 Pen-type handsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0287 being disposable or recyclable
• 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 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• 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.

Claims

1. A wireless telephone system for use with wireless telephone instruments individually prepaid for limited use, and which transmit an identification signal on activation, said system for enabling telecommunication from calling wireless telephone instruments to access other target telephone terminals through a dial up network, said system comprising:

a voice generator for providing vocal cues;

a voice detector for translating voice signal representations to dial-up telephone signals;

a memory for storing data on said wireless telephone instruments including prepaid balances for said wireless telephone instruments;

a platform for interfacing said wireless telephone instruments to;

receive said identification signals from said wireless telephone instruments, provide cues from said voice generator to said wireless telephone instruments and receive voice representations from said wireless telephone instruments to provide dial-up telephone signals from said voice detector;

control means for controlling said voice generator, said voice detector, said memory and said platform to interface said wireless telephone instruments through said platform for;

identifying a calling wireless telephone instrument, testing said calling wireless telephone instrument for call approval whereby, the prepaid balance for said calling wireless telephone instrument is tested, cuing a caller at said calling wireless telephone instrument to speak a target telephone terminal number, receiving said dial-up telephone signals from said voice detector to dial up the target telephone terminal for an approved calling wireless telephone instrument through said dial-up network in accordance with said spoken target telephone terminal number and reflecting the charge of dialing up said target telephone terminal in a prepaid balance of said memory.

2. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said memory includes a plurality of cells for storing data respectively on a plurality of said wireless instruments, said cells including a plurality of fields for storing data, including an identification number, and a prepaid balance.

3. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said memory includes a plurality of cells for storing data respectively on a plurality of said wireless instruments, said cells including a plurality of fields for storing data, including an identification number, and a prepaid balance and call limitation data.

4. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said memory includes a plurality of cells for storing data respectively on a plurality of said wireless instruments, said cells including a plurality of fields for storing data, including an identification number, and a prepaid balance and call limitation data relating to area.

5. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said memory includes a plurality of cells for storing data respectively on a plurality of said wireless instruments, said cells including a plurality of fields for storing data, including an identification number, and a prepaid balance and call limitation data relating to time.

6. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said memory includes a plurality of cells for storing data respectively on a plurality of said wireless instruments, said cells including a plurality of fields for storing data, including an identification number, and a prepaid balance and call record data.

7. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said memory includes a plurality of cells for storing data respectively on a plurality of said wireless instruments, said cells including a plurality of fields for storing data, including an identification number, and a prepaid balance and prepaid balance refresh data.

8. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 including means for sensing an emergency code of spoken numbers to command a bridging operation.

9. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said emergency code comprises a spoken series of a similar number.

10. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said system includes a plurality of operator terminals and said bridging operation bridges a call to an operator terminal.

11. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein signals representative of spoken words are received by said platform to indicate control data as well as audio communication.

12. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means selectively provides cues to produce number data and alphabetic data by spoken words and wherein said voice detector translates only said number data to dial-up telephone signals.

13. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said alphabetic data is stored in said memory.

14. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said certain of said number data translated by said voice detector functions as control data.

15. A wireless telephone system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said certain of said number data translated by said voice detector is stored.

16. A process for wireless telephonic communication to accomplish an interface between a calling wireless telephone instrument and a central station to establish communication by said calling wireless telephone instrument with remote target telephone terminals through a public switched telephone network, comprising the steps of:

interfacing said calling wireless telephone instrument to cue spoken words representative of alphabetic data and numerical data;

receiving spoken word signals from said calling wireless telephone instrument representative of alphabetic data and numerical data;

selectively converting said spoken word signals from said calling wireless telephone instrument representative of numerical data to dial-up telephone signals, including spoken word signals indicating a target telephone terminal;

testing said calling wireless telephone instrument for an adequate prepaid balance to cover charges to said remote target telephone terminals, thereby identifying an approved calling wireless telephone instrument; and

bridging an approved calling wireless telephone instrument for communication with a target telephone terminal and monitoring said communication for reflection in said prepaid balance.