Wireless telephone system with mobile instruments for outgoing calls

• US 6,993,321 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dot 23 Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Byard G. Nilsson
• Inventors: Nilsson, Byard G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANTT, ALAN T
• Application Number:
  US10/626,409
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 455/409, 455/406, 455/563, 455/557, 455/410, 455/550.1, 379/88.03
• US Class Current: 455/409
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• 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 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/205 by calling a service number, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] or menu
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/241 by calling a service number IVR, menu
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

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. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, the processor readable code for controlling at least one of the processors to perform a method for activating and using mobile telephone instruments for communication with select remote telephone terminals through a public switched telephone network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving wireless signals an active mobile telephone instrument representative of identification data for such instrument;

confirming the received wireless signals representative of identification data to cue the active mobile telephone instrument initially for basic owner data to enable a mobile telephone instrument for communication use, and subsequently for calling signals indicative of a desired remote telephone terminal to be called;

receiving calling signals from an enabled mobile telephone instrument indicative of a desired remote telephone terminal to be called; and

dialing up the desired remote telephone terminal to be called for communication and bridging the desired remote telephone terminal to the enabled mobile telephone instrument for the duration of the communication.

2. A process according to claim 1 further including a step of limiting communication with mobile wireless telephone instruments based on a prepaid credit.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein the step of limiting communication includes storing a prepaid calling balance for at least one of the mobile wireless telephone instruments.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein active mobile telephone instruments are cued to speak numbers digit-by-digit.

5. A process according to claim 4 which further includes adding value to the prepaid balance data online.

6. One or more processor readable storage devices in accordance with claim 1 further storing prepaid calling value data for controlling the use of mobile telephone instruments.

7. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, the processor readable code for programming one or more processors to accomplish a connection from mobile wireless telephone instruments to operator terminals, and to select remote telephone terminals through a public switched telephone network, the programming comprising the functional steps of:

receiving wireless signals from an active mobile wireless telephone instrument representative of identification data for such instrument;

confirming the received wireless signals representative of identification data to cue the active mobile wireless telephone instrument for calling signals indicative of a desired remote telephone terminal to be called;

receiving transfer code signals from a code-transmitting active mobile wireless telephone instrument distinctly representing a transfer command indicating a desire for transfer to an operator terminal;

coupling the code-transmitting active mobile wireless telephone instrument to an operator station on receiving transfer code signals;

receiving calling signals from a calling active mobile wireless telephone instrument indicative of a desired remote telephone terminal to be called; and

dialing up the desired remote telephone terminal to be called for communication and bridging the desired remote telephone terminal to the calling active mobile wireless telephone instrument for the duration of the communication.

8. A process according to claim 7 including a step of limiting communication with mobile wireless telephone instruments based on a prepaid credit.

9. A process according to claim 8 wherein the step of limiting communication includes storing a prepaid calling balance for at least one of the mobile wireless telephone instruments.

10. A process according to claim 7 wherein active mobile telephone instruments are cued to speak numbers digit-by-digit.

11. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, the processor readable code for controlling at least one of the processors to perform a method for activating and using mobile telephone instruments for communication with select remote telephone terminals through a public switched telephone network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving wireless signals from an active mobile telephone instrument representative of identification data for such instrument;

confirming the received wireless signals representative of identification data to cue an active mobile telephone instrument initially for basic owner data to enable a mobile telephone instrument for communication use, and preparatory to said active mobile telephone instrument providing calling signals indicative of a desired remote telephone terminal to be called;

receiving the calling signals from an enabled mobile telephone instrument indicative of a desired remote telephone terminal to be called; and

dialing up the desired remote telephone terminal to be called for communication and bridging the desired remote telephone terminal to the enabled mobile telephone instrument for the duration of the communication.

12. A process according to claim 11 further including a step of limiting communication with mobile wireless telephone instruments based on a prepaid credit.

13. A process according to claim 12 wherein the step of limiting communication includes storing a prepaid calling balance for at least one of the mobile wireless telephone instruments.

14. A process according to claim 11 wherein active mobile telephone instruments are cued to speak numbers digit-by-digit.

15. A process according to claim 14 which further includes adding value to the prepaid balance data online.

16. One or more processor readable storage devices in accordance with claim 11 further storing prepaid calling value data for controlling the use of mobile telephone instruments.

17. A process according to claim 11 wherein said wireless signals received from said active mobile telephone instruments are voice signals.