Cellular rental phone system and method having realtime data collection and billing

• US 5,673,306 A
• Filed: 11/20/1992
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellular Technical Services Co., Inc. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellular Technical Services Co., Inc. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elliott, Cameron Scott, Combest, Rick F., Stanhope, David M., Amadon, Charles Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US07/979,547
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 379/59, 379/91, 379/144, 379/88, 379/105, 379/112, 235/380
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• 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 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Cellular telephone rental system and method wherein a point-of-purchase rental terminal capturing transaction data, obtains validation thereof, and communicates same to a collector which in turn instructs a switching system to enable the cellular phone to make and receive calls. The collector examines in real time automatic message accounting data in the switching system and calculates call charges in real time. The collector then transmits call data to the rental terminal which provides both the rental agency and the cellular phone user call data in real time, with the call data also being transmitted to an account administration system nightly. Also disclosed is an embodiment for entering credit card data at the rental phone to enable use on credit billing and remote programming of such rental phone all over the voice responsive communication of the cellular system.

Claims

1. A cellular mobile communication system comprising:

a plurality of mobile subscriber stations, each station including radio means for communicating with a cellular mobile radio system;

a cellular mobile radio system having at least one cellular base station for serving said cellular mobile radio subscriber stations for the origination and termination of calls;

a cellular communications switching system comprising;

a plurality of trunk circuits to a public switched telephone network;

means for selectively interconnecting said mobile subscriber stations and said public switched telephone network through said trunk circuits;

system control means for enabling and disabling of service to said subscriber stations; and

means for monitoring call activity and transmitting automatic message accounting data in real time over one or more of said trunk circuits;

a cellular mobile radio rental system or cellular mobile radio credit transaction system comprising;

means for entering and collecting customer transaction and credit card information;

means for obtaining credit approval from a credit card clearinghouse; and

means for communicating transaction and credit card data over said trunk circuits to and from said public switched telephone network to a collector system for the purpose of initiating and terminating customer transactions; and

a collector system comprising;

means for initiating and terminating customer transactions, means for receiving, filtering, and calculating long distance toll from said automatic message accounting data and generating billable call records;

means causing said cellular communication switching system to change service for said mobile subscriber stations;

means for compiling said billable call records into customer transactions and storing said customer transactions; and

means for retrieving said stored customer transactions and transmitting same over said public switched telephone network.

2. A cellular mobile communications system according to claim 1, comprising a passive tape tap connected to said means for monitoring call activity and transmitting automatic message accounting data for tapping automatic message data and sending it in real time to said collector system.

3. A cellular mobile communications system according to claim 1, further comprising a rental administration system including a remote processor means for billing customer transactions directly to customer credit cards.

4. A cellular mobile communications system according to claim 3, comprising a plurality of said rental administration systems in communication with said collector system.

5. A cellular mobile communication system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said rental administration system is connected for communication with a plurality of said collector systems over said trunk circuits.