Methods and apparatus for paging systems

• US 6,044,247 A
• Filed: 10/16/1996
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC), United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Chamberlain, Charles R., Taskett, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolinar, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US08/732,177
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/408, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/88.25, 379/88.26, 379/114, 379/121, 379/142, 379/144
• US Class Current: 340/7.28
• 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 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

An improved paging system including a transmitter and a call controller. An incoming call trunk, a memory device, an outgoing call trunk, and a central processing unit make up the call controller. A paging party connects to the call controller though the incoming call trunk and enters a phone number. The phone number is stored in the memory device, and the subscriber is notified of the page via the transmitter. To dial the phone number left by the paging party, the subscriber connects to the call controller through the incoming call trunk and enters an authorization code associated with a prepaid electronic account stored in the memory device. The central processing unit retrieves the stored phone number from the memory device and connects the subscriber directly to the phone number. During the duration of the phone call, the balance of the prepaid account is incrementally decreased by the central processing unit. Further included are a message database for storing messages left by the paging party, and a billing summary that is remotely configurable to a format preference indicated by the subscriber. Credit may also be added to the balance of the prepaid account while connected to the call controller, and any destination phone number may be dialed through the call controller, whereby the balance of the prepaid account is decreased during the duration of the call connection.

Claims

1. A method of returning pages by charging an electronic account comprising the steps of:

connecting a subscriber to a call controller;

inputting an authorization associated with a prepaid electronic account stored in the call controller;

determining, in said call controller, authorization validity;

retrieving a calling party'"'"'s phone number from the call controller;

connecting, by said call controller, the subscriber to the calling party via the calling party'"'"'s phone number; and

,

incrementally adjusting the electronic account.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

connecting the calling party to the call controller;

inputting the calling party'"'"'s phone number;

storing the phone number in the call controller;

signaling a subscriber'"'"'s pager; and

,

communicating the calling party'"'"'s phone number to the subscriber, wherein the call controller includes an incoming call trunk, a memory, an outgoing call trunk and a central processing unit.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said communicating step is a visual indicia of the calling party'"'"'s phone number on the pager.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the electronic account is incrementally decreased while the subscriber is connected to the call controller.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

allowing the subscriber a predetermined number of attempts to enter a valid authorization; and

,

disconnecting the subscriber from the call controller when the predetermined number of attempts have been exhausted.

6. The method of claim 2 further including the step of informing the subscriber of the calling party'"'"'s phone number prior to connecting the subscriber to the calling party'"'"'s phone number.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

connecting a calling party to the controller;

inputting a message from the calling party;

storing the message in the call controller; and

,

communicating the calling party'"'"'s message to the subscriber.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of incrementally increasing the electronic account by drawing against a second account having funds.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

entering a destination phone number;

connecting the subscriber to the destination phone number; and

,

decreasing the electronic account during the connection between the subscriber and the destination number.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

recording the subscriber'"'"'s transactions in a transaction database;

formatting a portion of the transactions according to a subscriber'"'"'s preference entered into the call controller; and

,

transmitting the formatted transactions to the subscriber.

11. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of inputting a preferred language to be used between the call controller and the subscriber.

12. A call controller for use in a paging communications system comprising:

a memory for storing a calling party'"'"'s phone number;

an account database for storing a balance associated with a subscriber'"'"'s account code;

an incoming call trunk for connecting the subscriber to the call controller;

an outgoing call trunk for connecting the subscriber to the phone number;

a central processing unit configured to receive the subscriber'"'"'s account code, determine its validity, and increase or decrease the subscriber'"'"'s account balance;

wherein the memory and the outgoing call trunk exist in a common unit.

13. The call controller of claim 12 further comprising a second incoming call trunk for connecting to the calling party and for receiving the calling party'"'"'s phone number.

14. The call controller of claim 13 further comprising a paging device for communicating the calling party'"'"'s phone number to the subscriber, in combination with

a radio transmitter for signaling the paging device and communicating the calling party'"'"'s phone number.

15. The call controller of claim 14 wherein a signal from the transmitter includes data for communicating the phone number on the paging device.

16. The call controller of claim 12 further comprising:

a message database for storing a calling party'"'"'s message; and

,

means for retrieving the message.

17. The call controller of claim 12 further comprising a transaction database for storing the subscriber'"'"'s transactions.

18. A paging system comprising:

means for connecting a subscriber to a call controller;

means for inputting an authorization associated with a prepaid electronic account stored in the call controller;

means for determining authorization validity;

means for retrieving a calling party'"'"'s phone number from the call controller;

means for the call controller to connect the subscriber to the calling party via the phone number; and

,

means for incrementally adjusting the account balance.

19. The paging system of claim 18 further comprising means for signaling a pager.

20. The paging system of claim 18 further including a means for sending the calling party'"'"'s phone number to said paging device.

21. The paging system of claim 18 wherein the means for adjusting the account balance is increased while the subscriber is connected to the call controller.

22. The paging system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for allowing a subscriber to make a predetermined number of attempts at entering a valid authorization; and

,

means for disconnecting the subscriber once the predetermined number of attempts have been exhausted.

23. The paging system of claim 18 wherein the means for adjusting the account balance decreases the account balance when subscriber retrieves messages from the message database.

24. The paging system of claim 18 further comprises:

means for entering a subscribers destination phone number; and

,

means for connecting the subscriber to the destination phone number,

wherein the means for adjusting decreases the account balance.

25. The paging system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for recording data related to a subscriber'"'"'s phone call;

means for preferentially formatting a portion of the data; and

,

means for transmitting the formatted data to the subscriber.

26. An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer-readable computer program code means embodied therein for connecting a subscriber to a paging party through a call controller, said computer-readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising:

means for storing a phone number of said paging party;

means for connecting said subscriber to said call controller;

means for receiving from said subscriber an authorization number, said authorization number associated with a prepaid account and a balance stored in said call controller;

means for determining whether said authorization number is valid;

means for dialing said phone number of said paging party; and

means for connecting said subscriber to said paging party;

wherein said means for storing a phone number of said paging party and said means for connecting said subscriber to said paging party are a single unit.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26 further comprising means for connecting to said paging party, means for receiving from said paging party said phone number, means for storing said phone number in said memory, and means for transmitting a signal to said paging device for alerting said subscriber of the call of said paging party.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 26 wherein said transmitting means includes means for sending data representing said phone number to said paging device.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 26 further comprising means for adding additional credit to said balance of said prepaid account while said subscriber is connected to said call controller.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 26 further comprising means for allowing said subscriber to make a predetermined number of attempts at entering a valid authorization number if said authorization number initially received is not valid, and means for terminating the connection between said subscriber and said call controller once said predetermined number of attempts have been exhausted.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 26 further comprising means for storing a message from a second paging party in a message database at said call controller, and means for retrieving said message from said message database for said subscriber upon connection to said call controller.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 31 further comprising means for decreasing said balance of said prepaid account in response to said subscriber retrieving said message from said message database.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 26 further comprising means for entering a destination phone number from said subscriber, means for connecting said subscriber to said destination phone number, and means for decreasing said balance of said prepaid account during a call connection to said phone number.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 26 further comprising means for recording data related to phone calls made by said subscriber with said authorization number, means for formatting a portion of said data in accordance with a format preference indicated by said subscriber, and means for transmitting said formatted data to said subscriber.

35. A method for responding to a verbal message using a paging system comprising the steps of:

connecting a calling party to a subscriber'"'"'s pager;

storing a verbal message from the calling party in a call controller;

paging the subscriber;

connecting the subscriber to the call controller;

validating an authorization entered by the subscriber corresponding to a prepaid account stored in the call controller;

retrieving the verbal message from the call controller memory;

the call controller entering and connecting the subscriber to a destination phone number associated with the calling party; and

,

decreasing the account balance during the subscriber'"'"'s connection to the destination phone number.