Telephone systems and the like

Claim 1

A PLURAL ZONE, TIME CONTROL, PRE-PAY TELEPHONE STATION CONSTITUTED TO ESTABLISH TALING CONNECTIONS TO CALLED STATIONS WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN A PLURALITY OF ZONES HAVING DIFFERENT BASE PRE-PAY AMOUNTS FROM SUCH PRE-PAY STATION, INCLUDING; MEANS TO RECEIVE AND COUNT COINS; ESCROW MEANS TO HOLD THE COUNTED COINS; MEANS TO DIAL THE EXCHANGE OF THE CALLED STATION TO PRODUCE PULSES IDENTIFYING SAID EXCHANGE; MEANS INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID PULSES CONSTITUTED TO DETERMINE THE ZONE WHICH INCLUDES SAID EXCHANGE; MEANS TO ESTABLISH A LOCAL CIRCUIT CORRESPONDING TO SAID ZONE; MEANS INCLUDING SAID LOCAL CIRCUIT TO COMPARE THE VALUE OF THE COINS TO RECEIVED AND COUNTED, WITH THE BASE PRE-PAY RATE OF THE ZONE; MEANS TO RETURN THE COINS WHEN THE COUNTED VALUE THEREOF IS LESS THAN SAID BASE PRE-PAY RATE FOR SAID ZONE; AND MEANS TO RETAIN THE COINS IN THE ESCROW MEANS WHEN THE VALUE THEREOF IS AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE BASE PRE-PAY RATE OF SAID ZONE.