Credit card actuated telecommunication access network

Claim 1

A public access network operating in conjunction with telecommunication lines leasable from a common carrier at a bulk rate, making it possible for callers holding a machine-readable credit card provided with a magnetic stripe and issued by any one of a predetermined plurality of credit card companies authorizing the holder to purchase merchandise and services to dial calls from any local station included in the network, the network comprising: A. a group of satellites each installed at a different location, each satellite having an intelligent digital switch coupled to said telecommunication lines to effect a connection to that one line included in said lines which is appropriate to a call dialed; B. averification processor provided with a calendar clock, and means to compare the expiration date on a credit card presented by a caller with the date on which the call is dialed; C. a plurality of local stations at each location linked to the installed satellite, each station being open to the public and being provided with a communication set which when activated is coupled to the intelligent switch at the installed satellite, a card reader including a magnetic head for scanning the stripe on the caller's card and deriving therefrom a digital signal identifying the company issuing the card, its serial number and expiration date, and activation means responsive to said signal to determine if the scanned card is acceptable to the network, said means transferring the signal to the verification processor which tests the card number against a stored table in invalid card numbers to determine its validity and which, if the card passes this test, then functions to activate the communication set to permit the caller to dial, the activated set being then coupled to said switch which engages said one of said transmission lines to cause the call to go through; and D. A control central linked to the satellites in the group to supervise the operations thereof, said central extracting information from the intelligent switch at each satellite regarding the duration and placement of each of the calls made at the local stations, which information is coordinated with information it extracts from the verification processor regarding the identity and the serial number of the credit cards of the callers making said calls, from which coordinated information the central generates a billing record for submission to the companies issuing the cards, whereby each company can then directly bill their card holders for calls made through the network without obtaining billing information from the common carrier.