US6122355A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for portable pay phone
Assignee: AT&T Inc
•
Filing: 1998-12-11
•
Granted: 2000-09-19
•
Expires: 2018-12-11
Abstract
Abstract A portable pay phone system provides a portable pay phone service that deducts payment for a call from a smart card. The cost for the requested call is determined based on the locations of the portable pay phone and a destination device (called party) and whether the smart card contains enough funds to pay for the call. The portable pay phone system maintains multiple currencies so that any currency contained in the smart card may be used to pay for the call. After the call is connected, the portable pay phone system monitors the call. If the call is completed before the purchased time is expired, any funds that were not expended are redeposited into the smart card. If the purchase time has expired before the call is completed, either the call is terminated or additional funds is debited from the smart card to continue the call. This process continues until either all the funds of the smart card is exhausted or the call is completed.
Inventors
- 👤 Glenn E. Strohl
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 03:38
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M15/00; H04M15/83; H04M15/85; H04M15/854; G; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/22; G06Q20/28; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/343; G06Q20/3433; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/02; H04M15/58; H04M15/80; H04M15/8033; H04M17/00; H04M17/02; H04M17/026; H04M2215/00; H04M2215/01; H04M2215/0188; H04M2215/74; H04M2215/7435; H04M2215/81; H04M2215/815; H04M2215/8166
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
68 words
A method of providing a portable pay phone service, comprising: receiving a request for a call from a portable pay phone; retrieving payment for the call from a smart card coupled to the portable pay phone, wherein the payment is in a lowest cost currency if the smart card contains funds in multiple currencies; and connecting the call if the payment is successfully retrieved from the smart card.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
68 words
A method of providing a portable pay phone service, comprising: receiving a request for a call from a portable pay phone; retrieving payment for the call from a smart card coupled to the portable pay phone, wherein the payment is in a lowest cost currency if the smart card contains funds in multiple currencies; and connecting the call if the payment is successfully retrieved from the smart card.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising: retrieving the payment in a single currency contained in the smart card.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 2, wherein if the funds of the lowest cost currency contained in the smart card are insufficient to pay for the requested call, the method further comprising retrieving a portion of the payment from the lowest cost currency first and then retrieving a next portion of the payment from the next lowest cost currency and so on until the payment is retrieved in full.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring the call after the call is connected; generating a total amount of charge for the call if the call is completed before a purchase time has expired; and refunding a difference between the total amount of charge and the payment retrieved from the smart card.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method of claim 4, further comprising: outputting a message to the portable pay phone if the purchased time has expired; retrieving an additional payment from the smart card if permission is received from the portable pay phone to do so for continuing the call for another purchased amount of time; and terminating the call if permission to retrieve additional payment for continuing the call is denied.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the request through a point of presence device of a first network that is accessed by the portable pay phone using a local number of a second network.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
75 words
A method for providing a portable pay phone service over a network, comprising: providing for a card reader; coupling a voice communication device to the card reader; coupling the card reader to the network; and connecting the voice communication device to a pay phone payment device in a call through the network via either a local number or a special access number, wherein payment is in a lowest cost currency if multiple currencies are present.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
75 words
A method for providing a portable pay phone service over a network, comprising: providing for a card reader; coupling a voice communication device to the card reader; coupling the card reader to the network; and connecting the voice communication device to a pay phone payment device in a call through the network via either a local number or a special access number, wherein payment is in a lowest cost currency if multiple currencies are present.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 7, further comprising: acoustically coupling the card reader to a hand set of the voice communication device, wherein the card reader is coupled to the network via the acoustic coupling.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the acoustically coupling step comprises placing cup shaped covers over a microphone and a ear phone portions of the hand set of the voice communication device.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the card reader includes an adapter, the method further comprising: connecting the voice communication device to the adapter; and connecting the adapter to the network, wherein the voice communication device and the card reader are coupled to the network through the adapter.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
79 words
A device that provides a portable pay phone service, comprising: a database; and a controller coupled to the database, the controller receiving a request for a call from a portable pay phone, retrieving payment, wherein the payment is in a lowest cost currency if the smart card contains funds in multiple currencies for the call from a smart card coupled to the portable pay phone, and connecting the call if the payment is successfully retrieved from the smart card.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
79 words
A device that provides a portable pay phone service, comprising: a database; and a controller coupled to the database, the controller receiving a request for a call from a portable pay phone, retrieving payment, wherein the payment is in a lowest cost currency if the smart card contains funds in multiple currencies for the call from a smart card coupled to the portable pay phone, and connecting the call if the payment is successfully retrieved from the smart card.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 11, wherein the controller retrieves the payment in a single currency contained in the smart card.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method of claim 12, wherein if the funds of the lowest cost currency contained in the smart card are insufficient to pay for the requested call, the controller retrieving a portion of the payment from the lowest cost currency first and then retrieving a next portion of the payment from the next lowest cost currency and so on until the payment is retrieved in full.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
54 words
The device of claim 11, wherein the controller monitors the call after the call is connected, generates a total amount of charge for the call if the call is completed before a purchase time has expired, and refunds a difference between the total amount of charge and the payment retrieved from the smart card.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
The device of claim 14, wherein the controller outputs a message to the portable pay phone if the purchased time has expired, retrieves an additional payment from the smart card if permission is received from the portable pay phone to do so for continuing the call for another purchased amount of time, and terminates the call if permission is denied to retrieve additional payment for continuing the call.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
The device of claim 11, wherein the controller receives the request through a point of presence device of a first network that is accessed by the portable pay phone using a local number of a second network.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
77 words
A device that provides a portable pay phone service over a network, comprising: a card reader; and a voice communication device coupled to the card reader, wherein the card reader is coupled to the network and the voice communication device is connected to a pay phone payment device in a call through the network via either a local number or a special access number, wherein payment is in a lowest cost currency if multiple currencies are present.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
77 words
A device that provides a portable pay phone service over a network, comprising: a card reader; and a voice communication device coupled to the card reader, wherein the card reader is coupled to the network and the voice communication device is connected to a pay phone payment device in a call through the network via either a local number or a special access number, wherein payment is in a lowest cost currency if multiple currencies are present.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The device of claim 17, wherein the card reader is acoustically coupled to a hand set of the voice communication device, the card reader being coupled to the network via the acoustic coupling.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
38 words
The device of claim 18, wherein the card reader is acoustically coupled to the hand set by placing cup shaped covers over a microphone and a ear phone portions of the hand set of the voice communication device.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
47 words
The device of claim 17, wherein the card reader includes an adapter, the voice communication device being connected to the adapter and the adapter being connected to the network, so that the voice communication device and the card reader are coupled to the network through the adapter.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4706275A
Cited
US5027387A
Cited
US5301234A
Cited
US5799067A
Cited
US5550897A
Cited
US5359182A
Cited
US5408526A
Cited
US5408513A
Cited
US5748720A
Cited
US5684866A
Cited
US5764742A
Cited
US5907800A
Cited
US5621787A
Cited
US5915226A
Cited
US5946614A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-09-19 | 2004-03-20 | 2004-09-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-09-19 | 2008-03-20 | 2008-09-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-09-19 | 2012-03-20 | 2012-09-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |