Telephone bar device

Details Telephone bar device Telephone bar device

1996-03-05

1998-09-15

Hong, Harry S.

Telephonic communications

Call or terminal access alarm or control

At substation

34082531, 34082534, 379197, 379198, 379199, H04M 166, G06F 704, G07D 700

Patent

active

058091262

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to telecommunications devices and more particularly to telephones, and in particular to a line access controller which is analogous to one known in a more limited and specific form as a toll-barring device--being means to decide whether to allow or deny access to telephone services from a telephone or like peripheral, based on recognition of a password and recognition of dialling prefixes.


BACKGROUND

It is possible for a person operating a telephone to dial to any of over 500 million telephones in the world, but most of these connections will automatically result in large charges being made. Especially in the case of a telephone which members of the public can use, there is a need to be able to limit the people capable of making expense-incurring connections to those authorised.
While it is known that computerised telephone exchanges of the type known as PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) can be arranged using programming of the controller so as to prevent long-distance telephone or toll calls being made from at least one identified extension, and while it is also common for the telephone server company (eg, Telecom NZ Ltd) to offer a toll bar or line access control as a chargeable service to residences, but implemented at the exchange, these methods are relatively inflexible. The allowed/denied range of calls is fixed for each telephone set, or each trunk line, respectively, unless reprogramming is carried out, and this cannot be bypassed for occasional exceptional calls.
Abuse of a telephone account is relatively more likely to occur where teenage children abound and chargeable services (0900 numbers in New Zealand; other combinations elsewhere) are widely advertised, in sports clubs where a publicly available telephone particularly for emergency use is desirable, or in establishments such as businesses.
Making sales by telephone, as where credit cards are used to pay for a sale over a telephone, may need to be controlled by some means. Commonly the distant number is an 0800 number.
The problem is compounded by an ever-growing list of numbers or number prefixes involving perhaps avoidable cost, by a different set for each supplier of long-distance telephone lines, and by a growing-number of telephone services offered for sale.
There are a number of compelling reasons for providing means to allow different individuals sharing telephone facilities to have greater or lesser powers to make chargeable telephone calls, or to restrict calling from a telephone to just a limited set of permitted numbers.


DEFINITION OF TERMS

DTMF or Dual-tone multi-frequency code--a standard set of tones wherein two tones selected from a defined set are broadcast simultaneously, as for dialling pulses, used in telephone circuits. This specification is oriented around "decadic dialling" in which a limited range of codes (the decade 0-9) are used in a sequence to select a destination number. Other codes, such as the "*" and the "#" codes are generally used for special functions.
PABX or Private automatic branch exchange--a subsidiary exchange as used in an office wherein a number of telephone users may call each other through the PABX or call outside through trunk lines to a conventional exchange.
Access Code--A single digit, usually zero, under NZ Telecom usage.
Area Code--the one or more digits following the access code. Under NZ Telecom usage:
0=international
1=exchange services,
2.7=various regions of New Zealand
8=toll-free national call (the 0800 numbers)
9=charged call (the 0900 numbers)
An alternative service provider in New Zealand, "Clear Communications" has different prefixes for corresponding services.
PIN Number or PIN Personal Identification Number. A kind of password; in this document it is one entered from a telephone keypad in order to be allowed access to certain privileges not provided for in the default state.
Telephone. A unit of equipment having means to select a number to be called such as a keypad or dial, means to make speech communication, such as a

REFERENCES:
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patent: 4314108 (1982-02-01), Sharvit
patent: 4355208 (1982-10-01), Cribb et al.
patent: 4612419 (1986-09-01), Smith
patent: 4759056 (1988-07-01), Akiyama
patent: 4833707 (1989-05-01), Serret, Jr.
patent: 4953202 (1990-08-01), Newell
patent: 5200995 (1993-04-01), Gaukel et al.
patent: 5274698 (1993-12-01), Jang
patent: 5351289 (1994-09-01), Logsdon et al.

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