Walk-up communication station
AssigneeFL Technology Inc.
InventorsEdgar Quarles, Dong-Gyun Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A walk-up communication station which not only provides conventional pay phone functions (with conventional handset and keypad), but also provides a touchscreen interface for Web browsing, and a variety of dataport connections for attaching a laptop. For security, the dataport and the station's CPU are both separately firewalled from the internet connection, and are not otherwise networked together.
Claims28
A communications station, comprising:
- voice telephony functions;
- videophone functions;
- and
- payment collection functions.
A communications station, comprising:
- audio detection and output components;
- a processor unit which provides voice-over-internet functionality using at least said audio detection and output components;
- and
- a dataport, accessible by a user's computer, which provides internet connectivity;
- wherein said dataport is not networked directly to said processor, and is prevented from seeing IP addresses of said processor.
A communications station, comprising:
- audio detection and output components;
- a processor unit which provides voice-over-internet functionality using at least said audio detection and output components;
- and
- a dataport, accessible by a user's computer, which provides internet connectivity;
- wherein all network communication between said dataport and said processor is mediated by at least two firewalling operations.
A communications station, comprising:
- a dataport, accessible by a user's computer, which provides internet connectivity;
- a processor unit which provides internet access to paying users, without requiring access to said dataport;
- wherein all network communication between said dataport and said processor is mediated by at least two firewalling operations.
A communications station, comprising:
- a dataport, accessible by a user's computer, which provides internet connectivity;
- a processor unit which provides a remote payment capability for receiving and verifying credit card or other payment information;
- wherein all network communication between said dataport and said processor is mediated by at least two firewalling operations.
A communications station, comprising:
- a dataport, accessible by a user's computer, which provides internet connectivity;
- firewalling components which remap network addresses declared by the user's computer, even if the user's computer is already declaring a valid network address which does not have to be remapped;
- and
- a processor which has its own autonomous internet access, independently of said dataport, and which is not directly networked thereto.
A communications station, comprising:
- a telephone interface which allows a paying user to make telephone calls;
- and
- a dataport which provides internet connectivity to another paying user's computer;
- wherein access to said dataport is not locked out, even when another single user is completely occupying said telephone interface;
- and wherein access through said dataport is billed independently of access through said telephone interface, and is not constrained by what number is accessed through said telephone interface.
A communications station, comprising:
- a dataport, with one or more connectors accessible by a user's computer, which provides internet connectivity;
- a wireless interface, which also provides internet connectivity to a user's computer without use of said dataport;
- and
- a telephone interface which is usable by users who do not have a computer.
A communications station, comprising:
- a POTS telephone line connection;
- a data connection to the internet;
- a processor unit which controls user access to the internet through said internet connection;
- and
- a dial pad, and microphone and speaker components, connected through analog components to said POTS;
- said analog components being connected to receive power from said POTS connection, even when no other power is present, to supply minimum telephone service even when said processor unit is not functioning.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.