# US 4,255,619 A · Telephone reservation-processing system

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- Number: US 4,255,619 A
- Document ID: US4255619A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/072,684
- Filed: 1979-09-05
- Granted: 1981-03-10
- Earliest claimed: 1978-10-14
- Assignees: Keihin Electric Express Railway Co., Ltd.; Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hideo Saito
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4255619A

## CPC

- G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
- G06Q 10/0283: {for travel seating}
- H04M 3/493: Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries {; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals}
- H04Q 3/0029: {Provisions for intelligent networking}
- H04Q 2213/13511: reservation
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W)

## Abstract

A telephone reservation-processing system, which comprises: a host computer; a plurality of audio response type computers connected to the host computer through telephone lines and installed in various districts; and at least one terminal unit-controlling computer connected to the host computer through a telephone line, and wherein the host computer includes means for processing data relative to inquiries, reservations and cancellations delivered from the plural audio response type computer, and means for processing data relative to requests for transmission of data supplied from the plural audio response type computer; the plural audio response type computers respectively include means for converting an output signal from the host computer into an audio signal; and the terminal unit-controlling computer includes means for transmitting data delivered from the host computer to the telephone transmission terminal unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A telephone reservation-processing system which comprises a host computer;
a plurality of audio response type computers connected to the host computer through a telephone line;
at least one terminal unit-controlling computer connected to the host computer through a telephone line; and
a large number of telephones connected to the plural audio response type computers through a telephone line,
and wherein the host computer includes means for processing data relative to requests for reservations, inquiries and cancellations transmitted from the telephone through the audio response type computer, and means for processing data relative to requests for transmission of data delivered from the terminal unit-controlling computer; each of the plural audio response type computers includes a semiconductor audio memory for storing an audio pattern, an audio channel for accessing the audio memory, means for actuating the audio channel in accordance with the result of a response made by the host computer, and means for converting the result of a response made by the host computer into an audio signal and transmitting said audio signal to the telephone when the audio channel accesses the audio memory; and the terminal unit-controlling computer includes means for supplying the host computer with a signal requesting reservation, inquiry or cancellation delivered from the terminal unit and transmitting data sent forth from the host computer to the terminal unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The telephone reservation-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the telephone is fitted with a telephone transmission terminal unit; the audio response type computer is called by the telephone; after the contents of an output audio signal from the audio response type computer are recognized, data of transmission present in the telephone transmission terminal unit is sent forth to the audio response type computer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The telephone reservation-processing system according to claim 2, wherein the telephone transmission, terminal unit comprises:
a keyboard provided with data keys and instruction keys;
a microcomputer for controlling the display on the display device of data of transmission delivered from the keyboard;
a circuit for producing an identification code specified for the telephone transmission terminal unit;
a circuit for converting, upon depression of an instruction key, data of transmission supplied from the microcomputer and identification code into audio signals; and
an acoustic coupler for conducting said audio signals to the telephone.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The telephone reservation-processing system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal unit controlling computer is connected to a reservation display board to indicate data for reservation display supplied from the host computer on the reservation display board.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The telephone reservation-processing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of audio channels are provided to access the audio memory of the audio response type computer; the central processing unit for controlling the audio response type computer selects one of the audio channels and sends forth an address-word length block for specifying one of the audio patterns stored in the audio memory in accordance with the result of a response made by the host computer; and the selected audio channel accesses the audio memory by the corresponding address-word length block.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The telephone reservation-processing system according to claim 1, which comprises:
a host computer;
an audio response type computer connected to the host computer through a telephone line;
a telephone connected to the audio response type computer through the telephone line;
means for transmitting a request of reservation for lectures at a training institution from the telephone to the host computer by means of the telephone transmission terminal device through the audio response type computer;
means for transmitting to the telephone in the form of audio signals denoting the result of processing said request by the host computer which have been converted into audio signals;
a terminal unit-controlling computer installed at the training institution and connected to the host computer through a telephone line; and means for transmitting the state of reservation from the host computer to the reservation display board connected to the terminal unit-controlling computer for display of said state of reservation.