US 5,327,482 AGranted

Public cordless telephone system with coin/card insertion inhibiting means

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

InventorKazuo Yamamoto

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A public cordless telephone system which comprises abase unit and a branch unit connected to the base unit through a radio link to be used by many unspecified persons. The public cordless telephone system comprises a base unit connected to a public line network, a charger provided integrally with the base unit or separately therefrom, and at least one branch unit connected with the base unit through the radio link and having a battery as a power source, and removably mounted to the charger for charging the battery when mounted on the charger. The system detects the charge in the battery of the branch unit when the branch unit is mounted to the charger, and inhibits use of the branch unit when the remaining charge is insufficient to make a call. The system further includes a theft detection function that continuously transmits a theft signal from the branch unit until the battery of the branch unit is exhausted.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A public cordless telephone system comprising:

a base unit connected to a public line network;
at least one branch unit, having a battery for supplying power to the branch unit, for transmitting a call-origination signal to the public line network through the base unit;
a charger, connected to the base unit, for charging the battery of the branch unit;
radio link establishing means for establishing a radio link between the base unit and the branch unit;
calling enable means for, when a predetermined calling condition is satisfied, controlling the radio link establishing means to establish the radio link between the base unit and the branch unit and for enabling the transmission of the call-origination signal from the branch unit through the base unit to the public line network, wherein the calling enable means includes:
coin receiving means connected to the base unit for receiving a coin, and
means for enabling calling by the branch unit when a predetermined monetary amount is received by the coin receiving means;
charging means for charging a fee for a call placed through the public line network resulting from the call-origination signal enabled by the calling enable means;
detection means for detecting a charged state of the battery of the branch unit when the branch unit is mounted to the charger;
and
coin reception inhibiting means for inhibiting reception of the coin in the coin receiving means when the detection means detects that the charged state of the battery of the branch unit is insufficient to make a call.

8 more elements

A public cordless telephone system comprising:

a base unit connected to a public line network;
at least one branch unit, having a battery for supplying power to the branch unit, for transmitting a call-origination signal to the public line network through the base unit;
a charger, connected to the base unit, for charging the battery of the branch unit;
radio link establishing means for establishing a radio link between the base unit and the branch unit;
calling enable means for, when a predetermined calling condition is satisfied, controlling the radio link establishing means to establish the radio link between the base unit and the branch unit and enabling the transmission of the call-origination signal from the branch unit through the base unit to the public line network, wherein the calling enable means includes:
card insertion means for inserting a card on which predetermined data is recorded,
reading means for reading necessary data from the card inserted in the card insertion means, and
means for enabling calling by the branch unit on the basis of the card data read by the reading means;
charging means for charging a fee for a call placed through the public line network resulting from the call-origination signal enabled by the calling enable means;
detection means for detecting a charged state of the battery of the branch unit when the branch unit is mounted to the charger;
and
card insertion inhibiting means for inhibiting insertion of the card into the card insertion means when the detection means detects that the charged state of the battery of the branch unit is insufficient to make a call.

9 more elements

A public cordless telephone system comprising:

a base unit connected to a public line network;
at least one branch unit, having a battery for supplying power to the branch unit, for transmitting a call-origination signal to the public line network through the base unit;
a charger, connected to the base unit, for charging the battery of the branch unit;
radio link establishing means for establishing a radio link between the base unit and the branch unit;
calling enable means for, when a predetermined calling condition is satisfied, controlling the radio link establishing means to establish the radio link between the base unit and the branch unit and enabling the transmission of the call-origination signal from the branch unit through the base unit to the public line network;
charging means for charging a fee for a call placed through the public line network resulting from the call-origination signal enabled by the calling enable means;
detection means for detecting a charged state of the battery of the branch unit when the branch unit is mounted to the charger;
and
branch-unit dismount inhibiting means for inhibiting dismounting of the branch unit from the charger when the detection means detects that the charged state of the battery of the branch unit is insufficient to make a call.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/909,998Filed 7 Jul 1992
Priority: JP 3-1671808 Jul 1991
Granted: 5 Jul 1994
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04M 19/08
Current supply arrangements for telephone systems: with current supply sources at the substations
H04M 1/675
By electronic means: the user being required to insert a coded card, e.g. a smart card carrying an integrated circuit chip
H04M 1/72505
With one base station connected to a single line: radio link set-up procedures
H04M 17/02
Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems: coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g.…