Telecommunications booth and method of use
AssigneeTPI Corporation
InventorsRobert H. Hamilton, Thomas J. Doyle, Phillip R. Brooks
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A telecommunications booth providing business travelers a variety of services including telephone, facsimile, and various information options which result in automatic telephone dialing to desired destinations. The various telephonic devices function through a restrictor to access a single public communications channel. The restrictor prevents calls to certain classes of numbers, like 900 numbers. Billing data on the computer may be accessed through a modem.
Claims10
A telecommunications booth responsive to a user with a planar card having data disposed thereon, comprising:
- a housing;
- a card reader supported by said housing for reading the data on said card;
- a preprogrammed computer system supported by said housing and including program means for interacting with said user;
- a telephone coupled to said computer system and supported by said housing;
- a facsimile module coupled to said computer system and supported by said housing;
- a modem coupled to said computer system;
- a public telecommunications channel;
- and
- means for selectively providing communication between said public telecommunications channel and one of said telephone, said facsimile module, and said modem;
- said communication providing means including means for switching connection with said public telecommunications channel to one of said telephone, said facsimile module, and said modem;
- said communication providing means further including means for controlling said switching means through said computer system based on interaction between said user and said program means.
A method of using a telecommunications booth wherein access thereto is controlled, comprising the steps of:
- monitoring a card reader with a preprogrammed computer until a user appropriately presents a planar card having magnetic data disposed thereon;
- reading said magnetic data with said card reader and communicating same to said computer to activate said computer for user interaction;
- executing a main program in response to input from said user who is responding to a selection of information and telecommunications services displayed on a monitor in communication with said computer and, based on interaction between said user and said main program, controlling switching means with said computer to provide communication between a public telecommunications channel and one of a telephone, a facsimile module, and a modem;
- deactivating said computer for user interaction on appropriate input from said user;
- and
- printing with a printer a billing statement, said printer being in communication with said computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.