Methods for cellular pay phone/debit phone support
AssigneeTelefonaktieblaget LM Ericsson
InventorsTomas Lundborg, Benoit Coulombe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A communications system and a method for providing support for at least one cellular pay phone/debit phone are disclosed. The system has cellular controller for providing cellular communication services to the pay phones/debit phones so as to allow the pay phones/debit phones to communicate with other phones. The system calculates a charge rate for a call being made by a pay phone/debit phone and sends the charge rate to the pay phone/debit phone in a message containing a standard air interface message which is being used in a non-standard manner. The message contains information which allows the pay phone/debit phone to determine the charge rate.
Claims28
A communications system which provides support for at least one cellular pay phone/debit phone, comprising:
- cellular control means for providing cellular communication services to said pay phones/debit phones so as to allow the pay phones/debit phones to communicate with other phones;
- means for calculating a charge rate for a call being made by a pay phone/debit phone;
- and
- means for sending said charge rate to said pay phone/debit phone in a standard air interface message which is being used in a non-standard manner and which contains information which allows the pay phone/debit phone to determine the charge rate.
A method for providing cellular pay phone/debit phone support within a cellular system, said cellular system comprising at least one mobile switching center which can be connected to other communication systems and at least one base station controlled by said mobile switching center, comprising the steps of:
- assigning a special category code to each pay phone/debit phone and storing said codes in said mobile switching center;
- directing a call from one of said pay phones/debit phones to a called phone;
- detecting at said mobile switching center when the call is successfully connected to the called phone;
- checking said category code for the pay phone/debit phone making the call;
- and
- sending said charge rate to said pay phone/debit phone in a standard air interface message which is being used in a non-standard manner and which contains information which allows the pay phone/debit phone to determine the charge rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.