Telephone travel card system under the control of its customers

ABSTRACT

A telephone system for travel card users where the users may program a switch processor so that it completes, re-routes, or refuses to complete calls as predetermined by the customer. Data is captured as it is transferred from the switching module to an internal buffer and is fed through a digital communications path and an analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter to a switching station computer. The switching station computer is in communication with a data storage server computer and the data storage server computer is in communication with remote telephones and with computers and facsimile machines in remote customers' offices. The switching station computer is thus programmable by the customer and incoming calls are handled as predetermined by the customer. A voice response device provides verbal communication between the system and its users. The system enables its users to defeat or limit travel card fraud, to receive billing information on a real time or other preselected basis, and to gain miscellaneous business advantages from creative control of the switch processor.

References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Current U.S. Class:		379/88.19; 379/91.02; 379/114.14; 379/196; 379/197
Intern'l Class:		H04M 015/02
Field of Search:		379/196,197,189,188,112,144,34,91,67,100,59,63
4777646	Oct 1988	Harris	379/91
4799255	Jan 1989	Billinger et al	379/189
4853952	Aug 1989	Jacmann et al	379/88
4935956	Jun 1990	Hellwarth et al	379/112
4964156	Oct 1990	Blair	379/112
5003584	Mar 1991	Benyacar et al	379/119
5023868	Jun 1991	Davidson et al	379/62
5036533	Jul 1991	Carter it al	379/59
5068891	Nov 1991	Marshall	379/91
5109405	Apr 1992	Morganstein	379/94
5163086	Nov 1992	Ahearn et al	379/91
5193110	Mar 1993	Jones et al	379/94
5204894	Apr 1993	Darden	379/88
5222120	Jun 1993	McLeod et al	379/88
5222125	Jun 1993	Creswell et al	379/67
5241586	Aug 1993	Wilson et al	379/88
5375161	Dec 1994	Fuller et al	379/57
5440621	Aug 1995	Castro	379/144
Foreign Patent Documents
WO90/15496	Dec 1990	WO	379/144

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:

1. A telephone system of a type controllable by travel cards, comprising:

a switching station including a switch processor capable of receiving call data from at least one dial-up communication source and a switching computer means capable of processing call data;

said switching computer means controlling said switch processor;

communication means capable of capturing call data received by said switch processor, said call data including automatic number identification and a personal identification number;

said communication means capturing call data at front side of the call data received by the switch processor and supplying said call data to the switching computer means, and capable of supplying processed data from switching computer means to the switching station;

said switching computer means capable of obtaining data for at least one parameter related to a travel card in addition to said call data for the switching computer means to act upon in processing call data and determining from said data from the front side of the call data and additional parameter whether the attempted call is placed by a caller in good standing in accordance with parameters for the travel card;

said switching computer means capable of disallowing completion of a call through the switching station if determined from processing of call data and additional parameter by the switching computer means that the call is not placed by a caller in good standing; and

said switching computer means capable of interrupting and terminating said call in progress through the switch processor if said switching computer means determines by data processing that the available account status of the travel card has been reached during the call.

2. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, further comprising a voice response device in electrical communication with said switch processor and said switching computer means, and capable of being in communication with at least one remote telephone, said voice response device with said switching computer means providing at least one of the following: to deliver a message to a caller using a travel card to make a call through the telephone system, to prevent a caller using a travel card to make a call through the telephone system, to leave a message for at least one subsequent caller using a travel card to make a call through the telephone system, and to permit a caller using a travel card to make a call through the telephone system to be automatically rerouted to a call number supplied to the system by a travel card customer.

3. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, further comprising a data storage server computer means in dial-up communication from at least one telephone and capable of providing accessibility to permit travel card customers to supply changes to the additional parameters in the switching computer means to act upon in processing call data from at least one selected travel card of the telephone system.

4. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 3, further comprising a monitoring computer means capable of storing customer billing information and providing through the data storage server means to a travel card customer billing information at any time through a computer or facsimile machine of the customer.

5. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, wherein said switching computer means performs a dual use test and directs the switching station through the communication means to prevent completion of an attempted call if by use of a personal identification number that is already in use within the telephone system.

6. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, wherein said switch computer means performs a geographical impossibility determination and directs the switching station through the communication means to prevent completion of an attempted call if a call is attempted using a travel card from a location indicated by the call data of the attempted call such that a caller would not have been able to travel to in the time between the call and an immediately preceding call using the same personal identification number of the travel card used in making the call.

7. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, wherein said switch computer means performs a repeated failed attempts determination and directs the switching station through the communication means to prevent repeated attempts to enter the telephone system from a particular dial-up communication source by using a series of invalid personal identification numbers within a predetermined period of time.

8. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, further comprising monitoring computer means electrically connected to said switching computer means and capable of storing call data, and a data storage server means electrically connected to the monitoring computer means and capable of access by travel card customers of the telephone system to provide current billing information to travel card customers.

9. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 8, wherein said data storage server means further enables a travel card customer of the telephone system to obtain a printed copy of said customer's current billing information through a customer's facsimile machine or computer.

10. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, further comprising a voice response means being capable of communication with said switching computer means and in dial-up communication with callers to the telephone system, and capable of providing an oral report of current account status to travel card users.

11. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 10, wherein the voice response means enables a customer of the system to leave an oral message in said voice response means so that at least one later travel card caller to the telephone system can hear said oral message.

12. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, wherein said switching computer means is capable of rerouting calls by travel card users to the telephone system in accordance with an additional parameter supplied by travel card customers.

13. The telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1, further comprising a voice response means connected to said switching computer means and capable of dial-up communication with customers so that a travel card customer can change the additional parameters supplied to the switching computer means.

14. A telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1 wherein the switching computer means determines from the call data and the data of the additional parameter at least one of the following for the switching station to act upon in processing call data: account balance status of the travel card at the beginning and during calls in progress, individual use test of the same personal identification number, geographically impossible calling with the same personal identification number, and unauthorized calling by the travel card user.

15. A telephone system of the type controllable by travel card's as described in claim 1 wherein the switching station includes in addition an internal buffer capable of at least temporarily storing call data received by the switch processor, a conductor means capable of providing electrical communication of call data from the switch processor to the buffer, and said communication means captures call data transparent to call data transfer from the switch processor to the internal buffer.

16. A telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 15 wherein said communication means is electrically connected to such conductor means.

17. A method of handling telephone calls by use of travel cards, comprising the steps of:

providing a switching station including a switch processor for receiving call data from at least one source capable of dial-up communication with said switch processor by use of a travel card and a switching computer means for processing call data received by said switch processor;

capturing call data received by said switch processor, said call data transmitted at dial-up including automatic number identification and a personal identification number;

delivering at least some captured data to said switching computer means;

supplying to said switch computer means at least one additional parameter related to the travel card to determine good standing;

processing in the switching computer means call data in relation to the received additional parameter data to determine if calls are placed and continued in good standing;

preventing connection of telephone calls if validation determines the call is not made by caller in good standing; and

preventing continuation of telephone calls if validation determines the call is not continuing in good standing.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the additional steps of a travel card customer controlling selection of the additional parameters received by the switching computer means including deactivating personal identification numbers; and providing a dial-up connection capability between a remote telephone and a voice response means so that a caller may activate said voice response means and may receive messages from said voice response means.

19. A telephone system of the type controllable by travel cards as described in claim 1 wherein the communication means includes a port in the switch processor.