Patent ID: 6061580
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: B29C,B29L,H04M

Abstract:
A disposable wireless telephone capable of use for telephonic communication by a user only during a limited period, after which period the telephone is rendered incapable of use and is discarded, the telephone comprising:telephonic means within the telephone itself for transmitting and receiving telephonic communications, the telephonic means including a call destination selector for selecting the destination of a telephonic communication, the destination being selected from different rate destinations;enabling/disabling means within the telephone itself for enabling the telephonic means for telephonic communications during the limited period and rendering the telephone incapable of use upon expiration of the limited period;selective operating means within the telephone itself for operating the telephonic means for telephonic communications of selected durations;the enabling/disabling means including setting means within the telephone itself for setting a predetermined maximum duration of the limited period prior to delivery of the telephone to the user, and disabling means within the telephone itself and responsive to the selective operating means for rendering the telephone incapable of use in response to the sum of the selected durations reaching the duration of the limited period; andtamper deterrent means within the telephone itself for precluding access to the setting means for any alteration of the predetermined maximum duration of the limited period once the setting means has been set so as to preclude any resetting of the predetermined maximum duration of the limited period subsequent to delivery of the telephone to the user such that the telephone itself is rendered incapable of use beyond the limited period and is capable of being discarded;the setting means including rate code means responsive to the call destination selector for operating the setting means at a rate determined by the selected destination of the telephonic communication to vary the duration of the limited period, up to the predetermined maximum duration, in accordance with the selected destination of the telephonic communication so as to enable telephonic communications to different rate destinations during the duration of the limited period;the telephonic means comprising telephonic circuitry enabling the transmitting and receiving of telephonic communication only for telephonic communications initiated at the disposable wireless telephone.