Patent ID: 6075553
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: H04M,H04N

Abstract:
A network of audiovisual communication terminals interconnected by a communication medium, wherein the communication medium comprises a virtual private network, and each terminal comprises:a) a monitor system for playing out and receiving voice and picture information, the monitor system including a display screen, the monitor system further including a microphone and video camera for video teleconferencing;b) a card reader adapted to activate the terminal only after reading the balance in an account on a debit card, and further adapted to reduce said balance according to a call duration and a billing rate;c) a communication interface device that conditions, for reception, audiovisual signals from others of said terminals that pass to the monitor system via the communication medium, and that conditions, for transmission, audiovisual signals to be sent to others of said terminals via the communication medium;d) a dial-up device adapted to make contact with at least one specified other of said terminals via said virtual private network;e) a destination database at least of other said terminals, said database including respective billing rates for calls to said other terminals;f) an information-retrieval device adapted, upon request, to retrieve from the destination database information about others of said terminals and, responsive to the retrieved information, to display on the screen a selectable listing of other terminals to which contact may be made;g) a user-activated selection device adapted to automatically direct the dial-up device to make contact with a terminal selected by a user from the displayed listing; andh) a device for calculating a charge from retrieved database billing rate information and from call duration, and for communicating said charge to the card reader so that the account balance on the debit card can be reduced by said charge.