Patent Publication Number: US-2004047457-A1

Title: Dialing apparatus for international prepaid phone card

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1 . Field of the Invention  
       [0002] This invention relates generally to a telephone dialing apparatus, and, more particularly, to a telephone dialing apparatus that can place international phone calls by charging an international prepaid phone card.  
       [0003] 2. Background of the Invention  
       [0004] Due to the advancement of transportation and communication technologies, the spatial separation is no longer affecting the efficiency of communication between people, societies and nations. On the other hand, it largely increased the frequency of mutual activities and communications. Consequently, the development of a business or the job and life of an individual is no longer restricted to confining in one country, but very often, extended to other countries.  
       [0005] Business or individual can immediately interact and communicate with the other side of the world via telephone calls. International phone calls indeed provide a mean for immigrants, foreign students and business travelers to get contact with their families, relatives, friends or colleagues. However, the communication fees of international phone calls are very high, thus, it often prevents the users from talking as much as they want.  
       [0006] Accordingly, the international prepaid phone cards with lower communication fees was invented, the user can easily place international phone calls by following the instructions on the phone card. First, dial the tolls free number of the local company of the prepaid phone card. After the phone call is connected, the company of the prepaid phone card will request the user to select a preferred language code. Usually, the language code contains only one digit, for example, enter “1” if you prefer English. This will determine the kind of language that the user will later hear from the telephone system. Next, in order to verify the validity of the international prepaid phone card, the company of the prepaid phone card will request the user to enter the card number on the phone card. After the company of the prepaid phone card has verified the validity of the card number, it will request the user to dial the phone number that the user wishes to call. If the phone number that the user is calling is not busy, after a while, this call can be connected.  
       [0007] The process of dialing phone calls via international prepaid phone cards is very tedious. This is resulted from the many steps of conversation and confirmation process. Also, the reaction time of each step is not the same. The phone number that the user wishes to call will not be connected provided that the user has pressed a wrong key during the dialing process. Therefore, the well-known dialing method of the international prepaid phone cards is very inconvenient and time consuming.  
       [0008] For this reason, the present invention is intended to solve the problem of how to provide an dialing apparatus which can automatically execute the well-known dialing process of international prepaid phone cards. This apparatus can thus provide the end user with a convenient, time saving and accurate dialing method for international prepaid phone cards and need not to worry about pressing the wrong key while dialing the phone card number or the phone number.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009] Due to the disadvantage of the well-known technology, the primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a dialing apparatus for international prepaid phone cards which can provide the user of the phone card a faster, more convenient and more accurate process of placing international phone calls.  
       [0010] The present invention of a dialing apparatus for international prepaid phone cards, which is suitable for working with a telephone apparatus, can let the user place phone calls by charging the international prepaid phone cards via dialing the telephone apparatus. The dialing apparatus includes: an integrated circuit, and a keyboard unit that is connected with the integrated circuit for users to enter the necessary information of the international prepaid phone cards and at least one set of phone number and stored these information in the memory unit. While the user is placing international calls, the user only needs to press a few keys on the keyboard unit. The dialing process is performed automatically by the integrated circuit based on the information of the prepaid phone card and the phone number that the user wishes to call pre-stored in the memory unit. Therefore, by means of the present invention of a dialing apparatus, the user can rapidly and accurately complete the dialing process without entering a long string of necessary configuration information of the international prepaid phone card and the contact phone number. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011] The technical contents and embodiments of the present invention are illustratively disclosed in detail by the drawings accompanying the description. The contents of these drawings are briefly described as the following:  
     [0012]FIG. 1 is a block diagram, wherein the block diagram of the structure of the present invention of a dialing apparatus for the international prepaid phone cards working with a telephone apparatus is shown.  
     [0013]FIG. 2 is a block diagram, wherein the block diagram of the basic structure of the dialing apparatus for the international prepaid phone cards in FIG. 1 is shown.  
     [0014]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram, which shows the configuration process of entering the necessary information into the dialing apparatus by the user while using the present invention of a dialing apparatus for the international prepaid phone cards for the first time.  
     [0015]FIG. 4 is a data structure diagram, which shows the data stored by the memory unit of the present invention of a dialing apparatus for the international prepaid phone cards. 
    
    
     EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     [0016] In FIG. 1, it shows the block diagram of the structure of the present invention of a dialing apparatus for international prepaid phone cards  1  working with the telephone apparatus  20 . In the drawing, the telephone apparatus  20  indicates the telephone used by the local user, the telephone apparatus  22  is the telephone used by the remote user. These telephone apparatus are normal telephones used at home or in hotel rooms. The telephone apparatus  20  of the local user are connected with the telephone apparatus  22  of the remote user via the telephone switch  21 . Since the telephone apparatus ( 20 ,  22 ) and the telephone switch  21  are the necessary equipment of the normal telephone communication process, the detailed descriptions of their function and internal structure are thus neglected.  
     [0017] In the drawing, the speaker  14  should be placed touching the transmitter of the local telephone apparatus  20  (not shown) while using the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1 . Since the dialing apparatus  1  supports the function of processing DTMF (Dual Tone Multiple Frequency) signals and provides a mean for storing the basic configuration information, including, at least, the tolls free number of the company of the prepaid phone card, the preferred language code, and the card number of the international prepaid phone card, of the international prepaid phone cards, thus, the user is only required to operate the auto-dial function key and the number key representing the international phone number that the user wishes to call provided by the dialing apparatus  1  to dial any international phone number using the international prepaid phone card. Based on the pre-stored basic information and international phone number that the user wishes to call, the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1  produces a corresponding DTMF signal and transforms the DTMF signal to dial tone through the speaker  14  built-in in the dialing apparatus  1 . According to the dial tone signal received from the dialing apparatus  1 , the dialing process is performed on the telephone apparatus  20  of the user.  
     [0018] Therefore, the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1  provides a Speed Dialing function so that the user of international prepaid phone cards can easily, rapidly, and accurately perform the dialing process of international phone calls.  
     [0019] In FIG. 2, it shows the block diagram of the basic structure of the dialing apparatus for international prepaid phone cards  1 . In the drawing, the dialing apparatus  1  includes an integrated circuit  10 , a keyboard unit  11 , a memory unit  12 , a display unit  13  and a speaker  14 .  
     [0020] According to the signal from the keyboard unit  11 , the integrated circuit  10  performs a read-and-write operation and controls the display unit  13  and the speaker  14  to perform the corresponding actions. The integrated circuit, for example, a   (also called MPR, Microcontroller), is the control kernel of the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1 , in which the units of ROM, RAM, CPR and I/O (all not shown) are integrated. Also, the memory unit  12  can be constructed in the RAM of the integrated circuit  10 . The integrated circuit  10  supports the function of processing DTMF sound signals, which evolves the translation method of the original pulse signal to the tone signal. It not only enhanced the speed of translation, but also increased the reliability and the ability of anti-noise.  
     [0021] The keyboard unit  11 , connected with the integrated circuit  10 , which includes at least the number keys from 0 to 9 and the function keys “stop”, “store”, “auto-dial”, and “enter”, provides the user a mean to enter the configuration information of the used international prepaid phone cards and the plurality sets of the international phone numbers that the user wishes to call. The configuration information and the information of the international phone numbers are stored in the memory unit  12  of the integrated circuit. The display unit  13  also shows the information and the international phone numbers entered by the user from the keyboard unit  11  while configuring the apparatus so that the user is prompted whether the numbers are correct or not.  
     [0022] When the user wishes to place an international phone call, it is only necessary to press the “auto-dial” function key on the keyboard unit  11 , then press the number keys corresponding to the telephone number that wishes to call. Based on the pre-stored basic information of the international prepaid phone cards and the very international telephone number that the user wishes to call, the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1  produces a corresponding DTMF signal and translate the DTMF signal to dial tone signal through the speaker  14  so that the telephone apparatus  20  of the local user can easily, rapidly and accurately perform the dialing process of international phone calls according to the dial tone signal received from the speaker of the dialing apparatus  1 . The related configuration flow of entering the necessary information of the international prepaid phone cards and the international telephone numbers that the user wishes to call is disclosed in the following FIG. 3.  
     [0023]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram, which shows the configuration process of entering necessary data into the dialing apparatus  1  while the user uses the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1  for international prepaid phone cards for the first time. First, perform step S 1 , the user sets and stores the tolls free number of the company of the prepaid phone card N 1  via keyboard unit  11 , the process of which includes entering the tolls free number of the company of the prepaid phone card N 1  by pressing the number keys from “0” to “9” via the keyboard unit  11 , the corresponding number is also displayed simultaneously on the display unit  13  while each number key is pressed, next, sequentially enter the “store” function key, the “1” number key, and the “enter” function key, so that the integrated circuit  10  can store the tolls free number of the company of the prepaid phone card N 1 , entered by the user, into the memory unit  12 , and set that tolls free number N 1  as the first data item, and then proceed to step S 2 .  
     [0024] In step S 2 , the user sets and stores the required processing time T1 for the telephone switch  21  to connect the tolls free number N 1 , the process of which includes pressing the “stop” function key on the keyboard unit  11 , wherein pressing once means to stop for 1 second, and pressing twice means to stop for 2 seconds, etc, the total amount of times the “stop” function key is pressed is also displayed on the display unit  13 , which represents the processing time T1, next, the integrated circuit  10  stores the total number of times the “stop” function key is pressed (i.e. the process time T1) into the memory unit  12 , and proceed to step S 3 .  
     [0025] In step S 3 , the user sets and stores the language code N 2  corresponding to one of the languages of the voice system provided by the company of the prepaid phone card that the user prefers to use via keyboard unit  11 , the process of which includes entering the language code N 2  of the selected language by pressing the number keys from “0” to “9” on the keyboard unit  11 , the corresponding number is also displayed simultaneously on the display unit  13  while the number key of the code is pressed, next, sequentially enter the “store” function key, the “2” number key and the “enter” function key provided by the keyboard unit  11 , so that the integrated circuit  10  can store the language code N 2  corresponding to one of the languages of the voice system provided by the company of the prepaid phone card into memory unit  12 , and store the language code N 2  as the second data item, and proceed to step S 4 .  
     [0026] In step S 4 , the user sets and stores and amount of time T2 that is required for conversing with the system of the company of the prepaid phone card while selecting a language via the keyboard unit  11 , the process of which includes pressing the “stop” function key on the keyboard unit  11 , wherein pressing once means to stop for 1 second, and pressing twice means to stop for 2 seconds, etc, the total amount of times the “stop” function key is pressed is also displayed on the display unit  13 , which represents the processing time T2, next, the integrated circuit  10  stores the total number of times the “stop” function key is pressed (i.e. the process time T2) into the memory unit  12 , and proceed to step S 5 .  
     [0027] In step S 5 , the user sets and stores the card number N 3  of the international prepaid phone card that is used via keyboard unit  11 , the process of which includes entering the card number N 3  of the international prepaid phone card by pressing the number keys from “0” to “9” on the keyboard unit  11 , the corresponding card number is also displayed simultaneously on the display unit  13  while the number keys are pressed, next, sequentially enter the “store” function key, the “3” number key and the “enter” function key provided by the keyboard unit  11 , so that the integrated circuit  10  can store the card number of the international prepaid phone card N 3  into memory unit  12 , and store the card number N 3  as the third data item, and proceed to step S 6 .  
     [0028] In step S 6 , the user sets and stores and amount of time T3 that is required for comparing the entered card number of the prepaid phone card with the number stored in the database of the company of the prepaid phone card via the keyboard unit  11 , the process of which includes pressing the “stop” function key on the keyboard unit  11 , wherein pressing once means to stop for 1 second, and pressing twice means to stop for 2 seconds, etc, the total amount of times the “stop” function key is pressed is also displayed on the display unit  13 , which represents the processing time T3, next, the integrated circuit  10  stores the total number of times the “stop” function key is pressed (i.e. the process time T3) into the memory unit  12 , and proceed to step S 7 .  
     [0029] In step S 7 , the user sets and stores the international phone number N 4  that the user wishes to call via keyboard unit  11 , the process of which includes entering the international phone number N 4  that the user wishes to call by pressing the number keys from “0” to “9” on the keyboard unit  11 , the international phone number is also displayed simultaneously on the display unit  13  while the corresponding number keys are pressed, next, sequentially enter the “store” function key, the “4” number key and the “enter” function key provided by the keyboard unit  11 , so that the integrated circuit  10  can store the international phone number N 4  into memory unit  12 , and store the international phone number N 4  as the fourth data item, and completes the initial configuration process.  
     [0030] After the initial configuration process is completed, one can perform step S 7  described above if the user wishes to add another set of international phone number into the system. The process of such an addition includes entering the international phone number N 5  by pressing the number keys from “0” to “9” on the keyboard unit  11 , the international phone number is also displayed simultaneously on the display unit  13  while the corresponding number keys are pressed, next, sequentially enter the “store” function key, the “5” number key and the “enter” function key provided by the keyboard unit  11 , so that the integrated circuit  10  can store the international phone number N 5  into memory unit  12 , and store the international phone number N 5  as the fifth data item. Therefore, the newly added international phone numbers start from the fifth data item.  
     [0031] In FIG. 4, it shows the data stored in the memory unit  12  of the present invention of a dialing apparatus for the international prepaid phone cards. Based on the steps for entering the basic configuration information and the steps for adding plurality of international phone numbers illustrated in FIG. 3, the information stored in the memory unit  12  includes: the number information of the tolls free number N 1  of the company of the prepaid phone card, the language code N 2  corresponding to one of the languages of the voice system provided by the company of the prepaid phone card, the card number N 3  of the international prepaid phone card that is used, and the initially configured international phone number N 4  that the user wishes to call; the time information of the processing (stop) time T1 for connecting the tolls free number N 1  of the company of the prepaid phone card, the processing (stop) time T2 for conversing with the system of the company of the prepaid phone card while selecting a preferred language, and the processing (stop) time T3 for comparing the card number of the prepaid phone card with the number stored in the database of the company of the prepaid phone card; and the plurality of the additional phone numbers (N 5 , N 6 , . . . , Nn).  
     [0032] After the initial configuration or the addition of an international phone number is completed, the user can dial any of the international phone number pre-stored in the memory unit  12  by pressing only three keys, the sequential process of which includes: press the “auto dial” function key on the keyboard unit  11 , press the number key from “0” to “9” on the keyboard unit  11  that corresponds to the international phone number the user wishes to call (e.g. number key “4” corresponds to the first set of international phone number N 4 , number key “5” corresponds to the second set of international phone number N 5 , etc.), and press the “enter” function key on the keyboard unit  11 . Next, the integrate circuit  10  will read sequentially the tolls free number N 1  of the company of the prepaid phone card, the required processing (stop) time T1 for connecting the tolls free number N 1 , the language code N 2 , the required processing (stop time) T2 for conversing with the system of the company of the prepaid phone card while selecting a preferred language, the card number N 3  of the international prepaid phone card, the required processing (stop) time T3 for comparing the card number of the international prepaid phone card with the number stored in the database of the company of the prepaid phone card and the first set of international phone number that the user wishes to call pre-stored in the memory unit  12 , and generate the corresponding voice signal based on the number and time information by means of the DTMF signal processing function and transmit the voice signal to the speaker  14 . The transmitter of the local telephone apparatus  20  (not shown) can thus receive the voice signal generated from the speaker  14 , so that the telephone switch  21  can automatically execute the dialing procedure for international phone calls based on the received continuous voice signals.  
     [0033] In summary, the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1  for international prepaid phone cards stores the long string of tolls free number N 1 , language selection code, card number of the prepaid phone card and the plurality of international phone numbers in the memory unit  12 , thus, according to the embodiments described above, the dialing process for international prepaid phone cards can be completed rapidly and accurately by simply pressing three keys. The processing (stop) time can also be inserted according to the data inputted. In addition, while the fare of the purchased international prepaid phone card has used up, there is no need to enter the long string of data or the plurality of phone numbers again, but to execute the configuration process of step S 5  in FIG. 3, provided that the new prepaid phone card is purchased from the same company. On the contrary, it is only necessary to execute the configuration process of steps S 1  to S 6  but do not need to enter again the plurality of phone numbers provided that the prepaid phone card is purchased from a different company. Consequently, unlike the well known method of dialing international phone calls through the international prepaid phone cards, the present invention can simplify the input procedure to prevent the input error from happening and can avoid the inconvenience of inputting long strings of data. Therefore, the present invention of a dialing apparatus of the international prepaid phone cards is much more advanced and practical than the present art.  
     [0034] Moreover, the dialing function provided by the dialing apparatus  1  may also be integrated into a portable wireless communication device such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pocket PC, or an IA device. One only needs to construct each of the units as described in FIG. 2 in the aforementioned wireless communication devices and the dialing procedure for placing international phone calls may thus be rapidly, conveniently and accurately completed.  
     [0035] The particular embodiments disclosed above are only the illustrations of the features and functions, but not limited to the applicable category, of the present invention. For example, the processing (stop) time (T1, T2, and T3) of the present invention can be configured not only by the user, but also automatically adjusted by the actual processing (waiting) time by the dialing apparatus  1 . Furthermore, since the units of ROM, RAM, CPU and I/O (all not shown) can all be integrated into the integrated circuit  10 , the memory unit  12  of the dialing apparatus  1  can be constructed in the integrated circuit  10 . All the information in the memory unit  12  can be pre-stored in the RAM of the integrated circuit  10 . Moreover, the completion of dialing an international phone call by simply pressing three keys of the present invention of a dialing apparatus  1  can also be realized by pressing other keys, it depends on each particular embodiment. Despite using an international prepaid phone card, the present invention may also be applied to placing long-distance and international phone calls by using a credit card. Besides, the principle and mechanism of dialing described above used for placing long-distance and international phone calls via both cellular phone and normal telephone apparatus is considered under the scope of the following claims. Therefore, it is evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations benefited from the present invention are considered with the scope and spirit of the invention covered under the following claims.