Patent ID: 6876848

Claim:
A cellular phone which is nonresettable and permanently rendered inoperative after the expiration of a predetermined period of calling time, comprising: (a) a remaining time indicator provided with a preprogrammed, one-time predetermined period of calling time deductible from the cellular phone during cellular communications; and (b) a microprocessor operative to control the operation of the cellular phone and (i) monitor the amount of time remaining of said predetermined period of calling time, (ii) allow the user to initiate and end calls and start and stop the deduction of the calling time so as to allow the user to make an initial call and one or more additional calls without regard to when said initial call was made and until said predetermined period of calling time is used up, and (iii) permanently disable the cellular phone once said one-time predetermined period of calling time has been used up such that the cellular phone is permanently rendered inoperative and incapable of any further use.