AU704431B3

AU704431B3 - Telephone communication apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU704431B3
Application number: AU79904/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Taleb Ibrahim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-08-11
Filing date: 1998-08-11
Publication date: 1999-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2000-05-20

Description

I

TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION

APPARATUS

The present invention relates to telephone communication systems and, in particular, to a security access and billing apparatus for a telephone communication system for both commercial and private use.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Access and security to telephone communication systems is a long felt need with respect commercial and private users of a network. For example in a commercial situation in a •company, an organisation or the like, basically all the telephone handsets are connected to the network and are able to be used with no requirement that the user is authorised or not.

One form of security of access to the network is to bar certain numbers from being connected to that handset, such as long distance or international numbers, however this is does not require the user to identify themselves to the network.

In private telephone user situations, similar security of access to the network can also be implemented but once again such a blanket bar does not discriminate between potential S- 15 users of the handset connection to the network. Likewise there is no provision to provide individual billing accounts to various potential users of the connection to the network using that particular line and handset.

oe°•.i Therefore it is believed that there is a need to have a security access and billing apparatus for a telephone communication system which is able to used to discriminate between users of the system such that access can be controlled as well as providing a new form of billing arrangement.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a security access and billing apparatus for a telephone communication system which substantially overcomes or ameliorates the above mentioned problems. At the very least the invention provides an alternative to presently known telephone communication systems.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a security access and billing apparatus for a telephone communication system, said apparatus comprising a security access code input means associated with a handset of the telephone communication system, wherein a security access code is required to be input to the telephone communication system via the input means prior to a line being established on said handset.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of operating a telephone communication system, said method comprising the steps of a •Ii •inputting a security access code into a handset of the telephone communication system via S" 10 an input means associated with, and establishing a line when a valid security access code has •been received.

Preferably, the security access code is also a billing code or user identification code and accordingly the calls made by the user inputting the security access code is billed accordingly. In one preferred form, the security access code and hence its billing code or user identification code is able to be used to access more than one telephone handset on the telephone communication system.

°i In another preferred form of the invention, the security access code is used to access a omessage retrieval system on the telephone communication system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a security access and billing apparatus for a telephone communication system, and Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the apparatus of the present invention.

3 BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A telephone handset 10 is illustrated in the drawings. The handset 10 is similar to a conventional handset except that it has a switch 11 which is operated by inputting a security access code into the handset 10 to activate a line on the telephone network.

In the preferred embodiment, the security access code is input to the handset via a bar code reader 12 located in the handset 10. Naturally the bar code reader can be connected to the handset 10 in any suitable way by means of cabling and the like. The bar code reader 12 operates in the usual way in that a tag is inserted into the reader with a bar code on it which :i is read by the reader 12. When the code is successfully read, the reader 12 determines 10 whether the security code is a valid code and whether the user can operate the handset or not. A pin number can also be required to be input on the key pad of the handset 10 as a secondary form of security in the case of lost or stolen tags.

Other forms of entering the required security access code to the handset are within the scope of the present invention. These forms include but are not limited to key pad entry, card swiping, and other electronic reading means.

The operation can be simply arranged on the individual handset 10 or as in the preferred embodiment, the security access code is read and sent to the network supplier in that each a individual who has a security access code for the whole network. This means that each user can use any handset 10 which is so arranged on the network and each call that is made using their security access code on any handset in the network is billed to that user.

In this form of the invention, the first use of the bar code reader supplies a user identification to the network which then requires a pin number to be inserted. The apparatus can also be used to receive messages from the network and/or messages from an answering service.

The present invention finds itself useful where there are more than one user of a telephone handset or telephone line account. Each user can therefore be individually billed or alternatively their individual use can be shown on the billing account.

The apparatus of the present invention also finds use in commercial situations in offices or the like where each individual user's use of the network can be monitored on all handsets in the office.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, the handset can have an alphanumeric display for written messages to be received. Other features include an answering machine device, in-built calculator, modem, scanner etc. The apparatus of the present invention can be used in respect of public telephones as well as pre-paid access accounts where the individual's access and use can br pre-paid. The apparatus can also provide a receipt for public telephone calls as desired.

Claims

1. A method of operating a security access and billing apparatus for a telephone communication system, said method comprising the steps of inputting a security access code into a security access bar code reader associated with a handset of an individual telephone unit connected to the telephone communication system, establishing a line connection when a valid security access code has been received, and billing each user of the telephone unit wherein the security access code is also a billing code or user identification code and accordingly the calls made by the user inputting the security access code is billed accordingly. ego• eo*. 10 DATED this EIGHTH day of MARCH 1999 5 TALEB IBRAHIM •Patent Attorneys for the Applicant WILSON YOUNG o* C g e