Transactional telecommunication system

Abstract

A transactional system serves subscribers in a plurality of localities, and includes a national data base having a plurality of groups of addressed segments of data storage. Each group stores data pertaining to an associated locality, and each group is addressed by a locality number. There are provided a plurality of access-number addressed segments of data storage, and a device for linking the access-number addressed segments of data storage to the groups of locality-number addressed segments of data storage. At least one locality includes a plurality of sublocalities, and each locality number has a predetermined number of digits signifying the respective locality, and at least one additional digit for identifying the sub-locality; the latter may identify the zip code number. The groups of addressed segments of data storage preferably include classified ad sections. The linking device includes an apparatus for retrieving the subscriber zip code from the zip code addressed segments of data storage, a device for counting the number of ads in addressed segments of data storage, and a device for transmitting to a subscriber controlled data access unit the counted ads. The subscriber controlled data access unit includes a plurality of subscriber units, each having a locality number corresponding to its geographic location. Each subscriber has an access number, a device for transmitting the access number to the national data base, a display for displaying locality data, and a device for the national data base to receive and process the access-numbers.