The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 06, 1993
Filed:
Sep. 04, 1992
Nandakishore A Albal, Pataskala, OH (US);
Anit M Patel, Pickerington, OH (US);
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
Apparatus for enabling a telephone network to establish connections between calling and called telephones in accordance with called telephone numbers identified with ones of a plurality of calling party credit cards. The apparatus is connected by data links with data bases maintained by each of the credit card companies and each credit card company is identified by a credit card number received from a calling party. The received credit card number is transmitted over a data link to a data base maintained by a credit card company identified as having issued a credit card assigned the received credit card number for an on-line determination of the calling party credit card. The data links are monitored and the telephone network is controlled to transmit an announcement to calling parties using credit cards issued by a credit card company maintaining a data base when there is a malfunction of a data link between the telephone network and the identified credit card company data base or if the credit card is identified as invalid.