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:
Dec. 12, 1995
Filed:
Jun. 22, 1993
Lawrence R Biggs, Jr, Plano, TX (US);
Harry S Budow, Plano, TX (US);
Spectradyne, Inc., Richardson, TX (US);
Abstract
System for enabling user access to and payment for amenities using a telephone is disclosed, The system includes a telephone for entering billing and amenity identification information connected to a central distribution computer for storing and processing entered billing and amenity selection information to facilitate payment for and presentation of the selected amenity, A pay-per-view system is connected to the central distribution computer for displaying the amenity, The central distribution computer comprises a store-and-forward switch connectable to the telephone for storing and processing the entered information and for issuing audio user prompts via the phone and a graphics circuit for generating graphic user prompts and/or amenity promotional information via the pay-per-view system. The user prompts are generated in response to the processing and are used to assist the user in selecting and paying for an amenity, A billing data base is connected to the central distribution computer for validating entered billing information entered and returning an authorization signal to the central distribution computer, The central distribution computer may also be connected to a computerized property management system for storing billing information based on an unique identification code of the amenity location of the telephone and to a telecommunications network for enabling access to remote billing services and remote amenities.