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:
Aug. 13, 1996
Filed:
Oct. 20, 1994
Keiichi Tsunokawa, Tokyo, JP;
Nobuo Suzuki, Tokyo, JP;
Tamura Electric Works, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A public telephone system includes a plurality of public telephone sets and a center apparatus. Each of the public telephone sets includes a reading unit for reading card information recorded in a prepaid card upon insertion of the prepaid card and a first transmitting unit for transmitting the card information read by the reading unit to the center apparatus through a telephone line. The center apparatus includes a database for storing the card information of the prepaid card for each issued card, a collating unit for collating the card information stored in the database with the card information from the first transmitting unit upon insertion of the prepaid card into each public telephone set and allowing speech communication using the prepaid card on the basis of a collation result, a keyboard for setting data for designating a valid period of the prepaid card, and a deleting unit for deleting the card information related to the prepaid card which is expired in the database when the data for designating the valid period of the prepaid card is set by the keyboard.