Controller for a coin telephone set

US4567325A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• AT&T Technologies Incorporated · US
• AT&T Bell Laboratories · US

Inventors

• Paul E. Crouch · Freehold, US
• Joseph J. Nahas · Austin, US
• Howard Ng · Kingston, CA

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 1983
• Grant date: Jan 28, 1986
• Expiry date: Dec 30, 2003

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M17/023
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A microcomputer controlled coin telephone set prevents coin call fraud and also checks the operational readiness of the telephone set to prevent the acceptance of coins into a hopper for later collection by a coin box unless or until the set is fully functional. Capable of being interrogated remotely, a local memory is used for storing coin deposit information and generating coin deposit signals in order of deposit to a central office. In those instances where the line power drops below that necessary for full operation as a coin telephone, low power sensing circuits convert the telephone to the POTS mode which allows speech and dialing capabilities. Similarly, any type of chute failure, or a full hopper causes the telephone to revert to the POTS mode. While in the POTS mode, any coins deposited in the telephone are returned to the customer.