Computer and telephone apparatus with user friendly computer interface and enhanced integrity features

US5195130A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Transaction Technology, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Lawrence D. Weiss · Skaneateles, US
• Joseph C. Kawan · West Hollywood, US
• Leslie Roth · Plainview, US
• Jim R. Vollmer · Culver City, US
• Morris L. Tucci · San Fernando, US
• Melvin M. Takata · Thousand Oaks, US
• Alfred S. Samulon · Malibu, US
• Dilip Parekh · Los Angeles, US
• Sarkis A. Meguerdijian · Glendale, US
• Harvey Marks · Calabasas, US
• Shan Lee · Taipei, TW
• Douglas W. Caruthers · San Juan Capistrano, US
• Leo Ahlin · Vaughan, CA
• Leslie Moss · Los Angeles, US
• Kenneth Krieger · Northport, US
• Carol A. Medine · Los Angeles, US
• Truc Nguyen · San Diego, US
• Marjorie Engber · New York, US
• Edward Chin · Newtown Square, US
• Lucilla Warren · Lompoc, US
• Joseph P. Randolph · Winchester, US
• Robert Haddock · Cliffside Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 5, 1990
• Grant date: Mar 16, 1993
• Expiry date: Oct 5, 2010

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02A90/10
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention relates to a telephone configured as a programmable microcomputer (telephone-computer) which operates in most circumstances through a standard telephone 12-key keypad input. The telephone-computer includes telephone electronics and a microprocessor unit operated in conjunction with other computer elements, including memory devices, and a programmable gate array (PGA) chip and enhanced integrity features, and has the overall appearance of a telephone. The PGA has the capability of being reconfigured to accommodate various types of softwares which require different hardware configuration, but without actually reconfiguring the hardware. The telephone-computer delivers data processing capabilities and services through an ordinary telephone instrument via conventional telephone lines with a network host computer which communicates with a vast panoply of service bureaus. Specifically, operating software is downloaded to the telephone-computer by the network host computer to reconfigure the PGA to format the microcomputer necessary to conform to the software format used by the service bureaus.