A method and a device for telecommunication

The invention relates to a method of transmitting and paying for a telephone conversation and to a device for realizing this method.

Currently, pay-per-call calls without manual support only allow the subscriber calling another subscriber. In addition, telephone companies provide for the possibility that manual calling may result in a charge to the called subscriber. In Sweden, moreover, the called subscriber may pay for the call without having to use manual service, provided that the subscriber has a so-called number 020.

A known method of transmitting and paying for a telephone call is described in U.S. Pat. 5,333,186 A, where a sponsored telephone call can be executed, for example, using a number prefix. The sponsor is then fully or partially paid for by the sponsor under certain conditions such as repetition of commercial communications or time-limited conversations.

Also known is a telephone system used for delivering advertising messages, as described in WO No. 9,106,187 Al, where a subscriber can make a free call using a green number, then connects with the reporter through whom the call is directed to the second subscriber. A promo message is repeated before the call is diverted. The conversation is interrupted from time to time and a banner or slogan is put on the line.

Also known is the technical solution described in U.S. Pat. 4,850,007 A, when providing telephone services with advertising, similar to the technical solutions described above.

The disadvantage of the technical solutions described above is that they do not allow the transmission of different information to different subscribers in the same connection, nor is it possible for a third party to pay for a telephone connection.

The invention relates to a method of telecommunication and to a device enabling a third party to pay for a call between two subscribers without the need for manual service, namely, a method of transmitting a telephone call and billing the first subscriber's telephone to a standard telephone network. different from what is known in that the first subscriber dials the prefix number before dialing the subscriber number, which connects it to the third subscriber and also the subscriber number which connects to the second subscriber; wherein the number-prefix causes the telephone network to make a telephone connection to the telephone network with a third party subscriber unit connected to the telephone network and also forcing the computer unit to forward the call to said second subscriber by connecting said first subscriber to said second subscriber; and thus finding said number-prefix on the communication network allows the communication network to bill the call between the first subscriber and the second subscriber to the subscriber's fee (subscriber account) of the third subscriber.

The invention also relates to a device having a first subscriber telephone connected to a second subscriber telephone via a standard telephone network having a computer unit connected to a third subscriber telephone and connected to a telephone network, the computer unit being adapted to find a number prefix dialed the first subscriber, followed by the subscriber number, which is forwarded to the third subscriber, and the computer unit is arranged such that, upon recognition of the number, a prefix, forward the telephone call to the subscriber whose number was dialed first after the prefix number followed by the number of the second subscriber. The computer unit is adapted to transmit information between the first and second subscribers at predetermined time intervals, and the various contents are transmitted to the first and second subscribers, respectively, if the first subscriber's and second subscriber's phones are in different locations.

The invention will now be explained in more detail by reference to individual embodiments, a method of telephone communication, and a device.

The drawing is a block diagram of a telephone device illustrating a telephone device.

The invention also relates to the transmission and payment for a telephone call, wherein the telephone of the first subscriber is connected to the telephone of the second subscriber via a standard telephone network. A standard telephone network can be a public telephone network as well as a mobile telephone network.

In accordance with the present invention, the telephone call is made by the first subscriber dialing a mandatory number, the prefix, then the subscriber number, such as 333 333, which goes to the third subscriber, and further dialing the subscriber number, which goes to the second subscriber, e.g. . According to one embodiment of the present invention, dialing a telephone number first dials the first subscriber number, the prefix, followed by 333 333, thereby connecting the first subscriber to the third subscriber.In a merger, the first subscriber dials 222 222 to a second subscriber. In one alternative embodiment of the present invention, the first subscriber dials a prefix number and then dials 333 333 and 222 222, dialing the signal to the third subscriber, and then connecting the call to the second subscriber.

Number - A number called a prefix, such as 030 or any other appropriate number. Thus, in the latter alternative, the first subscriber will dial 030 333 333 222 222.

Number - The prefix forces the telephone network to connect the signal through the network to a computer unit belonging to a third party number 333 333 which is connected to the telephone network. The number prefix also forces the computer unit to transmit a signal through the computer unit to a second subscriber having a number 222 222, thereby connecting the first and second subscribers. In addition, the last mentioned connection is received so that it takes place through a third subscriber.

A telephone network, such as a telephone switching center in a telecommunication telephone station, is conditioned to find a number prefix, for example, in the same way as a number prefix 020 is found in Sweden. The discovery of a number prefix in a telephone network entails that payment for a telephone call between the first subscriber and the second subscriber is transferred to the third subscriber by switching it to the subscriber's subscription fee.

In this way, the first subscriber is connected to the second subscriber via a third subscriber so that the third subscriber pays the telephone bill.

The attached drawing shows a scheme for routing and paying for a telephone call, wherein the telephone 1 of the first subscriber is connected to the telephone 2 of the second subscriber via a standard telephone network 3.

According to the invention, the third subscriber has a computer unit 4 which is connected to a telephone network 3. The computer unit 4 is adapted to find the number dialed by the first subscriber, followed by the subscriber number which connects to the third subscriber. The third subscriber may have a local telephone exchange or a telephone switching center 5 to which the computer unit 4 is connected. The telephone switching center 5 may be configured to transmit an incoming signal to the computer unit upon recognition of a number-prefix. When the number-prefix is ​​found, the computer unit 4 forwards the telephone call over the telephone network to the subscriber whose number was dialed after the first subscriber dialed, directing the second subscriber to connect the first subscriber to the second subscriber.

The telephone network 3 is also used to pay the bill for the call between the first and second subscribers, when the said number, the prefix, is found, the subscriber bill for the third subscriber. In order to pay for the call, a number is found, which is the prefix of the central telephone exchange 6 telephone switching center connected to the telephone network.

This service can be used for benevolent purposes, such as finding out the real phone numbers and the companies or organizations that own those numbers, as required by the company or organization to dial the phone number after dialing the prefix to use the service. .

In a highly crafted embodiment, the computer unit is constructed to transmit information between the first subscriber and the second subscriber at intervals during a call.

According to a first embodiment, this information is transmitted in such a way that the first subscriber and the second subscriber can hear the information, although they cannot talk to each other at the time the information is transmitted.

In the second embodiment, the information is transmitted in such a way that both the first and the second subscriber can hear the information and also talk to each other at the same time.

This information will usually consist of published information pertaining to the company or organization that has the third party.

For example, a chain of hamburger restaurants or a gas filling station chain may have a computer unit that comes with a telephone number consisting of a prefix number followed by a subscriber number. When the first subscriber is connected to a computer unit, or when the first subscriber is connected to a second subscriber, the aforementioned published information may include, for example, information about offers for price reductions or sales campaigns.

In the case of a company or organization wishing to deliver its advertised offer to at least the first subscriber, but preferably to both the first and the second subscriber, the first subscriber need not pay for telephone communication with the second subscriber.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the information is transmitted in short intervals such that the total information transmission time is less than 20% of the total talk time. For example, an ad may be rendered within a five-second time-out period of thirty seconds, followed by a telephone call for a further thirty seconds, and then inserted in a five-second ad transmission, and so on. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the call duration is limited to a predetermined call cost. For example, the cost of a call may be limited to a five-minute local call rate, respectively. In the case of a communications highway within the territory of that country, the cost of the connection may be limited accordingly, for example by two minutes. It is also natural for shorter talk times to occur when the interviews are international.

Of course, the length of a call may, if necessary, vary significantly and it may be decided that the calls may only be combined in a geographically limited area.

It has been mentioned above that a company or organization may have a computer unit installed. In addition, the invention may also be used to unite companies which are connected together by a computer unit to a telephone network. In that case, the transfers of the various companies merging into the amalgamation promoting the amenities on offer are either transferred as a common bag or in a prescribed sequence. In that case, the number is a prefix and the number goes to the computer unit.

In one embodiment of the invention, the advertising is managed according to the areas and locations of the first subscriber and the second subscriber. For example, if the first subscriber is in Stockholm and the second subscriber is in Gothenburg and the first subscriber dials a prefix and a number that goes to a company based in Stockholm, promotional information about the Stockholm company may be forwarded to the first subscriber at the same time. promotional information regarding the Gothenburg company. The information so published may be governed by the subscriber's area or location, as appropriate.

Promotional information may be stored on a computer unit in the form of data storage media, either on CD-ROM or on magnetic tape connected to a computer, where the drawing shows an external memory or magnetic tape 7.

Obviously, the present invention solves the problems encountered in the prior art solutions described above and allows a third subscriber to pay for a telephone connection between the other two subscribers.

The term third subscriber is described above and will be used in the definition of the invention. Of course, this term or expression refers to a third party who pays for a telephone call to a telephone network company. In addition, this term includes the case where a computer unit is installed for a particular subscriber at any time when the participating party is different from the party whose computer unit is connected so as to record the payment for the telephone call in its account debit.

It is understood that the present invention can be successfully used as a marketing tool for the benefit of both companies and organizations having a relationship with each other, as well as individuals having telephone conversations via a computer unit.

It is also to be understood that other modifications of the invention are possible. For example, a computer unit may have a fully localized or partially local telephone exchange in a company or organization. The computer unit may also have a fully or partially local telecommunications station connected to a telephone network.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and other modifications may be made within the scope of the invention and the specification.