A greetings card is often sent by one person to another to convey a particular message. However, it is often difficult to find a card whose wording fully expresses the sentiments of the sender.

Similarly, business cards are often exchanged between two people to provide one another with useful information, such as contact details. However, the amount of information that may be provided by such cards is clearly limited and, in itself, a traditional business card provides little incentive for one person to contact another.

We have now devised an arrangement which overcomes the above-mentioned limitations According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card, such as a greetings card or business card, incorporating a mobile cellular radio telephone and arranged such that upon opening the card, the telephone is automatically connected with an exchange for connecting the telephone with a predetermined receiving number.

Thus, a recipient of the card is provided with a channel by which to verbally communicate with the sender of the card.

The receiving number may be preprogrammed or the purchaser may carry out a series of operations to configure either the telephone or the exchange via which the telephone communicates to permit a call to be made to a particular number. Most preferably, the card is supplied together with a unique association code corresponding with an identification number which is transmitted by the telephone at the start of a call, the association code being submitted by the purchaser of the telephone to the operator of the exchange via which the

telephone communicates, together with a chosen receiving number, for configuring the exchange to permit a call to be made from the telephone to the chosen number.

The telephone or the exchange may be arranged to permit only a limited number of calls to be made from the telephone to the receiving number. Most preferably, the telephone or the exchange is arranged to permit only a single call to be made from the telephone.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile cellular radio telephone arranged to permit a call to be made therefrom to only a single receiving number.

The telephone is preferably provided in a card, such as a greetings card, with a call preferably being made upon opening the card, for example in response to the operation of a light or pressure sensitive transducer.

The telephone may be arranged to permit only a limited number of calls to be made therefrom to said receiving number, for example by limiting the capacity of the telephone's power supply. Most preferably, the telephone is arranged to permit only a single call to be made therefrom.

Preferably the telephone comprises one of a pair of mobile cellular radio telephones, the single receiving number being that of the second telephone.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of mobile cellular radio telephones, the first telephone or the exchange via which it communicates being arranged to permit a call to be made from the first telephone to the second telephone only.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telecommunications system comprising at least one mobile cellular radio telephone and an exchange, said exchange being arranged to permit a call to be made from said at least one telephone to only a single receiving number.

The exchange may be arranged to permit only a limited

number of calls to be made from the or each telephone to its respective receiving number. Most preferably, the exchange is arranged to permit only a single call to be made from the or each telephone.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of promoting the interests of an undertaking by providing a potential customer with a mobile cellular radio telephone, the telephone or the exchange via which the telephone communicates being arranged to permit a call to be made from the telephone to only a single receiving number, being a number associated with that undertaking.

The telephone is preferably provided in a card, such as a greetings card, with a call preferably being made automatically upon opening the card, for example in response to the operation of a light or pressure sensitive transducer.

Preferably the cost of the telephone call is borne by the undertaking.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method by which a first person may transmit a verbal greeting to a second person by providing the first person with a mobile cellular radio telephone, the telephone or the exchange via which the telephone communicates being arranged to permit a call to be made from the telephone to only a single receiving number, being the telephone number of the second person.

The telephone is preferably provided in a card, such as a greetings card, with a call preferably being made automatically upon opening the card, for example in response to the operation of a light or pressure sensitive transducer.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of supplying a mobile cellular radio telephone, such that a call may be made from the telephone to only a single receiving number, the method comprising configuring an exchange to connect a call made from said telephone to said receiving number by associating, at the

exchange, a unique identification code transmitted by the telephone at the start of a call, with a receiving number chosen by the recipient of the telephone.

The telephone is preferably supplied together with a unique association code corresponding with the identification code of the telephone, the association code being submitted by the recipient of the telephone to the operator of the exchange, together with a chosen receiving number, for associating the identification code of the telephone with the chosen receiving number.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retail scheme wherein a person purchases from a supplier a card incorporating a mobile cellular radio telephone, the cost of any call subsequently being made from the telephone being incorporated into the purchase price of the card or otherwise borne by the supplier.

The telephone or the exchange via which the telephone communicates is preferably arranged to permit a call to be made from the telephone to only a single receiving number. The single receiving number may be preprogrammed or the purchaser may carry out a series of operations to configure either the telephone or the exchange via which the telephone communicates to permit a call to be made to a particular number. Most preferably, the telephone is supplied together with a unique association code corresponding with an identification number which is transmitted by the telephone at the start of a call, the association code being submitted by the purchaser of the telephone to the operator of the exchange via which the telephone communicates, together with a chosen receiving number, for configuring the exchange to permit a call to be made from the telephone to the chosen number.

The card is preferably arranged such that a call is made automatically from the telephone upon opening the card.

The telephone or the exchange via which it communicates may be arranged to permit only a limited number of calls to be

made from the telephone to a receiving number. Most preferably, the telephone or the exchange via which it communicates is arranged to permit only a single call to be made from the telephone.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a telecommunications network in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of a blank which may be used to form a card in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the blank of Figure 2, partially formed into a card.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a telecommunications network is shown comprising a greetings card 2 incorporating a mobile cellular radio telephone, and an exchange 4 for connecting a call between the telephone circuitry and another mobile cellular radio telephone or a terrestrial telephone.

A blank 6 suitable for forming the card of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2, and can be seen to comprise three rectangular panels 8,10,12, with the microphone 14, speaker 16 and associated circuitry 18 of the telephone being mounted to the central panel 10.

To form the blank 6 into a card, panel 12 and flaps 20,22 are folded towards inwards towards the central panel 10, as shown in Figure 3, thereby encapsulating the telephone circuitry 14,16,18 and forming a structure having front and a rear portions 24,26 pivotally joined together along an edge 28.

A pair of electrical contacts (not shown) are arranged to complete a circuit to supply power to the telephone circuitry 14,16,18 when the card is opened, to automatically connect the telephone circuitry with the exchange 4.

The card is printed with a unique association code 30 corresponding with an identification code which is transmitted to the exchange by the telephone circuitry 14,16,18, when a connection with the exchange is first established.

The association code 30 is provided so that a person, having purchased the card, can submit the code, together with the number to which he wishes the telephone circuitry 14,16,18 to automatically connect (for example his own telephone number), to the operator of the exchange 4, for the exchange to be configured accordingly.

With the exchange 4 configured according to his wishes, the purchaser of the card can then send the card to a recipient. When the recipient opens the card, a call is automatically placed, via the exchange 4, to the chosen telephone number associated with the card, according to the unique identification number transmitted by the telephone circuitry 12,14,16. Where, for example, the chosen number is the telephone number of the person by whom the card was sent, the recipient may then communicate verbally with the sender.

The duration and number of calls that may be placed using the card are preferably limited by the exchange 4, which would typically allow only a single call to be made of relatively short duration, the cost of the call being charged to the manufacturer or retailer of the card.

Whilst a preferred procedure for providing a connection to a particular number has been described, wherein an exchange is configured according to a chosen receiving number, it would also remain in accordance with the present invention for a memory of the card to instead be preprogrammed with an appropriate receiving number, either by the purchaser of the card or by the manufacturer of the card. In the latter case, a card may be sold with corresponding receiver to which the card is arranged to automatically connect, the receiver being retained by the sender of the card.

Also, whilst a card in the form of a greeting card has

been described, the present invention also extends to other articles which may be sent from one person to another to convey information, such as business cards or other commercial literature. Where the telephone circuitry of the exchange via which the circuitry communicates is arranged to provide a call to a business number, it may be convenient for the cost of the call may be borne by the proprietor of that business.

The apparatus and methods thus described provide a convenient means by which to provide a verbal communication channel between two parties.