The present invention relates to a cellular phone of the disposable type which does not need any previous personal subscription contract to be made with the Telephone Communication Corporation as it is operated upon removing its sealing means.

Several types of cellular phones are known which are different from one another regarding operation capacity, duration, power of the signal, weight, size, a.s.o.

One drawback of all of the known cellular phones is the need of entering into a subscription contract with a Board of Management of telephone lines in order to have access to the telephone exchanges for the assignement of a communication line.

A second drawback consists in that it is necessary to buy a common cellular phone and to pay its future related invoices without knowing their amount or to rent a common cellular phone and to be compelled to return it.

The cellular phone of the present invention, on the contrary, guarantee a fixed price including a given debit units and its related subscription. Such cellular phone includes the same components as the ordinary cellular phones, however, unlike the latter, it may be used for a limited period of time at the end of which it may be thrown away without hesitation and without

the need of paying further fees.

According to the invention, the removal of the sealing means from the cellular phone, and the switching on of the latter, involves the simultaneous transmission of an identification code with a suitable protocol to the exchange of the Telephone Line Management Board which enables an access to a determined telephone line for a restricted period of time and/or a limited number of debit metering pulses.

A better understanding of the invention will arise from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of a not limiting example, some preferred embodiments. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the cellular phone of the disposable type;

Figure 2 is a perspective partially sectioned view similar to Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the cellular phone;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the cellular phone;

Figures 5 and 5a are two perspective views of a fourth embodiment of the cellular phone; and

Figure 6 is a block diagram of the main hardware components of a cellular phone.

The cellular phone of the disposable type essentially includes:

- a body formed of one or more shells made of paperboard or plastic or other suitable material for protecting the electronic components and housing power supply cells of the non-rechargeable type; - an electronic card having one or more layers and connecting all of the electronic components necessary for the operation of the radiotelephone as well as the keyboard and the electroacoustic transducers;

- a sealing system which guarantees the integrity of the cellular phone before the actuation.

The power supply cells, of course, should be of a sufficient duration of charge for the whole life of a portable phone. With reference to Figures l and 2 the front panel of the phone has a key 1 of power up/down, an alphanumeric/numeric keyboard 2, an earphone 3, a microphone 4, an optional display 5, and an unsealing means 6, e.g. a pull-unsealing means. Said pull-unsealing means is only an example of the possible mechanical protection means with which the cellular phone may be provided in order to prevent the apparatus from being tampered and to avoid an accidental actuation due to a stroke or an inadvertent push.

According to a feature of the invention the disposable cellular phone may be either enabled only to effect a call, or only to receive a call, or both to effect and receive a call. Therefore, during the operation time after the actuation, the cellular phone will have its own telephone number only if it is enabled to receive a call. On the contrary, it is not necessary that it has its own telephone number. In the described embodiment, the unsealing of the cellular phone brings the poles of the cell 7 into contact with the electrodes of the electronic circuit due to an elastic pressure or under the action of the user itself. Upon powering up, an identification code with a suitable protocol is sent to the exchange. Upon receiving said code, the exchange provides for the acknowledgement of the cellular phone and establishes an access to a determined telephone number for a limited number of metering pulses and/or a restricted time. Said metering pulses may be used in one or more phone conversations autorized by the exchange on the base of the identification code sent by the cellular phone each time it is about to effect a call. Once consumed the metering pulses or the operating life of the disposable cellular phone, the exchange puts that phone out of operation and disables the access to that telephone line. At that time the cellular phone may not be used any longer and may be thrown away. In case of a cellular phone enabled to receive calls, the telephone number may either be directly assigned upon manufactoring the cellular phone and stamped thereon along with the serial number or be assigned

from the exchange and communicated to the user upon powering up the phone for the first call on the assigned telephone line. A protection program disabling the access to the phone is also provided in case of a tampering attempt.

It should be noted that the electronic circuits, hardware and software of such a portable phone of the disposable type, not described since commonly used and commercially available, are compatible with the communication systems for analogic cellular phones which are presently used or being developed such as E/TACS,AMPS and NMT as well as for digital phones such as GSM,PCN,PCS,DCS 1800, and satellite UMTS,a.s.o. A second embodiment (Fig.3)provides a supply cell which is applied to the rear side of the phone in a similar way as for most cellular phones. Such a cell, however, is not rechargeable.

In such an embodiment, the unsealing could occur upon connecting the cell to the phone, for example :supply cell 7 is provided with at least a projection 9 establishing the contact between the poles of the cell and the phone supplying circuit, the terminal contacts of which are located at a suitable sealed position, the seal of which is torn upon connecting the cell to the phone the first time.

It is also possible to send to the phone the signals relative to the counted debit metering pulses so that, with reference to a third embodiment, it is possible to use telephone cards or smart cards having a limited number of credit units. To this effect, in such third embodiment (Fig.4), the cellular phone is provided with

a device capable of using such cards and with powerful supply cells having a longer useful life.

In the preferred embodiments, the construction materials (and the components) of the disposable cellular phone,are low cost material which do not need any maintenance due to the short useful life of the phone. For this reason the body of the phone may also be of plastic and/or rubber incorporating not disassemblable electronic circuits.

From the foregoing it is self-evident that such new cellular phone does not need any subscription contract with the Telephone Line Management Board. The telephone line is automatically assigned by the exchange of the Management Board upon powering up the phone for a restricted period of time.

It should be appreciated that the user is completely free to decide when starting the useful life of his cellular phone.To do that, he only needs to unseal the phone and then to power it up so that the exchange may recognize the phone through the identification code and enable it until the debit units will be utilized , in one or more calls. A further embodiment of the cellular phone is illustrated in Figs.5 and 5a, in which the sealing means 6 are formed by an opening/closing system similat to that of a packet of cigarettes which, in the closed position, (Fig.5), prevents on/off key 1 from being actuated.

Finally, with reference to Fig.6, there is shown a block diagram of the main hardware components of all cellular phones, wherein means 6 sealing the cellular phone of the present invention are connected upstream of the power supply of the whole circuit so that it is impossible to supply the phone without having removed the seal.

An alternative could be that of arranging the sealing means 6 so that the transmission system is switched off until the phone is sealed. Under these conditions it is impossible to send to the exchange of the Management Board the identification code which is absolutely necessary for the access to the telephone line.

The present invention has been described and illustrated according to four preferred embodiments, however, modifications and/or construction changes could be made by anyone skilled in the art without parting from the scope of the present invention.