Description of Related Art Contrary to common belief, 25% of American families have no telephone service of any kind. Further, many areas of the world have no telephone service of any kind, and have been considered too remote or too poor to justify the cost of installing land lines.

At a higher level of technology, cellular telephones have become so prevalent in society that many people believe that it is available to virtually everyone. However, 70% of the applicants for cellular service are turned down, which has led to the concept of"prepaid" cellular service. Here a customer must purchase a telephone from a dealer, who activates the telephone, a process that eliminates the possibility of obtaining a unit quickly. Those that currently may be obtained from a vending machine require a very complicated, lengthy, and frustrating process of activating the telephone: It takes an average of 152 keystrokes to activate a prepaid telephone, as well as up to 48 hours to achieve activation. As an indication of the difficulty, 50% of the prepaid telephones purchased at K-Mart during the Christmas season of 1998 were returned.

In addition, subscription cellular providers typically charge far less than the unit cost of the telephone in order to induce a customer to sign up for a lengthy plan, over which time the unit cost is amortized in monthly fees. Prepaid providers cannot have the luxury of spreading out cost in this manner, and thus unit cost becomes a significant factor in this

service. Further, upon expiration of a prepaid plan, the customer usually loses the telephone number associated with the telephone.

Several systems have been devised to address the issue of vending cellular telephones.

That of Bishop et al. (U. S. Pat. No. 4,951,308) includes an apparatus that bills a customer for usage upon the return of the telephone. Credit card approval is obtained prior to vending the telephone, and the telephones are stored in a"ready"condition. McClure (U. S. Pat. No. teaches a battery pack and programmer interface for automatically registering and canceling the registration of service for rental cellular telephones. The cellular telephone programming system of Falvey et al. (U. S. Pat. No. 5,465,288) includes a point-of-sale computer into which an operator enters data. The telephone to be purchased is automatically programmed for use by the computer. Kanoh et al. (U. S. Pat. No. 5,812,641) describes a method for renting cellular telephones wherein the units may be rented from and returned to different locations. Payment is calculated upon return of the unit based upon usage. The invention of Hayes et al. (U. S. Pat. No. 5,946,613) is directed to a recyclable cellular telephone that automatically disables itself after a predetermined period of use. The recycling is accomplished by manually checking circuits and components and placing the unit back into service. Lipsit (U. S. Pat. No. 5,974,311) teaches a method and apparatus for programming a cellular telephone with activation parameters. An interface is contemplated between the unit and computer having means for receiving input from a user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for vending and automatically activating a cellular telephone.

It is an additional obj ect to provide such a system and method that requires no direct connection with the telephone.

It is a further object to provide such a system and method for recycling telephones upon expiration of prepaid usage.

It is another object to provide a cellular telephone that is significantly less expensive to manufacture and is thus potentially available to a wider customer base.

It is yet an additional object to provide a method for manufacturing such a cellular telephone.

It is yet a further object to provide a system and method for efficiently and inexpensively providing telephone service to a defined geographical region.

It is yet another object to provide the vending machine for providing such a cellular telephone.

An additional object is to provide a method of constructing such a vending machine.

A further object is to provide a system and method for providing cellular telephones activatable for international travel.

These obj ects and others are attained by the present invention, one of the embodiments of which comprises a system and method for dispensing and activating a prepaid cellular telephone. The cellular telephone has means for receiving an activation signal that permits its use by the buyer; without activation, the telephone cannot be used, as is known in the art.

The system comprises a housing having an outlet and currency receiving and verification means. Means are disposed within the housing for supporting a cellular telephone. Means in communication with the currency receiving and verification means are also provided for generating an approval signal upon sufficient currency having been received to purchase a telephone, as well as circuit means for translating a received approval signal into an activation signal. Means are further provided for transmitting the approval signal from the generating means to the circuit means and for transmitting the activation signal from the translating means to the telephone receiving means. The activation signal is adapted to initiate activation of the telephone for use.

Means are additionally provided for dispensing the activated telephone from the supporting means through the housing outlet.

Another embodiment of the invention comprises an automatically activatable cellular telephone, which comprises a case and a processor positioned within the case. Operating circuitry is positioned within the case that is under control of the processor for performing such telephone functions as receiving keypad and audio input, transmitting audio signal to an earpiece, and transmitting calling and audio signals to a remote location.

Electromagnetic signal receiving means are also positioned within the case. Circuit means are in electrical communication with the receiving means and are adapted to convert an electromagnetic signal into an electrical signal and to transmit the electrical signal to the processor.

Software means are resident in the processor for interpreting the electrical signal and converting the electrical signal into a signal to perform at least one of the functions of activating the telephone and polling the operating circuitry in the telephone.

The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further obj ects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 (prior art) is a functional block diagram of a typical analog cellular telephone.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the analog cellular telephone of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the telephone exterior.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the telephone assembly.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the vending machine.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the vending and activating method.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a portion of an alternate embodiment of the vending and activating method for repeat users.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a telephone service providing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be presented with reference to FIGS. 1-8.

The Telephone A simplified block diagram of a prior art typical analog cellular telephone 11 is shown in FIG. 1; that of the telephone 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. An exterior

view of the telephone 10 is given in FIG. 3, and an exploded assembly view in FIG. 4. The intent of the present telephone 10 is to enable a far less expensive unit to be manufactured and tailored to the specifications of the system.

One aspect of the cost reduction is achieved by eliminating components of the prior art telephone 11 that are not required in the present telephone 10.

The hardware subassembly comprises the case 12 and fasteners, speaker 13, microphone 14, ringer 15, displays 16, keypad 17, switches 18, antenna 19, power supply 20, and connecting wires. The keypad 17 and associated switches comprise membrane switches arrayed in a grid to effect a closed circuit path for each key that is pressed.

The speaker 13 preferably comprises micropiezo elements, which are inexpensive and simple to assemble. The elements are adhered to the case 12 in receptacles molded therefor.

The microphone 14 and the ringer 15 also comprise a micropiezo element. The antenna 19 is preferably also housed inside the plastic case 12, also adhered thereto. A particular benefit of an internal antenna lies in its relative resistance to breakage, unlike those of prior art units.

Cost savings are further achieved by restricting the display 16 to necessary information, including the telephone number being dialed, remaining talk time, signal power level, and simple instructions. These data can be displayed on a single-line, 16-character alphanumeric LCD display such as those found in a typical consumer calculator.

The case 12 comprises three parts: a rear section 21, a front section 22, and an internal carriage 23, to which is mounted the circuit board 24 and which provides reinforcement for the rear 21 and front 22 sections. Pegs and holes in the case components 21,22,23 ensure registration therebetween and connection of the circuit boards. The case 12 comprises a plastic material, such as, but not intended to be limited to, polystyrene, attractive for its ability to be vacuformed, eliminated the need for a die. The keypad/display plate 16/17 may comprise a tinted resin such as polypropylene, and the internal carriage 23, a fiberglass- reinforced resin.

The power supply 20 comprises an internal battery, a dc-to-dc converter, and a power regulator, located within the internal carriage 23. To reduce noise and phase shifts, these components are preferably located in spaced relation from the rf/if sections. Additionally, noise filters are incorporated into the power regulator circuit. The charging/discharging

circuitry is located on a daughterboard affixed to the rear housing 21. Connection is achieved through headers and the registration of body halves 21,22 during assembly. The positioning of the charging/discharging circuitry is to permit contacts to be located adjacent the rear of the telephone 10 to facilitate external charging.

In an alternate, preferred embodiment, external contacts are attached to wires that in turn attach directly to the battery, with charging circuitry located externally in a separate device.

The logic subassembly comprises a transmit path, comprising the microphone 14 to the rf subassembly; a receive path, comprising the rf assembly to the speaker 13; and a processor 29 connected via a linear bus architecture to the other components.

The Transmit Path. An audio signal entering the microphone 14 is amplified 26 and filtered 27 to remove noise outside the vocal frequency range to add clarity in a noisy environment. The signal is then passed through an analog-to-digital converter and through a speech coder 28 that adds error correction bits to the digital stream and then compresses it.

The compressed stream is passed through a channel coder, where data from the microcontroller 29 is added to the stream to provide communication between the telephone 10 and a base station. Finally, the data are shifted 30 before being sent into the transmit portion 31 of the rf section.

The Receive Path. A demodulated data stream from the receive portion 32 of the rf assembly is passed through a speech decoder. Nonvoice data are passed along as channel data and are decoded. These data can then be interpreted by the microcontroller 29 software and the appropriate instructions carried out. Voice data are passed along to a digital-to-analog converter 33 and into an amplifier 34, finally reproducing the audio through the speaker 13.

The microcontroller 29 coordinates the receive path, rf section, and the user interface, as well as information among various types of memory. Driven by software, the microcontoller 29 can analyze data from the receive portion, user interface, and rf section to determine instructions to be carried out. Events handled by the microcontroller 29 include scanning for available signals, monitoring signal strengths, handing-off, posting authentication information, monitoring voice quality, handling keypad inputs, handling displayed messages, and programming, resetting, and disabling the telephone.

As with other known prepaid telephone units, the microcontroller 29 also comprises programmable timing circuitry for limiting the time of use to a predetermined amount of time, for example, 30 or 60 minutes. The microcontroller 29 software is further adapted to issue displayed instructions to the user upon time expiration for returning and/or reactivating the telephone 10.

An important feature of the telephone 10 of the present invention comprises its ability to be polled, charged, powered on and off, and activated remotely. Such a process may comprise, but is not intended to be limited to, receiving an rf transmission via the antenna that is sent as a macro to the keypad input buffer, simulating the depression of a series of keys on the telephone 10.

Each telephone 10 is assigned a unique ESN, a number comprising the manufacturer's code assigned by the TIA and a serial number assigned by the manufacturer to each telephone.

This information is used for inventory control, as will be discussed in the following.

The Vending Machine The vending machine 40 of the present invention (FIG. 5) comprises a housing 41 having an inventory sector comprising a plurality of racks 42, each having a plurality of slots 43 adapted to hold one telephone 10 each. Each rack 42 may comprise, for example, one of the type known in the art as a"spiral tray"with a"product pusher"for vending unitary items.

This arrangement is not intended as a limitation, and one of skill in the art will recognize that alternate inventory/dispensing mechanisms may be subsumed within the present invention.

Within the housing 41 is also positioned an elevator 44 that is adapted to move vertically along side rails 45 and stop adjacent each rack 42 to receive a telephone 10. The elevator 44 further has a flap 450 adapted to release a received telephone 10 into a top opening of a chamber 46, the flap 450 also serving to close off the top opening of the chamber 46 when positioned thereatop. The chamber 46 further has a front opening 451 for accessibility and a bottom flap 452 leading to a service bin 453 for storing telephones needing repair.

An inner door 47 is hingedly connected along one side and is adapted to provide access when open to the chamber 46, the racks 42, and the elevator 44. The inner door 47 has

a front flap 48 positioned in front of the chamber's front opening and is adapted to close off the front opening when the inner door 47 is closed.

When the elevator 44 is in the downward position and the inner door 47 is closed, the chamber 46 is substantially sealed, and is preferably shielded from electromagnetic radiation, specifically rf waves.

An outer door 48 is hingedly connected, preferably along the same side of the housing 41, in covering relation to the inner door 47. A slot 49 in the outer door 48 communicates with the chamber 46 and is dimensioned to permit a telephone 10 to be dispensed therethrough.

The housing 41 further has a control sector comprising a processor 50 adapted to receive sensed data and transmit instructions to other elements of the vending machine 40.

A display and input device 51 in communication with the processor 50 is adapted to communicate with a user for providing instructions and receiving information from the user.

A currency receiving means 52 such as those known in the art is also in communication with the processor 50 and has an external portion adapted to receive cash and/or credit/debit cards and determine whether the currency received is sufficient for the desired transaction, such as by sensing and counting cash entered or performing a credit card verification and transaction.

The processor 50 further comprises software for controlling the operation of the vending apparatus and inventory, charging, and activation functions, as will be described in the following.

Positioned within the housing 41 and in communication with and under control of the processor 50 is circuitry for communicating with a telephone 10 positioned within the chamber 46. Such communication in a preferred embodiment is achieved remotely, via rf signals, although this is not intended as a limitation, and one of skill in the art will recognize that an electrical connection may also be achieved to accomplish substantially the same functions, in which case it would not be necessary to shield the chamber 46. If communication is to be achieved via a remote signal, the transmit/receive portion of the circuitry should be positioned within the chamber 46.

The telephone communication circuitry is adapted to receive an approval signal from the processor 50; turn the telephone on and off ; read the telephone's ESN number and route

the ESN number to the processor 50 for making inventory adjustments as appropriate; and activate the telephone by setting the telephone's timing limits, testing for charge, initiating charging, and transmitting a telephone number to the telephone for use during the time paid for by the user.

It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that variations on the vending machine 40 illustrated and described herein may be envisioned, and the invention is not intended to be limited to the exact construction depicted in FIG. 5.

The Vending Process The vending process of the present invention is illustrated in block diagram form in FIG. 6, wherein as a first step a user approaches the vending machine 40 (block 500) and is asked via the display (block 501) whether the user wishes to purchase a telephone, recycle a telephone, or return a telephone for maintenance.

Purchasing a Telephone. Next the user is asked how much usage time he would like programmed into the telephone (block 502), which he enters. Typically the time will be in blocks of 30 minutes, although this is not intended as a limitation. In a preferred embodiment the time will be limited by the battery capacity, and a low-cost embodiment under current technology is likely to limit the time requested to approximately 3 hours. It is to be understood, however, that, as technology advances, these numbers are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Next the user is asked to submit currency (block 503), either in the form of cash or a credit/debit card, which is counted/verified as indicated above. If the amount is not sufficient or the card is refused (block 504), a message is displayed (block 505) asking the user to try again. If another attempt is made (block 506), block 503 is reentered; if not, the system quits (block 507).

If the currency is sufficient (block 504), a telephone 10 is retrieved from inventory (block 508) and transferred to the chamber 46 (block 509). Using the communication circuitry in the housing 41, the telephone's ESN number is read (block 510), and the activation functions are initiated (block 511), including turning the telephone on, retrieving a telephone number from the processor 50, programming the prepaid usage time, activating

the telephone for use, updating the inventory records in the processor 50, and turning the telephone off.

Once the telephone is ready for use, it is dispensed from the slot 49 (block 512). Upon the user's turning the telephone on, the telephone number appears on the display, along with the remaining usage time.

Another subembodiment is envisioned for use, for example, in airports and other international transportation centers (e. g., railroad and bus stations, car rental facilities, border crossings). If this capability is available on the vending machine (block 513), an instruction would be presented to the user, prior to programming the telephone 10, to enter the protocol desired, that is, the intended country of use (block 514). In this case block 511 would further comprise programming the appropriate communications protocol into the telephone 10.

Returning a Telephone for Recycling. If at block 501 the user indicates that he wishes the recycle/return option, the telephone 10 is entered into slot 49 (block 515), and he is asked whether he wishes to purchase additional time on that telephone (block 516). If not, the telephone is polled for its ESN number (block 517) and, if it is not a telephone belonging to the system (block 518), the telephone is redispensed with a display message that this telephone cannot be returned to this machine 40 (block 519). If the telephone does belong to this system (block 518), some form of credit is issued to the user (block 520), for example, a coupon for a reduced rate in the future or a refund on a portion of the initial payment. Such an inducement is offered to improve the likelihood that a user will return a telephone for recycling, thereby reducing the system's operating costs. Next the inventory is updated in the processor 50 (block 521), and the telephone is deprogrammed, deactivated, and returned to a rack 42 for future use (block 522).

If the user wishes to retain the telephone but add usage time (block 516), he enters the amount of time desired (block 523), and similar steps of receiving currency (block 524) and checking for sufficiency (block 525) are undertaken. In this instance the telephone is positioned in the chamber 46 by the user (block 526). Again using the communication circuitry in the housing 41, the telephone's ESN number is read (block 527), and the activation functions are initiated (block 528), including turning the telephone on, retaining the user's telephone number, charging the telephone, programming the prepaid usage time,

reactivating the telephone for use, updating the inventory records in the processor 50, and turning the telephone off.

Once the telephone is programmed and activated, it is again dispensed from the slot 49 to the user (block 529).

In an alternate embodiment (FIG. 7), the recycling process may comprise, beginning with the"yes"option to block 535, the return of the telephone to inventory (block 537) after deactivation/deprogramming (block 538) and the retrieval of a second telephone from inventory (block 539). The second telephone then proceeds through the steps beginning at block 527 as previously discussed, through dispensing at block 529.

Returning a Telephone for Maintenance. If at block 501 the user indicates that maintenance is desired, the telephone 10 is put into the slot 49 (block 530), and the ESN number is read (block 531). If the telephone is working sufficiently well that remote activation and reprogramming may be accomplished (block 532), these steps are undertaken (block 533), and the telephone is tested for remaining usage time (block 534). Then it is either redispensed to the user (block 535) if additional usage time remains or is returned to inventory (block 536) if no time remains. If activation cannot be achieved remotely (block 532), the telephone is moved to a lower chamber 52 from the programming chamber 46 via a flap for manual servicing (block 537).

Telephone Service Providing System and Method Although this is not intended as a limitation, the systems and methods of the present invention can be seen to provide a service to a wide variety of potential users that is less expensive, more flexible, and quicker and easier to use and maintain than previous systems known in the art. Vending machines 40 may be positioned virtually anywhere for access by users, require minimal maintenance, and are secure in that tampering with the machine 40 will yield a piece of hardware that is unusable.

A further extension of the invention comprises a system for providing telephone service to a defined geographical area (FIG. 8). As mentioned in the Background section, there are many areas in the world needing telephone service, but are not considered sufficiently economically viable or are believed too remote to justify laying land lines. Such

areas include, but are not intended to be limited to, U. S. Native American reservations and certain regions of third-world countries. The present system addresses these needs.

This aspect of the system comprises an electromagnetic wave receiving and transmitting means 61 having sufficient reach for the defined geographical area 60. Such a means 61 typically comprises a cellular tower, which can be positioned in an area relatively easily and inexpensively by means known in the art. Then a vending apparatus 40 as described above is positioned and operated within the geographical area 60.

Here it is anticipated that users will likely be repeat customers, and they are dispensed an activated first telephone 10 for use until the usage time is depleted. Once that first telephone 10 is returned, and upon correct payment, a second telephone 10'is similarly dispensed, having the same telephone number as the first. This permits the user always to retain the same telephone number, as one normally would with a dwelling or business land line.

It may be appreciated by one skilled in the art that additional embodiments may be contemplated, including similar systems for vending other communication devices such as pagers portable internet/electronic mail access devices.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clarity, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for description purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, the embodiments of the apparatus illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use of preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby, the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.