Title: Communications booth with automatic accounting for telephone and booth usage

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Claims: What is claimed is:

1. A telephone communications booth for travelling salesmen, businessmen and the like which is responsive to a planar card having magnetic data disposed thereon comprising:

a housing having a floor, a roof structure and walls;

a door mounted to said housing for providing access to the booth;

a card reader responsive to the planar card having the magnetic data disposed for reading the magnetic data and providing an output signal in response to the code on the planar card, said card reader having a card input opening adjacent to said door and external to said housing;

a remote computer system coupled to said card reader for receiving the coded data contained on said card and for providing an output signal responsive to that code and information in said computer, including a billing charge for time usage of said booth as well as for telephone calls;

latch means coupled to the output of said computer system and locking said door, said latch means releasing said door in response to the output signal from said computer system; said latch means comprises master control means, and a first door switch responsive to said door and coupled to said master control means so that the opening of said door energizes said master control means;

a telephone control connected to said computer system and responsive to said latch means for connecting the telephone to a central switchboard; and

switch means disposed within said booth and connected electrically parallel to said first door switch for sensing the presence of the user, said switch means being coupled to said master control means for keeping said master control means energized when said door is closed, said switch means being automatically responsive via said telephone control to establish a start of the billing charge for time usage in the booth when the user steps in the booth as well as to terminate the billing charge when the user steps out of said booth.

2. The booth as recited in claim 1 comprising temperature control means disposed in said roof structure and connected to said master control means for controlling the temperature of the interior of the booth, said temperature control means comprising a heating unit and an air conditioning unit.

3. The telephone booth as recited in claim 1 comprising a second door switch responsive to the opening of said door, an alarm circuit connected to said switch so that when said master control means is deenergized and said door is opened, said second door switch directly connects said alarm circuit to an external power source.

4. The telephone booth as recited in claim 3 wherein said alarm circuit is connected to said computer system so that the computer system provides an indication if the booth has been opened without authorization.

5. The telephone booth as recited in claim 3 wherein said alarm circuit includes a booth alarm disposed on said booth for sounding an audible alarm signal.

6. A method of telephone communication using a planar card having magnetic data thereon for access to a communications booth comprising the steps of:

inserting the planar card into a card reader mounted external to the booth;

activating a computer system in response to the magnetic data on the card;

opening the booth in response to a signal from a computer in the computer system; the step of opening comprising activating the door latch to unlock the door of the booth in response to a signal from said computer;

activating a telephone in the booth and connecting the telephone through the computer system to a central switchboard;

measuring with the computer system via telephone connection the time interval that the booth is occupied by the user as well as the total toll calls made on the telephone;

establishing via the telephone connection the start of the user's billing time charge for the rental of the booth and then automatically terminating the billing time as well as the telephone service and measured time interval when the user leaves the booth and closes the door; and

issuing a billing charge and statement to the user for the booth rental time as well as the toll calls.

Other info:

Inventors: Vargo, John H. (Verplanck, NY, US)

Application Number: 549223
Filing Date: 1975-02-12
Publication_date: 1976-05-25
Assignee: Vargo; Christopher Anthony (Verplanck, NY)
Primary Class(es): 379/453 340/5.42
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3022381	Feb, 1962	Pferd	179/6.
3111720	Nov, 1963	Sherron	20/3.
3624608	Nov, 1971	Altman et al.	340/149.
3659154	Apr, 1972	Finn	317/134.
3665397	May, 1972	Napoli et al.	340/147.
3742453	Jun, 1973	Poylo	340/149.
3752904	Aug, 1973	Waterbury	178/5.
3838395	Sep, 1974	Suttil, Jr. et al.	340/149.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Brown, Thomas W.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Collard; Allison C.