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Description  |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention pertains in general to telephone systems and pay-per-view television systems, and more particularly, to a system for accessing and paying for amenities, especially video entertainment amenities, such as movies, using a
telephone.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hotels and similar establishments operate in a relatively competitive business environment. As such, they always strive to obtain some leverage over their competitors. Other than utilizing competitive pricing structures, some establishments
have chosen to offer various amenities as an attraction. These amenities can be in the form of free movies, in-room refreshment centers, vibrating beds, etc. However, one disadvantage to these types of systems is that, at present, most establishments
control the billing for these amenities, and, therefore, they are required to maintain appropriate equipment on site or at some central location. For example, one amenity that is offered by most hotel establishments is pay-per-view television. A
customer typically will call the front desk in the hotel and request that a particular program be authorized for his in-room television. When the program comes on at the designated time, it can be received by a decoder box on the customer's TV. This
will then appear on the customer's bill when he checks out. However, this can typically result in problems, in that the customer sometimes denies that he requested it and, therefore, it does not get billed. The hotel therefore loses some income and,
also, the firm that provides the actual amenity in the form of the movies also loses revenue.
Alternatively, many hotels utilize pay-per-view television systems wherein movie selection and billing are controlled by a central distribution computer. Characteristically, the central distribution computer controls the devices that transmit
the movie, typically video tape players or a video tape player controller. The central distribution computer also is connected to a device located with the television set in the customer's room, generally called a "room unit," that allows the customer
to choose the programming viewed on the television set. The central distribution computer monitors and controls the input and output signals from the video tape players and the room units and is able to control when the video tape player plays the
appropriate movie. The central distribution computer is able to store and transmit graphic screens that are utilized to explain to the customer how to use the pay-per-view movie service and list the program choices. In addition, graphic screens can be
used for advertisement or promotional purposes. After the movie is selected and transmission has begun, the central distribution computer continues to monitor the room unit to determine if the consumer is to be billed for the service. Often, the first
several minutes of the program are shown without any charge to the consumer. The central distribution computer also performs diagnostic functions. Generally, the transaction is printed by a printer connected to the central distribution computer and/or
added to the room bill. However, pay-per-view television systems currently in use do not have an automated means by which customers can pay for the movie at the point-of-sale or separate from the room bill.
Many hotels and similar establishments have installed computerized property management systems. In such facilities, the central distribution computer is able to connect to the computerized property management system. If requested by the
customer, the central distribution computer can retrieve the customer's information, including a record of expenses and check-out bill, format it as a screen, and transmit it to the television set. However, all hotels, especially larger ones, would like
to give their customers additional options for inputting billing information. Smaller hotels often lack the sophisticated equipment to transmit the bill to the room or allow customers to pay for the bill from the room once the bill has been reviewed.
In addition, their customers often pay for the room during check-in. Accordingly, the payment for amenities, such as movies, must be collected at the point-of-sale.
One type of system that has been utilized to provide an amenity, long distance telephone calling, utilizes a credit card reader at the phone that automatically validates a customer's credit card before allowing the phone call to go through. This
validation is generally done off site, away from the establishment, but can be done on the premises by a separate business entity, and the billing is completely independent of the establishment. Therefore, the customer is allowed to make long distance
phone calls with his credit card without having it billed to the room. The establishment, therefore, does not have to maintain the billing system nor does it have to process the credit card transactions in order to collect for these long distance
telephone calls. Rather, a separate service does the validation and the billing, and, in some instances, provides some type of remuneration to the establishment in the form of a percentage of the profits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention disclosed and claimed herein comprises a system for accessing and paying for amenities, especially video entertainment amenities, such as movies, using a telephone. The system includes a telephone for entering billing and
amenity identification information and having an amenity keypad with buttons corresponding to particular amenity selections, as well as a normal telephone keypad, and a credit card reader to facilitate entry of billing information. The telephone is
connected to a central distribution computer, which stores and processes the billing and amenity selection information to facilitate payment for and presentation of the selected amenity. A pay-per-view system is connected to the central distribution
computer for displaying the amenity and certain graphic user display prompts generated by the central distribution computer. The pay-per-view system may comprise, for example, a video unit connected to the central distribution computer for initiating
amenity presentation, responsive to selection and payment by the user, a room unit connected to the video unit for receiving the amenity presentation, promotional information, and/or advertisements at a selected amenity location, e.g., the user's hotel
room, and a television connected to the room unit for displaying the amenity presentation and graphic user prompts to the user.
In one embodiment, the central distribution computer is connected to a store-and-forward switch, which switch is connectable to the telephone for storing and processing the entered billing and amenity information and for issuing audio voice
prompts to the user, responsive to receipt of user input via the telephone keypads and/or card reader, to assist the user in selecting and paying for an amenity and to confirm receipt of billing and amenity selection information. In an alternative
embodiment, the central distribution computer and the store-and-forward switch are combined onto a single platform.
The central distribution computer is also connected to a billing data base for validating billing information entered by the user, which is received by the billing data base from the central distribution computer. Responsive to receipt of the
billing information, the billing data base returns an authorization signal to the central distribution computer. This is referred to as "pre-validation." The central distribution computer will inhibit the presentation of the selected amenity until the
authorization signal is returned. Alternatively, the central distribution computer can store the billing information so that it may be validated and processed after the amenity transaction has been completed. This is known as "post-validation."
The central distribution computer also comprises a graphics circuit connected to the store-and-forward switch for generating graphic user display prompts for promotional or instructional purposes, which are displayed on the pay-per-view system.
The audio prompts and graphic display prompts are synchronized with one another to convey consistent information to the user responsive to user input.
In a preferred embodiment, the telephone is connected to the central distribution computer via a private branch exchange (PBX). In addition, a computerized property management system is connected to the central distribution computer for storing
billing information based on an unique identification code of the amenity location. The billing information stored in the property management system may be subsequently accessed by the central distribution computer for display via the pay-per-view
system as the total amount owed by or billed to the user. In this embodiment, the telephone and pay-per-view television systems also can be used to order and pay for other hotel services that typically are billed through the property management system,
such as meals, room service, and can also be used for reviewing and paying the hotel bill at check-out. The central distribution computer and telephone may also be connected to a telecommunications network for enabling access to remote billing services
and remote amenities.
In operation, billing and amenity information input by the user is transmitted to the central distribution computer. The billing information is forwarded to the billing data base to determine whether the credit card is valid. Once the central
distribution computer receives confirmation that the billing information is valid, the store-and-forward switch and the central distribution computer transmit audio voice prompts and graphic display prompts, respectively, to the user via the telephone
and the PPV system to assist the user in paying for and selecting an amenity. Graphic display prompts may already be shown on the pay-per-view system prior to action being taken by the user, after which the display prompts are used to interact with the
user. The billing information is stored in the central distribution computer and/or the property management system, if one is provided, for later access and use by the system.
A technical advantage achieved with the invention is that movies, and other goods and services, may be selected at an amenity location and billed directly to a user's credit card at the time of selection.
Another technical advantage achieved with the invention is that a customer can use the telephone system to directly interact with the central distribution computer and the pay-per-view television system, to facilitate the selection of
pay-per-view movies and the utilization of amenity services.
Another technical advantage achieved with the invention is that, through connecting the telephone system to the central distribution computer, a customer has access to the property management system and has the option to pay the hotel bill using
the telephone system's card reader.
Another technical advantage achieved with the invention is that billing validation and other processing may be performed at a remote, centralized location. This facilitates the update, administration and collection process for a large number of
amenity locations.
Another technical advantage achieved is that the provision of a central distribution computer enables centralized, remote update and management of movie offerings at a large number of amenity locations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the access system of the present invention;
FIG. 1A illustrates an alternate embodiment of the access system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the system of FIG. 1, wherein the store-and-forward switch is disposed on a public switched telephone network;
FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a telephone of the access system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of the telephone of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of an amenity service dialing routine of the present invention;
FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a speed dial routine of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of a credit card routine of the present invention;
FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of the store-and-forward switch of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the operation of the store-and-forward switch.
FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the operation of the store-and-forward switch when a movie is the selected amenity.
FIG. 11 is a flow chart of the operation of the store-and-forward switch illustrating the use of voice and graphic display prompts to offer an amenity to a user.
FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating the use of the telephone to pay the room bill.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a system diagram for the access system of the present invention. An access phone 10 is provided that is interconnected with an extension on a private branch exchange (PBX) 12. Although only one
access phone 10 is illustrated, it should be understood that a plurality of access phones 10 are provided in a given establishment, such as a hotel or a hospital. The access phone 10 can be interfaced with a FAX machine 13, a personal computer 14, or a
television 16 such that information can be transmitted therefrom through the access phone 10. The PBX 12 has a plurality of trunk lines 18 connected to a store-and-forward switch 20. The store-and-forward switch 20, as described hereinbelow, basically
comprises a device that can buffer a dialed phone number or call up pre-stored phone numbers, examine the dialed phone number and the associated data, such as authorization codes, and then forward a call to a number that was either dialed in or accessed
from internal memory. Some features of the store-and-forward switch have been known with respect to autodialers.
The store-and-forward switch 20 is operable to receive information from the access phone 10 through the PBX 12 in the form of credit card information. This credit card information is recognized by the store-and-forward switch 20 and then a
validation routine, which is described in detail with reference to FIG. 7, is executed to validate the card number against a database. After validation, additional information that was transmitted to the store-and-forward switch 20 with the credit card
number, such as an amenity identification number, is utilized to determine the selected amenity. A pre-stored authorization code associated with the selected amenity is then sent to the selected amenity through the switch network 22 and, upon
acknowledgment, the access phone 10 is then connected to the amenity. For example, a ticketing service 24 is provided, a movie service 26 is provided, a lottery/gambling service 28 provided, travel services 35 are provided, shopping services 36 are
provided, information services 38 are provided, and various other amenity services 40 are provided.
The store-and-forward switch 20 can receive the information from the access phone 10 in the form of a message that includes an origination number, a request for a specific service, the user's credit card number and expiration date, as well as
other relevant data. Internal to the switch 20 is stored specific routing information and action requirements that relate to each type of service requested. This information is utilized to make the connection between the access phone 10 and the various
amenities on the switching network 20.
In the event that validation of the credit card is not achievable, the store-and-forward switch 20 defaults to a customer service operator 42 which then makes a voice connection with the user at the access phone 10. This allows manual validation
of the card, in the event that the characters from the user's card were not read correctly. Further, an output tape or storage media 44 is provided which maintains the billing information. This billing information is a record that is maintained by the
store-and-forward switch 20 for later forwarding to clearing houses such as the billing service 46, that routes the information to the appropriate destination.
The system of the present invention is operable to provide a way for an establishment to provide for all the amenities through a telephone and facilitate the billing for the services at a remote location and by a separate entity. The
establishment need only contract for the access phone 10 to be placed into a room and nothing else need be done. As will be described hereinbelow, the entire access phone 10 is "line-powered" such that additional power supplies are not required. This
allows the access phone 10 to be plugged directly into the wall socket without requiring further hookup.
The entire billing procedure is performed at the store-and-forward switch 20 at the remote locations and neither the amenities nor the establishment contracting for the access phone 10 have the responsibility for validation of the card or
retaining billing information. The amenities will typically bill the operator of the system at the store-and-forward switch 20 for their services, this possibly having a volume discount associated therewith, and the operator of the system will then be
responsible for collecting the money through the credit card services.
FIG. 1A illustrates a specific embodiment of FIG. 1 wherein the functions of a central distribution computer 50 and a store-and-forward switch 50A, which is identical to the store-and-forward switch 20, are combined onto a single platform and
utilized to offer amenity services.
As will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, the access phone 10 typically comprises a standard telephone keypad, speed dial buttons, and a credit card reader, or swipe, mechanism. The access telephone 10 also has two light emitting
diodes (LEDs). The access phone 10 is controlled by an internal microprocessor and the access phone 10's programs are stored on an Erasable Programmable Memory (EPROM). Characteristically, the access phone 10 is connected to the facility's PBX 12 via a
standard twisted pair analog telephone line or a PBX telephone line 11. The access phone 10 communicates with the PBX 12 using Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals. The PBX 12 has a plurality of trunk lines 13 connected to a store-and-forward
switch 20 or directly to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 22. In addition, the PBX 12 has a plurality of dedicated telephone lines 19 connected to the store-and-forward switch 50A. The PBX is also connected to a property management system
17 via a line 21.
As in FIG. 1, the store-and-forward switch 20 is connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 22 with standard business trunks 23 supplied by the local telephone operating company. In this embodiment, the primary function of
store-and-forward switch 20 is to perform the functions necessary for the automated operator service provider (OSP) services. In addition, as subsequently described in further detail, the store-and-forward switch 20 has the capability of processing the
billing for amenities 1, 2, and 3. These amenities are amenity services that are not provided by the facility. For example, amenity 1 could be a florist; amenity 2 could be a travel agency; and amenity 3 could be a pizza delivery business. As
described herein, the store-and-forward switch 20 also can be utilized to offer in-room amenities 54. In-room amenities 54 are services offered by the facility (e.g., room service). If the facility is not utilizing the store-and-forward switch 20 to
perform automated OSP services, it may be unnecessary to have both store-and-forward switch 20 and store-and-forward switch 50A at the facility. Store-and-forward switch 50A is capable of performing the same functions for in-room amenities 54 and
amenities 52 as is store-and-forward switch 20.
In this embodiment, the functionality of the store-and-forward switch 50A and the central distribution computer 50 are combined onto one computer platform. In another embodiment, the central distribution computer 50 and the store-and-forward
switch 50A can reside as separate elements, in which case the store-and-forward switch 50A will have the same functionality as store-and-forward switch 20. Ideally, the central distribution computer 50 is a personal computer that utilizes a 386SX or
486SX computer processor chip and has enough random access memory and hard disk storage capacity to accommodate both audio and graphics capability (e.g., 8 megabytes of random access memory and a minimum of 89 megabytes of hard disk data storage
capacity). In a preferred embodiment, the central distribution computer 50 utilizes UNIX System software and contains an interactive voice response circuit board (for generating voice prompts 130), such as a Dialogic voice board, a multi-channel
graphics card (circuit board) for graphics transmission capability, and either a 2400 baud or 9600 baud data modem 50C that is connected to the public switched telephone network with a standard analog twisted pair telephone line. The graphics card could
also be a custom-made circuit board, such as made by STB for Spectradyne, Inc. The software could contain off-the-shelf software, such as XWindows, that could be modified specifically for this application. Alternatively, the graphics capability could
reside as a separate personal computer and could be connected to the central distribution computer via Ethernet or a similar computer network.
The central distribution computer 50 is also connected to a radio frequency (RF) modem 50B. Typically, the RF modem 50B comprises a RS 232 computer chip and an MK 20 transceiver card. The RF modem 50B receives RF input of 13 MHz and transmits
RF output of 115.25 MHz over coaxial cable 27. If the RF modem 50B is a separate unit, it will have a serial port connection for linkage to the central distribution computer 50. The RF modem 50B allows the central distribution computer 50 to
communicate over serial lines or "on-bus" or with modems (not shown) at the video unit 26 and the room unit 15. In one embodiment, the RF modem 50B converts standard RS 232 signaling into a proprietary broadband RF "polled protocol communication" to
communicate with the video unit 26 and the room unit 15 over the standard coaxial cable 27, 28 and 29.
The store-and-forward switch 50A performs the same functions as the store-and-forward switch 20, described herein. The store-and-forward switch 50A receives information, in the form of DTMF signals, from the access phone 10 through the PBX 12.
This information may include billing (e.g., credit or debit card information) and amenity location, i.e., room, identification information. As described in FIG. 1, the store-and-forward switch 50A can access a billing service 46, via the modem 50C and
line 33, to determine whether the credit card is authorized for use. Line 33 can be a direct data line to the billing service 46 or can be a standard telephone line that accesses the public switched telephone network 22 via the PBX. The
store-and-forward switch 50A can check the information it receives from the access phone 10 against an internal data base to determine which amenity is being accessed and whether the call originated from an authorized telephone. The store-and-forward
switch 50A may also utilize the voice interactive capability of voice prompts 130 to offer amenity services to customers and respond to their replies, as well as assist with billing information input.
The central distribution computer 50 controls the operational functions of the video unit 26 and the room unit 15. The central distribution computer 50 monitors and controls the input and output signals from the video cassette players in the
video unit 26 and controls when the movies begin to play. In addition, if the facility only bills customers that watch the movie longer than a preset length of time (e.g., ten minutes), the computer 50 continues to monitor the room unit 15, via the RF
modem 50B, for message transfers, in order to determine which rooms to bill for pay-per-view movies. The computer 50 has graphics capability to transmit graphic screens, customized for the customer, to be broadcast onto the television 16. The graphics
are used to help the customer utilize the amenity services and properly input the billing information.
In addition, information can be retrieved from the property management system 17 and formatted as a graphic screen for transmission to the customer's television set 16. The central distribution computer 50 formats the graphic screens in digital
language, to display on television set 16, by gathering information from the property management system 17, the access phone 10, the billing service 46 (for invalid or unauthorized credit or debit cards), or from other sources. The digital graphic
screens are converted to analog pictures (i.e., baseband video signals) in the graphics card and transmitted from the computer to the video unit 26 on coaxial cables 27A. At the video unit 26, the signals are modulated and combined onto coaxial cable 29
to be transmitted to the room unit 15 and the television 16. The transmission from the central distribution computer 50 includes the identification number of the room unit, that is based on a cross-reference of the identification number of the access
phone 10, so that only the appropriate customer is able to receive the broadcast. A data base in the central distribution computer 50 contains a cross-reference of the corresponding identification numbers of the access phone 10 and the room unit 15.
Alternatively, the graphics processor of the computer 50 transmits the graphic screen images, customized for the customer, in a digital format to the video unit 26 where the images are converted to an analog format (broadband video), modulated to
the appropriate frequency and transmitted to the television 16. Transmission from the central distribution computer 50 to the video unit 26 can occur in digital format using RS 232, over coaxial cable 27a, or in analog format using RF signaling. The
transmission facilities can be directly linked to the video unit 26 or can be connected to a combiner 55. If connected to a combiner 55, the transmissions to the video unit 26 must contain an identification number corresponding to the video unit 26. It
should be understood that the television 16, room unit 15, combiner 55 and video unit 26, as well as a head end (not shown) comprise a pay-per-view system 56.
The central distribution computer 50 stores the billing information or can input the room charge information into the property management system 17 (if a system 17 is located at the facility), or can print the bill using a printer (not shown).
If billing information is stored, the central distribution computer 50 can make the billing data accessible, via the modem 50C, to an off-premises service provider that will authorize and process the billing data at a later time. This method is often
referred to as "post-validation." The central distribution computer 50 also controls diagnostic functions for the video unit 26 and the room unit 15.
The central distribution computer 50 can be connected to the facility's property management system 17 with a standard asynchronous serial port and communicate with standard digital RS 232 signaling. Typically, for small facilities, the property
management system 17 is a personal computer. Larger facilities utilize mini-computers, such as the IBM AS400. Among other uses, the property management system 17 maintains a customer "portfolio" that lists services utilized by the customer, the
corresponding charges, and the total bill due on check-out. The billing service 46 is described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.
The combiner 55 is a unit that is utilized to combine the various RF signals from numerous sources onto one coaxial cable. In the illustrated embodiment, the combiner 55 combines signals from central distribution computer 50, the video unit 26,
and the head end (not shown), which transmits standard broadcast television stations and cable television stations to the television 16. Combiner 55 units are readily available and manufactured by companies such as Macom, Inc.
In the illustrated embodiment, the video unit 26 may comprise a plurality of video cassette players, a plurality of cassette player controllers, frequency modulators, and a diplexer. If the central distribution computer 50 transmits the graphics
screens over line 27a in a digital format, the video unit 26 also comprises digital to analog signal converters. If the video unit 26 enables a consumer to choose a movie for immediate viewing (i.e., "on-demand"), the unit 26 could include a robotic
device to remove the selected video tape from a storage rack and place it in an appropriate video cassette player. However, for a scheduled pay-per-view movie service, the cassette players are pre-loaded with a pre-selected video cassette tape. The
video cassette player is a standard video cassette tape player, such as the type manufactured by Sony Corporation. Typically, pay-per-view movies are shown at pre-programmed (i.e., scheduled) times and more than one room unit can access any one movie
transmission. However, the video unit 26 can be constructed in such a manner that the movie is transmitted from a video cassette player to only one room unit per broadcast. Cassette player controllers (not shown) function as interface devices for
enabling the central distribution computer 50 to control the video cassette players. Frequency modulators (not shown) modulate video and audio signals from the video cassette players into RF signals for transmission to a diplexer that functions as a
band splitter and router. From the diplexer, the RF signals proceed through the combiner 55 and then through a facility distribution system (not shown) to the individual room units. Digital-to-analog signal converters (not shown) receive digital
transmissions of graphic screens from the central distribution computer 50, store the transmissions in digital format, and then convert them into analog signals. The digital-to-analog signal converters also enable the video unit 26 to receive digital
video signals from digital video servers (not shown), convert the signals to analog format and transmit them to the television 16. It is believed by the industry that, in some instances, off-premises digital video servers, provided by telephone
companies, cable television service providers or other entities, will displace the traditional analog video cassette players.
Typically, the video tape players, cassette player controllers, frequency modulators, splitter/combiners, and diplexer are housed in video racks (not shown) in the video unit 26. The central distribution computer 50 is connected to the cassette
player controllers, the splitter/combiners and the diplexer with coaxial cable 27. The central distribution computer 50 communicates with the video unit 26 via the RF modem 50B. Alternatively, the video unit 26 also can contain a video switching device
(not shown) that will allow a movie or graphic screen to be switched onto an individual coaxial line 29 to a specific room unit 15. Currently, the transmission from the central distribution computer 50 includes a room unit identification number which
enables the transmission to be received only by the designated room unit(s).
The room unit 15 is a self contained unit that can have two or more buttons to control reception of the broadcast programs. Typically, each unit 15 has been programmed with a unique room unit identification number. The room unit 15 can be
situated near the television 16, built into the television chassis or mounted on the wall as a "smart-tap." The television 16 is a standard television set. The room unit 15 functions as an interface between the video unit 26 and the television 16.
Program signals from the pay-per-view movies or from standard television programming (including cable television) are received by the room unit 15. The room unit 15 is connected to the video unit 26 and the television 16 by a standard coaxial cable 29.
The room unit 15 transmits and receives frequency-shift-keying (FSK) signals having a 75 kHz shift over the coaxial cable 29 at a non-interfering frequency. The central distribution computer 50 is connected to and communicates with the room unit 15
through the combiner 55 and through the video unit 26.
For example, assuming a customer uses the access phone 10 to view a pay-per-view movie, the customer takes the access phone 10 off-hook and passes a credit card through the credit or debit card reader (card swipe) or manually enters the card
information using the telephone keypad 56. The access phone 10 collects the card number and expiration date. Alternatively, the use of the card reader by the customer can be postponed until after the customer has selected the movie. The customer then
presses the amenity button marked MOVIES. The access phone 10 dials the extension of the store-and-forward switch 50a through PBX 12. If the facility does not have a PBX, then the access phone 10 dials the store-and-forward switch 50A through the
central office of a local telephone company. After receiving an acknowledgment signal from the store-and-forward switch 50A that the call has been received, the access phone 10 transmits the identification number of the phone 10, the credit card number,
and the credit card expiration date to the switch 50A. The access phone 10 may also transmit the telephone number of the selected amenity service, especially if the amenity is offered by an amenity 52 service provider.
The store-and-forward switch 50A records the identification and billing information transmitted by access phone 10 and validates the billing data by checking that the credit card has not expired, that the account number is an appropriate format
(e.g., has the appropriate number and type of characters), and that the card is of a type which is accepted by the facility. As in FIG. 1, the billing data may be further validated and authorized by the switch 50A transmitting an authorization request
to a billing service 46, via the modem 50C, to query whether the credit card is a valid card. The billing service 46 returns an authorization code to the switch 50A to indicate the validity, or invalidity, of the card. Authorization of the card before
the transaction is referred to as "pre-validation." The store-and-forward switch matches the access phone 10 identification number to the room unit 15 identification number.
The store-and-forward switch 50A responds by using the voice prompts 130. Likewise, the central distribution computer 50 queries the appropriate room unit 15 (based on the identification number transmitted by the access phone 10) to determine
whether the television is turned on and the room unit 15 and the television 16 are tuned to an appropriate channel for receiving and displaying graphic circuit user prompts to be broadcast on the television 16. If not, the computer 50 tunes the room
unit 15 to an appropriate channel for receiving the transmission and the customer is prompted, using audio voice prompts generated by the switch 50A, to turn on or tune the television 16 to an appropriate channel.
If the customer has not yet entered billing data via the card reader, the voice prompts and the graphic user prompt screens can be used to request that the customer do so by transmitting instructions such as, "Please insert your credit card into
the credit card reader now." DTMF tones from the access phone 10 are received by the voice prompt unit 130, converted to a digital graphic image by the central distribution computer 50, then transmitted to the television 16 as analog signals. After
inputting the credit card, the customer would see the credit card number and the expiration date on the screen of the television 16. Additional voice prompts would be transmitted back to the access phone 10 while the printed message would be transmitted
to the television 16. The voice prompts 130 also can be used to explain how to use the access phone 10 to select a movie and to list the available movies or ask the customer to read the list from printed material in the room or from the graphic
transmitted to the television set 16. The customer may then respond to the voice prompts and graphic user prompts by pressing appropriate keys on the telephone keypad, causing DTMF signals to be generated. The generated signals are received by the
store-and-forward switch 50A, which causes additional prompts and graphics to be transmitted as needed.
The central distribution computer 50 controls when the movies start playing by signaling the cassette player controllers, which then signal the appropriate cassette player to begin transmitting the movie. The movie transmission is modulated to
the frequency of the appropriate channel. In addition, by using the room unit identification number, the central distribution computer 50 can enable the appropriate customers' room units to receive the transmission. Once the signal is modulated, the
movie is transmitted to the room unit 15 and, in turn, to the television set 16.
Because the computer 50 and the switch 50A can be connected to the property management system 17 via a line 25, the central distribution computer 50 and the access phone 10 may be used to offer additional amenity services. For example, the
access phone 10 can have an amenity key for enabling a user to review and pay a hotel bill from the room. When the key is pressed, the access phone 10 is connected to the central distribution computer 50, which in turn is connected to the property
management system 17 and receives the billing data output from the system 17 based on the identification code of the access phone 10. The central distribution computer 50 formats the billing data onto a graphic user pr | | |
