Abstract: A telecommunications system allows multiple users to place and charge telephone calls to personal debit accounts without requiring specially designed telephones or "smart" cards. The system keeps track of the cost of each call, including applicable taxes, in real time and notifies the user when the account balance approaches zero. The system allows the user to restore the account balance in real time either manually or automatically by charging the increase to a commercial credit card. The system has one or more local area networks with means for receiving an inbound call and means for performing-a function in response to the inbound call, where both means perform concurrent processing.

Abstract: The versatility of a voice directed communications system is enhanced by centralizing voice verification and recognition apparatus and employing a frame relay network to connect such apparatus to individual ones of a plurality of platforms, each operative for establishing telephone calls in response to receipt of verbal directions from respective callers. In addition, each such platform is associated with a communications network node, such as an operator service position system, so that a caller need only dial a few telephone digits, e.g., the digits zero and zero, to access a respective one of the platforms.

Abstract: A prepaid telephone system having multilingual capabilities is provided in a public switched telephone network. A telephone user buys a predetermined amount of service beforehand and receives a card imprinted with a unique account number. A plurality of toll free access telephone numbers allows the user to access the prepaid telephone system. Each of those telephone numbers causes the prepaid system to interact with the user in the language in which he or she wishes the system to operate. The user is prompted in the chosen language to enter his or her card number. The authenticity of the number and the available credit is determined. If there is a certain minimum amount of credit available, the user is prompted to enter the phone number of a desired party. The user may also dial a speed dialing alias which connects the user to special services including news, weather, travel, translation, and other services.

Abstract: An automatic busy message sending system for use in telephone communication to inform the calling subscriber, when the called subscriber's line is busy, of the duration of the busy status by voice. As the calling subscriber can receive, when the called subscriber's line is busy, a busy status message corresponding to the duration of the called subscriber's busy status instead of a busy tone, the calling subscriber can more accurately anticipate the ending time of the called subscriber's communication, and thereby minimize the repetition of the call initiating procedure. This service can be realized without having to add extra equipment to the electronic switching system currently in operation.