Patents by Inventor Phillip D. Brown, Jr.

Phillip D. Brown, Jr. has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Cellular radiotelephone credit card paystation method
    Patent number: 5220593
    Abstract: A system (10) for operating a multiplicity of credit card reader-equipped cellular mobile radiotelephones (CMRs 12) as credit card paystations is disclosed. The CMRs (12) incorporate a remotely programmable unit (RPU 48) which controls credit card operation (1400, 1700) and which controls data communication sessions (1800, 1900, 2100) with a credit card (CC) host (26) and a remote programming (RP) host (24). The RPU (48) resides between a conventional control unit (CU 42) and a conventional transmit/receive unit (TRU 62) of a conventional CMR. The RPU (48) monitors messages (1200, 1300) transmitted from the CU (42) and from the TRU (62). The CMR (12) powers up in a locked state (1402), within which a credit card (88) may be read. The credit card is locally validated (1421) at CMR 12. If the validation is successful, the CMR (12) is unlocked so that a call may be placed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: GTE Mobile Communications Service Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Zicker, Thanh H. Cao, Daniel G. Borkowski, Donald A. Plouff, Phillip D. Brown, Jr.
  • Cellular radiotelephone credit card paystation method
    Patent number: 5144649
    Abstract: A system (10) for operating a multiplicity of credit card reader-equipped cellular mobile radiotelephones (CMRs 12) as credit card paystations is disclosed. The CMRs (12) incorporate a remotely programmable unit (RPU 48) which controls credit card operation (1400, 1700) and which controls data communication sessions (188, 1900, 2100) with a credit card (CC) host (26) and a remote programming (RP) host (24). The RPU (48) resides between a conventional control unit (CU 42) and a conventional transmit/receive unit (TRU 62) of a conventional CMR. The RPU (48) monitors messages (1200, 1300) transmitted from the CU (42) and from the TRU (62). The CMR (12) powers up in a locked state (1402), within which a credit card (88) may be read. The credit card is locally validated (1421) at CMR 12. If the validation is successful, the CMR (12) is unlocked so that a call may be placed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: GTE Mobile Communications Service Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Zicker, Thanh H. Cao, Daniel G. Borkowski, Donald A. Plouff, Phillip D. Brown, Jr.