Importance

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Abstract

A payphone or coin-operated telephone that functions as an information transmittal device that dispenses user-selected information audibly to the user via the speaker in the payphone handset. A variety of information is stored in an information storage unit provided within the payphone unit. The information includes frequently-requested information on topics such as, for example, news, weather, sports, financial market reports, local travel information, local telephone yellow pages, etc. The user of the payphone may incur a nominal charge to retrieve the information from the payphone. A processing unit within the payphone or the information storage unit may update the content of the information with the help of an external information server or the Internet. The information server may be located within a telephone company central office and the central office switch may connect the information server to the processing unit in the payphone for desired data transfer. The information is thus directly available from the payphone itself. This allows payphone user to obtain a wide range of information from the payphone without resorting to phone calls to multiple sources of information and without incurring substantial, unnecessary expenses related to such phone calls.

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First Claim