Kenneth G Krieger

US Patent:

51951304, Mar 16, 1993

Filed:

Oct 5, 1990

Appl. No.:

7/593921

Inventors:

Lawrence D. Weiss - New York NY
Joseph C. Kawan - Hollywood CA
Leslie Roth - Plainview NY
Jim R. Vollmer - Los Angeles CA
Morris L. Tucci - Van Nuys CA
Melvin M. Takata - Hermosa Beach CA
Alfred S. Samulon - Malibu CA
Dilip J. Parekh - Los Angeles CA
Sarkis A. Meguerdijian - Glendale CA
Harvey Marks - Canoga Park CA
Shan Lee - Hacienda Heights CA
Douglas W. Caruthers - Redondo CA
Leo Ahlin - Rexdale, CA
Leslie Moss - Los Angeles CA
Kenneth Krieger - Northport NY
Carol A. Medine - Los Angeles CA
Truc Nguyen - Cerritos CA
Marjorie Engber - New York NY
Edward Chin - Dix Hills NY
Lucilla K. Warren - Los Angeles CA
Joseph P. Randolph - Winchester MA
Robert Haddock - New York NY

Assignee:

Transaction Technology, Inc. - Santa Monica CA

International Classification:

H04M 1100

US Classification:

379 98

Abstract:

The present invention relates to a telephone configured as a programmable microcomputer (telephone-computer) which operates in most circumstances through a standard telephone 12-key keypad input. The telephone-computer includes telephone electronics and a microprocessor unit operated in conjunction with other computer elements, including memory devices, and a programmable gate array (PGA) chip and enhanced integrity features, and has the overall appearance of a telephone. The PGA has the capability of being reconfigured to accommodate various types of softwares which require different hardware configuration, but without actually reconfiguring the hardware. The telephone-computer delivers data processing capabilities and services through an ordinary telephone instrument via conventional telephone lines with a network host computer which communicates with a vast panoply of service bureaus. Specifically, operating software is downloaded to the telephone-computer by the network host computer to reconfigure the PGA to format the microcomputer necessary to conform to the software format used by the service bureaus.