KR20010113844A - Advanced payphone system and method for advertising on payphones over a communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

System and method for advertising to a public telephone terminal over a communication network. The public phone management system collects advertising messages from advertisers, formats and stores them, and collects revenue from advertisers. The advertising message is displayed to the users of the terminal in formats including moving video, still frame video, audio, animation and text. Advertising revenue serves to subsidize the call costs and attract users to the terminal. In addition to subsidizing call costs to users, it is easy to distribute revenue among public telephone operators, advertisers, telephone companies and zone owners.

Description

Advanced payphone system and method for advertising on payphones over a communication network

Current public phones offer little, if any, benefits to the phone owner or operator. Frequently, public phone users use phone cards to directly access local or long-distance carriers, effectively bypassing public phone bills. In addition, public telephones now offer limited features to users. In general, in line with advances in computing, telecommunications, the Internet and technology, this has not been translated into improvements to public telephones, such as increased functionality to users.

In many parts of the world, phone bills are relatively high. Telephone users, particularly public telephone users, are very aware of the costs involved in calling. What is required is a way to reduce the cost of dial-up to the user. What is also required is a method of attracting the user to the owner's phone at a particular location with respect to another owner's phone, thereby facilitating increased public phone usage.

Advertisement on payphone locations as a way to increase profits and increase margins for payphone operators / owners while benefiting advertisers by benefiting users from reduced dial-up costs and by directly exposing more to advertisers' messages. The inventors have found that to provide. Other inventors have investigated the concept of advertising to public telephones or other telephone users and disclosed related systems in other patents. These systems have several drawbacks as described herein.

US patent 5793851 describes a public telephone communication system in which public telephones are placed in public telephone boxes with advertisements of various sales. Calling a pay phone to the advertising company is free for the user. These calls can be monitored by the system and charged to the advertiser based on the number of calls to the advertiser originated from the public telephone. While such a system allows users to make certain calls free, one drawback of the system is that it does not subsidize non-advertisement related call costs by the user. Another drawback of the system is that the advertisements are fixed in the public telephone box, so that the system does not allow video advertisements and does not allow the advertisements to be changed automatically or according to system instructions.

U. S. Patent 5987424 discloses a system in which various types of advertisements are provided to subscriber terminals through a telephone exchange. By receiving and displaying an advertisement on the subscriber terminal, the discount amount for the terminal is increased to subtract the communication fee incurred at the terminal. One drawback of this system is that advertising information must be sent online. Moreover, accounting is rarely performed at the subscriber terminal. The system must establish and configure a telephone exchange or network to perform many functions other than phone calls, such as accounting during calls and advertisements to continue to be sent. The subscriber station must have such network equipment and functionality to function as described. Keep sending advertisements online increases network load.

U.S. Patent 5515424 describes a system for providing subscribers with advertisements of their choice in the form of video images. One drawback of such a system is that it must continue to send advertising information online. The system should be equipped with a telephone switchboard or network equipment, and configured to perform many functions in addition to the telephone call, such as continuing to send accounts and advertisements during the call. The subscriber station must have such network equipment and functionality to function as described. The network should have an image display database. Keep sending advertisements online increases network load.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention enables telephone companies, public telephone companies, and district owners to profit from advertisements that can also be seen by telephone users and passers-by. The screen may continue to display advertisements even when no one is using the phone. Because public phones are placed in public places, they give advertisers the opportunity to display their messages to passers-by. This advertising on public telephones creates additional revenue streams that were not previously available.

The present invention allows the advertiser to choose to be on any individual phone or group of phones, all phones, or have the advertisement appear at various times with a selection of days / weeks / months and determine the duration of the advertisement. Enable targeted advertising for.

In addition to advertising, the present invention improves the revenue flow from public phones by providing additional features that attract more users to the terminal, thereby increasing terminal usage time. These features include e-mail, video mail, video conferencing, internet browsing, and online chat. It also includes value-added information services such as flight and train schedules and address book information services.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a method of generating revenue from the operation of a communication system comprising a subscriber terminal. The method includes, under control of a central server, collecting a plurality of advertisements from an advertiser and distributing at least one of the plurality of advertisements over the network to at least one subscriber terminal when the user of the subscriber terminal is not in use. The method also includes charging the user for an amount of use of the subscriber terminal, under the control of the subscriber terminal; And displaying at least one advertisement from the subset on the subscriber terminal. The present invention does not rely on a local exchange or dial-up network for toll accounting or for image storage, processing or transmission.

The system of the present invention provides an advertisement to a subscriber terminal user via a communication network. The system includes a plurality of subscriber terminals connected to the network and, in a preferred embodiment, a central server connected to the plurality of subscriber terminals via the network to facilitate distributing advertisements off-line to the terminals. do. The central server controls the collection and distribution of advertisements and, to some extent, the display of advertisements on subscriber terminals. The terminal incorporates the functionality of a conventional public telephone and also facilitates more advanced features such as advertisement display on a color screen. The terminal includes a modem for communication with a central server via a communication network. The advertisement is sent from the central server to the terminal via the network and stored in the terminal's nonvolatile memory. Advertisements are displayed and scrolled in a certain order and frequency when the terminal is in use or in some public places, regardless of the terminal's use. The advertisement to a given terminal is periodically updated by the central server. The audio component of the message can be output through the speakers of the payphone. The terminal may accept a plurality of payment methods in contrast to the conventional one or two payment methods. In the system, terminals are assigned a unique IP address so that they can be individually accessed via the Internet. This allows the terminal to provide increased functionality as an internet device.

The present invention relates to an improved public telephone system and a business method for generating revenue therefrom. Specifically, the present invention provides enhanced public pay with electronic advertising, Internet, and multimedia capabilities used to provide users with features not available on conventional public phones while generating additional revenue for payphone operators and subsidizing users. It's about the phone. The business method of the present invention has a broad applicability that extends beyond a public telephone to home and other subscriber terminals.

1 illustrates various parties and relationships that may be facilitated in the method of the present invention.

2 shows a system of the invention comprising a central server and a plurality of enhanced subscriber stations.

3 illustrates an improved subscriber station of the type in which the method of the present invention may be used.

4 illustrates the functional components of an enhanced subscriber station under the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates one process for the display of an advertisement under the present invention.

The present invention is directed to an improved public telephone system and method for advertising to a user in order to improve public telephone profitability while increasing the usefulness of the improved public telephone system and method. The method of the present invention relates to and applies to not only payphones, but also enhanced home or work phones and generating revenue flows from them. With reference to public telephones and ZIPFones, the business method of the present invention is intended to be applied to any type of subscriber terminal capable of displaying advertisements. In the context of this specification, the "display" of an advertisement is, in some way, to provide an advertisement to a terminal, or other methods, including audio, video (still frames, videos, or animations), and any of these. Combinations. Further, in the context of this specification, "advertisement" is not limited to those intended to achieve a commercial message or commercial transaction. Rather, the content of the displayed advertisement may include information, entertainment or other forms of non-commercial messages.

The present invention addresses the aforementioned needs of telephone users, public telephone area owners and advertisers. The present invention draws users to some public phones and encourages the use of these public phones to generate revenue streams for the various parties involved in the business method. The sales method allows the advertiser to access public telephones or other telephone users. Advertisers pay for these connections and these revenues can be used to pay telephone subsidies to users and / or to make additional benefits to the telephone company and / or telephone operator and other companies involved in the business method.

In general, the system of the present invention includes a central server and a plurality of enhanced subscriber terminals (public telephones, home phones). These terminals include existing public telephone functionality and facilitate more advanced features such as displaying advertisements on color screens. The terminal includes a modem for communication with a central server in a communication network. The advertisement is transmitted through the network from the central server to the terminal storing the advertisement in the nonvolatile terminal. The advertisement is displayed and scrolled in the order and frequency programmed in any public place, whether the terminal is in use or whether the terminal is in use. In some terminals, advertisements are periodically updated by the central server. The audio component of the message can be output through the speakers of the payphone. The terminal may accommodate a plurality of payment methods as opposed to the existing one or two payment methods. These payment methods include coins, cards (magnetic strips / chips / smart cards / barcodes) and cash. The cash payment option can be taken by the built-in metering device which allows the terminal to print out the invoice for every call using the attached printer. The amount on the bill may be billed to the user by the zone owner / operator. In the system, terminals are assigned unique IP addresses so that they can be accessed individually through the Internet. Accordingly, the terminal may be provided with increased functionality as an Internet device.

1 illustrates various parties and relationships that may be facilitated in the business method of the present invention. These parties include an advertiser 20, a public telephone operator 30, a telephone company 40, a public telephone user 60, a public telephone area owner 70, and a credit card inquiry center / bank 80. . As mentioned above, the subscriber terminal used in the system is shown as a public telephone 50 representing one of many terminals that can be used in the present invention. Also used herein is an Internet Protocol (IP) based public telephone management system 10 which may be implemented in software residing within one processor of a central server / party. In a preferred embodiment, the public telephone operator 30 controls or provides the public telephone management system 10.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an important entity is, as mentioned, an IP-based public telephone management system 10 that can be included in a central server with a processor and provided by a public telephone operator. The relative relationship between the public telephone management system and many subscriber stations is shown in FIG. 2. In the figure, the public telephone management system 200 is connected to zip phone group 1 210 in city A and zip phone group 2 220 in city B, which is a distance from city A. The connection is made to one or more communication networks 211, 212. The invention is not limited to the type of communication network used to connect subscriber terminals to a public telephone management system. In a preferred embodiment, the subscriber terminal is connected to the same telephone network to which it is connected.

3 shows an improved public telephone terminal of the present invention. As shown, the terminal 300 includes a display screen 310, a handset 350, a keypad 330, a coin slot 360, a card slot 340, and a preprogrammed "hotkey" 320. Include.

The public telephone management system 10 controls many aspects of numerous functions within the sales method and performs these functions. One of these functions is to control advertising under the present invention. Specifically, the public telephone management system controls the collection and distribution of advertisement messages and, to some extent, the display of advertisements on subscriber terminals. The advertiser 20 represents one or more parties who want to advertise, sell a product or service, or provide a non-commercial message to a subscriber terminal user. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, advertisers have a business relationship with a public telephone operator that distributes their advertisements to terminals. In return, the advertiser pays the payphone operator for the services provided. The advertising message is collected from the advertiser 20 and stored in the public telephone management system 10. In a preferred embodiment, this collection is performed by a public telephone operator. The advertising message is usually in the form of a moving video, still image, animation or text. These advertising messages are electrically encoded by the advertiser or public telephone operator in a format that facilitates electronic storage and transmission.

Under the control of the public telephone management system, advertisement messages are arranged and distributed to individual subscriber terminals via a communication network and stored in the terminal's nonvolatile memory. The advertising message is distributed to a given terminal when the terminal is offline, i. E. During a time that is not being used by the user.

Under the control of the public telephone management system, billing is in particular made to the user and the zone owner. The amount charged to the terminal user for making a phone call may depend on the rate schedule applied to the call. For example, local, state, interstate and international currencies may all have different tariffs against which currencies will be compared to determine the amount charged to the user. Moreover, there may be certain fees depending on the time of day or under a marketing program that can be discounted for several days. These tariffs are stored at the terminal but can be updated and updated as needed or periodically from the public telephone management system. In addition, any surcharge may be applied to the cost of the call. For example, the use of some type of telephone or credit card may be an additional charge since it may be an operator assistant call or a call from a more up-scale location. Information necessary to apply this surcharge to the amount charged to the user by the terminal can be obtained from the public telephone management system.

Charging for zone owners is also accomplished by the public telephone management system. In one embodiment of the invention, the bill for a given zone owner is sent to the terminal of the zone owner stored in memory. An indication that the bill has arrived is displayed on the screen of the terminal. The zone owner can then display it on the screen or print it. This charging method provides a significant improvement and cost savings over the conventional postal charging. Payment by the zone owner on the bill may be made by credit card, or in a preferred embodiment by billing to a predetermined debit account, i.e. by delegation, which may be made via a terminal. In addition, delegation to billing may be considered given to a zone owner some time after billing, such as 15 days.

The zone owner, shown as 70 in FIG. 1, refers to a party who owns or manages a premises where a terminal is installed, and, in some cases, performs a public telephone operation every day. Typically this is the case at a human managed payphone outlet where cash is collected from the user after every call and a user assistant must be in the area. In a preferred embodiment of the business method of the present invention, the zone owner is a chain store of a public telephone operator and earns a regular fee for calls made from his outlet. The public telephone operator 30 installs a terminal in the premises of the zone owner and manages it for a period of time in exchange for a pre-collected chain store fee. While the revenue collected by the zone owner in the above summary is relatively limited, by the present invention, the public telephone operator provides an additional flow of revenue based on advertising to the terminal to the zone owner. Revenue collected by the payphone operator from the advertiser is distributed to the zone owners. This allows zone owners to accept terminal and chain store agreements, even if the chain store fees are relatively high, ensuring zone owners income flows without any extra effort on their part.

The public telephone management system facilitates and controls revenue sharing agreements between the parties involved. Revenues collected from various parties and the charges to them are tracked and controlled by the public telephone management system. In some cases, the payphone operator itself owns the area where the terminal is installed. In most cases, however, the terminals are "rented" to the zone owner in exchange for the chain store fee as described above. Through the public telephone management system, the share of advertising revenues more than offsets the chain store fees charged to district owners in most cases. Zone owners may also participate in providing their advertisements to the system for display on a particular terminal.

The advertising revenue may be shared with the telephone company providing the dial-up line connecting the terminals. Normally, the telephone company will charge a fee for providing the telephone network operator with telephone network access to each terminal and for the use of the network. Under the method of the present invention and under the management of the public telephone management system, the fee charged by the telephone company can be discounted based on the percentage of advertising revenue that is shared with the telephone company. The telephone company may participate in providing an advertisement to the system for display on the terminal in exchange for a discounted dial-up and / or usage charge.

The user benefits from the revenue sharing agreement because the cost charged to the user for the currency is discounted by the advertising revenue and subsidized. Thus, from the user's point of view, using a public telephone under the system of the present invention, such as a home telephone, is more cost effective than comparable public telephones. In all the summaries of the revenue sharing disclosed herein, the public telephone management system knows the valid revenue sharing agreement for each terminal and therefore the system keeps track of the accounts of the various parties.

The public telephone management system also performs the function of credit management. Various parties involved in the system may have a debit account for the public telephone operator. The account balance is managed by the public telephone management system. The debit account management of the zone owner is important. When a user uses the telephone and pays the zone owner, the amount by the public telephone operator increases. Normally, zone owners are charged by the public telephone management system every 15 days or some other predetermined time. When a certain threshold amount is reached for the due date of payment, the payphone management system may immediately claim the zone owner to avoid long delays. In addition, when the risk of payment is relatively high, the related terminal may be deactivated by the public telephone management system based on whether or not the payment on the invoice is timely received. This prevents any further charges and limits the losses that may be due to unpaid payments.

Another function performed by the public telephone management system is database management. The advertiser may be charged a uniform fee for the display of their advertising message. Through the database management capability of the public telephone management system, data about this is collected by the number of times the advertisement message is displayed on the terminal and the number of the terminal displayed. This information can be used to determine how much to charge the advertiser who provided the advertising message instead of charging a flat fee. Other information collected includes demographics about the user, namely the identification of the zone type and the geographical area type in which the advertising message is displayed. This information is valuable to the advertiser and can be charged at the time of determining the charge and the advertiser. This information allows advertisers to better target advertising messages to the type of user they want.

The public telephone management system also monitors transactions occurring from the terminal between the user and the advertiser whose messages are displayed on the terminal. For example, when an advertising message is displayed to a user on a terminal and the user contacts the advertiser from that terminal using one of the "hotkeys", the event is recorded, preferably recorded on the terminal and later on the payphone. Collected by the management system. In addition, the occurrence of a complete transaction between the user and the advertiser is recorded and collected. The information is communicated to the advertiser with information belonging to the type of zone involved. For example, indoor and more "safe" zones are likely to complete commercial transactions with advertisers than outdoor and less "safe" zones. Accordingly, advertising messages in these areas that are less likely or less likely to complete a transaction may be limited to brand-aware messages. In contrast, an advertisement in a "safe" zone may include a point-of-sale (POS) type system.

In addition, the public telephone management system facilitates remote diagnosis of the terminal. By connecting the individual terminals, the system can perform management checks and operation diagnostic tests, attempt to solve the problem remotely, and in the case of other problems, provide some diagnostic information to the technician prior to visiting the terminal. have. The terminal itself causes the local diagnostic test to be run through a connection with a portable computer or through internal programming initiated by a keypad to instruct the terminal to perform a self-test.

As described herein with reference to FIG. 1, advertiser 20 represents one or more parties who wish to advertise, sell a product or service, or provide a non-commercial message to a subscriber terminal user. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, advertisers have a business relationship with a public telephone operator that distributes their advertisements to terminals. In return, the advertiser pays the payphone operator for the services provided. The advertising message is collected from the advertiser 20 and stored in the public telephone management system 10. In a preferred embodiment, this collection is performed by a public telephone operator. The advertising message is usually in the form of moving picture video, still images, animations or text. These advertising messages are electrically encoded by the advertiser or public telephone operator in a format that facilitates electronic storage and transmission.

The advertising message is normally displayed and scrolls periodically when the terminal is in use. However, in some high-visibility locations such as airports, it is desirable to have an advertising message displayed even when the terminal is not in use. Messages can be scrolled periodically and short audio portions can be played to attract potential users.

The advertiser may select in which terminal area a given advertising message is to be displayed, what type of advertising message is to be used (video, still frame, etc.) and for how long the advertising message will be displayed. This provides a high degree of flexibility for both advertisers and public phone operators in creating payment methods. For example, a 10 second voice ad would be charged less premium than a still image of the same period. Alternatively, the payphone operator may impose a fixed amount on the advertiser for a fixed amount of time, regardless of the type of message being displayed. The public telephone management system may partially determine the frequency of displayed advertising messages from different advertisers and It is used to track the amount to be charged to various advertisers based on information uploaded from the terminal about the time period.

Advertisers have the advantage of having an attractive mobile phone user base. In some countries, the average phone call length is 4-5 minutes. Since the user sees the advertisement continuously while using the telephone terminal, recall of the message is minimized. The use of the terminal by the advertiser may be done for the purpose of conducting research and brand recall practice. For example, a user may be asked to answer a set of questions submitted by an advertiser and receive a free telephone call for a few minutes in return. This is coordinated by the public telephone management system. The terminal can be used to test brand recall. When the same user in a zone tends to use the same terminal for some time, brand awareness can be tested over a six month period, for example, by asking the user through the terminal.

As mentioned above, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the public telephone management system 10 is under the control of the public telephone operator 30. This entity provides terminals and installs them at various zone owner sites. This enters into agreements with advertisers, telephone companies, bank / credit card lookup companies and district owners. In another embodiment of the present invention, the functioning of the payphone operator may be performed by other parties, such as an advertiser or a telephone company, and the payphone management system will be under their respective control.

In FIG. 1, telephone company 40 represents a company responsible for providing telephone lines to terminals. The present invention is not limited by the manner in which the telephone company connects the terminals to the telephone network or the type of telephone network used. In addition to the traditional public switched telephone network, other networks such as wireless and satellite may be used. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the public telephone operator is responsible for the public telephone side of the business, including finding suitable locations, etc., and has fixed line zones and / or fixed high volume minutes in the market. Act as a subscriber or chain store to the telephone company by taking The public telephone operator pays the telephone company a total rent for the line used or a one-time fee for that line. The payphone operator can also pay in bundles for minutes of use or as actually used. From the telephone company's point of view, the added benefit of the present invention is that the present invention increases the use of telephone lines, which may correspond to increased revenue.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the telephone company itself establishes a public telephone network including the arrangement of terminals. The management of the system is carried out by a public telephone management system located at the telephone company's local exchange. In this embodiment, the telephone company can also easily extend the advertising aspect to enhanced residential terminals for home use by consumers in its service area. Audio messaging for residential consumers with standard terminals can also be implemented.

1 also shows a public telephone user 60. This represents the actual user making a call from the terminal. As depicted herein, several objects and the resulting benefits of the present invention include the aspiration, enhanced functionality, and low call costs of multiple users to a particular terminal through the provision of advertisements. The business method of the present invention, in a preferred embodiment, provides the public telephone operator with the ability to subsidize the call charge through advertisement / sales promotion at the public telephone installation location. Since call rates are generally predetermined by telephone companies or other entities, under the present invention, call charges to users are discounted through advertisements. Call charges may be discounted at a uniform rate (eg, discounts per minute charge). The tariffs sent from the public telephone management system to the terminal take into account subsidies or discounts on the normal tariffs used by the telephone company. Discounts may vary by location and may also vary by time of day. In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, a user may receive a block of free talk time for an extended period of time by being exposed to an advertising message display using a terminal. This can be done instead of or in addition to the discount of the currency charge. Accumulation of free talk time instead of discounted currency actually delays subsidies, but still increases the motivation for users to use public telephone terminals according to the present invention.

The user also benefits from the various incentive plans operated through the public telephone management system according to the present invention. For example, in order to attract more users to a particular terminal, the public phone operator may enter into a contract with the consumer company that the user will receive coupons / tickets for free goods after using the terminal. In one scenario, the user may receive a free beverage coupon after a call longer than any minimum length. Another scenario is the receipt of a free coupon when one or more questions / mysteries are answered correctly through the terminal.

Advertisers or any consumer goods company may sponsor a prepaid currency card that may be printed and distributed to users. These cards, when used in a terminal by the system of the present invention, will greatly discount the call charges generated or return them free to the user. In one embodiment, the use of the advertiser's calling card results in the advertiser's message being selected from the memory of the terminal and displayed to the user. In another embodiment, the card incorporates an electronic memory ("smart card") in which a particular advertisement is stored. If such a card is used in the terminal according to the invention, the advertisements stored in the terminal for display are replaced with the advertisements stored in the calling card. Typically, advertisements stored on the card in association with the card distributor's product are displayed to the user at the terminal.

Also shown in FIG. 1 is a credit inquiry center / bank 80. This part can be included in the business invention of the present invention whenever a user's credit inquiry is required. This is necessary if the user chooses to pay by credit card. The public telephone terminal 50 obtains the authentication directly from the bank 80. These retrieval costs may be passed on to the user or paid for by providing advertising to the bank. Another scenario where a bank inquiry of user credit is required is when a user wants to enter into a credit transaction with an advertiser contacted from a terminal. If the advertiser does not control the credit check, it may be done by the system. The terminal obtains pre-authentication from the bank 80 when calling the advertiser and completes the calculation with the bank when the call and transaction ends.

The terminals described herein can be used for residential purposes. These phones can be paid, sold or rented to residential users by public telephone operators, telephone companies or even competitors of current telephone companies as a way to increase market penetration. The user will be exposed to the advertisement in the same way and will receive a significant discount on the call charge.

Another way in which revenue can be generated through the use of the business invention of the present invention is to provide additional features and functions to payphones / terminals. These features include email, videomail, internet browsing, on-line chat, and long video viewing. The ability to take advantage of these features will secure premiums from users and will also attract more users to the terminal. The small camera attached to the terminal facilitates the transmission of video mail and the actual video conferencing from the terminal via telephone or broadband network. The video game can be displayed on the screen of the terminal and the user can enjoy the video game at any time during call waiting or while using the terminal. So-called " value added " information services can be implemented for users who receive information such as flight schedules, railway schedules and telephone number information services at terminals. Such information may be downloaded from the public telephone management system to the terminal or may reside on the terminal in the form of a CD-ROM or other memory storage medium. Use of a "smart card" with secure user information may facilitate online banking and other types of secure transactions from the terminal. The terminals used in the system of the present invention have separate Internet addresses. Having an IP address exponentially expands the possibilities for various kinds of transactions because the terminal is actually an Internet terminal. As the technology used in public telephone terminals improves, additional features may be implemented that will contribute to increasing the attraction and revenue generated for the users. The invention of the invention is not limited by the features selected for use.

As described above, in the present invention, additional revenue may be generated through the promotion of Internet operation and transactions. For example, standard browsing and email functions can be performed on a payphone. In addition, various advertising options may be used to increase the potential revenue. For example, in addition to regular web page content, the display screen carries logos, baselines, product information, curiosity advertisements, contests, etc. that the user can see and respond to. The advertisement may be in the form of crawlers attached to an email message that the user sees each time they access the mailbox. Alternatively, all users may have to click on a particular website to view the advertisement. This can be used to discount the user's internet access costs in various ways. The displayed advertisement may be linked by providing the user with free internet access for a period of time or by charging only for the communication costs from the host to the server of the internet service provider. The cost of internet access can be waived. The system used in the business invention includes the means necessary to take charge of such calls and to periodically provide detailed explanations to the user.

Alternatively, the user may be invited to call advertisers / manufacturers to learn more about the product after viewing the advertisement. This constitutes another currency derived from the terminal and the user benefits from the free gift that the manufacturer gives in return.

The use of the Internet for the present invention allows the following transactions on the system. The user using the terminal asks some railway related questions via the Internet and finds the displayed / updated information on the screen. The user confirms the reservation and the printer apparatus prints out a ticket or a confirmation that can be exchanged for a ticket during the trip. If no printer device is provided, the system delivers a unique number to be considered a confirmation code. The same principle can be extended to make online reservations. Public telephone operators charge fees for service providers such as railroads, airlines, theaters and brokers. These companies benefit from mass users and decentralized reservations. The advertising message printed on the ticket to be printed adds additional value to the public telephone operator because the advertiser may be charged for this service.

Another trading item that can benefit from the use of the terminal in the present invention is online banking. In the banking methodology surrounding the Internet paradigm, there is an urgent need to promote Internet banking. Providing such a convenience for public access terminals and developing a model to support it still represents another emerging method of pioneering additional revenue streams. In this method, the user accesses his savings account from the multimedia payphone terminal to perform balance inquiries, payments, messages to the bank, requests for personal services, remittances, and the like. The cost of accessing the Internet to carry out these transactions can again be handled in a variety of ways. In one scenario, the user pays the call charge through a credit or cash card. The fact that some such public access terminals exist downtown, especially in all major locations, provides a powerful example for public telephone operators in negotiating with banks for advertising. Given that these devices may also be used to open new accounts, all interest banks may attract potential customers through intuitive advertising. In addition, related sector partners dealing with such banking products will be interested in reaching out to these groups. One scenario involving banking is the use of payphones in combination with call dispensers to provide "ATM" class functionality. Banks affiliated with pay phone operators can determine where these units will be installed.

Another unique opportunity provided by the present invention is the revenue generation of public telephone operators through the use of Internet conferencing from public telephone terminals. The operator assigns each subscriber of this service a unique call or transaction number. The scenario is as follows: User A wishes to conduct a meeting between A, User B and User C. User A logs on to the Internet from one of the subscriber terminals and starts a global search for B and C via a call / transaction number. The system calls the other two users through a special utility program and sends them the appropriate message if they are available on the Internet. If they are not available, then the public telephone management system calls them by their mobile number. After a set time elapses, user A receives on his terminal a message that the other two users have been contacted and that they are logged on on the Internet. What follows is a chat meeting between users or a chat combined with voice and video if the devices allow chat combined with voice and video at both ends. If the details of this group are registered in the public telephone management system, advertisements related to the group can be sent to all three terminals. The system so designed can be configured to charge users in a variety of ways, such as "caller pays" for the cost of the call and the cost of accessing the Internet, and the caller does not pay for the Internet. Alternatively, the system may seek to "pay self-pay" in a similar manner. A public phone operator company may use advertising to discount Internet costs evenly for all three users.

Another application of the present invention is collective video conferencing. In this scenario, a small camera attached to the front of the public telephone terminal captures the image of the caller and transmits the voice and video to the other side using the Internet backbone or broadband telephone line. The user pays a fee for making a call and is also based on the video conference call duration. The payment terminal device may print a receipt for the fee. Alternatively, the public telephone system may use the scanned image stored in the central server and the image may be transmitted to the other side by the system. This possibility may be effectively exploited by providing various options for the user to superimpose images on the electronic greeting card. This may be used by a user who wants to invite someone on the other side, such as in a festival. Public telephone operators or district owners can drive deals on these outlets by using highly concentrated advertising to reduce Internet costs.

Another area of high potential for sales models and systems is interactive advertising. This is due to the fact that advertising can be used in a very targeted and centralized manner to provide users with monetary benefits and thereby facilitate their use to provide high incomes to pay phone operators. One scenario is as follows. The user of the terminal tries to make a call. Based on the call number, the terminal starts displaying advertisements useful in and around the called party's geographic location. This could be advertisements such as pizza delivery, theaters, department stores, etc., where the user is given a choice to have immediate access to advertisers via a "shortcut" on the terminal. The user pays the discounted cost based on the completion of the advertisement and the sale which are shown or the call is made free of charge. After the user initiates a call from the terminal, the terminal and / or public telephone management system reads the user's profile through the built-in user database profile and begins delivering advertising messages based on the user's lifestyle, behavior, and past trading history. do. The user first starts by watching the advertisement, then gets a set of free time and then proceeds to the normal call. This gives the user a free call for a period of time, and the user is charged for the rest of the time. Alternatively, the set discount rate can be applied to the call and the user is charged the call rate accordingly. Another scenario is as follows. User A calls user B from the terminal. The public phone management system tracks similar calls in the past by people, time of call, and user A, and displays advertisements related to people, time of day, and past trading history. For example, user (A) is a literary lover and ordered a novel recently sold best in a particular bookstore during his last conversation with user (B). During this call, the terminal system sends out the same advertisements in an updated format that includes all new publications.

In addition, the business method is not limited by the type of terminal used. For example, as mentioned above, residential telephones can be used under the present invention with many of the same benefits for users and advertisers. It is anticipated that next generation digital cordless telephones with large displays may be used in the present invention. Because the user sometimes looks at the phone when dialing it, an advertising message can be displayed there even when sent on-line or when the phone is not in use. Therefore, the call cost can be subsidized by the advertiser or other entity.

The terminals may also be deployed in "stand-alone" units. In certain circumstances, preloading advertising messages on a terminal prior to deployment may be cost effective for a payphone operator. Continuous contact to the terminal is minimal. Such terminals are located in remote or unattended locations. In this scenario, no public telephone management system is used. Rather, revenue is accumulated from advertisers for pre-loaded advertising messages on the terminal. Messages do not need to be updated or refreshed over time.

4 depicts the functional components of an enhanced subscriber station according to the invention as shown in FIG. The internal structure of the enhanced subscriber station 300 is similar to the internal structure of a computer in that it includes a motherboard, a memory, a power supply, an uninterruptible device (UPS), a modem, and other components commonly found in a computer. It includes a telephone circuit card as an addition to this computer device. In FIG. 4, motherboard 410 includes a microprocessor 415 that controls the operation of a subscriber station. The motherboard also provides an interface (I / F) port 420 for interfacing with the display device 450, modem module 455, memory module 445, keyboard / user input device 460 and telephone circuit 470. It contains a number of standard, memory-decoded input / output ports designated as. The motherboard also includes a card interface 425, a coin interface 425, a power supply interface 440, and a serial data interface 435. In a preferred embodiment, the serial interface is an RS-232 port that allows serial data connection with devices such as a computer or printer. It is contemplated that this interface could be a universal serial bus (USB) or other type of interface that allows access to subscriber terminals.

The memory module 445 shown in FIG. 4 represents a nonvolatile memory of a subscriber station used to store system and call data related to information and advertising. The data stored in the memory remains until overwritten. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the memory module used is flash RAM. An alternative is to use a CD-ROM or hard disk drive. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other types of nonvolatile memory storage means can be used and the invention is not limited thereby.

Display device 450 is, in a preferred embodiment, a liquid crystal display (LCD) with 240 x 320 resolution and supporting 256 colors. The display is also shown as component 310 in FIG. 3. The display, in a preferred embodiment, is irradiated with light from the back based on a Cold Cathode Filament Lamp (CCFL) and displays information in two parts. The top 204 lines are used to display the advertisement while the remaining lines are used to display call related information such as call volume, call duration and called party name. Various types of LCDs, with or without backlight, enable the interaction with the user such as display screens with light pens as elementary LED based scroll displays or elementary LED based scroll displays, CRT based displays, touch screens and input devices. Other types of display devices, such as displays, may be used for the subscriber terminal. The invention is not limited by the type of display screen to be used for the subscriber terminal. In addition, the display device does not have to be implemented integrally with the subscriber terminal; The display may be added as an independent device placed near or near the subscriber terminal.

4 also shows a modem module 455 representing a modem mounted on a subscriber terminal. This is a standard data modem selected from a number of different commercial modems. The main function of the modem is to enable communication between the subscriber terminal and the central server. Advertising and other information can be sent to the terminal through the modem, and symptoms and other terminal information can be uploaded to the server. The modem allows the terminal to connect directly with third party devices. Such third parties include bank / credit inquiry centers and internet service providers.

The non-interruptible power supply unit 465 is connected to the motherboard 410 via a power supply interface 440. The power supply unit 465 receives a standard 220V AC as an input and is converted into a 12V DC voltage in the converter 467. The power supply unit 465 also includes a sealed maintenance free battery 469 that provides online backup power for 8-10 hours in the event of a power failure or power outage. The battery is constantly charged through the charging circuit provided in the unit 469.

The telephone circuit 470 is connected to the motherboard through the interface port 420. The circuit incorporates a standard telephone circuit including a voice circuit 472, a speech amplifier circuit 476, a ringer circuit 474, and a metering circuit 478. The subscriber station uses a standard-48V loop for telephone network access and dials a number in standard format (DTMF or pulse). The subscriber station supports both line reversal and 16 kHz signaling from the telephone exchange to meter the call. This allows the terminal to function as a response to 16 kHz signaling from the self charging device or telephone exchange. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that what is described herein is a standard telephone circuit component. The invention is not limited by the specific components described herein.

4 also shows an RJ11 port 485 that allows connection with a computer, fax machine or other device. This enables the user to connect the user's electronic device to the terminal and facilitate the connection with the telephone network through the terminal. This also facilitates the symptom analysis of the terminal by the inspector. Other types of ports that can be used in place of RJ11 include infrared (IR) and USB. Also shown is an audio speaker 480 attached to the previous circuit 470. This speaker is mainly used to output the audio element of the advertisement, and the video element of the advertisement is displayed on the display screen 450. Speaker 480 also facilitates hands-free dialing by the user. The volume of the audio signal output from the speaker is adjustable from the keypad 460 on the terminal.

4 also shows a keypad 460 that is the primary user input device and is connected to the motherboard 410 via an interface port 420. In FIG. 3, the components of the keypad are shown with keys 330 and "shortcut keys" 320. The keypad is mainly used as a dialing and information recording means. The keypad also includes a number of "shortcuts" which are keys programmed to connect the user to a particular subject when pressed. Some shortcuts are dynamically programmed to be used in connection with the advertising message being displayed on the screen at that time. For example, pressing one of the shortcut keys allows the user to connect with an advertiser corresponding to an advertisement message displayed on the screen. Other shortcuts allow the user to scroll through advertisements that are already displayed. Some shortcuts can be programmed to perform the same function regardless of the advertisement being displayed, for example, as directly connecting with local businesses. In addition to the hot keys, two special keys on the keypad allow the user to adjust the volume of the terminal and access the menu of the subscriber terminal. When the volume key is pressed, the volume of the handset and the speaker is increased by 2 decibels (dB) to 8 decibels. The menu key guides the user through various standard screens such as instruction screens, directory information, and the like. Other keys on the keypad are used in conjunction with the menu keys to allow the user to select various menu functions. In addition to the keypad 460, other means capable of user input at the subscriber terminal include the use of the ports 435, 485 described above for connection with a user device such as a computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA) to perform dialing. In addition, there are voice prompts through the handset, the use of a touchscreen display, a fingerprint reader, and an attached keyboard.

The subscriber station may allow multiple payment modes including coins and cards. Such cards include prepaid calling cards, commercial credit cards, and "smart cards" with electronically readable memory. A standard coin recovery box (not shown) is connected to the coin interface 430 to be used to accommodate coins of different amounts. In addition, a return path is provided for rejecting foreign coins or returning coins when no currency is connected. For card payment, a card reader (not shown) is attached to the card interface 425. The card is inserted through the card slot 340 as shown in FIG. The card reader is a hybrid multifunction that can read and verify both "smartcards" and commercial credit cards. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reader supports cards conforming to international standards T2G and Eurochip. One such card reader is KDE 5900 manufactured by KD Electronics of Korea. The identification of the user card is based on industry standards for dynamic authentication and can be completed directly from the terminal via a modem. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the terminal comprises a barcode scanner that reads the barcode on the user card. In addition, the terminal may be provided with an optical paper reader that allows the bill currency to be accepted by the terminal for payment.

The housing of the subscriber terminal is made for external installation and has an aluminum cast body that is resistant to rough handling or intentional breakage. The terminal is equipped with a secure lock, in an embodiment of the present invention, an in-built electronic solenoid lock that can be opened by entry of a password on the terminal. This lock is connected to the motherboard of the terminal which records a log in memory. In this way, the terminal stores the person who opened the terminal based on the password used. The electronic lock may also be remotely controlled via the modem of the terminal. In this way, the central server can lock or unlock the terminal remotely.

An alphanumeric type printer (not shown) is attached to the terminal via the data port 435. This printer is mainly used to print out the call details for the users of the terminal. The power supply to the printer can be drawn from the terminal itself (12V DC). Other uses for the printer include the printing of coupons / tickets for the user and payment or billing reminders to the zone owners.

5 depicts the basic process of displaying an advertisement to a user under the present invention. In step 510, the user of the terminal picks up the handset / handset and starts dialing the number of the side to which the user wishes to connect. Suppose a user has completed a payment, has been authorized for his or her calling card, credit card or smart card, or has been authorized to use a terminal from a zone owner who will charge the user immediately upon completion of the call. In step 512, the processor of the terminal detects the off-hook status of the handset and the fact that the user dialed the number. The processor begins to display the advertisement retrieved from the memory of the terminal. The display can begin as soon as the user lifts the handset or immediately dials the number. This " display " As shown in step 514, the user's call is connected. In the meantime, as shown in step 516, if the call is in progress, the advertisement changes according to a predetermined order and planned period. On the screen, as indicated in step 518, both advertisement and call related information are displayed. This call-related information includes the call charge, call duration, called party number and name, and possibly up to the current time. When the user completes the call, at step 520, the user puts down the handset / handset. The processor detects this and terminates the advertisement display for the user. A variation on this process is to display an advertisement on the terminal regardless of whether the terminal is actually in use. This is useful when the terminal is located in a high visibility area, such as a train station or an airport, where an pedestrian can see the advertisement display of the terminal and can entice the user to the terminal.

Referring back to FIG. 2, it is expected that both the server and subscriber terminal can be connected to a network other than the traditional PSTN. At this time, other types of networks that can be used in the present invention include wireless networks (based on CDMA, TDMA, GSM and VSAT) and digital wireless networks (xDSL, ISDN). In these cases the subscriber terminal has a converter module which provides the terminal with standard two wire loop signaling. The terminals can be upgraded in this way to facilitate operability with other types of networks and to ensure compatibility with future networks.

As described above, the server / public telephone management system 200 controls the recruitment and distribution of advertisements and, to some extent, the display of advertisements on subscriber terminals. Advertisements are recruited from advertisers and stored in the public phone management system 200. In a preferred embodiment, this recruitment is done entirely electronically via a connection between the central server 200 and the advertiser computer. Ads are typically in the form of full motion video, still images, animation or text. These advertisements are electronically encoded in a form that facilitates electronic storage and transmission by an advertiser or a public telephone operator. The encoding of advertisements is done using standard encoding techniques. In a preferred embodiment, the full motion video ad is coded according to the MPEG format, the still image coded according to the JPEG or BMP format and the animation coded according to the GIF format. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many different encoding formats may be used for advertising. The present invention is not limited by the type of encoding format.

Under the control of a payphone management system, advertisements are prepared and distributed to individual subscriber terminals via a communication network and stored in non-volatile memory of the terminals. Advertisements are distributed to the terminal while the terminal is offline, i.e., not being used by the user. The transmission of the advertisement, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is accomplished using standard PSTN modem protocols. In essence, when a non-PSTN network is used to connect a central server and subscriber terminal, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the network specific protocol may be used.

Advertisements have a unique signature attached to each when they are sent to the terminal and stored in the terminal's memory. This signature includes the advertising sequence number as well as the required display duration and may include daily time limit information. This information allows the processor of the terminal to determine the advertisement display order and the display duration. Referring back to FIG. 5, when the user exports the advertisement images while the user is using the terminal in step 516, the images are displayed in order according to the sequence number of the advertisement signature. The advertisements are scrolled according to the default duration (e.g., 10 seconds) or the duration indicated in the signature. When the user hangs up, the advertisement display is stopped and the sequence number of the last advertisement is stored in the memory. When the advertisement display is restarted, for example when a new user starts dialing, the next sequence of advertisements is displayed. This avoids the undesirable result of displaying the first advertisement in sequence much more frequently than other advertisements stored in memory. Using daily time information, a particular advertisement may only be displayed for a specific time period. For example, an advertiser for a particular product may want the advertisement to be displayed only during the day.

If necessary or basically, the public telephone management system connects to an individual terminal and selectively updates one or more advertisements stored on the terminal. Typically only some messages are updated, not all. This is done to ensure that a new message from the advertiser is distributed to the terminal while avoiding the time consuming process of downloading the entire advertisement to the terminal.

As described herein, server / public telephone management system 200 also serves as a bill for terminal users. The fee to be charged to the user of the terminal for the call is determined by the tariff applied to the call. For example, local, national, national, and international currencies will all have different tariffs, and the currencies will be compared to determine the tariffs to be charged to the user for that tariff. There may also be special rates depending on the time of day or under a market program that discounts on specific dates. These tariffs are stored in the terminal but can be updated and updated from the public telephone management system as needed or periodically. In addition, certain surcharges may be applied to call costs. For example, the use of certain types of calling or credit cards may be subject to surcharges, such as in operator assisted calls or calls from wealthy areas. The information necessary to apply such surcharges to the charges imposed on the user by the terminal can be obtained from the public telephone management system. When the terminal is in self-charging mode, the call charge is compared to the stored tariff and call features for the surcharge and the charge to be calculated and charged by the processor is displayed on the screen.

The server / public telephone management system 200 also communicates with the public telephone area owner through the terminal. For example, a message may be sent from a server via a terminal modem and displayed on the terminal screen. Such a message may include billing information or instructions for the zone owner. The server can also communicate with the terminal for symptom analysis. The test to be conducted by the terminal may be sent from the server. The results of the tests conducted at the terminal can be displayed on the terminal screen for the technician or zone owner. The terminals may be programmed to report on the symptom analysis of the terminal or simply report by connecting to the server in the off-peak time zone. Failure to report is equivalent to indicating to the server that the terminal may be causing a malfunction, and appropriate personnel may be called.

One embodiment of the system of the present invention provides unique advantages over existing systems. In this embodiment, the subscriber terminal has a separate Internet Protocol (IP) address. This makes the terminals individually accessible on the Internet. The server / public telephone management system is also IP based and can connect to individual terminals via the Internet. In this embodiment, the modem of the terminal connects to an Internet service provider by an attached network. In this regard, communication with the terminal occurs over the Internet backbone. The server may similarly connect to the Internet and distribute advertisements and other information to the terminal via the Internet using the terminal's unique IP address. The terminal can be used as an Internet payphone by communicating with a standard voice-over-IP. The communication is based on the Internet Protocol (IP) so that the machine can be compatible with other Internet adaptors. With this internet accessibility and compatibility, web pages, active channels, data and other information are displayed in real time. Streaming audio and video may also be displayed. The audio portion of any of these messages can be activated or suppressed by the user or zone owner or the public telephone operator. The subscriber station can access itself individually or as a group of terminals. The use of the Internet makes it easier for servers to manage a large number of terminal groups that are distributed over long distances and even around the world. Thus, in Figure 2, networks 211 and 212 represent the Internet backbone, in this embodiment.

As technology becomes more widespread, it is also expected that users will now be able to send and receive video-mail messages as they are already doing with voice-mail messages. The system of the present invention can provide convenience to such users and allow them to access their video-mail messages stored elsewhere, possibly at their service providers, and display the messages on the screen of a public telephone. Can be displayed. By attaching a camera to the terminal, users can also send video-mail messages to other locations and participate in video conferencing by the system of the present invention.

The subscriber terminal can also be programmed to perform standard basic voice-mail functions for the user. In this embodiment, the user opens a voice mail account with a public telephone operator. A caller wishing to leave a voice mail message to a user calls the virtual number assigned to the user by a public telephone operator. Alternatively, the caller calls a particular terminal and leaves a voice-mail on the extension assigned to that user. In either case, the user is called via the calling network. This informs the user that the voice-mail has arrived. The user can then go to the terminal assigned to him, enter the password and retrieve and listen to the voicemail. The user may also dial the terminal and receive voice mail over the telephone.

Documents entitled "ZIPFone Instructin Manual", printed by Zip Telecom Limited, are incorporated herein. It should be understood that the foregoing description and specific embodiments of the present invention illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention but are merely given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. Many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention includes all such modifications and variations.

Claims (68)

A method of generating revenue from the operation of a communication system comprising subscriber terminals, the method comprising: Under the control of the server, Collecting a plurality of advertisements from an advertiser; Distributing at least a subset of the plurality of advertisements over a network to at least one subscriber terminal when the subscriber terminal is not in use by a user; And Under the control of the subscriber station, Charging a user for an amount of use of the subscriber station; And Displaying at least one advertisement from the subset on the subscriber terminal. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging the subscriber, under control of the server, for the amount of money. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount charged to the advertiser is based on the number of mineral water from the advertiser actually displayed on the subscriber terminal. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount charged to a user is subsidized at least in part by revenue collected from the advertiser. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, under control of the server, arranging the subset of the plurality of advertisements in a predetermined order prior to distributing to the subscriber terminal. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the subset comprises target advertisements to a particular user base based on the area of the subscriber terminal. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset comprises an advertisement selected by the advertiser displayed on the subscriber terminal. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the subset is an advertisement of an advertiser placed near a party to be called by the user, the advertisement being selected by the terminal based on a number dialed by the user. How to generate revenue. The method of claim 1, further comprising: distributing at least one of a tariff and a surcharge scheme to the subscriber terminal under the control of the server, wherein the amount charged to the user is under the control of the subscriber terminal. And a method of generating revenue from a communication system operation determined with reference to the at least one of a surcharge scheme. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging, through the subscriber terminal, a zone owner of the subscriber terminal under the control of the server. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: under control of the server, debiting the zone owner's account stored on the server at one of the receipt of a delegation from the zone owner and a lapse of a predetermined time after the charge. Further comprising a method of generating revenue from a communication system operation. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein under control of the server, the revenue is collected from the advertiser and the revenue is divided with at least one of the zone owners of the subscriber terminal, and the telephone company provides telephone access to the subscriber terminal and operates a public telephone. The company further comprises the step of managing said server. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording information about a user interaction with the advertiser under control of the subscriber terminal, collecting the information, and providing the information to the advertiser. How it occurs. The method of claim 13, wherein the information comprises a record of at least one of a communication by the user to the advertiser and a completed transaction between the user and the advertiser. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber terminal is configured to display the at least one advertisement to non-users of the subscriber terminal. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a ticket to a user under the control of the subscriber terminal, wherein the ticket may be redeemed by a third party in exchange for goods or services. Way. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said third party is said advertiser. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount charged to the user is discounted based on free use for several minutes provided to the user. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to play a video game on a display screen of the subscriber terminal under control of the subscriber terminal. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading a calling card including a read indication of the advertiser under the control of the subscriber terminal and limiting the display to only the advertisement of the subscriber. Way. According to claim 1, Under the control of the subscriber station, Reading an electronic prepaid card comprising a memory in which a second set of advertisements is stored; Discontinuing display of the subset of the plurality of advertisements stored in the subscriber terminal; Displaying at least one of the second set of advertisements on the subscriber terminal; And Under the control of the server, Generating a revenue from a communication system operation comprising charging to the advertiser. In the method of advertising from the subscriber terminal, Reading, at the subscriber terminal, an electronic prepaid card including a memory in which an advertisement is stored; Allowing a user to use the subscriber terminal; Debiting the prepaid card for use of the subscriber terminal; And Displaying at least one of the advertisements on the subscriber terminal. In the method for generating revenue from advertising to subscriber terminal, Collecting an advertising message from an advertiser; Distributing a subset of the advertising message to the subscriber terminal when the subscriber terminal is not in use by a user; Charging the user for the use of the subscriber station; Displaying at least one of the subset of advertising messages on the subscriber terminal; And And charging the advertiser for a display of the at least one advertising message. In a system for generating revenue from advertisements over a communication network, At least one subscriber station enabling a user to initiate a phone call, charging the user for the use of the subscriber terminal, and displaying an advertisement stored in an internal memory; And A server for collecting a plurality of advertisements from an advertiser and distributing at least a subset of the plurality of advertisements through the communication network to the at least one subscriber terminal for storage in the memory when the subscriber terminal is not in use by a user; Revenue generation system from advertising. In a computer-readable data storage medium having a program code recorded thereon, the program code includes: Collect a plurality of advertisements from advertisers; When the subscriber terminal is not in use by a user, distribute at least a subset of the plurality of advertisements over a network to at least one subscriber terminal; Charge a user an amount for use of said at least one subscriber terminal; And instructions for displaying the at least one advertisement on the at least one subscriber terminal. 27. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to charge the advertiser an amount. 27. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 26, wherein the program code further comprises instructions based on the amount charged to the advertiser to the number of advertisements from the advertiser that are actually displayed on the subscriber terminal. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to subsidize at least partially the amount charged to the user by revenue collected from the advertiser. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to arrange the subset of the plurality of advertisements in a predetermined order prior to distribution to the subscriber terminal. 30. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 29, wherein the subset includes advertisements targeted to a particular user base based on a zone of the subscriber terminal. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the subset includes advertisements selected by the subscriber to be displayed on the subscriber piece. 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for distributing at least one of a fee schedule and a surcharge scheme to the subscriber terminal, wherein the amount charged to the user refers to the at least one of a fee schedule and an surcharge scheme. A computer readable data storage medium as determined by. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to charge a zone owner of the subscriber terminal through the subscriber terminal. 34. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 33, further comprising instructions for debiting an account of the area at one of receipt of the delegation from the area owner and a lapse of a predetermined time after the charging. 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the program code collects revenue from the advertiser and shares the revenue with at least one of the zone owners of the subscriber terminal, the telephone company provides telephone access to the subscriber terminal and the public telephone operator Computer readable data storage medium further comprising instructions for managing the server. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for recording and collecting information about a user-interaction with the advertiser and providing the information to the advertiser. 37. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 36, wherein the information comprises a record of at least one of a communication by the user to the advertiser and a completed transaction between the user and the advertiser. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to print a ticket to a user, wherein the ticket can be redeemed by a third party in exchange for a product or service. 27. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to discount the amount charged to the user based on the free use provided for the user for several minutes. 27. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions on a display screen of the subscriber terminal to enable a user to play a video game. 26. The computer readable data storage medium of claim 25, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to read a prepaid card including a read indication of the advertiser and to limit the display to only the advertisement of the subscriber. 27. The method of claim 25, further comprising: reading an electronic prepaid card including a memory in which a second set of advertisements is stored; Stop displaying the subset of the plurality of advertisements stored in the subscriber terminal; Display at least one of the second set of advertisements on the subscriber terminal; Computer-readable data storage medium comprising instructions for charging the advertiser. In a computer readable data storage medium having recorded thereon program code, the program code includes: Read an electronic prepaid card including a memory in which the advertisement is stored; Allow a user to use the subscriber terminal; Debit the prepaid card for use of the subscriber station; And instructions by the subscriber terminal to display at least one of the advertisements on the subscriber terminal. A system for providing an advertisement to a subscriber terminal user via a communication network, the system comprising: A plurality of subscriber stations connected to the network; And a central server connected to the plurality of subscriber stations via the network to facilitate distribution of advertisements to the terminals off-line. 45. The system of claim 44 wherein at least one of the subscriber stations is a payphone. 46. The system of claim 45, wherein the enhanced public telephone is A processor controlling an operation of the public telephone; Nonvolatile memory for storing an advertisement; And And a display device for displaying the advertisement to the payphone user. 47. The system of claim 46 wherein the payphone further comprises a modem for communicating over the network between the payphone and another electronic device. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the payphone further comprises a user input device for allowing a user to control the operation of the payphone. 43. The system of claim 42 wherein the payphone further comprises a data port for connection with user devices. 49. The system of claim 48 wherein the payphone further comprises a card reader that reads the user's card and accepts payment by the card for use of the payphone. 45. The system of claim 44 wherein the central server further comprises a database for storing advertisements and a program processor for controlling distribution of advertisements to the subscriber terminal and for managing the subscriber terminal. 53. The system of claim 51 wherein the subscriber terminal has a separate internet protocol address and the network is the internet. 53. The advertisement of claim 51, wherein the advertisement is at least one of video, audio, still image, animation, and wherein the central server distributes the advertisement in an encoded data format that facilitates electronic storage and transmission. Provide system. 45. The subscriber station of claim 44 wherein the network is at least one of a CDMA, TDMA, GSM, VSAT, xDSL, and ISDN based network, wherein at least one of the plurality of subscriber stations further comprises a converter to facilitate access to the network. Advertisement provision system to terminal users. What is claimed is: 1. A method of advertising to people near a subscriber terminal via a communication network Collecting advertisements at a central server; Distributing at least a subset of the advertisements over the network to the subscriber terminal when the subscriber terminal is not in use by a user; And Displaying at least one advertisement from the subset to the subscriber terminal. The method of claim 55, wherein the subscriber station comprises a processor for controlling the operation of the terminal, a nonvolatile memory for storing an advertisement, and a display device for displaying the advertisement to a user of the terminal. Detecting at the processor that a user has started using the terminal; Displaying at least a first advertisement on the display device from the subset of advertisements; Detecting at the processor that the user has finished using the terminal; And And suspending display of an advertisement on the display device. 57. The method of claim 56, further comprising displaying at least a second advertisement from the subset of advertisements on the display screen when the processor detects that use of the terminal has resumed. 56. The payphone of claim 55, wherein the subscriber station is a payphone including a program processor to control operation of a payphone, a nonvolatile memory for storing an advertisement, and a display device for displaying the advertisement to the payphone user. Way, Storing the subset of advertisements in the nonvolatile memory of the payphone, And the at least one advertisement is displayed on the display device. 59. The method of claim 58, wherein a plurality of advertisements are displayed on the display device, and the display order of the advertisements is determined by the processor based on a sequence number in each of the advertisements. 59. The method of claim 58 wherein the time at which the at least one advertisement is to be displayed is determined by the processor based on a daily time indicator in the at least one advertisement. 59. The method of claim 58 wherein the display period of the at least one advertisement is determined by the processor based on a period indicator in the at least one advertisement. 59. The method of claim 58, wherein the payphone includes a modem, and wherein distributing at least a subset of the advertisement is completed via the modem. 63. The subscriber terminal of claim 62 wherein the enhanced public telephone further comprises a card reader, the method further comprising reading a user's card and accepting payment by the card for use of the public telephone. Advertising method to. The method of claim 55, wherein the central server further comprises a database and a processor, wherein the method comprises: Storing the collected advertisements in the database; And Controlling the distribution of the subset of advertisements by the processor. 65. The terminal of claim 64, wherein the advertisement comprises at least one of video, audio, still images, and animation, wherein the central server distributes the advertisement in an encoded data format that facilitates electronic storage and transmission. Of advertising. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the network is at least one of a CDMA, TDMA, GSM, VSAT, xDSL, and ISDN based network, the method further comprising converting at the subscriber terminal a data format that facilitates access to the network. Advertising method to a subscriber terminal comprising. A public telephone that provides advertisements and facilitates communication by users, A processor controlling an operation of the public telephone; Non-volatile memory for storing the advertisement; And A display for displaying the advertisement to a user of the public telephone; And a plurality of advertisements are stored in the memory, and the processor controls the display of the advertisement on the display device. 1. A method of advertising on a public telephone comprising a processor for controlling the operation of a public telephone, a nonvolatile memory storing an advertisement, and a display for displaying the advertisement to a user of the public telephone. Storing a plurality of advertisements in the entire batch of the public telephone; And And displaying the advertisement on the display device.