Freedom Wireless Inc., Las Vegas, has been granted an additional patent, entitled “Security Cellular Telecommunication System,” covering 59 claims directed at methods for completing inbound and outbound prepaid wireless calls.
The new patent, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved last month, is a continuation of an earlier patent granted to inventors Douglas V. Fougnies and Dan B. Harned, both of Tempe, Ariz.
Freedom Wireless said it filed a motion Dec. 15 with the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts seeking to add the new patent to its patent infringement complaint against a dozen companies: Boston Communications Group Inc., AT&T Wireless PCS Inc., AirTouch Cellular; Alltel Communications Products Inc., Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile, BellSouth Cellular Corp., BellSouth Mobility Inc., CMT Partners, PrimeCo Personal Communications, Rogers Wireless Inc., Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems Inc., Western Wireless Corp.
The abstract for both patents describes the Freedom Wireless system as “having a security feature which allows only pre-authorized users to complete cellular telephone calls.
“The system and method recognizes (both) a cellular radiotelephone’s preprogrammed and pre-selected telephone number, which is reserved to the prepaid cellular telecommunications system, and (its) automated identification code.
“The cellular radiotelephone transmits the ANI and a dialed number identification system code to a cellular switch, which contacts a host computer for call validation by the prepaid service provider.”
