Method of providing information to a telephony subscriber

Abstract

An information fulfillment system and method for providing information to a caller having a wireless communication device. Upon receipt of sensory prompting and manual or automatic input of access codes to the wireless communication device, the caller's identity and the input access code are verified. Thereafter, the call is connected through the PWN and along the PSTN to the system messaging or fulfillment center for automatic or live-operator delivery of the requested information. Automatic verification, connection, and billing modification processes are provided for implementation of the system and method.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method for providing requested information from an information center to a caller having a telecommunications transmitting and receiving device that ordinarily initiates telecommunications through transmission of an ordinary telephone number comprising: 
 providing a specialized access code that is associated with the information, wherein the specialized access code is different than an ordinary telephone number;    initiating a telecommunications communication by dialing the specialized access code into the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device without also dialing an ordinary telephone number;    within a telecommunications network, translating the specialized access code to a public switch telephone network number to direct the telecommunications communication to the information center;    delivering the information as corresponds to the specialized access code to the caller from the information center through the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein initiating a telecommunications communication comprises initiating a wireless telecommunications communication.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing a specialized access code comprises providing a specialized access code having a fewer number of characters than an ordinary telephone number.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing a specialized access code comprises providing a specialized access code that includes at least one non-alphabetic/non-numeric character.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein providing a specialized access code that includes at least one non-alphabetic/non-numeric character comprises providing a specialized access code having the non-alphabetic/non-numeric character as a first character.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein initiating a telecommunications communication by dialing the specialized access code into the telecommunications transmitting and receiving device comprises initiating a telecommunications communication by entering the specialized access code into a telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein entering the specialized access code into a telecommunications transmitting and receiving device comprises entering the specialized access code into a wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein, within a telecommunications network, translating the specialized access code to a public switch telephone network number to direct the telecommunications communication to the information center includes switching the telecommunications communication from a public wireless telecommunications network to a public switch telephone network.  
     
     
         9 . A method for providing access to requested information as retained at an information center to a caller having a wireline telecommunications transmitting and receiving device that ordinarily initiates telecommunications through transmission of an ordinary telephone number comprising: 
 providing a specialized access code that is associated with the information, wherein the specialized access code is different than an ordinary telephone number;    initiating a telecommunications communication by dialing the specialized access code into the wireline telecommunications transmitting and receiving device without also dialing an ordinary telephone number;    within a telecommunications network, translating the specialized access code to a public switch telephone network number to direct the telecommunications communication to the information center;    permitting the caller to access the information at the information center as corresponds to the specialized access code through the wireline telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  and further comprising: 
 initiating a wireless telecommunications communication by dialing the specialized access code into a wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device without also dialing an ordinary telephone number;  
 within a telecommunications network, translating the specialized access code to a public switch telephone network number to direct the wireless telecommunications communication to the information center;  
 permitting the caller to access the information at the information center as corresponds to the specialized access code through the wireless telecommunications transmitting and receiving device.  
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein providing a specialized access code comprises providing a specialized access code having a fewer number of characters than an ordinary telephone number.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein providing a specialized access code comprises providing a specialized access code that includes at least one non-alphabetic/non-numeric character.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein providing a specialized access code that includes at least one non-alphabetic/non-numeric character comprises providing a specialized access code having the non-alphabetic/non-numeric character as a first character.