Telephone/Transaction Entry Device and System for Entering Transaction Data into Databases

Abstract

A data transaction processing system in which transaction data is entered by the user in response to prompts in a template which is tailored to each user application. The template and entered data are accumulated into data transactions which are immediately transmitted upon completion to an external database server for processing and storage. The data transactions are not locally stored for processing, and no conventional operating system is necessary. No local processing needs to be provided, and the only local storage is a flash PROM which stored the control firmware, a flash memory which stores the data streams making up the forms and menus, and a small RAM which operates as an input/output transaction buffer for storing the data streams of the template and the user replies to the prompts during assembly of a data transaction. The data transaction is received via standard protocols at a database server which, depending upon the application, stores the entire data transaction, explodes the data transaction to produce ancillary records which are then stored, and/or forwards the data transaction or some or all of the ancillary records to other database servers for updating other databases associated with those database servers. Also, in response to requests from the transaction entry device, the database server may return data streams for use in completing the fields in the data transaction or in presenting a menu on the display which was read in from the database server or a remote phone mail system. The transaction entry device is integrated with a telephone and is accessed via a touch screen, an optional keyboard, a magnetic card reader, voice entry, a modem, and the like.

1 . A portable telephone, comprising: 
 telephone electronics which allows sending a voice call over a channel; and    a browser portion, which allows entry of information indicative of a transaction, and where said transaction is operating system independent.    
     
     
         2 . A telephone as in  claim 1 , wherein said browser portion includes a memory, storing a plurality of data streams, and a processor, that generates a document from the data streams stored in said memory.  
     
     
         3 . A telephone as in  claim 2 , wherein said document includes a data entry portion, which enables a user to enter data into said document.  
     
     
         4 . A telephone as in  claim 1 , further comprising a memory storing information indicative of said browser portion, a processor, which operates based on at least information in said browser portion, and a user interface that allows entering data indicative of said transaction.  
     
     
         5 . A telephone as in  claim 4 , further comprising a modem, enabling sending information indicative of the data transaction to a remote server.  
     
     
         6 . A telephone as in  claim 3 , wherein said memory includes a buffer that stores information indicative of a plurality of items of data that has been entered into the form.  
     
     
         7 . A telephone as in  claim 2 , wherein a plurality of documents are stored in the memory.  
     
     
         8 . A telephone as in  claim 7 , wherein said processor determines that updated documents are available, and downloads updated documents and stores them in said memory.  
     
     
         9 . A portable telephone, comprising: 
 telephone electronics which allows sending a voice call over a telephone channels; and    a processing portion, including a data entry device, allowing data to be entered, a memory, storing data, a processor, running at least a browser that operates based on said data, and a display screen which displays information to a user, accepts responses from the user, and sends information indicative of said responses to a remote server.    
     
     
         10 . A telephone as in  claim 9 , wherein the data that runs the browser is operating system independent.  
     
     
         11 . A portable telephone as in  claim 9 , wherein said data that runs the browser includes templates, which request specified information to be entered via said data entry device.  
     
     
         12 . A portable telephone as in  claim 11 , wherein said templates include a plurality of templates, each tailored to a particular application.  
     
     
         13 . A method, comprising: 
 allowing, at a first time, a call to be made using the telephone;    at a second time, using the telephone to conduct a transaction with a remote server, based on specified data that is stored in the telephone, where the specified data is independent of operating system of the telephone.    
     
     
         14 . A method as in  claim 13 , further comprising using the same specified data to conduct a transaction on a different telephone that uses a different operating system.  
     
     
         15 . A method as in  claim 13 , wherein said conduct the transaction comprises displaying a form for a user that requires the user to enter specified data, and sending said specified data to a remote information server.  
     
     
         16 . A method as in  claim 13 , further comprising storing a plurality of forms within the telephone, where each form is specific for a specific application.  
     
     
         17 . A method as in  claim 16 , wherein each form includes a section that allows the user to enter data into said each form.  
     
     
         18 . A method as in  claim 17 , further comprising sending the data from said form to a remote server.  
     
     
         19 . A method as in  claim 17 , further comprising storing information in the form which indicates an address of a remote server that should receive the information.  
     
     
         20 . A method as in  claim 19 , further comprising sending information from a first form to a first remote server, and sending information from a second form to a second remote server.  
     
     
         21 . A method, comprising: 
 allowing, at a first time, a call to be made using a telephone; and    at a second time, using the telephone to conduct a transaction with a remote server, based on specified data that is stored in the telephone, where the specified data includes forms indicative of multiple different transactions, and each form being associated with information indicative of a remote server that should obtain information from the form.    
     
     
         22 . A method as in  claim 21 , wherein each form includes a section that allows the user to enter data into said each form.  
     
     
         23 . A method as in  claim 22 , further comprising sending the data from said form to a remote server without sending the form to the remote server.  
     
     
         24 . A method, comprising: 
 from a telephone, sending information to a remote server based on data that has been entered by a user at the telephone; and    sending a first portion of the information to a first fileserver that operates using a first operating system, and sending a second portion of the information to a second fileserver that operates using a second file system.    
     
     
         25 . A method as in  claim 24 , further comprising processing said first portion of said information and said first fileserver, and processing said second information in said second fileserver.  
     
     
         26 . A method as in  claim 25 , wherein said first and second portions are different information from respective forms.