AUDIOVISUAL TELECOMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS USING A DIGITAL NETWORK.

摘要

A videoconferencing network (5) of audiovisual communication terminals (10) is interconnected by a telephone network (20). Each terminal (10) is activated only when the balance in a user account has been read and the account has been made available for debiting. The terminal (10) includes a monitor system (60) for playing out and receiving voice and picture information, an interface system (120) for conditioning signals passing between the monitor system (60) and the telephone network (20), and a database (70) which contains the locations and telephone numbers of other terminals (10) of the videoconferencing network (5). The terminal (10) further includes a display of information from the database (70), a pointing device (100) by means of which a user can make a selection from the display by indicating the relevant position in the display, and a device (90) for automatically dialing up the selected remote terminal.