Processor routing number for mobile communication service provider billing

• US 10,318,954 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gailloux, Michael A., Smith, Brian T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawley, Talia F
• Application Number:
  US15/582,482
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography

Abstract

A method of billing a payment transaction to a mobile communication service account. The method comprises receiving a request for mobile communication service provider billing approval from a payment processor, wherein the request comprises one of a phone number associated with a mobile communication service account or an equipment identification of a mobile communication device associated with the mobile communication service account, wherein the request comprises a processor routing number, wherein the processor routing number is consistent in format with one of a block of credit card numbers maintained by a mobile communication service provider, and wherein the processor routing number is used by different mobile communication devices associated with different mobile communication service accounts to complete payments. The method further comprises identifying the service account based on one of the phone number or the equipment identification of the mobile communication device, and charging to the mobile communication service account.

Claims

1. A payment processing system, comprising:

a payment processor server that comprises a non-transitory memory, a processor, and a payment processor application stored in the non-transitory memory, that when executed by the processor;

receives a payment process request from a point-of-sale (POS) terminal for a purchase transaction initiated by a mobile communication device via a short range transceiver, the payment process request comprising a processor routing number and metadata that comprises at least one identifier associated with the mobile communication device, wherein the processor routing number is a non-exclusive account number that is also used by other mobile communication devices that are not associated with a service account corresponding to the mobile communication device,

determines, based on the processor routing number, that the payment process request is to be processed as a service provider billing transaction by a service provider server of a service provider,

in response to the determination, sends a payment authorization request for service provider billing approval to the service provider server corresponding to the processor routing number, wherein the payment authorization request for service provider billing approval comprises the processor routing number and the metadata, and wherein the service provider server identifies the service account based on the metadata,

receives a payment approval message from the service provider server, and

in response to receiving the payment approval message, transmits a message indicating payment approval to the POS terminal, wherein the POS terminal completes the purchase transaction based on the message.

2. The payment processing system of claim 1, wherein short range transceiver comprises a near field communication transceiver.

3. The payment processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identifier associated with the mobile communication device comprises at least one of a phone number of the mobile communication device or an equipment identification of the mobile communication device.

4. The payment processing system of claim 1, wherein the payment authorization request further comprises a payment amount associated with the purchase transaction, and wherein the service provider server charges the payment amount against the service account.

5. The payment processing system of claim 1, wherein the payment processor application further:

receives a merchant code from the POS terminal, and

determines that the merchant codes is on a white list published by the service provider, wherein the payment authorization request is sent to the service provider server in response to the determination that the merchant code is on the white list.

6. The payment processing system of claim 1, wherein the service provider server approves the payment authorization request based on determining that the service account is in good standing on a mobile communication service provider network and transmits the payment approval message to the payment processor server in response to the approval.

7. A method of processing a payment transaction, comprising:

receiving, by a payment processor server executing a payment processor application on a processor from a non-transitory memory, a payment process request from a point-of-sale (POS) terminal for a purchase transaction initiated by a mobile communication device via a short range transceiver, the payment process request comprising a processor routing number and metadata that comprises at least one identifier associated with the mobile communication device, wherein the processor routing number is a non-exclusive account number that is also used by other mobile communication devices that are not associated with a service account corresponding to the mobile communication device;

determining, by the payment processor server based on the processor routing number, that the payment process request is to be processed as a service provider billing transaction by a service provider server of a service provider;

in response to the determination, sending, by the payment processor server, a payment authorization request for service provider billing approval to the service provider server corresponding to the processor routing number, wherein the payment authorization request for service provider billing approval comprises the processor routing number and the metadata, and wherein the service provider server identifies the service account based on the metadata;

receiving, by the payment processor server, a payment approval message from the service provider server; and

in response to receiving the payment approval message, transmits, by the payment processor server, a message indicating payment approval to the POS terminal, wherein the POS terminal completes the purchase transaction based on the message.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the payment processor server, a merchant code from the POS terminal; and

determining, by the payment processor server, that the merchant codes is on a white list published by the service provider, wherein the payment authorization request is sent to the service provider server in response to the determination that the merchant code is on the white list.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the payment processor server, a merchant code from the POS terminal; and

determining, by the payment processor server, that the merchant codes is one of a taxi-cab merchant code, a vending machine merchant code, or a parking meter merchant code, wherein the payment authorization request is sent to the service provider server in response to the determination that the merchant code is one of the taxi-cab merchant code, the vending machine merchant code, or the parking meter merchant code.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one identifier associated with the mobile communication device comprises one of a phone number or an equipment identification.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the payment process request further comprises a personal identification number associated with a user of the mobile communication device, and wherein the payment authorization request further comprises the personal identification number.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

verifying, by the service provider server, that the personal identification number matches a stored personal identification number associated with the user of the mobile communication device; and

transmitting, by the service provider server, the payment approval message to the payment processor server in response to the verification.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the payment process request further comprises a payment amount, and wherein the payment authorization request further comprises the payment amount.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising charging, by the service provider server, the payment amount against the service account.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

approving, by the service provider server, the payment authorization request based on determining that the service account is in good standing on a mobile communication service provider network; and

transmitting, by the service provider server, the payment approval message to the payment processor server in response to the approval.

16. A method of processing a payment transaction, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile communication device, a processor routing number from a service provider server, wherein the processor routing number is a non-exclusive account number that is also used by other mobile communication devices that are not associated with a service account corresponding to the mobile communication device;

initiating, by the mobile communication device, a purchase transaction by transmitting, via a short range transceiver of the mobile communication device, the processor routing number and metadata that comprises at least one identifier associated with the mobile communication device to a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, wherein the POS terminal transmits a payment process request comprising the processor routing number and the metadata to a payment processor server, and wherein the payment processor server determines, based on the processor routing number, that the payment process request is to be processed as a service provider billing transaction by the service provider server of a mobile communication service provider;

receiving, by the service provider server, a payment authorization request for service provider billing approval corresponding to the processor routing number from the payment processor server based on the determination by the payment processor server that the payment process request message is to be processed as the service provider billing transaction, wherein the payment authorization request for service provider billing approval comprises the processor routing number and the metadata;

identifying, by the service provider server, the service account corresponding to the mobile communication device based on the metadata;

charging, by the service provider, a payment amount associated with the purchase transaction against the service account; and

transmitting, by the service provider server, a payment approval message to the payment processor server, wherein the POS terminal completes the purchase transaction based on the payment approval message.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the service provider server, a request for the processor routing number from the mobile communication device;

identifying, by the service provider server, the processor routing number in a pool of numbers maintained by the mobile communication service provider; and

transmitting, by the service provider server, the processor routing number to the mobile communication device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the payment authorization request further comprises a personal identification number, and further comprising validating, by the service provider server, the personal identification number based on comparison with a personal identification number associated with the mobile communication device stored in a data store maintained by the mobile communication service provider.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein a format of the processor routing number is consistent with a standard credit card number, but the processor routing number is processed differently by the payment processor server than the standard credit card number.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising approving, by the service provider server, the payment authorization request based on determining that the service account is in good standing on a mobile communication service provider network, wherein the charging of the payment amount and the transmitting of the payment approval message are in response to the approval.