System and method for providing prepaid services via an internet protocol network system

• US 20020046255A1
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Vognsen, David K., Appleby, Anna M., Moore, Richard G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/805 Bidding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/201 automatic recharging with predetermined amount at threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/204 on-line recharging, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/22 with automatic recharging of account/card, e.g. if limit is reached during connection the account is recharged automatically
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/24 : with on-line recharging of an account or card, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 : Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 : On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 : Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 : Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 : Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7457 : Biding

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing prepaid services via an open network architecture system having access to a network, such as the Internet via an Internet protocol. The architecture system is operated by a system operator and includes a customer profile database which stores various customer-related information, such as customer names and their respective payment and contact information, a plurality of databases each storing prepaid accounts for a particular prepaid service, such as telephony, Internet access, paging, and cellular, and web-site system hardware connected to the customer profile database and the plurality of databases and to a network, such as the Internet, for ubiquitously accessing the databases via the Internet for viewing and managing one'"'"'s prepaid services, as well as purchasing additional prepaid services and/or usage rights. The architecture system further includes network hardware connected to the web-site system hardware for enabling outside system operators, e.g., wholesalers, online retailers, system developers and ISPs, to utilize the architecture system to brand their own prepaid services and offer them through the architecture system.

Claims

1. An information processing system for offering prepaid services via a network connection comprising:

web-site system hardware connected to a network via the network connection for maintaining at least one web-site, the at least one web-site offering a plurality of prepaid services and accessible by a plurality of end-users via the network connection for purchasing one of at least one of the plurality of prepaid services and usage rights for at least one of the plurality of prepaid services;

a plurality of databases connected to the web-site system hardware and containing prepaid services end-user usage information transferred thereto by the web-site system hardware, the end-user usage information being accessible by a set of end-users of the plurality of end-users via the at least one web-site; and

a customer profile database connected to the web-site system hardware and containing information pertaining to the set of end-users.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising network hardware connected to the web-site system hardware via a dedicated link for enabling at least one end-user of the plurality of end-users to access a web-site of the at least one web-site via another network connection.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the network hardware is configured for enabling at least one customer of a system operator of the system to utilize the system for offering the plurality of prepaid services to at least one of the plurality of end-users.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the set of end-users of the plurality of end-users are one of customers of a system operator of the system and customers of at least one outside system operator of the system.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one outside system operator is selected from the group consisting of wholesalers, online retailers, system developers, ISPs and other business entities.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the web-site system hardware is configured for communicating with a prepaid services allocation system for receiving the prepaid services end-user information for storage within the plurality of databases.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured for providing to the plurality of end-users the at least one purchased prepaid service or usage rights of the at least one of the plurality of prepaid services in real-time.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured for allocating one of a PIN and a unique identifier to each end-user of the set of end-users of the plurality of end-users.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the PIN and the unique identifier are allocated in real-time.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the set of end-users includes identifying and payment information corresponding to each of the end-users of the set of end-users.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the web-site system hardware includes a plurality of software modules for maintaining the at least one web-site.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network is one of a LAN and WAN and the at least one web-site is a company intranet web-site.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured for initiating a payment verification process upon an end-user of the plurality of end-users initiating a payment transaction.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of prepaid services is selected from the group consisting of prepaid calling cards, prepaid Internet access, prepaid telephony, prepaid paging, prepaid cellular, prepaid cable television, prepaid travel and entertainment tickets, prepaid utilities, prepaid Internet hosting, prepaid gasoline, and prepaid heating oil.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one web-site offers two or more of the plurality of prepaid services as prepaid bundled-service packages.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of providing network hardware connected to the web-site system hardware via a dedicated link for enabling at least one end-user of the plurality of end-users to access a web-site of the at least one web-site via another network connection.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of enabling at least one customer of a system operator of the system to utilize the system for offering the plurality of prepaid services to at least one of the plurality of end-users.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of communicating with a prepaid services allocation system for receiving the prepaid services end-user information for storage within the plurality of databases.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of providing to th e plurality of end-users the at least one purchased prepaid service or usage rights of the at least one of the plurality of prepaid services in real-time.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of allocating one of a PIN and a unique identifier to each end-user of the set of end-users of the plurality of end-users.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the allocating step allocates the PIN and the unique identifier in real-time.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the information pertaining to the set of end-users includes identifying and payment information corresponding to each of the end-users of the set of end-users.

24. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of providing a plurality of software modules for maintaining the at least one web-site.

25. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of initiating a payment verification process upon an end-user of the plurality of end-users initiating a payment transaction.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of prepaid services is selected from the group consisting of prepaid calling cards, prepaid Internet access, prepaid telephony, prepaid paging, prepaid cellular, prepaid cable television, prepaid travel and entertainment tickets, prepaid utilities, prepaid Internet hosting, prepaid gasoline, and prepaid heating oil.

27. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of offering two or more of the plurality of prepaid services as prepaid bundled-service packages.

28. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of charging the at least one customer of the system operator a predetermined usage fee for utilizing the system for offering the plurality of prepaid services to the at least one of the plurality of end-users.

16. A method for operating an information processing system offering prepaid services via a network connection, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a web-site system hardware connected to a network via the network connection for maintaining at least one web-site, the at least one web-site offering a plurality of prepaid services and accessible by a plurality of end-users via the network connection for purchasing one of at least one of the plurality of prepaid services and usage rights for at least one of the plurality of prepaid services;

providing a plurality of databases connected to the web-site system hardware and containing prepaid services end-user usage information transferred thereto by the web-site system hardware, the end-user usage information being accessible by a set of end-users of the plurality of end-users via the at least one web-site; and

providing a customer profile database connected to the web-site system hardware and containing information pertaining to the set of end-users.