Wireless service purchasing system

• US 20050216344A1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Collet, Jean-Luc, Marmigere, Gerard, Picon, Joaquin, Secondo, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.260
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password

Abstract

The present invention provides a wireless service purchasing system used for getting a service provided by a service provider. In one embodiment, the system comprises a mobile device including a SIM card, wherein a RFID tag is integrated, the user being identified by the same identification number in both SIM card and RFID tag. The RFID tag is adapted to communicate with a service controller booth so that the user of the mobile device be authorized to get the service. The system comprises a service provider server adapted to receive a request when it has received the identification number from the RFID tag to verify whether an account associated with the user has enough credit to gain access to the requested service and to send back a reply to the service controller booth authorizing or denying the user access to the service according to whether there is enough credit in the account.

Claims

1. A wireless service purchasing system for getting a service provided by a service provider comprising:

a mobile device associated with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the RFID tag being adapted to communicate with a RFID reader so that a user of the mobile device may be authorized to access the service;

a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, wherein the RFID tag and SIM card are integrated, the user being identified by the same identification number in both the SIM card and the RFID tag; and

a service provider server for receiving a request from the RFID reader when it receives the identification number from the RFID tag and verifying whether an account associated with the user has enough credit to gain access to the requested service and sending a reply to the RFID reader authorizing or denying access to the service according to whether there is enough credit in the account.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the user may send a short message service (SMS) to the service provider server including the identification number and an amount of money to be put in an account associated with the user.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the account associated with the user is an account for accessing the services of a wireless telephone operator from the mobile device.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the user may pay directly at a service controller booth by entering on a keyboard a PIN code confirming payment and the service controller booth sends information about the payment to the service provider server.

5. A wireless service purchasing system for getting a service provided by a service provider comprising:

a mobile device associated with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the RFID tag being adapted to communicate with a RFID reader so that a user of the mobile device may be authorized to access the service;

a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, wherein the RFID tag and SIM card are integrated, the user being identified by the same identification number in both the SIM card and the RFID tag;

a service provider server for receiving a request from the RFID reader when it receives the identification number from the RFID tag and verifying whether an account associated with the user has enough credit to gain access to the requested service and sending a reply to the RFID reader authorizing or denying access to the service according to whether there is enough credit in the account; and

a billing system for transmitting a bill to the user after receiving information about the price of the service accessed by the user.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the user may send a short message service (SMS) to the service provider server including the identification number and an amount of money to be put in an account associated with the user.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the account associated with the user is an account for accessing the services of a wireless telephone operator from the mobile device.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the user pays directly at a service controller booth by entering on a keyboard a PIN code confirming payment and the service controller booth sends information about the payment to the service provider server.

9. A wireless service purchasing system for getting a service provided by a service provider comprising:

a mobile device associated with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the RFID tag being adapted to communicate with a RFID reader so that a user of the mobile device may be authorized to access the service;

a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, wherein the RFID tag and SIM card are integrated, the user being identified by the same identification number in both the SIM card and the RFID tag;

a service provider server for receiving a request from the RFID reader when it receives the identification number from the RFID tag and verifying whether an account associated with the user has enough credit to gain access to the requested service and sending a reply to the RFID reader authorizing or denying access to the service according to whether there is enough credit in the account; and

a service controller booth, at which a user may pay by entering on a keyboard a PIN code confirming payment and which sends information about the payment to the service provider server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user may send a short message service (SMS) to the service provider server including the identification number and an amount of money to be put in an account associated with the user.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the account associated with the user is an account for accessing the services of a wireless telephone operator from the mobile device.

12. A system according to claim 9, further comprising a billing system for transmitting a bill to the user after receiving information about the price of the service accessed by the user.