Systems and methods for account establishment and transaction management

• US 20070263812A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Evercom Systems Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Rae, Robert L., Polozola, Michelle L., Keiser, Luke, Hershberger, Anthony, Hite, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/144.20
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• 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 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• 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 2215/0116 Provision for limiting expenditure, e.g. limit on call expenses or account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/66 Third party billing, i.e. third party can also be the predetermined telephone line of the caller if he is calling from another telephone set

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods which provide techniques providing account setup, management and transaction authorization determinations in real-time using transaction interrupt messaging. Embodiments preferably take into consideration the quality of one or more parties to the transaction and the means by which charges may be rendered to them when making account setup, management, and/or transaction authorization determinations. Accordingly, transactions, such as collect calls, meeting at least some minimal risk threshold may be completed on a first call attempt, even where a pre-arranged billing agreement or other business relationship is not previously in place.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying initiation of a transaction between a resident of a controlled-environment facility and another party, wherein the initiated transaction is to be paid via a first type of account;

determining whether the initiated transaction is denied; and

when the initiated transaction is denied, interrupting the initiated transaction and interacting with at least one of the resident and another party, wherein the interacting comprises providing to at least one of the resident and the another party an option to complete the transaction with the transaction to be paid via a second type of account.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiated transaction is a collect call from the resident to the another party.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the collect call is denied by the another party.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the second type of account is a pre-funded account.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the interacting comprises providing the resident an option to complete the transaction with the transaction to be paid via the second type of account.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second type of account is a pre-funded account.

7. A method comprising:

identifying initiation of a collect call between a resident of a controlled-environment facility and another party;

determining whether said collect call is denied; and

when determined that said collect call is denied, permitting said call between said resident and the another party for a threshold duration of time, and interrupting the call for interaction with at least one of said resident and said another party.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the interacting comprises providing to at least one of the resident and the another party an option to continue the call with the call to be paid via a selected type of account.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the selected type of account comprises at least one of collect call and a pre-funded account.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the interaction comprises providing to at least one of the resident and the another party an option to continue the call with the call to be paid via a pre-funded account.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the collect call is denied by the another party.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the interaction comprises providing the resident an option to continue the call with the call to be paid via a selected type of account.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the selected type of account is a pre-funded account.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining whether to permit said call for said threshold duration of time when determined that said call is denied.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said determining whether to permit said call for said threshold duration of time is based at least in part on whether said resident has previously received for a threshold duration of time a call that was denied.

16. A method comprising:

detecting an initiated transaction between a resident of a controlled-environment facility and another party, wherein the initiated transaction is to be paid for via a first type of account;

determining that the initiated transaction is denied; and

interrupting the initiated transaction and interacting with the resident to provide the resident with an option to perform the denied initiated transaction to be paid for via a second type of account.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the initiated transaction is a collect call from the resident to the another party.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the another party denies the collect call.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining whether a pre-funded account is available to which the call can be charged.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the interacting comprises:

providing the resident with an option to perform the denied call with the call to be paid for via the pre-funded account.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said detecting, determining, and interrupting are performed by a transaction validation engine.

22. A method comprising:

detecting, by a transaction validation engine, an initiated transaction between a resident of a controlled-environment facility and another party, wherein the initiated transaction is to be paid for via a first type of account;

determining, by the transaction validation engine, whether another type of account other than the first type of account is preferred for payment for the initiated transaction;

when determined that the another type of account is preferred, interrupting the initiated transaction, by the transaction validation engine, and interacting with the resident to provide the resident with an option to perform the initiated transaction to be paid for via the another type of account.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the transaction is a collect call from the resident to the another party.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the another type of account is a pre-funded account for the resident.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining, by the transaction validation engine, that the initiated transaction is denied; and

interrupting the initiated transaction, by the transaction validation engine, and interacting with the resident to provide the resident with an option to perform the denied initiated transaction to be paid for via different type of account than that used when the initiated transaction was denied.