Automated Distribution and Indexing of Prepaid Calling Card Information

• US 20090202054A1
• Filed: 02/07/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wick, Corey W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0028 Use of a wired telephone or public communication device charging and metering the use of the telecommunication network H04M17/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• 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 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/12 using calling, telephone credit/debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a system for automated distribution and indexing of prepaid calling card information comprises a central terminal operable to receive a request to purchase prepaid telephone services from an initiating terminal. The request comprises an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services. The central terminal is operable to electronically seek authorization for the request, initiate electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier, and log a transaction indicating a purchase of prepaid telephone services in response to receipt of the authorization. The central terminal is operable to initiate electronic transmission, according to purchaser contact information, of calling card information from the central terminal to at least one electronic storage medium for access by a purchaser. The calling card information provides access to the prepaid telephone services instead of using a telephone card or printed receipt to obtain the prepaid telephone services.

Claims

1. A system for automated distribution and indexing of prepaid calling card information, comprising:

a central terminal operable to;

receive a request to purchase prepaid telephone services from an initiating terminal, the request comprising an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

electronically seek authorization for the request;

initiate electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier;

log a transaction indicating a purchase of prepaid telephone services in response to receipt of the authorization; and

initiate electronic transmission, according to purchaser contact information, of calling card information from the central terminal to at least one electronic storage medium for access by a purchaser, the calling card information operable to provide access to the prepaid telephone services instead of using a telephone card or printed receipt to obtain the prepaid telephone services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the central terminal is operable to extract the purchaser contact information from account information associated with the financial account debited for purchase of the prepaid telephone services.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the request to purchase the prepaid telephone services comprises the purchaser contact information, the central terminal operable to determine the purchaser contact information from the request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling card information is transmitted electronically via SMS messaging.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling card information is transmitted electronically in the form of a contact file, the contact file formatted according to a contact application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling card information is transmitted electronically via e-mail.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling card information is transmitted electronically to a text-to-speech converter for distribution to the purchaser via voice messaging.

8. A method for automated distribution and indexing of prepaid calling card information, comprising:

receiving from an initiating terminal a request to purchase prepaid telephone services, the request having been generated by the initiating terminal and comprising an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

electronically seeking authorization for the request;

initiating electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier;

logging a transaction indicating a purchase of prepaid telephone services in response to receipt of an authorization; and

initiating electronic transmission, according to purchaser contact information, of calling card information to at least one electronic storage medium for access by a purchaser, the calling card information operable to provide access to the prepaid telephone services instead of using a telephone card or printed receipt to obtain the prepaid telephone services.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising extracting the purchaser contact information from account information associated with the financial account debited for purchase of the prepaid telephone services.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the request to purchase the prepaid telephone services comprises the purchaser contact information being in the request to purchase prepaid telephone services; and

the method comprises determining the purchaser contact information from the request.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information via SMS messaging.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information in the form of a contact file.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information via e-mail.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information to a text-to-speech converter for distribution to the purchaser via voice messaging.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services; and

causing, using the central terminal, the electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier.

16. Software for automated distribution and indexing of prepaid calling card information, the software being embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to operations comprising:

receiving from an initiating terminal, a request to purchase prepaid telephone services, the request having been generated by the initiating terminal and comprising an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

electronically seeking authorization for the request;

initiating the electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier;

logging a transaction indicating a purchase of prepaid telephone services in response to receipt of the authorization; and

initiate electronic transmission, according to purchaser contact information, of calling card information to at least one electronic storage medium for access by a purchaser, the calling card information operable to provide access to the prepaid telephone services instead of using a telephone card or printed receipt to obtain the prepaid telephone services.

17. The software of claim 16, wherein the operations comprising extracting the purchaser contact information from account information associated with the financial account debited for purchase of the prepaid telephone services.

18. The software of claim 16, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information via SMS messaging.

19. The software of claim 16, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information in the form of a contact file.

20. The software of claim 16, wherein initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information comprises initiating electronic transmission of the calling card information via e-mail.