Method which allows continued use of a credit card which is expired in time or value units

• US 4,757,186 A
• Filed: 10/14/1986
• Issued: 07/12/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Heberle, Wolfgang, Ludwig, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US06/918,026
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 235/382, 235/382.5
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• 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

Abstract

A method which allows the continued use of a credit card which is expired in terms of time or value units for automatic vendors which are in communication with a central evaluation location. The method of the invention allows a continuation of telephone calls, for example, even with an expired telephone credit card. This occurs in that debiting of the fee units used or made to the account of the card owner at the central evaluation location in a chronologically limited transition time after every service performance so that a call is not cut-off in the middle of a call.

Claims

1. A method for continued employment of a credit card which has expired in terms of time and/or value units for automatic vendors which are in communication with a central evaluation location, particularly for telecommunications equipment operable with credit cards and in communication with an exchange, comprising identifying in the central evaluation location that the card has expired, and debitting of the fee units used to the account of the card owner at the central evaluation location in a chronologically limited transition time after every service performance.