Cellular radiotelephone credit card paystation method

• US 5,220,593 A
• Filed: 03/31/1992
• Issued: 06/15/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GTE Wireless Service Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Mobile Communications Service Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Borkowski, Daniel G., Zicker, Robert G., Cao, Thanh H., Brown, Phillip D. Jr., Plouff, Donald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Application Number:
  US07/861,023
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 379/69, 379/63, 379/91, 379/144, 379/145, 455/51.1
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• 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 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/857 Cumulative charges
• 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 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system (10) for operating a multiplicity of credit card reader-equipped cellular mobile radiotelephones (CMRs 12) as credit card paystations is disclosed. The CMRs (12) incorporate a remotely programmable unit (RPU 48) which controls credit card operation (1400, 1700) and which controls data communication sessions (1800, 1900, 2100) with a credit card (CC) host (26) and a remote programming (RP) host (24). The RPU (48) resides between a conventional control unit (CU 42) and a conventional transmit/receive unit (TRU 62) of a conventional CMR. The RPU (48) monitors messages (1200, 1300) transmitted from the CU (42) and from the TRU (62). The CMR (12) powers up in a locked state (1402), within which a credit card (88) may be read. The credit card is locally validated (1421) at CMR 12. If the validation is successful, the CMR (12) is unlocked so that a call may be placed. Credit card information, called number, call time, call duration, and system identification number (SID) are recorded (1700) in a call record for each call established through the CMR (12). Call records are accumulated within the CMR (12). After each call, accumulated CMR (12) usage is checked (1730) against fraud alert thresholds. When a threshold is exceeded, an external credit card validation is performed (1744). Upon a daily schedule which activates during off-peak hours, the CMR (12) calls the CC host (26) to upload (1830) the accumulated call records.

Claims

1. A method of operating a remotely programmable cellular telephone as a credit card telephone paystation, said method comprising the steps of:

periodically receiving synchronization data from outside of said telephone, said synchronization data serving to set a time and date for a clock portion of said telephone;

continually maintaining current time and date in said clock portion of said telephone;

reading credit card information from a credit card;

validating said credit card information;

enabling operation of said telephone when said validating step successfully validates said credit card information;

establishing a customer call through said enabled telephone;

storing a call record, said call record including data describing said customer call and including said credit card information;

monitoring said clock to determine the occurrence of a predetermined point in time, wherein said predetermined point in time represents the beginning of a wake-up timing window;

energizing a transmitter portion of said telephone when said monitoring step detects said predetermined time;

automatically placing a system call with a host computer system when said monitoring step detects the occurrence of said predetermined point in time;

if said system call is successfully established, transferring said call record to said host customer system during said system call;

storing data descriptive of the duration of said wake-up timing window;

monitoring said clock to detect the end of said wake-up window; and

de-energizing said transmitter portion of said telephone when said end of said wake-up window occurs.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said de-energizing step comprises the step of revising said predetermined point in time to identify a subsequent wake-up window.

3. A method of operating a remotely programmable cellular telephone as a credit card telephone paystation, said method comprising the steps of:

periodically receiving synchronization data from outside of said telephone, said synchronization data serving to set a time and date for a clock portion of said telephone;

continually maintaining current time and date in said clock portion of said telephone;

reading credit card information from a credit card;

validating said credit card information;

enabling operation of said telephone when said validating step successfully validates said credit card information;

establishing a customer call through said enabled telephone;

storing a call record in a call record buffer said call record including data describing said customer call and including said credit card information;

monitoring said clock to determine the occurrence of a predetermined point in time;

determining whether said call record buffer is full;

automatically placing a system call with a host computer system when said determining step determines that said call record buffer is full;

if said system call is successfully established, transferring said call record to said host computer system during said system call;

automatically placing a second system call with a host computer system when said monitoring step detects the occurrence of said predetermined point in time; and

if said second system call is successfully established, transferring said call record to said host computer system during said second system call.

4. A method of operating a remotely programmable cellular telephone as a credit card telephone paystation, said method comprising the steps of:

periodically receiving synchronization data from outside of said telephone, said synchronization data serving to set a time and date for a clock portion of said telephone;

continually maintaining current time and date in said clock portion of said telephone;

reading credit card information from a credit card;

validating said credit card information;

enabling operation of said telephone when said validating step successfully validates said credit card information;

establishing a customer call through said enabled telephone;

storing a call record, said call record including data describing said customer call and including said credit card information;

monitoring said clock to determine the occurrence of a predetermined point in time and to determine the occurrence of a second predetermined point in time;

automatically placing a system call with a host computer system when said monitoring step detects the occurrence of said predetermined point in time;

if said system call is successfully established, transferring said call record to said host computer system during said system call;

revising said second predetermined point in time after said transferring step; and

automatically placing a second system call with said host computer system when said monitoring step detects the occurrence of said second predetermined point in time, said second system call serving to inform said host computer system of the operational status of said telephone when no customer calls have been established since said transferring step.

5. A method of operating a remotely programmable cellular telephone as a credit card telephone paystation, said method comprising the steps of:

periodically receiving synchronization data from outside of said telephone, said synchronization data serving to set a time and date for a clock portion of said telephone;

continually maintaining current time and date in said clock portion of said telephone;

reading credit card information from a credit card;

validating said credit card information;

enabling operation of said telephone when said validating step successfully validates said credit card information;

establishing a customer call through said enabled telephone;

storing a call record, said call record including data describing said customer call and including said credit card information;

monitoring said clock to determine the occurrence of a predetermined point in time;

automatically placing a system call with a host computer system when said monitoring step detects the occurrence of said predetermined point in time;

if said system call is successfully established, transferring said call record to said host computer system during said system call;

programming a data flag to indicate operation of said telephone in one of paystation telephone and non-paystation telephone modes of operation;

performing said reading, validation, storing, clock monitoring, placing, and transferring steps when said data flag indicates operation in said paystation telephone mode; and

omitting said reading, validation, placing, and transferring steps when said data flag indicates operation in said non-paystation telephone mode.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said reading step reads said credit card information through a communication link with a credit card reader portion of said telephone, and said programming step comprises the step of monitoring said communication link to determine whether said credit card reader portion of said telephone is coupled to said telephone.

7. A method of operating a remotely programmable cellular telephone as a credit card telephone paystation, said method comprising the steps of:

periodically receiving synchronization data from outside of said telephone, said synchronization data serving to set a time and date for a clock portion of said telephone;

continually maintaining current time and date in said clock portion of said telephone;

reading credit card information from a credit card;

validating said credit card information by analyzing said credit card information only at said telephone;

enabling operation of said telephone when said validating step successfully validates said credit card information;

establishing a customer call through said enabled telephone;

storing a call record, said call record including data describing said customer call and including said credit card information;

monitoring said clock to determine the occurrence of a predetermined point in time;

automatically placing a system call with a host computer system when said monitoring step detects the occurrence of said predetermined point in time;

if said system call is successfully established, transferring said call record to said host computer system during said system call;

recording parameters describing said customer call;

comparing said parameters with a predetermined fraud alert usage threshold;

when said predetermined fraud alert usage threshold is exceeded, automatically establishing a data communications session with a credit card authorization system to remotely validate said credit card; and

if said credit card authorization system invalidates said credit card, disabling operation of said telephone.

8. A method of efficiently and automatically collecting billing information from a cellular radiotelephone, said method comprising the steps of:

accumulating call records within said radiotelephone, each call record describing a single call and including data describing timing for said single call, data identifying a cellular system utilized in making said single call, and data identifying a credit card account number to which said single call is to be charged;

at predetermined intervals, placing a system call from said radiotelephone to a host computer;

engaging in an access security handshaking procedure wherein said radiotelephone transmits an electronic serial number (ESN) that uniquely identifies said radiotelephone to said host computer, and said host computer transmits a password to said radiotelephone, said password being determined from said ESN;

if said password received during said security handshaking procedure matches a predetermined password stored within said radiotelephone, transmitting said call records from said radiotelephone to said host computer and

associating, at said host computer, said ESN with each of said call records to identify to whom credit card charges are to be paid.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said credit card account number data represent a collection of digits, and said method additionally comprises the step of coding said digits using four bits of data per digit to reduce the entire number of bits in each call record during said transmitting step.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein:

said calls are placed through a cellular radio communications network in which a majority of call traffic therein occurs during peak operating hours and a minority of call traffic therein occurs during off-peak operating hours; and

said placing step is configured so that said system call occurs during said off-peak operating hours.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 additionally comprising the steps of:

reading at least one credit card account number from at least one credit card;

locally validating said at least one credit card account number; and

enabling operation of said radiotelephone when said locally validating step successfully validates said at least one credit card account number.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said validating step comprises the step of analyzing said credit card information only at said telephone, and said method additionally comprises the steps of:

maintaining usage parameters which describe usage of said radiotelephone;

comparing said parameters with a predetermined fraud alert usage threshold;

when said predetermined fraud alert usage threshold is exceeded, automatically establishing a data communications session through said host computer with a credit card authorization system to remotely validate said credit card; and

if said credit card authorization system invalidates said credit card, disabling operation of said telephone.