Financial card authorization system

• US 5,619,559 A
• Filed: 07/25/1995
• Issued: 04/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compuserve Interactive Services Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kennedy, Rand A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US08/507,652
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91, 379/94, 379/90, 379/93, 379/98, 375/222
• US Class Current: 379/91.01
• 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

Abstract

A credit card authorization network which takes advantage of an all digital system to eliminate the need for analog to digital signal conversion. This allows for faster response time as well as reduced telephone charges. A credit card company may operate as an interexchange customer providing trunk protocol executing network access system devices at a Feature Group B access facility.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a credit card authorization network over a public telephone switched network comprising the steps of:

providing a feature group trunk;

providing an all digital network access system (NAS) device directly connected to said feature group trunk via a Tl digital link;

providing a plurality of credit card authorization terminals for automatically accessing said feature group trunk through an exchange carrier;

providing a micronode connected by an RS-232 interface to said NAS device;

providing a communication network for connection with said micronode; and

providing a host computer in communication with said communication network, such that said authorization terminals access said NAS device using said feature group trunk, and said micronode processes data communication between said communication network and said NAS device to enable said authorization terminals to communicate with said host computer.

2. A system for connecting selected financial card authorization terminals to a predetermined destination over a public switched telephone network said public switched telephone network having central offices for effecting switched connections between station lines and trunks, and trunk switching facilities, under control of exchange carriers (EC'"'"'s), and a plurality of interexchange customers (IXC'"'"'s), said IXC'"'"'s having a choice of feature group line side and trunk side switched access arrangements, with a cost per call charge by an EC for a call involving an IXC which interfaces with the EC via a feature group access facility trunk being borne solely by the IXC, said system comprising:

a network access system (NAS) device which operates to receive digital signals and to transmit digital signals and which is independent of analog to digital signal conversion;

a Tl digital link employing a feature group trunk protocol directly interconnecting said NAS device to an access tandem;

means for interconnecting said authorization terminals to said access tandem via feature group trunks;

a value added network in association with said NAS device for extending communication to said predetermined destination; and

a micronode in association with said NAS device, said micronode functioning as a network processor and data packet switch to allow communication between the NAS device and the predetermined destination through said value added network, wherein the predetermined destination is a host computer capable of processing data supplied by said authorization terminals.