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Prepaid long-distance telephone service system with flexible operating parameters

  • US 5,953,398 A
  • Filed: 12/08/1997
  • Issued: 09/14/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of automatically establishing a prepaid long-distance telephone service account for a new customer by electronic communication from a remote location comprising the steps of:

  • maintaining a prepaid long-distance telephone account database comprising a plurality of individual service accounts;

    at a location remote from the prepaid long-distance telephone account database, receiving a customer account number input by a user to identify a source of funds;

    at the remote location, receiving a prepaid long-distance telephone service dollar amount specified by the user;

    debiting the source of funds identified by the customer account number by the specified dollar amount;

    activating a new service account in the prepaid long-distance telephone account database associated with a corresponding service account number after the step of receiving the customer account number;

    crediting the specified dollar amount to the activated service account in the prepaid long-distance telephone account database;

    informing the user of the activated service account number; and

    informing the user of an access telephone number for using the prepaid long-distance telephone services.

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