System for controlling usage of phone debit cards

• US 6,021,189 A
• Filed: 10/27/1997
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Vu, Joe Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Application Number:
  US08/957,829
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112, 379/114, 379/115, 379/144, 379/201, 379/229, 379/230, 379/196, 379/145, 455/405, 455/406, 455/409
• US Class Current: 379/114.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/775 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• 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 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7245 Shared by users, e.g. group accounts or one account for different users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7277 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7833 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/8166 Available credit

Abstract

Method for controlling usage of phone debit cards and an associated telephony system which incorporates the same. A switch receives requests to complete telephone calls to destination terminals and to assess fees associated with the requested telephone calls to a phone debit card account. Upon receipt of such a request, the switch asks an SCP to verify that the account is valid and has sufficient credit to complete the requested call. Upon being advised of the same, the switch completes the call. The switch then requests that the SCP deduct the cost of a first minute of the call from the account. When the switch has been advised that the cost of the first minute has been deducted from the account, the switch sets a timer. If the call is continuing when the minute expires, the switch will request that the SCP deduct the cost of the next minute from the account. The process then repeats until either the call has been released by either the originating or destination terminal or the entire value of the phone debit card has been consumed and the switch has released the call.

Claims

1. A method of controlling usage of a phone debit card, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a switch, an account number for a phone debit card;

said switch transmitting a message, to a database system which maintains an account corresponding to said account number, requesting that said database system verify said account number;

upon receiving a message from said database system verifying said account, said switch issuing a voice prompt, to an originating terminal which provided said account number, requesting a telephone number to be called;

upon receiving said telephone number, said switch transmitting a message to said database system requesting that said database system verify that said account has sufficient credit to complete a call to said telephone number;

upon receiving a message from said database system verifying that said account number has sufficient credit to complete said call, said switch completing said call to a destination terminal associated with said telephone number;

upon completing a connection with said destination terminal, said switch transmitting a message to said database requesting that said database system deduct a selected value from said account;

receiving, at said switch, a message from said database system indicating that a value had been deducted from said account and reporting remaining credit for said account after deduction of said value; and

said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon said value deducted from said account and said reported remaining credit for said account.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of:

upon receiving said request to verify said account number, verifying, at said database system, said account number received from said switch, by comparing said account number to a series of records, each corresponding to an account, maintained in memory at said database system;

if said received account number matches one of said account records maintained in memory at said database system, said database system examining said matching record to determine if said account has any remaining credit;

if said account has credit remaining, said database system issuing a message to said switch verifying said account number.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising the steps of:

upon receiving said credit verification request from said switch, said database system examining said request to determine an originating telephone number and said telephone number to be called;

said database system determining a fee per time unit to complete said requested call;

said database system examining said matching record to determine if said account has sufficient credit to pay said fee for a first time unit of said requested call; and

if said account has sufficient credit to pay said fee, said database system issuing a credit verification message to said switch.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon said value deducted from said account and said reported remaining credit for said account further comprises the step of:

if said message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value and that said reported remaining credit for said account is equal to or exceeds said deducted value, said switch selecting a first call continuation process comprising the steps of initiating a countdown of a selected time period and, upon expiration of said selected time period, said switch issuing a next request, to said database system, to deduct said selected value from said account.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon said value deducted from said account and said reported remaining credit for said account further comprises the step of:

if said message indicates that said deducted values matches said selected value but that said reported remaining credit for said account is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting a second call continuation process comprising the steps of initiating a countdown of a selected time period and, upon expiration of said selected time period, said switch releasing said call.

7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising the step of:

upon determining that said reported remaining credit for said account is less than said deducted value, said switch issuing, to said caller, a voice prompt indicating that said call will continue for said selected time period.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon said value deducted from said account and said reported remaining credit for said account further comprises the step of:

if said message indicates that said deducted value is less than said selected value and said remaining credit is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting a third call continuation process comprising the step releasing said call.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon said value deducted from said account and said reported remaining credit for said account further comprises the step of:

if said message indicates that said deducted value is less than said selected value and said reported remaining credit for said account is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting a third call continuation process comprising the steps of initiating a countdown of a selected time period and, upon expiration of said selected time period, said switch releasing said call.

10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising the step of:

upon determining that said reported remaining credit for said account is less than said deducted value, said switch issuing, to said caller, a voice prompt indicating that said call will continue for said selected time period.

4. A telephony system, comprising:

a switch, said switch including a call handler module for completing calls and for receiving requests to assess fees, associated with said calls, to phone debit card accounts; and

an account handler module, coupled to said switch, for verifying;

(1) that phone debit card accounts identified by said call handler module have value;

(2) that phone debit card accounts identified by said call handler module have sufficient value to pay fees assessed for completing requested telephone calls for a duration of one time unit;

(3) that phone debit card accounts identified by call handler module have insufficient value to pay fees assessed for completing said requested telephone calls for said one time unit; and

for indicating;

(1) an amount deducted in response to a request by said call handler module to deduct a fee for completing one time unit of a telephone call; and

(2) a remaining value after deduction of said amount;

upon completion of a connection for a call to be charged to said phone debit card account, said call handler module issuing a request to said account handler module to deduct said fee from said phone debit card account;

said account handler module issuing a reply to said call handler indicating said amount deducted and said remaining value for said phone debit card account;

said call handler module selecting a call continuation process based upon said amount deducted and said remaining value for said phone debit card account.

16. The system of claim 4 wherein said call handler module further comprises:

means for selecting a first call continuation process comprised of the steps of initiating, using a timer coupled to said call handler module, a countdown of a selected time period and reissuing said request when said countdown expires if said reply message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value and that said remaining credit for said account is equal to or exceeds said deducted value;

means for selecting a second call continuation process comprised of the steps of initiating, using said timer, said countdown of said selected time period and releasing said call when said countdown expires if said reply message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value and that said remaining credit for said account is less than said deducted value;

means for selecting a third call continuation process comprised of the step of releasing said call if said reply message indicates that said deducted value is less than said selected value and that said remaining credit is less than said deducted value.

11. A method of controlling usage of a phone debit card, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a switch, an account number for a phone debit card and a telephone number to be called;

said switch completing a connection between an originating terminal which provided said account number and a destination terminal associated with said telephone number;

upon completing said connection, said switch transmitting a message, to a database system which maintains an account corresponding to said account number, requesting that said database system deduct a selected value from said account;

said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon a reply message, received from said database system, indicating a value deducted from said account by said database system and reporting remaining credit for said account after deduction of said value.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of said switch selecting a call continuation process based upon a reply message further comprises the steps of:

if said reply message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value and that said remaining credit for said account is equal to or exceeds said deducted value, said switch selecting a first call continuation process comprising the steps of initiating a countdown of a selected time period and reissuing said request when said countdown expires;

if said reply message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value and that said remaining credit is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting a second call continuation process comprising the steps of initiating said countdown of said selected time period and releasing said call when said countdown expires;

if said reply message indicates that said deducted value is less than said selected value and that said remaining credit is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting a third call continuation process comprising the step of releasing said call.

13. The method of claim 12 when said second call continuation process further comprises the step of issuing a voice prompt to said caller indicating that said call will continue for said selected time period and then be released.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of selecting a call continuation process based upon a reply message further comprises the steps of:

if said reply message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value from said account and that said remaining credit is equal to or exceeds said deducted value, said switch selecting a first call continuation process comprising the steps of initiating a countdown of a selected time period and reissuing said message when said countdown expires;

if said reply message indicates that said deducted value matches said selected value and that said remaining credit is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting a second call continuation process comprising the steps of initiation said countdown of said selected time period and releasing said call when said countdown expires; and

if said reply message indicates that said deducted value is less than said selected value and said remaining credit is less than said deducted value, said switch selecting said second call continuation process.

15. The method of claim 14 when said second call continuation process further comprises the step of issuing a voice prompt to said caller indicating that said call will continue for said selected time period and then be released.