Telephone calling account system and method

• US 6,404,866 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vesta Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vesta Corporation
• Inventors: Fieldhouse, Douglas M., Steele, Keith E., Hopper, Eric L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/436,977
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91.01, 379/91.02, 379/114, 379/115, 379/121, 379/130, 379/140, 379/144, 705/14, 705/16, 705/17, 705/18, 705/21, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382
• US Class Current: 379/114.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/106 using commercial credit or debit cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/14 using commercial credit/debit cards, e.g. VISA, AMEX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/724 Linked accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 Multiple accounts per user

Abstract

A telephone calling account system, method, and card. The method typically includes determining a preexisting account designator of a preexisting account, creating a telephone calling account on a calling platform, and assigning to the telephone calling account the preexisting account designator of the preexisting account.

Claims

1. A method of creating a telephone calling account on a calling platform, the method comprising:

receiving a request related to a preexisting account having a preexisting account number, the request being to create a telephone calling account having the same account number as the preexisting account, wherein the preexisting account has an associated account number that enables the owner to use the account for a non-telephone-related function;

obtaining the preexisting account number of the preexisting account;

creating a new telephone calling account on the calling platform;

creating a PIN for the new telephone calling account that is different from a security PIN for a bank account, and that is the same as the preexisting account number of the preexisting account;

assigning to the telephone calling account the newly created PIN; and

activating the telephone calling account;

wherein, after creation of the telephone calling account, the same number may be used as the account number for the non-telephone related purpose, and as the PIN for the telephone calling account.

2. The method of claim 1, where the telephone calling account is configured to enable the owner to call the calling platform and be connected to a destination telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1, where the preexisting account is a credit card account.

4. The method of claim 1, where the preexisting account is a mileage card account.

5. The method of claim 1, where the preexisting account is a dining card account.

6. The method of claim 1, where the preexisting account is a banking account.

7. The method of claim 1, where the preexisting account is a membership account.

8. The method of claim 1, where the preexisting account is an inactive account.

9. The method of claim 1, where the inactive preexisting account has been set aside for a potential customer, but has not yet been activated.

10. The method of claim 1, where the request is received from the owner of the preexisting account.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the request includes receiving a call from the owner of the preexisting account.

12. The method of claim 11, where the call from the owner is received at a customer service center.

13. The method of claim 11, where the call from the owner is received at a card-initialization telephone number.

14. The method of claim 13, where the card-initialization telephone number is a toll-free number.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising, prompting the owner for a gateway access telephone number associated with the telephone calling account.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising, presenting information concerning the telephone calling account to the owner of the preexisting account.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising prompting the owner of the telephone calling account for the preexisting account number of the preexisting account.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving from the owner of the preexisting account the preexisting account number.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising verifying the validity of the preexisting account number.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising prompting the owner of the preexisting account for payment information.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving payment information from the owner of the preexisting account.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising verifying the payment information.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a request message from a first computer to a host computer to instruct the host computer to create a calling account on the calling platform.

24. The method claim 23, further comprising sending a response message from the host computer to the first computer to verify the creation of the telephone calling account.

25. The method of claim 23, where the first computer is located at a customer service center and the host computer is located at a gateway platform.