Debit card system without centralized server

• US 6,453,029 B1
• Filed: 05/18/1998
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Campbell, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US09/081,482
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 375/112, 375/114, 375/115, 375/121, 375/127, 375/144, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/432, 455/433, 455/439, 455/436, 455/438, 379/114.19, 379/114.2, 379/114.15, 379/114.17
• US Class Current: 379/114.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• 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 17/02 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: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers

Abstract

A system and method having a number of call processors and servers which provide prepaid or debit card calling service to local areas is disclosed. The servers are linked via a wide area network (WAN) or some other communications network. The system maintains a single account record for each debit card customer. Each account record contains information such as an account balance and a rate billing plan for the customer. When a customer makes a prepaid call, a local call processor and server handle the call. The local server obtains the customer'"'"'s record from another server via the WAN if the record is not already present in a local database. WAN traffic is reduced because most debit card users routinely call from the same local area and, as a result, most of calls from a particular customer are processed by the same local call processor and server.

Claims

1. A method for providing user information in a telecommunications system comprising a plurality of servers, each of said servers at a different location and linked by a data network, said method comprising the steps of:

determining whether said user information is in a local server;

identifying a remote server having said user information, when said user information is not in said local server;

negotiating with said remote server to obtain control of said user information, wherein said user information is transferred from said remote server to said local server, and wherein said transfer of said user information includes removing said user information from said remote server such that said user information resides only at said local server;

calculating a call charge amount allowed using said information; and

maintaining said user information on said local server until such time as a remote server of said plurality of servers negotiates with said local server to transfer and obtain control of said user information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

routing a user'"'"'s call to a telecommunications destination concurrently with said determining, identifying and negotiating steps.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of servers are linked by a wide area network (WAN).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifying step further comprises the step of:

querying a coordinating server as to the location of a particular user record.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifying step further comprises the step of:

polling other remote severs of said plurality of servers as to the location of a particular user record.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said user information comprises prepaid calling services information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said prepaid calling services information includes data selected from the group consisting of:

billing rate data;

account balance data; and

password data.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein current user information for a user resides on only one of said plurality of servers at any given time.

8. A system for providing debit card calling services to users comprising:

a plurality of processor means for routing calls to called destinations using information provided by said users;

network means for linking said plurality of processor means;

a plurality of user records distributed among said processor means, said user records comprising debit card account information for each of said users;

means for calculating a debit card call charged amount using said user records; and

means for transferring said user records among said processor means via said network means, wherein the transfer of one of said user records from one of said processor means to another of said processor means comprises removal of said one of said user records from said one of said processor means such that said one of said user records resides only at said another of said processor means.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

coordinating means for monitoring the location of each of said plurality of user records.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for polling each of said processor means to determine whether one of said processors controls a particular user record.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said remote processors comprise a device selected from the group consisting of:

a service control point;

a service node;

an intelligent peripheral; and

a mobile switching center.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for monitoring said current debit card balance in real time.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

means for determining a time remaining period based upon said current debit card balance.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

means for notifying said users of said time remaining period at predetermined intervals.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

means for terminating a debit card call connection when said current debit card balance is below a predetermined minimum amount.

17. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for maintaining a user record for a user on said processor means to which said user record is transferred until such time as another of said plurality of processor means requests receipt of said user record.

18. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for maintaining one or more of said user records local to one of said plurality of processor means until a remote one of said plurality of processor means requests that said one or more of said user records be transferred to said remote one of said plurality of processor means.

19. A local call processing system for providing debit card calling services to users, said local call processing system comprising:

call processor means for routing calls from local users;

local server for maintaining user account information for said local users and for providing said user account information to said call processor means;

means for determining whether said user account information is in said local server;

communication link via data network to at least one remote server;

means for requesting to obtain control of said user account information when determined that said user account information is not in said local server, wherein said user account information is transferred from one of said at least one remote server to said local server via said data network such that current user account information is maintained only on one of said local server and said at least one remote server, and wherein said transfer of said user account information includes removing said user account information from said one of said at least one remote server such that said user account information resides only at said local server;

means for calculating a call charge amount allowed using said user account information; and

means for maintaining said user account information on said local server until such time as one of said at least one remote server requests to obtain control of said user account information.

20. The local call processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

means for identifying one of said at least one remote server having said user account information, when determined that said user account information is not in said local server.

21. The local call processing system of claim 20 wherein said means for identifying comprises:

means for querying a coordinating server means.

22. The local call processing system of claim 20 wherein said means for identifying comprises:

means for polling said one or more other local call processing systems.

23. The local call processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

means for communicating to said users through at least one of a wireline telephone network and a wireless communications network.

24. The local call processing system of claim 19 wherein said means for requesting to obtain control of said user account information further comprises means for negotiating with said one of said at least one remote servers to obtain control of said user account information, and wherein said means for maintaining maintains said user account information on said local server until such time as one of said at least one remote server negotiates with said local server to obtain control of said user account information.

25. The local call processing system of claim 19 further comprising:

means for monitoring a current debit card balance in real time.

26. The local call processing system of claim 25 further comprising:

means for terminating a debit card call connection when said current debit card balance is below a predetermined amount.

27. A local call processing system for providing debit card calling services to users, said local call processing system comprising:

call processor means for routing calls from local users;

local server for maintaining user account information for said local users and for providing said user account information to said call processor means;

means for determining whether said user account information is in said local server;

communication link via data network to at least one remote server;

means for requesting to obtain control of said user account information when determined that said user account information is not in said local server, wherein said user account information is transferred from one of said at least one remote server to said local server via said data network such that current user account information is maintained only on one of said local server and said at least one remote server, and wherein said requesting means further comprises means for negotiating with said one of said at least one remote servers to obtain control of said user account information;

means for calculating a call charge amount allowed using said user account information; and

means for maintaining said user account information on said local server until such time as one of said at least one remote server requests to obtain control of said user account information, wherein said maintaining means maintains said user account information on said local server until such time as one of said at least one remote server negotiates with said local server to obtain control of said user account information, and wherein said negotiating with said one of said at least one remote server includes ensuring that said user account is not in use at said one of said at least one remote server.