Method and device for crediting a creditable machine

• US 6,763,094 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2001
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Air PAQ
• Original Assignee: Air PAQ
• Inventors: Pritchard, Jay, Conn, Edward, Collin, Vernon
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, WING F
• Application Number:
  US09/937,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91.01, 379/91.02, 379/93.12, 379/93.13, 379/144.01, 455/406, 455/411, 455/414.1, 705/64, 705/26, 705/44, 705/21
• US Class Current: 379/91.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists

Abstract

A vending machine, meter or gaming machine crediting method and a device for implementing the method is disclosed. A creditable machine such as a vending machine, gaming machine or payment meter such as a parking meter generally requires the deposition of cash or the use of a magnetic or electronic payment card in order to be enabled. The use of cash or card readers implies security and other problems. The payment system of the present invention provides the creditable machine with a telephone interface device able to telecommunicate with a remote pay center by wire or preferably wireless telephony. To enable the creditable machine, a user communicates data to the pay center by means of a mobile cell phone or other wireless communicator. The pay center is able to check a user'"'"'s account and other transaction details and issue instruction to the creditable machine to enable the requested transaction.

Claims

1. A telephone interface device in a cash or coin operable device which includes a credit register and comprising a communicator for telecommunication with a remote pay centre server wherein the telephone interface device is adapted to send a credit signal including transaction data to the credit register and the telephone interface device having a sensing interface to interact with sensors of a control system in a cash or coin operable device, the pay centre server including means responsive to the telephone interface device identification code to generate a random security code and transmit the random security code to the telephone interface device, said telephone interface device providing means for the display of the random security code, said pay centre server having means adapted to await reception of the random security code from the telephone crediting machine, a comparator to compare the random security code received from the telephone crediting machine and the random security code as generated by the pay center server and means responsive to the comparator only when the random security codes match to proceed with the transaction.

2. A method for crediting a cash or coin operable device with a credit register and a telephone interface device by means of a separate telephone crediting machine and a remote pay centre server comprising the steps of:

(i) operating the telephone crediting machine to contact the pay centre server and communicate a user identification code to the pay centre server,

(ii) operating the telephone crediting machine to communicate a displayed telephone interface device identification code, to the pay centre server,

(iii) the pay centre server responding to the telephone interface device identification code by sending a transaction data request message to the user,

(iv) the user sending the transaction data to the pay centre server by means of the telephone crediting machine,

(v) the pay centre server interrogating user account data for approval of the transaction, and if the transaction is approved, logging the transaction data at the pay centre server,

(vi) sending an enable signal to the telephone interface device,

(vii) the telephone interface device responding to the enable signal by sending a credit signal to the cash or coin operable device, and

(viii) the step of sending a credit signal comprises sending the credit signal to the credit register so that the credit register registers a credit corresponding to a sum of currency communicated by the transaction data.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the cash or coin operable device is any of:

a vending machine, gaming machine, meter, amusement machine, video game machine, change machine and gambling machine.

4. A method according to claim 2 in which the steps of communication are implemented by wireless communication using a cellular phone network.

5. A method according to claim 4 comprising the step of the pay centre server responding to reception of the transaction data by disconnecting the wireless line to the crediting machine.

6. A telephone interface device in a cash or coin operable device communicating with a credit register and comprising a communicator for telecommunication with a remote pay centre server wherein the telephone interface device is adapted to send a credit signal including transaction data to the credit register and said credit register responding to the credit signal in accordance with the transaction data to enable the cash or coin operable device in accordance with the sum of currency communicated by the transaction data.

7. A telephone interface device according to claim 6 wherein the telephone interface device is adapted by means of parallel and serial ports to communicate with the cash or coin operable device electronic control system including the credit register.

8. A telephone interface device according to claim 6 wherein the communicator is a wireless communicator adapted for communication of data over a global cellular network.

9. A telephone interface device according to claim 6 having a sensing interface to interact with sensors of a control system in a cash or coin operable device.

10. A telephone interface device according to claim 6 in combination with the pay centre server, wherein the pay centre server is adapted to receive a wireless telecommunication signal from a telephone crediting machine, the signal comprising a telephone interface device identification code, a user identification code and transaction data,

the pay centre server including,

means responsive to the user identification code and the transaction data to interrogate a user account database and allow or deny the transaction according to the transaction data,

means responsive to the telephone interface device identification code to establish wireless communication with the telephone interface device corresponding to the telephone interface device identification code and transmit transaction data to the telephone interface device.

11. A method for crediting a cash or coin operable device provided with a telephone interface device by means of a separate telephone crediting machine and a remote pay centre server comprising the steps of:

(i) operating the telephone crediting machine to contact the pay centre server and communicate a user identification code to the pay centre server,

(ii) operating the telephone crediting machine to communicate a displayed telephone interface device identification code to the pay centre server,

(iii) the pay centre server responding to the telephone interface device identification code by sending a transaction data request message to the user,

(iv) the user sending the transaction data to the pay centre server by means of the telephone crediting machine,

(v) the pay centre server interrogating user account data for approval of the transaction, and if the transaction is approved, logging the transaction data at the pay centre server,

(vi) sending an enable signal to the telephone interface device,

(vii) the telephone interface device responding to the enable signal by sending a credit signal to the cash or coin operable device,

(viii) the step of sending a credit signal comprises sending the credit signal to the credit register so that the credit register registers a credit corresponding to a sum of currency communicated by the transaction data;

(ix) the pay centre server responding to the telephone interface device identification code to generate and transmit a random security code to the telephone interface device for display,

(x) operating the telephone crediting machine to communicate the random security code received by the telephone interface device to the pay centre server, and

(xi) the pay centre server comparing the random security code as sent to the telephone interface device and the random security code as received from the telephone crediting machine and proceeding with the transaction by the step of sending the transaction data request message only if the sent and received random security codes match.