System for purchase of prepaid telephone services

• US 7,255,268 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dentlinger, Dale H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US11/349,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20060124732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 235375-382, 37911415-1142, 37914401-14408, 705/24, 705/500
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• 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 2017/2593 code management

Abstract

A system and method for electronic purchase of prepaid telephone services is provided. An initiating terminal receives input of a customer'"'"'s request to purchase a specified amount of prepaid telephone services and receives input of the customer'"'"'s designation of a financial account from which to electronically debit the price of such purchase. A central terminal receives these inputs from the initiating terminal, obtains authorization for the request, and transmits data to the initiating terminal for the initiating terminal to, in turn, print on a receipt and provide to the customer. This receipt is then used instead of a telephone card to obtain telephone services up to the specified amount. Such receipt may also detail instructions and an authorization number, such as a personal identification number or PIN, to initiate the pre-paid telephone service. The system and method of the present invention also preferably transfers the funds from the appropriate demand or credit account to pay for the purchased telephone services. An additional, separate Regulation E-type receipt is preferably also printed reflecting the financial transaction.

Claims

1. A system for purchase of prepaid telephone services, comprising:

a central terminal operable to receive a request to purchase prepaid telephone services from an initiating terminal;

wherein the central terminal is further operable to;

receive an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

seek authorization for the request;

cause, using the central terminal, the electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier; and

log a transaction indicating a purchase of prepaid telephone services in response to receipt of an authorization; and

transmit output data from the central terminal to the initiating terminal, wherein the output data is to be used instead of a telephone card to obtain telephone services.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the central terminal received the request from the initiating terminal over a communication network.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the central terminal is further operable to transmit receipt data to the initiating terminal which reflects the purchase of prepaid telephone services.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the request further comprises a predetermined amount of prepaid telephone services selected from a plurality of amount options.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein the predetermined amount comprises a dollar amount.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein seeking authorization for the request further comprises seeking authorization for a financial amount dependent upon an amount of prepaid telephone services included with the request.

7. The system of claim 1,

wherein the financial account comprises an account type selected from the group consisting of a credit card account and a debit card account.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the central terminal is further operable to send rejection data to the initiating terminal if authorization for the request was not obtained.

9. A method for processing prepaid phone service transactions, comprising:

receiving, at a central terminal, a request to purchase prepaid telephone services that was generated by an initiating terminal;

seeking financial authorization for the request using the central terminal;

logging a transaction using the central terminal indicating a purchase of prepaid telephone services in response to receipt of an authorization;

receiving an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

causing, using the central terminal, the electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier; and

transmitting output data from the central terminal to the initiating terminal, wherein the output data is to be used instead of a telephone card to obtain telephone services.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the central terminal received the request from the initiating terminal over a communication network.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

causing, using the central terminal, the electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting receipt data from the central terminal to the initiating terminal which reflects the purchase of prepaid telephone services.

13. The method of claim 9,

wherein the request further comprises a predetermined amount of prepaid telephone services selected from a plurality of amount options.

14. The method of claim 9,

wherein the financial account comprises an account type selected from the group consisting of a credit card account and a debit card account.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending rejection data from the central terminal to the initiating terminal if authorization for the request was not obtained.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services; and

causing, using the central terminal, the electronic debiting of the financial account using the identifier.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein the request further comprises a predetermined amount of prepaid telephone services selected from a plurality of amount options.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein the financial account comprises an account type selected from the group consisting of a credit card account and a debit card account.

19. A system for purchase of prepaid telephone services, comprising:

an initiating terminal operable to receive a request to purchase prepaid telephone services;

wherein the initiating terminal is further operable to;

transmit the request to a central terminal, the request comprising an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

receive output data from the central terminal if the request was financially authorized, wherein the output data reflects a purchase of prepaid telephone services, the output data to be used instead of a telephone card to obtain telephone services.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein the initiating terminal is operable to transmit the request over a communication network.

21. The system of claim 19,

wherein the request further comprises a predetermined amount of prepaid telephone services selected from a plurality of amount options.

22. The system of claim 19,

wherein the financial account comprises an account type selected from the group consisting of a credit card account and a debit card account.

23. The system of claim 19,

wherein the initiating terminal further comprises a graphical user interface operable to receive the request.

24. A method for processing prepaid phone service transactions, comprising:

receiving at an initiating terminal, a request to purchase prepaid telephone services, the request comprising an identifier of a financial account to be used to purchase the prepaid telephone services;

transmitting the request to a central terminal;

receiving output data from the central terminal if the request was financially authorized, wherein the output data reflects a purchase of prepaid telephone services, the output data to be used instead of a telephone card to obtain telephone services.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein transmitting the request further comprises:

transmitting the request over a communication network.

26. The method of claim 24,

wherein the request further comprises a predetermined amount of prepaid telephone services selected from a plurality of amount options.

27. The method of claim 24,

wherein the financial account comprises an account type selected from the group consisting of a credit card account and a debit card account.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving the request with a graphical user interface.