Enhanced recharge card management system with reseller users' security and accessibility

• US 7,356,327 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Thadani, Sunil, Su, Jie, Reid, John B., Cai, Yigang
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US10/717,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/409, 455/432.3, 455/422.1, 455/435.1, 455/432.1, 379/91.01, 379/114.15, 379/114.16, 379/114.17, 379/114.19, 379/114.2, 379/121.02, 379/121.03
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/2593 code management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts

Abstract

A method and apparatus for allowing a reseller to securely access and manage scratch cards at a recharge card management system that is maintained by the service provider. The service provider and reseller users of the recharge card management system can create a scratch card batch that is associated with the reseller account identification. The service provider and reseller users can search, view and modify scratch card data based on security and accessibility. Advantageously, the reseller or distributor can only manage and sell scratch card only to its own account identification, thus protecting such transactions against fraud.

Claims

1. A method of incrementing a telecommunication customer'"'"'s prepaid account with a prepaid administration system of a service provider comprising the steps of:

creating data for a scratch card batch at a recharge card management system of a service provider by service provider users;

said data comprising scratch numbers of said batch and reseller account identification data for identifying a reseller that manages and sells the batch;

manufacturing said batch by either said service provider or said reseller;

if said batch is manufactured by said reseller, providing said reseller with access to data for said batch;

selling a card of said batch; and

activating data for said card in said recharge card management system;

said management system maintained by a service provider;

said management system accessible only by authorized service provider or reseller users;

said management system for storing users'"'"' profile data in its database;

said reseller users limited to accessing card information with their account identification information;

said reseller card identification information for identifying a reseller and distributors below said reseller in said reseller'"'"'s hierarchy;

said customer calling a prepaid administration system to transfer the value of the scratch card to the customer'"'"'s account;

if said scratch card is valid in said recharge card management system, responsive to the customer call, transferring a value of said card to said customer'"'"'s account;

responsive to said transferring a value, invalidating said card in said recharge card management system; and

billing said reseller for an amount associated with the value of said card.

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

said prepaid administration system checking data received from said customer against data in a database of said recharge card management system to verify an authorization for incrementing said customer'"'"'s prepaid account.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calling the prepaid administration system comprises the step of:

identifying the customer through a mobile identification number or a calling line identification number and the scratch number of said card.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said users'"'"' profile contains data identifying a user name, a user password, a user account identification, and a user identification.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a reseller can have multiple account identifications for distributors in a reseller'"'"'s hierarchy.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a user can input scratch card manufacturing data for the file at the recharge card management system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said manufacturing order file includes scratch card information, manufacturer name, reseller name, account identification and scratch number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a reseller user enters data for said scratch card in the card database of the recharge card management system, said data comprising an account identification of said reseller.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said account identification of said reseller or an account identification of a distributor user is arranged in a hierarchy so that distributors can access data only for themselves or distributors further down in a hierarchy of distributors and a reseller user can access data for all distributors below the reseller in said hierarchy.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a reseller or distributor user can modify the card status during inventory and distribution.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the data in the card database identifies the reseller and includes the account number of the reseller.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

a reseller selling a card to a distributor; and

activating said card with an account number of the distributor.

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

marking the card as used after the customer'"'"'s account has been incremented.

14. Apparatus for controlling incrementing of a telecommunication customer'"'"'s prepaid account with a prepaid administration system of a service provider comprising:

a recharge card management system for creating data for a scratch card batch by service provider users;

means for manufacturing said batch by either said service provider or said reseller;

if said batch is manufactured by said reseller, means for providing said reseller with access to data for said batch;

means for selling a card of said batch; and

means for activating data for said card in said recharge card management system;

means for storing data for said batch, said data comprising scratch numbers and reseller account identification data for identifying a reseller that manages and sells the batch;

said management system maintained by a service provider;

said management system accessible only by authorized service provider or reseller users;

said management system further for storing users'"'"' profile data in its database;

said reseller users limited to accessing card information with their account identification;

said reseller card identification information for identifying a reseller and distributors below said reseller in said reseller'"'"'s hierarchy;

responsive to selling said card to a customer, said card management system for activating said data for said card in said database;

if said scratch card is valid in said recharge card management system, means, responsive to a customer call, for transferring a value of said card to said customer'"'"'s account;

means, responsive to said transferring a value, for invalidating said card in said recharge card management system; and

means for billing said reseller for an amount associated with the value of said card.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said prepaid administration system checks data received from said customer against data in a database of said recharge card management system to verify an authorization for incrementing said customer'"'"'s prepaid account.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said recharge card management system is responsive to input from a user for creating manufacturing data for a database of said recharge card management system.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a reseller user inputs data for said scratch card in a database of the recharge card management system, said data comprising an account identification of said reseller.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said account identification of said reseller or an account identification of a distributor user is arranged in a hierarchy so that distributors can access data only for themselves or distributors further down in a hierarchy of distributors and a reseller user can access data for all distributors below the reseller in said hierarchy.