Method for recharging a subscription card using wireless equipment

• US 7,543,737 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Societe Francaise De Radiotelephone SA (Altice Europe NV)
• Original Assignee: Societe Francaise De Radiotelephone SA (Altice Europe NV)
• Inventors: Prunel, Nicolas, Bensimon, Michael, Caloud, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/116,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20050269399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/379, 235/382, 235/383, 235/385, 235/487, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3437 the counter having non-monetary units, e.g. trips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/349 Rechargeable cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• 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 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/204 on-line recharging, e.g. cashless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/24 with on-line recharging of an account or card, e.g. cashless

Abstract

This invention relates to a device for recharging a contactless smart card (1) including a recharge kiosk (2) that can have an identifier specific to it and capable of communicating with a contactless smart card (1), a mobile terminal (3) provided with a recharge management program (33) capable of communicating with a recharge server (4) through any type of communication means, means of payment through a communication network and an identity module, and a recharge server (4), characterised in that the mobile terminal (3) includes shape reading means (31) for acquisition of the identifier of the kiosk (2), and its corresponding recharge method.

Claims

1. Method for recharging a contactless smart card comprising a payment/transaction through a communication network and identifying the user through an identity module, said method being, implemented by:

a recharge kiosk having authentication data and communicating with a contactless smart card,

a mobile terminal provided with shape reading means for acquisition of authentication data,

a recharge server, and

a recharge management program communicating with the recharge server,

wherein the method includes;

displaying a barcode composed of card or kiosk authentication data, by the recharge kiosk

acquiring information displayed the shape reading means on the mobile terminal,

communicating between the recharge management program of the mobile terminal and the recharge server, so that the recharge management program transmits the barcode or part of the information contained in the barcode and performs the payment/transaction,

verifying the payment/transaction and authenticating the kiosk and/or the smart card, by the recharge server,

transmitting, directly or indirectly via the mobile terminal, from the recharge server to the data recharge kiosk, so as to credit the smart card,

transmitting between the recharge kiosk and the contactless smart card, information about completion of the transaction, and crediting the smart card.

2. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises:

identifying the smart card,

displaying information on the card by the kiosk,

communicating between the kiosk and the recharge server,

prompting, by the kiosk, to start the recharge management program, and

acknowledging the recharge by the kiosk.

3. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 2, characterised in that when the credit is stored in the network, the method includes:

transmitting data, from the recharge server to the recharge management programs, so that the smart card can be credited,

displaying said data to the user, by the recharge management program, and

transmitting said data to the recharge kiosk.

4. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 2, characterised in that when the credit is stored in the smart card, the method includes transmitting data from the recharge server to the recharge management program and using said data to credit the smart card, the recharge management program displaying these data to the user.

5. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 2, characterised in that when the credit is stored in the smart card, the method includes acknowledging the recharge by the recharge kiosk.

6. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that during the communicating between the recharge management program and the recharge server, the recharge server triggers payment instead of the recharge management program.

7. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that when the credit system associated with the smart card is a central system, the recharge server directly credits the payment server, the method then goes on from verifying the payment to acknowledging the recharge.

8. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that said transmitting indirectly, via the mobile terminal, from the recharge server to the recharge kiosk, comprises:

transmitting data from the recharge server to the recharge management program so that the smart card can be credited.

9. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, wherein the smart card sends a challenge that is transmitted to the recharge server that signs the challenge—

transaction amount pair, and, when the smart card recognises the signature of the recharge server, it credits the amount of the transaction to itself.

10. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 9, characterised in that the challenge comprises a security mechanism.

11. Method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that, when the credit is stored in the network, the method includes:

transmitting data, from the recharge server to the recharge management programs so that the smart card can be credited,

displaying said data to the user, by the recharge management program, and

transmitting said data to the recharge kiosk.

12. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that when the credit is stored in the smart card, the method includes transmitting data from the recharge server to the recharge management program and using said data to credit the smart card, the recharge management program displaying these data to the user.

13. The method for recharging a contactless smart card according to claim 1, characterised in that when the credit is stored in the smart card, the method includes acknowledging the recharge by the recharge kiosk.