Methods and apparatuses for purchasing telephone calling card minutes using an electronic commerce kiosk and for conducting other forms of electronic commerce

• US 7,331,521 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Coinstar Asset Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Coinstar E-Payment Services Incorporated (Millennium Prime, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boyle, Michael J., Sorenson, Timothy N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Uyen-Chau N
• Application Number:
  US11/325,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20060108414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 235379-381, 235/383, 235/384, 705 8- 18, 705 30- 38, 902/13, 902/14, 902/16, 902/17, 902 39- 43
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/08 Counting total of coins inserted

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for purchasing telephone calling card minutes and for conducting other forms of electronic commerce. In one embodiment, a method for conducting electronic commerce includes providing a kiosk in a publicly accessible location, and displaying one or more transaction options to a user at the kiosk. The method may further include receiving a transaction selection from the user corresponding to one or more of the displayed transaction options, determining an amount due from the user in response to the transaction selection, and receiving funds from the user. In response to receiving the funds, the kiosk may dispense a redeemable voucher to the user, including a redeemable voucher for any amount paid in excess of the amount due.

Claims

1. A method for use by an electronic commerce kiosk for selling prepaid telephone service, the method comprising:

providing an electronic commerce kiosk in a publicly accessible location;

displaying at least first and second purchase options to a user at the kiosk, wherein the first purchase option relates to a type of telephone service and the second purchase option relates to a type of credit card usage;

receiving a purchase selection from the user at the kiosk corresponding to first purchase options;

determining an amount due from the user in response to receiving the purchase selection;

receiving funds from the user to pay for the purchase selection, the funds including a plurality of randomly oriented coins received substantially simultaneously in a coin input region of the kiosk to at least partially pay for the purchase selection;

subtracting the amount due from the funds received to determine a difference between the funds received and the amount due; and

when the difference is greater than zero, automatically dispensing a voucher to the user at the kiosk in the absence of dispensing monetary currency to the user, wherein the voucher is at least redeemable at the kiosk for the second purchase option.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dispensing a voucher to the user includes automatically dispensing a voucher to the user in the absence of receiving a user input at the kiosk requesting the voucher.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving additional funds including paper currency from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving additional funds by reading a magnetic card provided by the user at the kiosk.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a first voucher from the user at the kiosk to at least partially pay for the selected transaction, and wherein dispensing a voucher to the user at the kiosk includes dispensing a second voucher to the user.

6. A method for conducting electronic commerce, the method comprising:

providing an electronic commerce kiosk in a publicly accessible location;

displaying at least first and second transaction options to a user at the kiosk, wherein the first transaction option relates to prepaid telephone service and the second transaction option relates to a prepaid credit card;

receiving a transaction selection from the user at the kiosk corresponding to the first transaction option;

determining an amount due from the user in response to receiving the transaction selection;

receiving funds from the user to pav for the transaction selection, the funds including a plurality of randomly oriented coins;

subtracting the amount due from the funds received to determine a difference; and

when the difference is greater than zero, dispensing a voucher to the user at the kiosk in the absence of dispensing monetary currency to the user, wherein the voucher is redeemable for a value at least generally corresponding to the difference between the funds received and the amount due, and wherein the voucher is redeemable at the kiosk as payment for the second transaction option.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein dispensing a voucher to the user includes automatically dispensing a voucher to the user in the absence of receiving a user input at the kiosk requesting the voucher.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving additional funds comprising paper currency from the user.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving additional funds by reading a magnetic card provided by the user at the kiosk.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving a first voucher from the user at the kiosk to at least partially pay for the selected transaction, and wherein dispensing a voucher to the user at the kiosk includes dispensing a second voucher to the user.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the kiosk is a first kiosk, and wherein dispensing a voucher to the user includes dispensing a voucher that is redeemable at a second kiosk by the user for another transaction.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the transaction selection is a first transaction selection, wherein the amount due from the user is a first amount due, wherein the funds received from the user are first funds, wherein the voucher is a first voucher, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second transaction selection from the user at the kiosk;

determining a second amount due from the user in response to receiving the second transaction selection;

receiving second funds from the user at the kiosk to at least partially pay for the second selected transaction, the second funds including the first voucher;

subtracting the second amount due from the second funds received to determine a difference; and

when the difference is greater than zero, dispensing monetary currency to the user at the kiosk.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein:

receiving a transaction selection from the user includes receiving an indication that the user wishes to purchase telephone usage time for an amount due equivalent to a first monetary amount;

receiving funds from the user includes receiving funds equivalent to a second monetary amount, the second monetary amount being greater than the first monetary amount; and

dispensing a voucher to the user includes dispensing a voucher redeemable for a value at least generally equivalent to the difference between the first and second monetary amounts.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein:

receiving a transaction selection from the user includes receiving a first transaction selection indicating that the user wishes to purchase telephone usage time for an amount due equivalent to a first monetary amount;

receiving funds from the user includes receiving funds equivalent to a second monetary amount, the second monetary amount being greater than the first monetary amount;

dispensing a voucher to the user includes dispensing a first voucher redeemable for a value at least generally equivalent to a difference between the first and second monetary amounts, the difference between the first and secondary monetary amounts calculated by subtracting the first monetary amount from the second monetary amount; and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving a second transaction selection from the user at the kiosk indicating that the user wishes to purchase additional telephone usage time; and

receiving the first voucher from the user at the kiosk to at least partially pay for the second selected transaction.

15. A system for conducting electronic commerce in a publicly accessible location, the system comprising:

means for displaying one or more transaction options to a user at a kiosk;

means for receiving a transaction selection from the user at the kiosk corresponding to a purchase of prepaid telephone service;

means for determining an amount due from the user in response to receiving the transaction selection;

means for receiving funds to pay for the transaction selection, the funds including a plurality of randomly oriented coins;

means for subtracting the amount due from the funds to determine a difference; and

when the difference is greater than zero, means for dispensing a voucher to the user at the kiosk in the absence of dispensing monetary currency to the user, wherein the voucher is redeemable for a value at least generally corresponding to the difference between the funds received and the amount due, and wherein at least a portion of the voucher value can be applied to a prepaid credit card or a prepaid debit card at the kiosk.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for dispensing a voucher to the user includes means for automatically dispensing a voucher to the user in the absence of receiving a user input at the kiosk requesting the voucher.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for receiving funds includes means for receiving additional funds including paper currency from the user.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for receiving funds further includes means for receiving a first voucher from the user at the kiosk to at least partially pay for the selected transaction, and wherein the means for dispensing a voucher to the user at the kiosk includes means for dispensing a second voucher to the user.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for dispensing a voucher to the user includes means for dispensing a voucher that is redeemable at the kiosk by the user for another transaction.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the transaction selection is a first transaction selection, wherein the amount due from the user is a first amount due, wherein the received funds are first funds, wherein the voucher is a first voucher, and wherein the system further comprises:

means for receiving a second transaction selection from the user at the kiosk;

means for determining a second amount due from the user in response to receiving the second transaction selection;

means for receiving second funds from the user at the kiosk to at least partially pay for the second selected transaction, the second funds including the first voucher;

means for subtracting the second funds received from the second amount due to determine a difference; and

when the difference is greater than zero, means for dispensing monetary currency to the user at the kiosk.