WO2003024061A2

WO2003024061A2 - A method and system of crediting a pre-paid amount

Info

Publication number: WO2003024061A2
Application number: PCT/EP2002/010081
Authority: WO
Inventors: Abulgassim Abdelkader
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-09-08
Filing date: 2002-09-09
Publication date: 2003-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2004-03-08
Also published as: AU2002325920A8; AU2002325920A1; WO2003024082A3; WO2003024082A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of crediting a pre-paid amount to a pre-paid telephone account, comprising the steps of: receiving a secret voucher number being assigned to the pre-paid amount from a user via a computer network connection, providing an activation code for the pre-paid amount, sending the activation code via a mobile telephone network to a mobile phone number of the user, receiving the activation code from the user via the computer network connection, crediting the pre-paid amount to the pre-paid telephone account.

Description

A method and system of crediting a pre-paid amount

D e s c r i p t i o n

5 Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of pre-paid telephone systems, and more particularly, to pre-paid payment methods.

10 Background and prior art

A variety of pre-paid telecommunication systems is known from the prior art, such as from US patent no. 5,722,067, US patent no. 6,157,823, US patent no. 6,236,851 , US patent no. 5,592,535, European patent no. EP 0 572 991 B1 and WO 95 / 35 619.

I5

Such pre-paid telephone systems usually rely on pre-paid telephone cards which enable a user to conveniently pay for telephone calls from mobile, public or residential telephones.

20 In general, a pre-paid phone card has a substrate such as paper, paperboard or plastic imprinted with indicia such as a pre-printed personal identification number (PIN) which can be covered by a removable opaque coating. A pre-paid phone card user purchases the phone card either directly or indirectly from a telephone service provider for a fixed amount of money. The telephone service provider maintains a central computer system which correlates the pre-printed voucher number and the cash value or a fixed time usage value associated with the phone card and monitors usage of the card. As the phone card is used, the remaining value of the phone card is automatically debited by the central computer and/or by adjusting a representation of value on the card, until the cash value associated with the card is exhausted.

Pre-paid telephone services are particularly popular in GSM mobile telephony systems. One example is the D2-CallYa product of Vodaphone (www.d2vodaphone.de/callya): A customer purchases a pre-paid telephone card having a scratch field with a voucher number being covered by a removable wax layer. The customer needs to call a service- telephone number from its mobile phone and enters the voucher number after having removed the wax layer. This way the customer's pre-paid account is credited.

Further there is a variety of commercially available products for the administration of pre-paid services. One example is the ORGA pre-paid service centre of ORGA Karten- systeme GmbH (www.orga.com). Another example is the product "VoMSXpress" of Siemens AG (www.pse.siemens.at). Other products for the administration of pre-paid services are available from Business Logic Systems (www.businesslogic.uk) and from Logica (www.logica.com). It is a common feature of such pre-paid services administration system that they incorporate a so called voucher management system. By means of the voucher management system secret voucher numbers are generated. The secret voucher numbers are then provided to a voucher printing system for printing of the pre- paid telephone cards.

US patent no. 6,134,309 shows a pre-paid phone card system with a promotional link. The phone card has a substrate such as paper, paper board or plastic, a personal identification number (PIN) which can be covered by a removable opaque coating and ma- chine readable indicia such as a bar code or magnetic strip used to link the phone card to a lottery game. Users purchase the pre-paid phone card for a fixed fee which entitles the user to a set amount of long distance phone service and a promotional lottery ticket. Further the prior art shows a variety of electronic payment systems. For example WO 98/49658 shows an Internet payment system using smart cards. For payment of goods purchased via the Internet the card holder inserts his or her card into a card reader attached to a personal computer. The card holder's balance and purchase amount are displayed, the card holder approves the purchase, and the amount is deducted from the stored-value card. The transaction amount is captured by a security card or the merchant server for subsequent batch settlement through a clearing and administration system to the issuer and acquirer. JP1110240 A and DE119903822A1 show other examples of such electronic payment methods which require the use of dedicated smart cards.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a prior art system for payment of telephone charges. The system includes a server computer 100 with a telephone interface 102. The telephone interface 102 has an assigned toll-free service number.

The server computer 100 further comprises a database 104 for storing a list of secret voucher numbers. Database 106 contains a list of mobile subscriber integrated services digital numbers (MSISDN). These are the phone numbers of the registered customers of the telecommunication company operating the server computer 100. Each of the MSISDNs stored in database 106 has an assigned pre-paid credit amount.

A mobile phone 108 can be used to make calls via a mobile telephone network 110. The mobile phone 108 has an integrated card reader for receiving a so-called SIM card 112 on which the MSISDN of the customer is stored. Further the mobile phone 108 has a keyboard 114.

When the customer makes a call by means of mobile phone 108 the telephone charges which are incurred by the telephone call are charged to the pre-paid account which is assigned to the MSISDN stored on SIM card 112. To fill up the pre-paid account the customer buys a pre-paid card 116 which carries a secret voucher number 118 which is printed on the pre-paid card 116 under a removable wax sticker.

Next the customer calls the toll-free service number of server computer 100 to establish a telephone connection between mobile phone 108 and telephone interface 102 via the mobile telephone network 110. When the connection is established the MSISDN is transmitted from the mobile phone 108 to the server 100 by means of the Caller Line Identification Service of the mobile telephone network 110.

Next the customer enters the secret voucher number 118 by means of keyboard 114 and the secret voucher number 118 is transmitted from the mobile phone 108 to server computer 100. In response the server computer checks whether this secret voucher number is present in the list of secret voucher numbers stored in database 104. If this is the case an amount which is assigned to the secret voucher number 118 is credited to the pre-paid account of that customer.

The invention aims to provide an improved method of crediting a pre-paid amount and making payments by means of a pre-paid account as well as corresponding computer program products and a pre-paid telephone system.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides for an improved method of crediting a pre-paid amount to a pre-paid telephone account which enables a customer to purchase goods or ser- vices by charging his or her pre-paid account. Further the invention provides for corresponding computer program products and a pre-paid telephone system.

In essence, the invention enables a customer to fill up his or her pre-paid account via the Internet. For filling up his or her account the user needs to log on a Web site by e.g. inputting his or her user ID and password. Next the user inputs the secret voucher number from a pre-paid telephone card. When the secret voucher number is valid an activation code is generated by the server computer. The activation code is sent to the mobile phone of the customer. This can be accomplished by using a messaging service, such as Short Message Service (SMS), provided by the mobile telephone network.

When the customer receives the activation code on his mobile phone the activation code is transferred from the mobile phone to the personal computer of the user and from there transmitted back to the server. When the correct activation code is received by the server the amount assigned to the pre-paid secret voucher number is credited to the users pre-paid account. In the following the pre-paid amount can be used by the customer for online shopping. Further the pre-paid account can also be used for providing payment of telephone charges. It is preferred that the pre-paid account is divided into sub-accounts for payment of telephone charges and for payment of online purchases. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the user can transfer amounts between the sub- accounts.

In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the invention the activation code provided by the server computer is transferred manually from the mobile phone to the personal computer. Alternatively the transfer is made by establishing a local communi- cation link between the mobile phone and the personal computer such as by means of infra-red (IR) interfaces.

It is a particular advantage of the present invention that it enables online shopping without a credit card or a dedicated smart card. At the same time the payment system is secure and does not require a dedicated infrastructure. In fact the existing infrastruc- ture for pre-paid telephone services can be the basis for implementing the online payment system of the invention.

From the perspective of the telecommunication operator the invention is particularly advantageous as it enables the telecommunication operator to offer additional goods and/or services for online purchase as a by-product to its telecommunication services.

Further, the invention is particularly advantageous for customers which can not obtain a credit card, such as children, teenagers or people without a regular income. Such customers are excluded from most Internet shops as these shops usually require credit card payment. The invention enables these groups of customers to fully participate in electronic and mobile commerce, as payment is made by means of a pre-payment scheme of the invention. Brief description of the drawings

In the following preferred embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail by making reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a prior art pre-paid telecommunication system,

Figure 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a pre-paid telecommunication system of the invention,

Figure 3 is an object relationship diagram of the block diagram of figure 2,

Figure 4 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the pre-paid telecommunication system of figure 2,

Figure 5 is illustrative of a flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention

Detailed description

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a pre-paid telephone system. The system comprises a server computer 200 with a telephone interface 202 which is assigned to a toll-free service number. The server computer 200 has a database 204 for storing of user accounts. For each registered user the MSISDN and a credit amount assigned to the MSISDN is stored within database 204.

Further each MSISDN has authentication information assigned thereto. In the example considered here this is a user ID and a password.

Further the server computer 200 has a database 206 for storing a list of secret voucher numbers. The list of secret voucher numbers stored in database 206 can be obtained by means of any of the known prior art methods for generating such numbers. In addition, server computer 200 has a module 220 for providing activation codes. This can be done by means of a list of activation codes or a computer program generating pseudo random activation codes.

The program 222 serves to provide pre-paid services on the basis of database 204, database 206 and module 220.

Further there is a Web site 224 on server computer 200 with one or more Web pages for the management of a user's account. In addition there is an online shop 226 on server computer 200 or accessible through server computer 200.

To refill his or her pre-paid account a customer buys a pre-paid card 216 with an imprinted secret voucher number 218. Next the user connects to the Internet 232 by means of personal computer 228 having a browser 230. By entering the URL of Web site 224 a corresponding Web page is loaded onto personal computer 228.

For the purposes of authentication the user needs to enter user ID and password. Next the user can enter the secret voucher number 218 which is imprinted on the pre-paid card 216. The secret voucher number 218 is transmitted from the personal computer 228 via Internet 232 to server computer 200.

In response the program 222 checks database 206. When the received secret voucher number 218 is valid, program 222 obtains an activation code from the module 220. This temporary activation code is stored for example by making a corresponding entry into database 204.

Program 222 reads the MSISDN from the customer from database 204 and generates an SMS message containing the activation code. The SMS is sent to the MSISDN of the customer via telephone interface 202 over mobile telephone network 210 and is received by mobile phone 208.

The customer opens the SMS and reads the activation code on display 214. The cus- tomer then manually inputs the activation code into personal computer 228 such that it is transmitted over Internet 232 to server computer 200. In response the program 222 checks the correctness of the activation code. This is done by comparing the received activation code and the previously stored activation code. If both activation codes match this means that authentication is completed and the amount which is assigned to the secret voucher number 218 is credited to the customer's pre-paid account.

Next the customer can connect to online shop 226 in order to buy goods or services. As a payment option the user can select to charge his or her pre-paid account.

Figure 3 shows a corresponding object relationship diagram. When the customer connects to server 200 by means of personal computer 228 the account management Web page of Web site 224 is loaded from the server computer 200 to the personal computer 228. The user inputs user ID and password.

Next the user inputs the secret voucher number which is transmitted from personal computer 228 to server computer 200. In response the server computer 200 generates an electronic message which carries an activation code and which is sent to the phone 208 of the customer.

Next the activation code is transferred from the phone 208 to the personal computer 228. This can be done manually by the customer or by means of an local interconnec- tion which is established automatically in response to the reception of the message from the server computer 200. The activation code is forwarded from the personal computer 228 to the server computer 200. If the activation code is correct the customers pre-paid account is credited and the corresponding acknowledgement is sent from the server computer 200 to the personal computer 228 and/or to phone 208.

Figure 4 shows a block diagram of an alternative embodiment. Like elements of figures 2 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the embodiment of figure 4 the Web site 224 has a script 400 which is loaded onto personal computer 228 when the customer connects to the Web site 224. The script 400 can serve as a plug-in for browser 230. Further the server computer 200 has an applet 402. The applet 402 is transmitted together with the activation code to mobile phone 208 via mobile telephone network 210 after validation of the secret voucher number 218 by the program 222. When the message with the activation code and the applet 402 is received by mobile phone 208 the applet 402 is executed by processor 404 of mobile phone 208. Processor 404 establishes IR link 410 between the IR interfaces 406 and 408 of mobile phone 208 and personal computer 228, respectively.

Next processor 404 sends the activation code via IR link 410 to personal computer 228. By means of script 400 the received activation code is transmitted without user interaction via Internet 232 to server computer 200. This has the advantage that no manual user interaction is required for transferring the activation code from the mobile phone 208 to the personal computer 228 and from there to server computer 200.

Further the users pre-paid account which is stored in database 208 is split into sub- account 1 and sub-account 2 in the example considered here. When the user chooses to fill up his or her pre-paid account via Internet 232 and not by calling the service number from his or her mobile phone 208 the corresponding amount is credited to sub- account 2.

When the customer calls the service number from his mobile phone 208 and enters the secret voucher number into his or her mobile phone 208 the corresponding amount is credited to sub-account 1.

For payment of online purchases in online shop 226 the sub-account 2 is charged; telecommunication charges are deducted from sub-account 1. By means of the account management Web site 224 the user can transfer amounts between the sub-accounts 1 and 2.

When sub-account 1 is empty there might still be credit on sub-account 2. When the user makes a telephone call by means of his or her mobile phone 208 the corresponding telephone charges are deducted from sub-account 2 rather than sub-account 1 , if sub-account 1 is empty. This ensures that telephone service will not be interrupted as long as the user has any pre-paid credit.

Figure 5 shows a corresponding flow chart. After user authentication in step 500 the user may purchase goods or services from an online shop of the telecommunication operator in step 502. The purchase amount is charged to the users pre-paid sub- account 2 in step 504. In step 506 the user makes a telephone call. In 508 it is checked whether the users pre-paid credit on sub-account 1 is sufficient to pay for the telephone charges.

If the users pre-paid credit on his or her sub-account is sufficient the corresponding amount is deducted from sub-account 1 in step 512. In the opposite case the sub- account 2 is charged in step 510.

list of reference numerals

server computer 100 telephone interface 102 database 104 database 106 mobile phone 108 mobile telephone network 110

SIM card 112

Keyboard 114 pre-paid card 116 secret voucher number 118 server computer 200 telephone interface 202 database 204 database 206 mobile phone 208 mobile telephone network 210

SIM card 212 display 214 pre-paid card 216 secret voucher number 218 module 220 program 222

Web site 224 online shop 226 personal computer 228 browser 230 script 400 applet 402

Processor 404

IR interface 406

IR interface 408

IR link 410

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A method of crediting a pre-paid amount to a pre-paid telephone account, comprising the steps of:

receiving a secret voucher number being assigned to the pre-paid amount from a user via a computer network connection,

providing an activation code for the pre-paid amount,

- sending the activation code via a mobile telephone network to a mobile phone number of the user,

receiving the activation code from the user via the computer network connection,

crediting the pre-paid amount to the pre-paid telephone account.

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

authenticating the user by means of a user identifier code,

accessing a database using the user identifier code as a key to obtain the mobile phone number.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, whereby the activation code is sent by means of a mobile telephone message, such as a short message service (SMS) message.

4. The method of claim 1 , 2 or 3, the pre-paid telephone account having a first sub- account for payment of telephone charges and a second sub-account for payment of online purchases, whereby the amount is credited to the second sub- account, and a telephone charge of the user is charged to the second sub- account, when the first sub-account is empty.

5. A computer program product, such as a digital storage medium, comprising computer program means for performing a method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4.

6. A pre-paid telephone system comprising:

- means (200, 222) for receiving a secret voucher number (218) being assigned to the pre-paid amount from a user via a computer network connection (232),

means (220) for providing an activation code for the pre-paid amount,

means (202, 222) for sending the activation code via a mobile telephone network (210) to a mobile phone number (212) of the user,

means (200, 222) for receiving the activation code from the user via the computer network connection,

means (204, 222) for crediting the pre-paid amount to the pre-paid account.

7. The pre-paid telephone system of claim 6 further comprising:

means (204) for authenticating a user by means of a user identifier code,

database means (204) for storing the mobile phone number (MSISDN) of the user, the mobile phone number being accessible by means of the user identifier code.

8. The pre-paid telephone system of claim 6 or 7, the pre-paid telephone account having a first sub-account for payment of telephone charges and a second sub- account for payment of online purchases, and further comprising:

means (222) for crediting the amount to the second sub-account,

means (222) for charging the telephone charges to the second sub- account, when the first sub-account is empty.

9. The pre-paid telephone system of any one of the preceding claims 6 to 8 further comprising:

a computer (228) with a browser (230) for establishing a computer network connection (232) in order to send the secret voucher number,

- a mobile telephone device (208) for receiving the activation code , the mobile telephone device having the assigned mobile phone number of the user by the user.

10. A method of crediting a pre-paid amount to a pre-paid telephone account, comprising the steps of:

- sending a secret voucher number being assigned to the pre-paid amount from a user via a computer network connection,

receiving an activation code via a mobile telephone network by means of a mobile phone device having a mobile phone number of the user,

sending the activation code from the user via the computer network con- nection in order to credit the pre-paid amount to the pre-paid account.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising a step of user authentication by means of a user identifier code.

12. The method of claims 10 or 11 , whereby the activation code is received by the mobile phone device as a mobile telephone message such as a short message service (SMS) message.

13. The method of claims 10, 11 or 12, further comprising establishing a local connection between the mobile phone device and a computer for transmitting the activation code from the mobile phone device to the computer, the computer being used for establishing the computer network connection.

4. Computer program product, such as a digital storage medium, comprising computer program means for performing a method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims 10 to 13.