Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2001-01-09
Tremblay, Mark (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S380000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170745
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to wireless debit cards, and more particularly to the application of a wireless debit card to a radio telephone system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELEVANT ART
Credit cards, debit cards, point of sale (POS) cards, automatic teller machine (ATM) cards, declining balance cards, and the like have been used in the art for some time. In operation with the telephone networks, credit cards termed calling cards are available where a user with an account uses the calling card to access the telephone network. In accessing the telephone network, the calling card may be inserted through the slot of a telephone to a card reader, or alternatively, an account number on the card may be entered in the telephone, for example, by a touch-tone keypad. In either case, the amount of the telephone call is charged to the user's calling card account for later payment.
Similarly, a user may purchase a debit card for a certain amount of credit for purchases and charges. For example, charges to telephone calls, with the credit allocated to the debit card, are deducted from the amount of credit purchased. In use, the user inserts the debit card into a pay telephone and the available credit on the debit card is debited for the amount used.
A problem with prior art debit card and credit card systems is that the debit/credit card systems have generally been limited to the existing fixed position telephone network, with the debit/credit card systems relying primarily on fixed telephones and general purpose pay telephones for initiating telephone calls.
In addition, the existing card storage systems provide for identification data and other data to be stored on the card, for example, by using magnetic strips to be read by a magnetic swipe reader. Existing smartcards and future card storage systems promise to provide greater detail regarding the card user, with the greater detail stored on a card having greater storage capacity, for example, a card including one or more computer chips having a memory. The computer chips may also include microprocessors in addition to the memory, with the microprocessors allowing the user with the debit/credit card to access computer systems with the debit/credit card. Furthermore, the use of the computer chips with memories allows the storage and access of data beyond user identification; for example, computer chips can include user addresses and telephone numbers, credit and debit account histories, and available credit and debit limits.
However, the prior art has limited the use of the card storage systems to fixed pay telephones having card readers, primarily by magnetic swipe readers reading debit/credit cards with magnetic strips. In the prior art, telephones without card readers, for example, non-pay telephones and mobile cellular telephones, can only access the existing telephone network using debit/credit cards by entering an account number and/or a personal identification number (PIN) in the telephone. The advantages of developments in card storage systems to hold greater information about the user and the user's account activities are unable to be fully implemented by the prior art.
Furthermore, debit/credit card systems used in conjunction with the existing telephone networks are limited to the accessing of the telephone network to make telephone calls. The prior art does not provide for the reception of telephone calls to users accessing the telephone network with a credit card or debit card, unless the user leaves the telephone number of the telephone being accessed with a listener. In addition, some pay telephones may not be permitted, by the operating telephone company, to send calls to the pay telephones, i.e. some pay telephones allow calls out from the pay telephone but do not allow calls in to the pay telephone, since the telephone company does not receive payment for calls in to the pay telephone in the same manner as payment for calls out from the pay telephone.
The present telephone network switches telephone calls for a user to fixed telephone numbers with the fixed telephone numbers allocated to specific telephones, so a user is limited to receiving telephone calls to fixed telephone numbers and to specific telephones. The prior art does not provide for the automatic switching of telephone calls to users, especially travellers, at telephones which are not allocated to the users.
Moreover, present debit/credit card systems have been limited in application to merchant point of sale (POS) applications and to the described uses with telephones. Other consumer electronic applications, for example, personal computers, facsimile machines, and automobiles would also benefit from a wireless debit card system in providing a debit card system free from specifically allocated telephone numbers.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is a wireless debit card system which allows a user to prepay for telephone usage.
Another object of the invention is a wireless debit card system which allows the user to receive telephone calls at a debit card telephone.
A further object of the invention is a wireless debit card system wherein the telephone number follows the user on his debit card, as opposed to the telephone number being allocated to a specific telephone line.
An additional object of the invention is a wireless debit card system using radio units for accessing telephone networks with smartcards as debit cards, wherein the smartcards are read by the radio unit.
A further object of the invention is a wireless debit card system allowing telephones, facsimile machines, personal computers, automobiles, and the like to communicate using debit cards.
A still further object of the invention is a wireless debit card system allowing users to use telephones, facsimile machines, personal computers, automobiles, and the like with telephone numbers which follow the user on his/her debit card, as opposed to the telephone number being allocated to a specific telephone line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a wireless debit card system comprising at least one radio unit, at least one base station, and at least one end station. Each end station typically has a communications switch. Each of the radio units typically has means for reading from a debit card a credit amount and a personal access number. Each of the radio units also has means for communicating, using radio waves, the credit amount and the personal access number as a credit signal. The base stations receive the credit signal from each of the radio units and relay the credit signal over a communications channel to the end stations. Each end station has a communications switch which is responsive to receiving a plurality of credit signals. In response to receiving the plurality of credit signals, the communications switch allocates the credit amount for each radio unit, and also sets, within the communications switch, the personal access number for each debit card for each radio unit. A communications channel identified with each personal access number is assigned a path through the base station.
The present invention also includes a method, using a wireless debit card system including a radio unit, a base station, and an end station, comprising the steps of accessing the radio unit with a debit card; reading a credit amount and a personal access number from the debit card; generating a credit signal from the credit amount and the personal access number; transmitting the credit signal over a communications channel; receiving the credit signal at a base station; relaying the credit signal from the base station to the end station over the communications channel; switching the credit signal at the end station; allocating the credit amount of the debit card to the radio unit with a communication path through the base station; and setting a radio unit access number of the radio unit to the personal access number of the debit card with a communication path through the base station.
Additional obj
InterDigital Technology Corporation
Tremblay Mark
Volpe and Koenig P.C.
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