Abstract:
A method and system for connecting a caller to a content provider who provides a service to the caller over the telephone system is disclosed. In accordance with the invention, a transaction processor (i.e., debit card platform) is disclosed which generally receives a telephone call from a caller identifying (a) a first account identifier corresponding to a balance of a first account, the balance of the first account being associated with an amount of available funds, and (b) a content provider identifier corresponding to a telephone number of the content provider. The debit card platform establishes a telephone connection between the caller and the content provider to enable the content provider to provide a service to the caller through the telephone connection. During the course of the connection, the debit card platform continuously monitors the caller&#39;s amount of available funds in the first account and, upon occurrence of a “triggering event,” performs an action to increase the amount of available funds. The triggering event may be, e.g., the receipt of the telephone call, providing the caller with the cost of the service, the amount of available funds reaching a threshold value, or the expiration of a period of time. When the transaction is completed, the debit card platform debits the first account by a transaction amount based on the content provider and the service provided.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of: 
     (i) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/777,802 filed Dec. 31, 1996 and issued Jun. 12, 2001 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,755; and also 
     (ii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/148,272 filed Sep. 4, 1998, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/570,443 filed Dec. 11, 1995 and issued Oct. 20, 1998 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,863. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a system and method for allowing a caller to access a service offered by a content provider over a telephone network via an intermediary and, more particularly, to a system and method for allowing a caller to extend his connection to the content provider by increasing the balance of a prepaid account associated with the caller. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With the advent of 900 number and similar shared-revenue systems, the use of telephone-based services and the corresponding number of providers of these services has increased dramatically. Consumers can now use the telephone to receive a wide variety of services, ranging from technical support to personal psychic readings. These services are typically provided by a content provider who first delivers the service over the telephone and subsequently bills a caller. The caller typically is identified by the phone number from which he is calling, and the subsequent bill is then included as part of the caller&#39;s telephone bill. The content provider typically calculates the amount of the bill after the service has been delivered. This amount is forwarded to the telephone company, which both bills and collects from the caller. The telephone company typically deducts a portion of the total payment in return for both the cost of making the telephone connection and for the telephone company&#39;s role as bill collector. 
     This system has significant drawbacks. For example, because the caller is charged after he has consumed the service, there is a significant risk of bad debt. Callers may refuse to pay for the service or may even deny having used the service in the first place. This generally results in a loss to the content provider and also requires the telephone company to charge a higher rate for the telephone connection because a fraction of the connections will be written off as bad debt. Another disadvantage is that calls from public access phones, such as those in airports and hotels, are typically blocked because it is unclear who should be billed for calls from these phones. Many companies also block calls from their internal phones to prevent employees from, among other reasons, generating large bills. Another disadvantage is that callers from home cannot access a service anonymously because telephone billing statements normally identify both the content provider called and the amount charged. 
     In an effort to overcome some of these disadvantages, some content providers have established 900 number debit cards in which the caller pre-pays for the service provided by the content provider. For example, a 900 number debit card was offered by the Weather Channel. In this system, the caller set up an account by purchasing the debit card, effectively prepaying for Weather Channel access/information. The caller then dialed the access number listed on the back of the debit card to access the Weather Channel, with the appropriate fee being deducted from the value remaining in the caller&#39;s prepaid account. However, the Weather Channel debit card could only complete calls to the Weather Channel; services from other content providers were not available through the Weather Channel debit card. This single service limitation severely limits the functionality of a debit card, as a caller would have to carry a separate card and maintain a separate prepaid account for each content provider he intends to access. 
     When a debit card&#39;s value is diminished, a caller is typically disconnected from the content provider. Being disconnected from a content provider is inconvenient in that a caller must not only call the content provider back, but will usually incur the high first-minute rates associated with many content providers. While some debit cards allow a caller to transfer funds from a credit card to a debit card account, many callers are reluctant to use a credit card account for such purposes. Callers typically purchase prepaid cards specifically to avoid inconveniences associated with credit cards such as interest, potential security risks, and the loss of anonymity. 
     To overcome such shortcomings, the aforementioned parent application, Ser. No. 08/777,802 entitled “Method and System for Connecting a Caller to a Content Provider,” discloses a method and system for connecting a caller to a content provider that provides a service over a telephone network. In this system, the caller initially establishes a prepaid account with an intermediary, such as a “transaction processor”. The transaction processor provides the caller with access to a plurality of content providers via a common access number and receives payment for the charges associated with calls to the content providers by debiting the caller&#39;s prepaid account. 
     One advantage of this system is that it allows a caller to anonymously access a plurality of content providers through one account. However, it does not address how a caller can increase the funds of his prepaid account without jeopardizing his anonymity. For example, the transfer of funds from the caller&#39;s credit card account to his prepaid account cannot be readily accomplished without the caller identifying himself. Accordingly, the amount of services the caller can consume is limited by the amount in the caller&#39;s prepaid account, which effectively limits the content providers&#39; potential revenue. 
     Thus, a need exists for a system and method that allows a caller to anonymously increase the balance of his prepaid account and that further allows a caller to maintain an anonymous connection to the described content provider despite having a low prepaid account balance. There further exists a need for a system and method that allows the caller to switch between content providers while maintaining a connection to the transaction processor. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In connection with the foregoing, a transaction processor (e.g., debit card platform) is disclosed which generally receives a telephone call from a caller identifying (a) a first account identifier corresponding to a balance of a first account, the balance of the first account being associated with an amount of available funds, and (b) a content provider identifier corresponding to a telephone number of the content provider. The debit card platform establishes a telephone connection between the caller and the content provider to enable the content provider to provide a service to the caller through the telephone connection. 
     During the course of the connection, the debit card platform continuously monitors the caller&#39;s amount of available funds in the first account and, upon occurrence of a “triggering event,” performs an action to increase the amount of available funds. The triggering event may be, e.g., the receipt of the telephone call, providing the caller with the cost of the service, the amount of available funds reaching a threshold value, or the expiration of a period of time. 
     When the transaction is completed, the debit card platform debits the first account by a transaction amount based on the content provider and the service provided. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, the debit card platform receives a second account identifier from the caller corresponding to a balance of a second account, and links the second account with the first account. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the debit card platform establishes a connection between the caller and a second content provider upon receipt of a second content provider identifier corresponding to the second content provider. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the debit card platform extends a determined amount of eligible credit to the caller&#39;s first account, and allows the caller to repay the extended credit anonymously. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, the debit card platform provides the caller with a code associated with an unlisted phone number of a content provider that allows the caller free service from the content provider for a predetermined period of time. 
     The system and method of the invention will be more readily understood and apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and from the claims which are appended at the end of the detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the debit card platform of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the prepaid account database of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the content provider database FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the call records database of FIG.  2 . 
     FIGS. 6A-6C are flow diagrams illustrating the operation of the system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 6D is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the link subprocess of FIG.  6 C. 
     FIG. 6E is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the credit subprocess of FIG.  6 C. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     System Overview 
     FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a system in accordance with the present invention, which connects a caller device  110  (e.g. a telephone) to a content provider  120  over a telephone network  160  via a transaction processor  200  (e.g., debit card platform). 
     The content provider  120 , as used herein, includes parties which provide information and/or a service over the telephone network  160  and which charge for that service. This includes parties which traditionally have provided services over the telephone network  160  via “900 numbers”, “976 numbers” and other shared-revenue numbers. Of course, such services could include the sale of goods, in which case the content would be a catalog of goods offered for sale. Therefore, as used in the present application, the terms “content” and “service” shall be understood to include anything tangible or intangible provided to the caller. Finally, these services, telephone numbers, and content providers may be referred to as shared-revenue services, shared-revenue numbers, and shared-revenue content providers, respectively, in the sense that they charge a premium in addition to the transport costs of the basic telecommunications services, the total access charges typically being shared amongst the content provider, the transaction processor, and the telecommunications service(s). 
     The telephone network  160 , as used herein, includes the combination of local and long distance wire facilities and switches generally known as the public switched telephone network (“PSTN”). However, telephone network  160  is not restricted to the PSTN, but could also include wireless networks, cellular telephone networks, the telephone capability of the Internet, and other non-telephonic communications facilities through which content or services may be provided. 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the architecture of a preferred embodiment of the transaction processor  200 . As the description below will show, the information needed by the caller to use the system can conveniently be derived from a “debit card”. The invention is not restricted to use with such debit cards, however the invention should be understood to include any system having the functionality described herein, whether used in conjunction with debit cards or other access devices. 
     The transaction processor  200  preferably includes certain standard hardware components, such as a processor (“CPU”)  260 , a clock  270 , a telephone switch  230  and a data storage device  280 . The processor  260  is preferably linked to each of the other listed elements, either by means of a shared data bus or dedicated connections as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The transaction processor  200  receives a call from the caller device  110  via a communication port  210 . In one embodiment of the invention, the transaction processor  200  is associated with a toll-free telephone number, such as an “800 number” or “888 number” call. The use of toll-free numbers present numerous advantages over other types of telephone calls. For example, current FCC regulations dictate that toll-free numbers cannot be blocked, thus allowing access to the transaction processor  200  and the content provider  120  from any telephone in the United States. The toll-free number is also advantageous for the caller, who can conveniently place the call from any telephone with no record of the call appearing on his regular telephone bill. Although toll-free calls are preferred because of the above advantages, they are not required for the invention. For example, the telephone call could be a collect call, or a direct dialed call paid for by the caller. 
     The transaction processor  200  establishes a connection to the content provider  120  via a second communications port  220 . In one embodiment of the invention, the content providers are shared-revenue content providers that are normally directly accessed via the shared-revenue network, including “900 numbers”, “976 numbers” and other similar numbers. 
     The telephone switch  230  is controlled by a program  240  stored in the data storage device  280 . The program  240  directs the processor  200  to connect the caller device  110  and the content provider  120  via their respective connections to the communications ports  210  and  220 , respectively. 
     The communications ports  210  and  220  may include multiple communications channels for simultaneously connecting multiple callers and multiple content providers. In one embodiment of the invention, the communications ports  210  and  220  may be stand-alone devices. Alternatively, the communications ports  210  and  220  may be integrated with a telephone within the telephone switch  230  into a single device. 
     The telephone switch  230 , processor  260 , and program  240  may be implemented as separate devices or as a single device. For example, the telephone switch  230  may be a conventional switch such as the Excel LNX 2000 while the program  240  and processor  260  might include an off-the-shelf microprocessor and software. Alternatively, the telephone switch  230  and program  240  both may be implemented through a device such as the AT&amp;T System 8511. 
     A caller interface  250  includes an interactive voice response unit (“IVRU”). The IVRU facilitates communications between the caller device  110  connected to the  5  communications port  210 , and the telephone switch  230  by converting dual tone multi-frequency (“DTMF”) signals entered by the caller on his touch tone key pad into digital signals for the telephone switch  230 . The IVRU may also transmit various messages selected by the program  240  to the caller device  110 . 
     The data storage device  280  also includes a prepaid account database  300 , a content provider database  400  and a call records database  500  (discussed in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 3,  4  and  5 , respectively). 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the prepaid account database  300  tracks the prepaid accounts of callers. The prepaid account database  300  maintains a plurality of records, such as records  365 ,  370 ,  375  and  380 , each associated with a different prepaid account identified by an account identifier in field  310 . The account may be associated with, for example, a prepaid debit card purchased from an intermediary vendor, or with an account directly established between a caller and the transaction processor  200 . In one embodiment, the account identifier  310  is a numeric identification number which may be printed on a prepaid debit card carried by the caller. In another embodiment, account identifier  310  may be automatically generated by transaction processor  200  based on the telephone number from which a call is received. The transaction processor may ascertain the telephone number by an ANI (Automatic Number Identification) signal, as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. The balance, activation date and expiration date of the account are set forth in fields  320 ,  330  and  340 , respectively. Past activity on the account is measured by the total amount of money spent to-date on the account, as set forth in field  350 . Finally, the primary account to which the account is linked is set forth in field  360 . This allows the transaction processor  200  to automatically begin billing the primary account when the balance of the original account is exhausted, as discussed in more detail below. 
     In a similar manner, the content provider database  400  tracks content providers. As shown in FIG. 4, the content provider database  400  maintains a plurality of records, such as records  435 ,  440 ,  445  and  450 , each associated with a different content provider that is identified by content provider name and identifier as set forth in fields  410  and  420 , respectively. In the present embodiment of the invention, the content provider identifier is the actual telephone number of the content provider. This allows a caller to connect to the transaction processor  200  via caller device  110  and then identify a content provider by its telephone number. The cost schedule for each content provider is set forth in field  430 , and typically has a fixed component and/or a variable component, depending on whether the content provider charges a fixed amount per call (e.g., $5.00/call) or a per quantity charge per call (e.g., $2.00/minute). 
     Finally, referring to FIG. 5, the call records database  500  is shown. The call records database  500  maintains a plurality of records, such as records  545 ,  550 ,  555  and  560 . Each record specifies the amount of credit issued for a particular account identified by the account identifier set forth in field  510 . The amount of credit issued to the account and the date the credit was issued (as provided by the clock  270 ) is set forth in fields  520  and  530 , respectively. The telephone number of the caller using the credited account is set forth in field  540 . 
     Method Of Operation 
     An embodiment of the process for the system described above will now be described in detail by reference to FIGS. 6A-6E. 
     Referring to FIG. 6A, the process begins at step  605 , where the transaction processor  200  receives a telephone call from the caller device  110 . At step  610 , the IVRU of the caller interface  250  of the transaction processor  200  requests from the caller an account identifier associated with a prepaid account in the prepaid account database  300 . Once the caller device  110  transmits the account identifier (e.g. via DTMF signals that the IVRU converts to digital signals) the program  240  of the transaction processor  200  searches field  310  of the prepaid account database  300  in step  615  for a record corresponding to the received account identifier. In another embodiment, transaction processor  200  derives the caller&#39;s account identifier via an automatic number identification (ANI) system. In step  620 , the transaction processor  200  makes a determination whether the account identifier is valid, i.e., whether a record containing the received account identifier was located. If the account identifier is invalid (no record was located), the transaction processor repeats steps  610  to  620  until it has received a valid account identifier or until the call is terminated. 
     Once a valid account identifier has been received from the caller device  110 , the transaction processor  200  follows a similar protocol with respect to the request for and receipt of a valid content provider identifier. At step  625 , the IVRU of the caller interface  250  requests from the caller a content provider identifier, such as the telephone number of a content provider stored in the content provider database  400 . Once the caller device  110  transmits the requested content provider identifier, the program  240  searches field  420  of the content provider database  300  in step  630  for a record corresponding to the received content provider identifier. In step  635 , program  240  makes a determination whether the content provider identifier is valid, i.e., whether a record containing the received content provider identifier was located. If the content provider identifier is invalid (no record was located), the transaction processor repeats steps  625  to  635  until it has received a valid content provider identifier or until the call is terminated. In another embodiment, there is a default content provider that a caller is connected to when transaction processor  200  receives a valid account identifier. In yet another embodiment, separate “800 numbers” are maintained by transaction processor  200 , each representative of a default content provider. 
     Referring now to FIG. 6B, in step  640  the control logic  240  informs the caller via an IVRU announcement of the current balance of the account. The balance may be ascertained from field  320  of the record of the prepaid account database  300  associated with the account identifier. The caller is then provided with the option to link the account with a second account and, in step  645 , if it is determined that the caller does wish to exercise this option, the program  240  performs a link subprocess in step  650 . The link subprocess is described in detail by reference to FIG.  6 D. 
     Once the link subprocess is completed, or if the caller did not wish to link accounts, in step  655  the program  240  initiates a telephone call to the content provider  120 . At step  660 , the program  240  completes the telephone connection from the caller device  110  to the content provider  120  by configuring the telephone switch  230  to connect the telephone call from the caller device  110  to the telephone call made to the content provider  120 . 
     At step  665 , the program  240  monitors the telephone connection and the balance of the prepaid account. Using the cost schedule set forth in field  430  of the record associated with the content provider and the duration of the telephone connection, the control logic  240  continuously checks whether the balance remaining in the caller&#39;s prepaid account is sufficient to maintain the connection. If during the connection it is determined that the caller wishes to connect to a different content provider (step  670 ), the process repeats itself at step  625  where the transaction processor  200  requests a content provider identifier from the caller. The caller may indicate that he wishes to return to the content provider menu of the caller interface  250  by inputting a specific keystroke, such as pressing the pound sign (#) during the call. 
     If it is determined that the caller does not wish to connect to a different content provider, and during the monitoring process the transaction processor  200  determines that the prepaid account has reached a low balance in step  675  (FIG.  6 C), the program  240  determines whether there is a linked account in step  680  by reference to the primary account field  360  of the record associated with the original account of the prepaid account database  300 . If there is a linked account, in step  685  the transaction processor  200  switches the billing to the linked account listed in the primary account field  360  when the balance of the original account reaches zero. The process then continues at step  665  (FIG. 6B) where the transaction processor  200  continuously monitors the telephone connection and the balance of the account. 
     If it is determined in step  680  that there is no linked account, the transaction processor  200  via an IVRU announcement provides the caller with the option of linking his account (step  690 ) with a new account and, if it is determined that the caller does wish to exercise this option, the program  240  performs the link subprocess of FIG. 6D described below. When the link subprocess is completed, the process then continues from step  665  (FIG. 6B) where the transaction processor  200  continuously monitors the telephone connection and the balance of the account. 
     If it is determined in step  690  that the caller does not wish to exercise his option of linking accounts, in step  700  the control logic executes a credit subprocess. The credit subprocess is described in detail by reference to FIG.  6 E. 
     If it is determined in step  675  that the account does not reach a low balance, and it is not determined that the caller  110  has hung up in step  705 , the connection is maintained and the process repeats itself at step  665 . If it is determined in step  705  that the caller has hung up or if it is determined that the caller&#39;s account has not been active for the predefined amount of time (step  1105  of the credit subprocess described below), the caller&#39;s prepaid account(s) are debited (step  710 ) according to the amount determined during the monitoring of step  665 . The call data is then stored in the call records database  500  in step  715 , and the process ends at step  720 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6D, the link subprocess begins at step  1000 , and in step  1005  the transaction processor  200  receives a new, second account identifier from the caller device  110  in the same manner as described above with respect to receipt of the first account identifier. The program  240  searches field  310  of the prepaid account database  300  in step  1010  for a record corresponding to the new account identifier. In step  1015 , the program  240  determines whether the new account identifier is valid, i.e., whether a record containing the received account identifier was located. If the account identifier is invalid (no record was located), the transaction processor repeats steps  1005  to  1015  until it has received a valid new account identifier, or until the call is terminated. Once a valid new account identifier has been received, the new account is “linked” to the original account in step  1020  by the program  240  storing the new account identifier in the primary account field  360  of the record of the prepaid account database  300  associated with the original account. The link subprocess ends in step  1025 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6E, the credit subprocess begins at step  1100 , and in step  1105  the program  240  determines whether the account has been active for a predefined amount of time (e.g., one year) by reference to the activation date in field  330  of the record associated with the account in the prepaid account database  300  when compared with the present date as provided by the clock  270 . If the account has been active for this predefined period of time, in step  1110  the program  240  determines the amount to be credited to the account based on the amount set forth in field  350  of the record associated with the account in the prepaid account database  330 . The amount of credit can be determined, e.g., based on a percentage of the total amount spent, a fixed amount, etc. The transaction processor  200  credits the caller&#39;s account by increasing the account balance of field  320  by the appropriate amount of credit in step  1115 . The credit subprocess ends in step  1120 . 
     In another embodiment, the IVRU of the transaction processor  200  provides the caller with a listing of content providers amongst which the caller may select. Such listing may also be provided, e.g., in writing on the back of the debit card or on promotional literature. 
     In another embodiment, the caller device  110  can directly access a desired operator via the transaction processor  200 . In this embodiment, the caller device  10  receives from the transaction processor  200  a code representative of a specific operator. If the caller requests the operator and he is unavailable, the caller is prompted to select a different operator, and when the desired operator becomes free, the caller device  110  receives a signal and the caller is asked if he would like to be connected to the previously requested operator. As an example of this embodiment, the caller placed a call to the transaction processor on one occasion and spoke with an operator who knew about the type of gardening the caller was doing, thus compelling the caller to ask that operator for his “direct dial code”. A few days later, the caller again calls the transaction processor  200 , and when prompted for his requested content provider code, the caller instead inputs the “direct dial code”. Unfortunately, the desired operator is busy at the moment, and the caller is prompted to enter a different code. He opts to connect to the general “1-900-GARDENING” number and seeks help from a different operator. When the desired operator is free, the caller is prompted to switch that operator. 
     In another embodiment, the transaction processor  200  does not require the content provider database  400 . The caller device  110  connects to the transaction processor  200  and inputs a code, which is his “900 number” of choice. The transaction processor  200  then calls the content provider  120  on a separate line and determines the associated cost per minute or flat rate. The transaction processor  200  then transfers the caller to the line connected to the content provider  120 , and charges his account accordingly. The transaction processor  200  is charged by the content provider  120  as any other caller would be; in fact, the content provider  120  doesn&#39;t even need to know that the transaction processor  200  is involved. The caller is then billed by the transaction processor  200  accordingly. 
     In another embodiment, the caller  110  may call the transaction processor  200  and receive a code representative of and connected to his account. This code is to be used to anonymously pay for content through a content provider  120 , perhaps in place of a credit card number. For example, the caller sends a check to the service operating the transaction processor  200 , and the caller is in turn provided with a code limited only by the amount of the check that the caller has sent. The code may be the length of a credit card number, thus allowing the caller to anonymously access any content provider in a manner similar to when he pays using a credit card number. 
     In yet another embodiment, a different code could also be used that corresponds to a non-listed phone number that provides the caller with content similar to that of a standard content provider. This code is a “back-door” phone number that provides the caller with free access to the content provider  120 . However, the non-listed phone number is not listed anywhere and must be given to the caller by the content provider  120 . To avoid unauthorized callers from unduly exploiting the unlisted number, the number could change on a periodic basis, such as day-to-day or week-to-week. The caller would be charged a flat rate for the “secret number” with, e.g., a free week of content. This allows the caller to simply call the number without having to input any account or related information. The content provider  120  could also be configured to provide the caller with a callback upon request. 
     Although in some embodiments methods are disclosed for allowing the caller to increase the balance of his account is by linking a second account or by obtaining credit, alternate embodiments allow payment using E-cash, any pre-paid medium (phone card, traditional or electronic gift certificates, “900#” card, mail-in money order) or cash inserted into a pay phone. 
     Finally, other embodiments of the events which “trigger” the caller to increase the balance of his account include: (1) when the caller initially connects to the transaction processor  200 ; (2) when the transaction processor  200  outputs the cost of the service offered by the content provider  120 ; (3) when the caller&#39;s account balance is not sufficient to pay for a product or flat rate content; (4) when a projected call time or call cost exceeds the amount of credit in the caller&#39;s account; or (5) upon expiration of a predetermined period of time. 
     Although the present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments, it will be appreciated that various modifications and alterations thereto may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited by only the following claims.