US 11,533,599 B2Granted

Wireless service provider system for selling and/or activating wireless services for a wireless device

AssigneeTracFone Wireless, Inc.

InventorDana Salihi

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method and system for the purchase and activation of services on a wireless device are provided. The method and system include the use of an airtime card with a near field communication tag with a unique identifier code used to improve a user's experience and ease of activation/provisioning of services for the wireless device. In some aspects, the unique identifier may be generated during the activation and purchase of the wireless service and it is not required that the unique identifier code be recorded in a backend system of the wireless provider prior to activation. The services to be purchased and activated may include at least one of the following: out of the box activation, device upgrades, device reactivations, wireless number changes, wireless number porting, and the addition or purchasing of services including airtime, data, and/or SMS enrollments or data content.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for selling wireless service at a point-of-sale, the system comprising:

a near field communication reader in communication with a computer implemented by the point-of-sale;
the computer implemented by the point-of-sale comprising a processor and a storage device in logical communication with the processor and a terminal;
the terminal configured to receive a wireless service selection that comprises at least one of the following:
a type of wireless service and an amount of wireless service;
executable software stored on the storage device and executable on demand, the executable software operative with the processor to cause the computer to:
receive, through the near field communication reader implemented by the point-of-sale, a unique identifier of a near field communication tag;
receive through the terminal implemented by the point-of-sale the wireless service selection;
receive a payment confirmation at the point-of-sale after collection of payment for the wireless service corresponding to the selected wireless service to be associated with the unique identifier of the near field communication tag;
and
transmit from the point-of-sale an authorization message including the unique identifier of the near field communication tag and the selected wireless service to a wireless provider system for recording in a database and subsequent authorization of the wireless service;
the wireless provider system is configured to receive a request for authorizing wireless service, the request for authorizing wireless service includes the unique identifier, the unique identifier being associated with the type of wireless service and the amount of wireless service, and the request for authorizing wireless service further includes at least one or more of the following:
an electronic serial number, an international mobile station equipment identity, and a mobile equipment identifier;
and
the wireless provider system further including an accounting system configured to monitor and control the authorized wireless service utilized by a wireless device,
wherein the wireless service includes one or more of the following:
wireless data, text messaging, and wireless talk time.

13 more elements

A method of selling wireless services for a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, through a near field communication reader associated with a point-of-sale system, a unique identifier of a near field communication tag corresponding to a wireless service;
receiving a wireless service selection through a terminal implemented by the point-of-sale system, the wireless service selection comprises at least one of the following:
a type of wireless service and an amount of wireless service, and the terminal being configured to receive a wireless service selection;
receiving a payment confirmation through the point-of-sale system after collection of payment for the selected wireless service to be associated with the unique identifier of the near field communication tag;
transmitting from the point-of-sale system an authorization message including the unique identifier of the near field communication tag and the selected wireless service to a wireless provider for recording in a database and subsequent authorization of the wireless service;
receiving a request for authorizing wireless service to a wireless provider system that includes the unique identifier, the unique identifier being associated with the type of wireless service and the amount of wireless service and the request for authorizing wireless service further includes at least one or more of the following:
an electronic serial number, an international mobile station equipment identity, and to mobile equipment identifier;
and
monitoring and controlling the authorized wireless service utilized by a wireless device with an accounting system,
wherein the wireless service selection includes one or more of the following:
wireless data, text messaging, and wireless talk time.

8 more elements

A method of selling wireless services for a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, through a near field communication reader associated with a point-of-sale system, a unique identifier of a near field communication tag corresponding to a wireless service;
receiving a wireless service selection through a terminal implemented by the point-of-sale system, the wireless service selection comprises at least one of the following:
a type of wireless service and an amount of wireless service, and the terminal being configured to receive a wireless service selection;
and
transmitting from the point-of-sale system an authorization message after collection of payment for the selected wireless service to be associated with the unique identifier of the near field communication tag, the authorization message including the unique identifier of the near field communication tag and the wireless service selection to a processor of a wireless provider to associate authorization of the wireless service to the unique identifier of the near field communication tag;
recording, in a database the unique identifier of the near field communication tag after authorization has been generated for the selected wireless service corresponding to the unique identifier of the near field communication tag;
executing a wireless service activation application by the wireless device;
reading the near field communication tag by the wireless device executing the wireless service activation application;
transmitting to the wireless provider, with the wireless device in response to execution of the wireless service activation application, a request for authorizing wireless service that includes the unique identifier and further includes at least one or more of the following:
an electronic serial number, an international mobile station equipment identity, and a mobile equipment identifier;
receiving the request for authorizing wireless service to a wireless provider system that includes the unique identifier, the unique identifier being associated with the type of wireless service and the amount of wireless service and the request for authorizing wireless service further includes at least one or more of the following:
the electronic serial number, the international mobile station equipment identity, and the mobile equipment identifier;
marking the unique identifier as redeemed in the database after activation of the wireless service purchased;
and
monitoring and controlling the authorized wireless service utilized by a wireless device with an accounting system,
wherein the wireless service selection includes one or more of the following:
wireless data, text messaging, and wireless talk time;
and
wherein the monitoring and controlling the authorized wireless service utilized by the wireless device with the accounting system further comprises controlling by the wireless provider system and the accounting system at least one of the following:
suspending voice calls, suspending text messages, and suspending wireless data service.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/922,156Filed 7 Jul 2020 · continuation
Priority: 19 Dec 2014
Published: US 2020/0336880 A122 Oct 2020
Granted: 20 Dec 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

H04W 4/80
Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor: services using short range communication, e.g. near-field…
G06Q 20/28
Payment schemes or models: pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
G06Q 20/3263
Payment applications installed on the mobile devices: characterised by activation or deactivation of payment capabilities
G06Q 20/3278
Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices: rFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices

Family

Application62/094,477Us provisional application · filed 19 Dec 2014
Application14/976,760Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Dec 2015
US 10,708,742 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Jul 2020
US 2020/0336880 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Oct 2020
US 2016/0180312 A1Published application
US 11,533,599 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.