US 6,745,940 B1Granted

Method for the secure handling of monetary or value units using prepaid data carriers

AssigneeDeutsche Telekom AG

InventorsUwe K. H. Korst, Clemens Wanko

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Abstract

A payment method in public telecommunications systems uses pre-paid chip cards whose value management and communication is entirely controlled by a background system. A provider gives the chip a definite identification number of identification characteristic(s). A value is assigned to the identification characteristic(s), but not saved on the chip. The value and identification characteristic(s) are made available for a background system via a communications channel and saved in a databank in the communications channel. Label “not cleared” is provided to the identification characteristic(s), and is cancellable by the databank just before the card is sold, making the value ready for debiting. When used, only the identification characteristics are read out from the card to forward the identification characteristic to the background system and request a debit. The background system may release the original value, allocate value to the identification characteristic(s), confirm the debit, and/or sever communications when value is depleted.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method for at least one of securely handling and securely manipulating at least one of monetary units and value units using a prepaid data carrier, which is prepaid by at least one of a customer and a user and which is personalized by a card issuer, the prepaid data carrier being for uniquely identifying itself to at least one of a terminal and a background system, and the at least one of the monetary units and the value units being for use in assigning an amount, depending on at least one of a sold service and a purchased service, to the prepaid data carrier, the amount being subsequently automatically reduceable and administerable in the at least one of the terminal and the background system, the at least one of the terminal and the background system communicating in a particular network node, the method comprising:

providing the prepaid data carrier with a single and unique one of at least one of an identification pattern and an identification feature;
assigning a value to the at least one of the identification pattern and the identification feature that are made available to the at least one of the terminal and the background system via a communication path for transmitting personalization data;
storing the at least one of the identification pattern and the identification feature in the at least one of the terminal and the background system for only one specific data carrier for use by the at least one of terminal and the background system for controlling access by decrypting response data of a response;
and
classifying the prepaid data carrier as authentic when challenge data matches associated response data.

2 more elements

A method for at least one of securely handling and securely manipulating at least one of monetary units and value units using a prepaid data carrier, which is prepaid by at least one of a customer and a user and which is personalized by a card issuer, the prepaid data carrier being for uniquely identifying itself to a background system, and the at least one of the monetary units and the value units being for use in assigning an amount, depending on at least one of a sold service and a purchased service, to the prepaid data carrier, the amount being subsequently automatically reduceable and administerable in the background system, the at least one of the terminal and the background system communicating in a particular network node, the method comprising:

providing the prepaid data carrier with a single and unique one of at least one of an identification pattern and an identification feature, wherein the prepaid data carrier is personalized with personalization data by the card issuer;
assigning a value to the at least one of the identification pattern and the identification feature, both the identification pattern and the identification feature being made available to the background system via a communication path for transmitting the personalization data;
storing both the identification pattern and the identification feature at the background system with a qualifier “not released;”
removing the qualifier from the background system immediately before or when the prepaid data carrier is sold;
supplying automatically the identification patter to a terminal in response to use, without assistance of a user;
adjusting automatically in the background system the at least one of monetary units and value units assigned to the data carrier, on basis of at least one of the identification pattern and the data carrier uniquely identifying itself to the background system.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/869,222Filed 25 Jun 2001
Priority: DE 198 60 20324 Dec 1998
Granted: 8 Jun 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G07F 7/1008
Together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric…
G06Q 20/28
Payment schemes or models: pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
G06Q 20/341
Using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards: active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including…
G06Q 20/355
Using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards: personalisation of cards for use