# US 8,085,913 B2 · Mobile telephone services provided using pre-paid financial accounts

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- Number: US 8,085,913 B2
- Document ID: US8085913B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/466,069
- Filed: 2006-08-21
- Published: 2007-02-22
- Granted: 2011-12-27
- Earliest claimed: 2005-08-19
- Assignees: Galileo Processing, Inc.
- Inventors: T. Clay Wilkes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8085913B2

## CPC

- G06Q 20/28: Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
- G06Q 20/10: specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
- G06Q 20/102: {Bill distribution or payments}
- G06Q 20/123: {Shopping for digital content}
- G06Q 20/32: using wireless devices
- G06Q 20/325: {using wireless networks}
- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- G06Q 40/02: Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance (credit or loans G06Q40/03)
- G06Q 50/60: Business processes related to postal services (shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00)
- H04M 17/00: Prepayment {of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or} telephone systems (using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675)
- H04M 17/106: {using commercial credit or debit cards}
- H04M 2017/14: {using commercial credit/debit cards, e.g. VISA, AMEX}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

A method and system for providing telephone services. An exemplary system includes a financial account having at least one balance. Funds can be added to the balance of the account using a variety of deposit mechanisms. Similarly, the funds located in the account may be accessed using a variety of financial mechanisms, including a debit card, check, and the like. In addition, the funds located in the account may be accessed with a telephone, where transactions performed by the telephone, such as telephone calls, Internet access, and the like, are directly funded by the financial account.

## Claims

### Claim 1

In a computer system containing financial account information, a method for providing telephone services, the method comprising:
associating a financial account with a telephone number of a mobile wireless telephone, the financial account configured for managing financial transactions in addition to transactions related to the telephone number; the financial account including:
a first prepaid account balance; and
an overdraft balance linked to the first prepaid account balance;
receiving a notification of the occurrence of a telephone transaction related to the telephone number of the mobile wireless telephone, the telephone transaction having a value; and
in response to receiving the notification of the occurrence of the telephone transaction related to the telephone number of the mobile wireless telephone:
decreasing the first prepaid account balance by a first portion of the value of the telephone transaction; and
increasing the overdraft balance by the remaining portion of the value of the telephone transaction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving an authorization request to perform the telephone transaction;
verifying that the financial account contains sufficient funds to perform the telephone transaction; and
authorizing the telephone transaction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the telephone transaction employs a telephone network provided by a third party telephone service provider.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the authorization request is received from the third party telephone service provider.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the telephone transaction is a phone call;
wherein decreasing the first prepaid account balance by a first portion of the value of the telephone transaction includes:
decreasing the first prepaid account balance by a first portion of the value of the phone call; and
wherein increasing the overdraft balance by the remaining portion of the value of the telephone transaction comprises:
increasing the overdraft balance by the remaining portion of the value of the phone call.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the telephone transaction is a data download;
wherein decreasing the first prepaid account balance by a first portion of the value of the telephone transaction includes:
decreasing the first prepaid account balance by a first portion of the value of the data download; and
wherein increasing the overdraft balance by the remaining portion of the value of the telephone transaction comprises:
increasing the overdraft balance by the remaining portion of the value of the data download.

### Claim 7

In a computer system containing financial account information, a method for providing telephone services, the method comprising:
identifying a financial account configured for managing financial transactions that are unrelated to telephone transactions, the financial account including:
a first prepaid account balance; and
an overdraft balance linked to the first prepaid account balance;
associating the financial account with a telephone number; and
linking a debit component of the financial account to the telephone number, such that when a telephone transaction that relates to the telephone number occurs, an appropriate amount is obtained from the first prepaid account balance and the overdraft balance collectively.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:
receiving an authorization request to perform the telephone transaction;
verifying that the financial account contains sufficient funds to perform the telephone transaction; and
authorizing the telephone transaction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the telephone transaction employs a telephone network provided by a third party telephone service provider.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the authorization request is received from the third party telephone service provider.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the telephone number identifies a mobile wireless telephone number.