A method for recharging a prepaid account at a mobile telephony operator

Field of the invention

This invention relates generally to a payment method in a prepaid system for services defined with electronic codes, in particular the invention relates to a method for recharging a prepaid account at an operator of a mobile telephony network.

State of the art

There are known prepaid services in mobile telephony networks, in which a subscriber purchases a service in advance (for example minutes of calls, a number of text messages, amount of data transfer) to be used until he/she runs out of the credit. In these systems a subscriber recharges his/her account with a sum of money, the sum being registered at his/her individual account. Making use of every service, offered by the operator of the mobile telephony network, makes his/her account balance to decrease. The account may be recharged in various manners. One known solution is based on scratch cards having defined nominal values, which are sold by operators. After removing (scratching) a securing layer, a unique code becomes visible, which recharges the subscriber's account by the nominal amount after sending it to the operator's payment system. Also, one knows recharging methods with the use of electronic codes distributed by cash desks, recharging via

the operator's web site, and recharging in cash machines and POS terminals .

Summary In the first aspect of the invention a method for recharging a prepaid account at a GSM mobile telephony- operator via a fixed telephony operator is provided. The method comprises a step of configuring a subscriber's account in a fixed telephony network by registering the numbers of SIM cards. When the SIM cards are already registered, a connection is established to an access number in the fixed telephony network and the transaction is authorized by the authorization system of the fixed telephony operator basing on the registered SIM card number and the PIN code. Next, the authorization system of the fixed telephony operator sends an order to recharge the account assigned to the SIM card to the operator of the transaction server, and the system of the transaction server operator sends, to the defined mobile telephony operator, the SIM card number, the account of which is to be recharged by selected nominal value. In the last phase, the account assigned to the SIM card is recharged by the selected nominal value.

In the second aspect of the invention, a system of a mobile telephony operator is provided, suitable for recharging an account assigned to the SIM card according to the previously defined method for recharging a prepaid account at a mobile telephony operator.

In the third aspect of the invention, a system of a fixed telephony operator is provided, suitable for receiving and transmitting an order to recharge an account assigned to the SIM card to a mobile telephony operator, according to the previously defined method of recharging a prepaid account at a mobile telephony operator.

Other features of the present invention are defined in dependent claims .

Detailed description

The present invention allows for recharging a mobile telephony prepaid account via a fixed telephony network, the amount of recharging being added to the bill from the fixed telephony network. To carry out this recharging procedure in practice a subscriber of the fixed telephony operator calls a special number to recharge his/her prepaid account (prepaid service) at a GSM operator or any other provider of services, via payment supporting systems. The payment for this service will be included in the bill made out by the fixed telephony operator. The subscriber of the fixed telephony network, after fulfilling required formal duties, obtains an access to his/her account in the WWW authorization system and/or via an infoline of the fixed telephony network operator, and individually configures the following parameters: numbers of SIM cards or services which are subject of recharging along with individual access PIN codes, and the amount of monthly recharge for an

individual SIM card or service, with division for the product and the nominal value.

The configuration of the recharge parameters should be complementary with main parameters of the subscriber's account, such that the number of the SIM cards being recharged and the total amount of monthly recharges.

In one embodiment, to carry out the recharging procedure of a prepaid account, on the subscriber's side the subscriber initiates the procedure of recharging a SIM card or a service, which is to be recharged, by calling a previously defined access number of the fixed telephony operator. Next, the subscriber authorizes the procedure of recharging the SIM card or the service by entering an assigned individual access PIN code to the authorization system.

In one embodiment, on the fixed telephony operator's side, the recharging procedure includes the following steps. The authorization system of the fixed telephony operator, after positive authorization (verifying the number of the SIM card or a device and the PIN code, previously defined) sends an order to the operator of the transaction server to recharge the specified SIM card with the previously defined nominal value. Next, the authorization system of the fixed telephony operator, after sending the order to recharge to the operator of the transaction server and having obtained the corresponding

confirmation from him, sends information to the billing system about the fact of recharging the SIM card or a device with the specified product and nominal value.

In a preferred embodiment defining the nominal value is an option of choice. In the case of having no definition the system will carry out the recharging automatically with an available nominal value corresponding to the previously defined value of the monthly recharging.

In one embodiment, on the transaction server operator's side, the procedure of recharging a prepaid account in a mobile telephony network includes the following steps. After receiving an order to recharge from the fixed telephony operator, the system of the transaction server operator sends the number of a SIM card or a service, which is to be recharged with a selected nominal value, to the defined mobile telephony operator. Next, after sending the order to recharge to the defined mobile telephony operator and receiving the corresponding confirmation from him, the system of the transaction server operator sends the confirmation of accepting the order to recharge a SIM card or a service to the system of the mobile telephony operator.

In the following example the procedure of recharging an account assigned to a SIM card, on the mobile telephony operator, includes the following steps:

a. The system of the defined operator, after receiving an order to recharge from the system of the transaction server operator, recharges the SIM card or the service indicated in the order with the selected telecode and activates this telecode in the system. b. After recharging the indicated SIM card or service and activating the telecode, the system of the mobile telephony operator sends a confirmation of recharging the SIM card or service to the system of the transaction server operator. c. After sending the confirmation of recharging the SIM card or service to the system of the transaction server operator, the system of the mobile telephony operator sends an SMS message to the number of the recharged SIM card or service with information completing the recharging procedure .

To finish the recharging procedure the subscriber follows instructions from the mobile telephony operator.