ES2222785B1 - SYSTEM FOR THE PROVISION OF TELEPHONE SERVICES BY PRIOR PAYMENT. - Google Patents

Abstract

System for the provision of telephone services by prior payment. This system includes a control center (1) that has free telephone lines (11), connected to a computer system (12), to establish a direct telephone connection between customers and service stations (13), and a computer system (14) by means of which the balances or advisory times remaining in the cards (2) of previous payment, in use are controlled; arranging the prepaid cards (2) of a carrier area of the telephone number (22) corresponding to the control center (1), and a control code (23) that allows both the identification of the card (2) and the control, by the computer system (14), of the remaining balance or advisory time. The control code (23) is initially hidden by an opaque band (24), removable by scratching.

Description

System for the provision of services telephone by previous payment.

Object of the invention

The invention relates to a system for provision of telephone services by prior payment, of the type of those comprising a control center with one or more positions of telephone service responsible for providing users with a telephone payment advice, and pre-paid cards that  allow users access to said telephone service of payment.

Background of the invention

Currently there are systems on the market that allow the provision of telephone counseling services, of payment, by some attention centers. This advice It is usually done, through telephone lines, in  that the cost to be paid by the user in the subsequent invoice It includes both the cost of the service received and the cost of the corresponding call.

Making calls to these centers dedicated to the provision of certain telephone services (tarot, sex, counseling, etc.) can be a problem when perform both from a landline or from a telephone mobile, since the telephone numbers assigned to this type of services are easily identifiable in the invoices issued by the telephone companies.

Making such calls from the mentioned terminals presents different problems; one of them is the ignorance of the cost of the call until the moment of receipt of the corresponding invoice since, as is known, These calls have a much higher cost, by including both the call cost as the cost of the service received; and another no less important, it is what could be called absence of discretion, because on that invoice also appears the time and the amount of the service received by telephone.

Another problem that arises is the inability to make such calls anonymously; since the call can be related to the phone number from which it has been made and therefore with the holder of said terminal.

Currently there are different in the market prepaid cards to make phone calls. These cards generally present a laminar body provided of a printed area containing advertising motifs and / or informative and a magnetic strip or a rewritable chip that allows Determine the balance available at any time.

These cards must present some characteristics determined to be accepted by the telephone booths and cannot be used to perform calls from a landline, that is, from a phone that does not arrange an appropriate reader of these cards.

Description of the invention

To solve the aforementioned problems, devised the system for the provision of telephone services by prior payment, object of the invention, which presents some constructive features aimed at facilitating the use of such telephone services anonymously, and to eliminate problems that could arise from receiving an invoice later, in many cases of an amount much higher than expected.

The aforementioned system is of the type that comprise a control center with one or more service points telephone responsible for providing users with a free or paid phone advice, and some cards previous payment that allow the users the access to this service telephone.

Through this card the user can set a telephone connection to the control center using a toll-free telephone line, therefore completely anonymously and without subsequently receiving the invoice corresponding to the amount of the call and the telephone service received.

It is planned that the aforementioned cards they can have different nominal amounts, so that the user You can purchase that pre-paid card that best suits your needs, which also guarantees that the expense incurred during the reception of telephone advice it will not exceed the nominal amount of the card.

This control code is what allows the control center determine the cards that are in circulation, that is to say that they have already been acquired and used by the users, as well as the remaining balance in each of said cards

Unlike other prepaid cards, This does not include magnetic strips or rewritable chips for carry out balance control, which obviously reduces considerably the cost of manufacturing the card.

To check the remaining balance in each and every one of the cards in circulation is expected to the service posts located in the center responsible for providing The payment information service is connected to a computer equipment that provides operators with information relative to said balance, or the equivalent in available time, a once the control code has been entered into said computer equipment which appears on the card used by the user.

Optionally, this computer system can provide information to the balance or time operators remaining, or cut the communication established by the client when you run out of the nominal balance of the card in use.

It should be noted, that the consumption of the balance of the card can be made in a single way in a single service, or fractionally in several services, which do not have to be necessarily of the same type, that is, they can be done consultations in different areas or services, as long as said services are provided by the control center to which The toll-free telephone number in the card.

So, with this pre-paid card the Client gets numerous advantages: he does not receive invoices with amounts unwanted; makes the payment prior to the provision of the service, so it can never exceed your chances of expenditure; Know a priori the exact price of the service and the duration of the same; the call is totally anonymous because it is not necessary phone identification and you can use the services phone when you need them.

Description of the figures

To complement the description that is being performing and in order to facilitate the understanding of characteristics of the invention, is attached herein descriptive a set of drawings in which, for illustrative purposes and not limiting, the following has been represented:

- Figure 1 shows a representation schematic of the control center responsible for providing a payment information and several of the pre-paid cards that allow dial-up access provided by said center of control.

- Figure 2 shows a perspective view on the front of any one of the pre-paid cards.

- Figure 3 shows an elevation view of the back of one of the pre-paid cards before being used and in which, the control code is still hidden by the opaque band removable by scratching.

- Figure 4 shows an elevation view of the back of the card after payment in operative position, once removed the opaque band, being exposed in number of control.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

As can be seen in the figures referenced, the system object of the invention comprises a control center (1) responsible for providing a telephone service payment and pre-paid cards (2) that allow customers access to the aforementioned payment service acquisition of a card (2).

The control center (1) has some lines Free telephone (11) connected to a switchboard (12), about service stations (13) from which operators provide to customers the requested information and a computer system (14) responsible for controlling balances or advisory times remaining in the cards (2) in use.

The pre-paid cards (2) have a printed area (21) containing advertising motifs and / or informative, of a zone carrying the telephone number (22) free, corresponding to the control center (1) in charge of provide telephone payment services, a control code (23) which allows the control center (1) to be indicated both the identification of the card and the control by the computer system (14) of the balance or advisory time Remaining to exhaust the nominal amount of the previous card Payment (2) in use.

To avoid fraudulent use of the codes of control (23) of the cards (2) before they have been acquired by customers, it is expected that said code of control (23) is initially hidden by an opaque band (24), which can be easily removed by the user by scratching.

As already mentioned, the cards (2) can have different nominal amounts, so that the client Buy the one that best suits your needs.

With this system, the customer after acquiring a card (2) can establish communication with the center of control (1) by dialing on any telephone terminal of the toll-free number (22) on the card, to request a telephone service in any of the fields available at the control center (1).

Once connected to the service post (13) responsible for providing information or advice in the field requested, the customer provides the operator with the control code (23) contained in the card (2) and it is inserted into the system IT (14) responsible for controlling the balance or time of attention available to the aforementioned card (2).

The remaining balance on the card (2) can be used in subsequent consultations until exhausted. It has also provided that the computer system (14) may cause automatic cut of the established telephone communication between the customer and the control center (1) at the time it runs out the balance available on the corresponding card (2).

Once the nature of The invention, as well as a preferred embodiment, is for the appropriate purposes that the materials, form, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, as long as this does not imply an alteration of the essential features of the invention claimed in continuation.

Claims (2)

1. System for the provision of telephone services by prior payment, of the type comprising a control center (1) with one or more telephone service stations (13) responsible for providing users with a telephone payment advice, and pre-paid cards (2) that allow users access to said paid telephone service; characterized in that the control center (1) has: free telephone lines (11), connected to a switchboard (12) to establish the telephone connection between customers and service stations (13), and a computer system (14) responsible for controlling the balances or advisory times remaining on the cards (2) in use; having the cards (2) of a zone carrying the telephone number (22), free of charge, corresponding to the control center (1), and a control code (23) that allows by means of its indication to the control center (1 ) both the identification of the card (2) and the control, by the computer system (14), of the remaining balance or advisory time to use up the nominal amount of the card (2) in use. 2. System, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the cards (2) have an opaque band (24), removable by scratching, which initially covers the control code (23) preventing its display.