Electronic Data Systems Corporation

Dale H Dentlinger

L Joy Griebenow

Hope L Kirschner

Kevin P Gregoire

A system and method for electronic purchase of prepaid telephone services is provided. An initiating terminal receives input of a customer's request to purchase a specified amount of prepaid telephone services and receives input of the customer's designation of a financial account from which to electronically debit the price of such purchase. A central terminal receives these inputs from the initiating terminal, obtains authorization for the request, and transmits data to the initiating terminal for the initiating terminal to, in turn, print on a receipt and provide to the customer. This receipt is then used instead of a telephone card to obtain telephone services up to the specified amount. Such receipt may also detail instructions and an authorization number, such as a personal identification number or PIN, to initiate the pre-paid telephone service. The system and method of the present invention also preferably transfers the funds from the appropriate demand or credit account to pay for the purchased telephone services. An additional, separate Regulation E-type receipt is preferably also printed reflecting the financial transaction.

System for purchase of prepaid telephone services

System and method for dispensing of a receipt reflecting prepaid phone services

A customer at an enrollment section (,) uses a self-dial telephone (,) to make a toll-free call to a customer service operator at a workstation (,). The operator activates a check-cashing card (,) obtained by the customer at the enrollment section, which includes enrolling a checking account against which the customer wishes to cash checks. The customer can subsequently use the activated card with automatic teller machines (,) to cash checks in transactions that are entirely automated, and that do not require the customer to have funds available for withdrawal from an institutional account. Each automatic teller machine interacts with a switch system (,), which in turn interacts with a host system (,), in order to determine whether to proceed with the check-cashing transaction. If authorization is granted, a dispense amount is determined by deducting one or more fees from the amount of the check, and the customer is then paid the dispense amount in cash.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

Dale H Dentlinger