System and method therefor of preventing fraud on pay phone credit/debit calling card authorization
US6700963B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 8, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 2, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 8, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/66
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
To prevent fraudsters from illicitly collecting the authorization number or authorization code, as well as personal identification number, of an unsuspecting authorized user of a public pay phone, the instant invention disables the keypad of the telephone so long as the pay phone is connected to an incoming call, unbeknownst to the authorized user who is attempting to dial out from that pay phone, and the user is detected to have lifted the handset of the pay phone to attempt to dial out. An alternative method of ensuring that the authorization code of an unsuspecting user is not misappropriated includes adding a circuit to the circuitry of the telephone to ensure that a true dial tone is provided when the user picks up the handset. If no true dial tone is detected, the keypad of the telephone remains disabled. The first and second embodiments may be combined to form yet another circuit that could be added to a conventional pay phone circuitry to prevent pay phone credit/debit calling card authorization code fraud.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.