A transaction processing platform capable of facilitating the distribution to consumers of various types of prepaid products is disclosed. The transaction processing platform is configured to interface with one or more providers of such prepaid products in order to facilitate the procurement or activation of the products. The platform includes a conduit interface through which service request messages are received and respectively utilized to generate transaction requests for corresponding types of prepaid services. A supply interface arrangement, operatively coupled to the conduit interface, is configured to route a first of the transaction requests through a first supply interface associated with a first type of prepaid service. The supply interface arrangement also routes a second transaction request through a second supply interface associated with a second type of prepaid service. The platform is also configured to provide supplier response information received through the supply interfaces to the conduit interface.

The present disclosure relates to a method related to an online charging system for a cellular radio communication system. The method includes obtaining a notification that a refill action of a user account for the communication system is pending. The notification includes an identifier (vid) of a refill resource for the refill action. The method also includes inspecting a refill database updated by an account management function of the online charging system to determine whether the refill resource identifier is included therein, indicating whether or not the user account has been refilled based on the refill resource.

A computer-implemented video visitation system of a correctional facility includes an administrator computer device in communication with a visitation services computer system and a database. The administrator computer device is configured, via an administrator interface displayed on the administrative computer device, to enable or disable privileges for selected inmates in the inmate population allowing inmates access to the visitation services computer system, and set visitation session preferences including maximum visitation session length and visitation session cost that applies to the visitation services. The visitation services computer system is configured to receive requests for electronic visitation sessions initiated by incarcerated inmates, confirm that each request involves an authorized registered incarcerated inmate or an authorized registered remote non-incarcerated visitor, transmit invitations to the respective recipients in response to each received request for an electronic visitation session, and automatically establish interconnections between visitor computer devices at the remote locations and inmate computer devices in the correctional facility without requiring endpoint control to schedule or initiate a visitation session by administrative personnel of the correctional facility.

Systems and methods are described herein for recharging prepaid accounts within a telecommunications provider, such as a network carrier, using information provided by postpaid account subscribers. For example, the systems and methods facilitate the receipt of instructions from mobile devices associated with postpaid accounts. Upon receipt of the messages, the systems and methods (such as systems within a charging system of the network carrier or provider) identify intended or recipient mobile devices associated with prepaid accounts. Once identified, the systems and methods recharge the prepaid accounts, based on the instructions received from the postpaid account mobile devices.

A method for crediting a customer account maintained by a vendor of services in response to payment received from a customer is disclosed herein. The method includes issuing, to the customer, a membership account number associated with at least the customer account. A membership account number and a payment corresponding to a requested amount of a service offered by the vendor are received from the customer at a point-of-sale. The method further includes generating, at the point-of-sale, an authorization message including at least the membership account number and embedded transaction information identifying the service offered by the vendor and the requested amount. The embedded transaction information is then communicated from the point-of-sale to a database server. The customer account is credited, in response to the embedded transaction information, based upon an amount of the payment. The method also includes electronically transferring funds based upon the amount of the payment from a first account associated with the point-of-sale to a second account associated with the vendor.

A transaction processing platform capable of facilitating the distribution to consumers of various types of prepaid products is disclosed. The transaction processing platform is configured to interface with one or more providers of such prepaid products in order to facilitate the procurement or activation of the products. The platform includes a conduit interface through which service request messages are received and respectively utilized to generate transaction requests for corresponding types of prepaid services. A supply interface arrangement, operatively coupled to the conduit interface, is configured to route a first of the transaction requests through a first supply interface associated with a first type of prepaid service. The supply interface arrangement also routes a second transaction request through a second supply interface associated with a second type of prepaid service. The platform is also configured to provide supplier response information received through the supply interfaces to the conduit interface.

A method for operating a mobile device includes, in response to receiving a swipe gesture via a user interface of the mobile device, displaying a balance of a prepaid wireless service account on a display of the mobile device. The balance may be displayed in a currency such as monetary currency or a proprietary currency such as minutes or credits provided by a wireless service provider. The method may also include displaying an expiration time to identify a time remaining until the balance expires. The method may also include generating a balance request including a request for the balance of the prepaid wireless service account from a prepaid billing system in response to receiving the swipe gesture, transmitting the balance request to the prepaid billing system, and receiving the balance in response to the balance request.

The embodiments herein relate to a method performed by a charging function (125) for handling a subscriber's communication services. The charging function (125) detects that a subscriber's credit account has reached or fallen below a credit threshold when the subscriber has multiple ongoing communication services consuming credit from the credit account. The charging function (125) sends a threshold notification to a UE (101) on which the subscriber has at least one of the multiple ongoing communication services. The charging function (125) determines if a response to the threshold notification has been received with prioritization of one of the multiple ongoing communication services. If a response with prioritization of one communication service has been received, the charging function (125) initiates termination of all ongoing communication services except the prioritized communication service, and provides all available credit to be available for the prioritized communication service.

A network device executes an account management function that pre-authorizes network service unit consumption by multiple subscribers that are members of a same, shared network service account. The account management function receives, from multiple charging systems distributed within the network, network unit consumption charges associated with each of the multiple subscribers, where the network device is centrally located within a network relative to multiple locations associated with the plurality of charging systems. The account management function updates a consumption counter for the same, shared network service account based on the network unit consumption charges associated with the multiple subscribers received from the multiple charging systems distributed within the network.

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, for example, a method and/or system is provided to at least authenticate a mobile subscriber that has been registered via a registration process comprising. A current international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI) associated with a mobile telephone number received electronically via a network is queried. A database entry created via the registration process including an IMSI associated with a received mobile telephone number at the time of mobile subscriber registration is also queried. At least the current IMSI and the IMSI of the database entry are compared. Account status of the mobile subscriber based at least in part on a match between the current IMSI and the IMSI of the database entry is verified. Verifying the account status includes determining creditworthiness with respect to the account of the mobile subscriber.