METHOD AND DEVICE FOR LETTING THE CONSUMER OF A PREPAID SERVICE CONTINUE USING THE SERVICE FOR A PREDEFINED MEASURE OF EXTENTION WHEN THEIR ACCOUNTS FALL IN INSUFFICIENT BALANCE STATE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for enabling the consumer of a prepaid service including but not limited to communication networks (mobile telephony, land telephony, internet telephony, internet access, etc.), entertainment networks (video, music, games, etc.), toll gates (highways, bridges, tunnels, etc.), public transportation (busses, tubes, trains, ferries, etc.), utility meters (electric, gas, water, etc.), payments (loyalty cards, membership cards, etc.) continue the usage by extending the service by some predefined unitary measures (time, money, passes, etc.) when his/her account reaches insufficient balance. The reimbursement of the units consumed together with a service fee occurs at the time of next balance recharge by the subscriber through any other method. Said invention enables a large number of consumers of a prepaid service to extend the usage either by instantly activating the extension using a selected communication protocol (SMS, USSD, IVR, e-mail, internet chat, etc.) through the means of electronic communication devices (mobile phones, ATMs, POS terminals, kiosks, internet, call centers, etc.) or by subscribing to activate the extension later through the means of the existing service pre-payment mechanisms but with a bundled alternative manner, or as a bulk through the service provider through the means of electronic communication devices (client-server connections, server-server connections), printed lists, physical media (plastic cards, SIM cards, magnetic cards etc.) where the information regarding the service is stored. The information then is processed through the invented method and devices so that the consumer can use the prepaid service for some extended time even when the consumer's balance is at or below the limit that prevents the further desired usage of the service, and then either further or earlier to collect the fee and cost of the extension service when the consumer balance is increased by other means if it's not already subscribed for the extension service.