Storing transaction details for mobile telephone top ups via automatic teller machines

Abstract

A method includes receiving a request from an automatic teller machine (ATM). The request indicates that a user of the ATM wishes to perform a current top up transaction for a mobile telephone owned by the user. The method further includes responding to the request by downloading a message to the ATM. The message contains data that indicates one or more mobile telephone carriers and one or more mobile telephone numbers that were subject to a prior top up transaction performed by the user.

1 . A method comprising:
 receiving a request from an automatic teller machine (ATM), said request indicating that a user of the ATM wishes to perform a mobile top up transaction for a mobile telephone; and   responding to the request by downloading a message to the ATM, the message containing data indicative of one or more mobile telephone carriers and one or more mobile telephone numbers that were subject to prior top up transactions performed by the user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request identifies the user by a payment card account number assigned to the user. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 using the payment card account number to look up said data indicative of the mobile telephone carrier and the mobile telephone number.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a second request from the ATM, the second request confirming that the mobile telephone carrier and the mobile telephone number indicated in the message are to be subject to the current top up transaction.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the second request indicates an amount of money to be applied in the current top up transaction. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 in response to the second request, initiating a transaction in a payment card system or ATM network to credit the indicated amount of money to the mobile telephone carrier.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving confirmation that the transaction in the payment card system or ATM network has been performed successfully.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 transmitting to the ATM a confirmation that the current top up transaction has been performed successfully.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the message contains a plurality of data items, each data item corresponding to a respective prior top up transaction and indicative of a respective mobile telephone carrier and a respective mobile telephone number that were subject to the respective prior top up transaction. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a second request from the ATM, the second request indicating a mobile telephone carrier and a mobile telephone number to be subject to the current top up transaction, the second request also including a mobile top up details storage indicator, the mobile top up details storage indicator for indicating a selection made by the user from among the following options:   (a) selection of a previously stored mobile telephone carrier and a previously stored mobile telephone number;   (b) entry of a new mobile telephone number and a request that the new mobile telephone number be stored;   (c) entry of a new mobile telephone number and a request that the new mobile telephone number not be stored;   (d) request that the new mobile telephone number be stored; and   (e) request that the new mobile telephone number not be stored.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 in response to the second request, storing the new mobile telephone number in association with a payment card account number assigned to the user if the mobile top up details storage indicator indicated options (b) or (d).   
     
     
         12 . A method of operating an automatic teller machine (ATM), the method comprising:
 receiving in the ATM an indication that a user wishes to perform a current mobile telephone top up transaction;   transmitting to a service provider a request for prior top up transaction data for the user;   receiving the requested prior top up transaction data from the service provider;   displaying the received prior top up transaction data to the user;   receiving in the ATM an indication of a selection by the user of a mobile telephone carrier and a mobile telephone number from the displayed prior top up transaction data;   receiving in the ATM from the user an indication of an amount of money for the current top up transaction; and   transmitting a second request to the service provider, the second request indicating the amount of money and the selected mobile telephone carrier and selected mobile telephone number.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 reading a payment card account number from a payment card inserted by the user into the ATM;   and wherein the request for prior top up transaction data identifies the user by the payment card account number read from the payment card.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 receiving from the service provider confirmation that the current mobile telephone top up transaction has been completed.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 displaying to the user an indication that the current mobile telephone top up transaction has been completed.   
     
     
         16 . A method of operating an automatic teller machine (ATM), the method comprising:
 reading a payment card account number from a payment card inserted into the ATM by a user;   receiving in the ATM an indication that the user wishes to perform a mobile telephone top up transaction;   prompting the user to select a mobile telephone carrier for the top up transaction;   receiving an indication from the user indicating selection of the mobile telephone carrier;   prompting the user to enter a mobile telephone number for the top up transaction;   receiving from the user entry of numeric data to indicate the mobile telephone number;   prompting the user to indicate whether the user wishes that the selection of the mobile telephone carrier and the mobile telephone number be stored for future top up transactions;   receiving an indication from the user as to whether the selection of the mobile telephone carrier and the mobile telephone number are to be stored; and   sending a message to a service provider, the message including an indication of the selected mobile telephone carrier, the mobile telephone number, and an indication as to whether the service provider is to store the selection of the mobile telephone carrier and the mobile telephone number for future top up transactions.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein each of the prompting steps includes displaying information on a display component of the ATM.