Cash transaction verification and crediting apparatus
View Patent ↗To enable the payment of charges, for example those for mobile telephones, with cash there is provided an automated terminal for receiving payments including an input for currency notes, an acceptor for such currency notes and an input for information on an account for charges to which payment is required together with a control arrangement to record said account information and the value of acceptable currency notes fed in, to relate said information to said value as payment to said account and to hold said related information and value and acceptable currency notes available for retrieval. In this way a user need not have a bank account to make a payment to an account with a service provider.
1. A self-service terminal for enabling a telephone user to purchase additional telephone service time for a telephone service account, the self-service terminal comprising:
interface means for receiving a request from the telephone user to credit service time to the telephone service account;
input receiving means for receiving account details associated with the telephone service account from the telephone user;
payment receiving means for receiving payment from the telephone user to pay for purchase of additional telephone service time for the telephone service account; and
control means for communicating with a remote system to credit service time to the telephone service account identified by account details received from the telephone user when payment is received from the telephone user.
2. A self-service terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the payment receiving means includes means for receiving payment in the form of currency.
3. A self-service terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the payment receiving means includes means for receiving payment in the form of credit.
4. A self-service terminal for allowing a mobile telephone service user to purchase additional mobile telephone service time for a mobile telephone service account, the self-service terminal comprising:
a first device for receiving a request from the mobile telephone service user to credit mobile telephone service time to the mobile telephone service account;
a second device for receiving account details of the mobile telephone service account from the mobile telephone service user;
a third device for receiving currency from the mobile telephone service user; and
a fourth device for communicating with a remote information handling system to credit mobile telephone service time to the mobile telephone service account based upon account details of the mobile telephone service account received from the mobile telephone service user and the amount of currency received from the mobile telephone service user.
5. A method of operating a self-service terminal for enabling a telephone user to purchase additional telephone service time for a telephone service account, the method comprising:
receiving a request from the telephone user to credit service time to the telephone service account;
receiving account details associated with the telephone service account from the telephone user;
receiving payment from the telephone user to pay for purchase of additional telephone service time for the telephone service account; and
communicating with a remote system to credit service time to the telephone service account identified by account details received from the telephone user when payment is received from the telephone user.
6. A method of operating a self-service terminal for allowing a mobile telephone service user to purchase additional mobile telephone service time for a mobile telephone service account, the method comprising:
receiving a request from the mobile telephone service user to credit mobile telephone service time to the mobile telephone service account;
receiving account details of the mobile telephone service account from the mobile telephone service user;
receiving currency from the mobile telephone service user; and
communicating with a remote information handling system to credit mobile telephone service time to the mobile telephone service account based upon account details of the mobile telephone service account received from the mobile.