Granted Patent B1

US 12,346,901 · App. 15/844,496 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Inventors: Mark R. Bales (Lee's Summit, MO); Craig A. Lee (Overland Park, KS); Alberto Lorente (Kansas City, MO); Lyle W. Paczkowski (Mission Hills, KS)

Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC

G06Q20/401G01S5/0027G06Q20/3223G06Q20/325G06Q20/3278H04W4/02H04W24/10

Abstract

Claims (27)

1. A method of performing in-kind payment from a first wireless communication service account to a different wireless communication service account, comprising:

receiving information identifying cell sites from which a second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service, wherein a cell site from which the second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service is a cell site from which the second mobile communication device receives wireless service greater than a threshold percentage of time;

transmitting a silent short message service (SMS) from a first mobile communication device from a first wireless communication service account with a first wireless communication service provider that is associated with the first mobile communication device to the second wireless communication subscription service account with a second wireless communication service provider that is associated with a second mobile communication device to initiate an in-kind payment from the first mobile communication device to the second mobile communication device, the silent SMS configured to trigger the second mobile communication device to launch a client application executing on the second mobile communication device responsive to receipt of the silent SMS;

sending an in-kind payment verification request message from a client application executing on the first mobile communication device to the client application executing on the second mobile communication device;

receiving an in-kind payment verification response message by the client application executing on the first mobile communication device from the client application executing on the second mobile communication device, where the response message comprises an indication of a cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service and an indication of completion of an in-kind payment to the second wireless communication service account;

analyzing by the client application executing on the first mobile communication device the indication of the cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service and the indication of completion of the in-kind payment to the second wireless communication service account;

determining that the cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service is among the cell sites from which the second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service; and

verifying the in-kind payment as being authorized responsive to the cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service being determined as among the cell sites from which the second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a headset computer, a wearable computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, or a tablet computer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile communication device is provided a wireless communication link by the first wireless communication service provider according to a long term evolution (LTE), a code division multiple access (CDMA), a global system for mobile communication (GSM), or a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the in-kind payment verification request message comprises an indication of a value amount of in-kind payment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second wireless communication service provider operates in a different country from the country in which the first wireless communication service provider operates.

6. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory memory;

a cellular radio transceiver; and

an in-kind payment client application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the processor,

receives information identifying cell sites from which a second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service, wherein a cell site from which the second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service is a cell site from which the second mobile communication device receives wireless service greater than a threshold percentage of time;

transmits a silent short message service (SMS) from a wireless communication service account with a first wireless communication service provider that is associated with the mobile communication device to a second wireless communication service account with a second wireless communication service provider that is associated with the second mobile communication device to initiate an in-kind payment from the first mobile communication device to the second mobile communication device, the silent SMS configured to trigger the second mobile communication device to launch a client application executing on the second mobile communication device responsive to receipt of the silent SMS;

sends an in-kind payment verification request message via the cellular radio transceiver to the client application executing on the second mobile communication device;

receives an in-kind payment verification response message from the client application executing on the second mobile communication device, where the response message comprises an indication of a cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service and an indication of completion of an in-kind payment to the second wireless communication service account;

analyzes the indication of the cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service and the indication of completion of the in-kind payment to the second wireless communication service account;

determining that the cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service is among the cell sites from which the second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service; and

verifying the in-kind payment as being authorized responsive to the cell site from which the second mobile communication device is receiving wireless service being determined as among the cell sites from which the second mobile communication device customarily receives wireless service.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6 , where the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a headset computer, a wearable computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, or a tablet computer.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 6 , wherein the cellular radio transceiver receives a wireless communication link according to a long term evolution (LTE), a code division multiple access (CDMA), a global system for mobile communication (GSM), or a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless communication protocol.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 6 , wherein the second wireless communication service provider operates in a different country from the country in which the first wireless communication service provider operates.

Assignments (4)

References Cited (55)