*Calling Card Secrets* This is an actual document from BELL LABS and is presented by P-80 systems and is presented in its entirety!!! CARD-READING PUBLIC STATIONS REQUIREMENTS Bell Communications Research, Inc. 1. This document describes generic requirements for card-reading public telephone stations. These stations will be deployed by a Bell Operating Company (BOC) primarily to provide customers having magnetic-stripe cards with easier access to both BOC and inter-LATA carrier (IC) facilities. A BOC Card-Reading Public Station (alternatively referred to as "station") is intended to work similarly to a current Charge-a-Call station with featuresadded to read a magnetic-stripe card and conveniently select an IC. The BOCs expect to issue Calling Cards for use in making intra-LATA toll and local calls oover the BOC networks, and inter-LATA calls over any carrier capable of accepting a Calling Card number. Similarly, calls billed via Commercial Credit Cards (CCC) would be possible if the involved BOC or IC were able to accept them. 1.1 Outline of Document Section 1.2 describes the scope of the document. The general operation of the station is described in section 1.3. Section 2 specifies the requirements for a card-reading public telephone station. Section 2.1 sets the requirements for card presentation, including how and when the card should be presented, and what the station should do if the presentation of the card differs from that required. Section 2.2 specifies the requirements for signaling by the customer. This includes acceptable dialed destination numbers, methods of selection of the IC, and anti-fraud features of the station. Section 2.3 specifies the requirements on how the station will interface with the end (local) office. The features of the line and electrical characteristics are described. Section 2.4 describes the interface between the station and the IC or a processor. This includes description of the access environment and what the station should do to help set up calls. Section 2.5 specifies the physical characteristics of the station. Section 3 contains requirements pertaining to the support that the supplier should provide for these stations. 1.2 Scope of Document This document provides functional requirements for a card-reading, non-coin public station. The requirements are intended to describe what the station does in its various interactions with the customer, the local office, and the carrier of choice or an associated processor. The requirements also describe the physical environment in which the station operates. This document is not intended to dictate how given functions are specifically realized. Card reading transactions described here are limited to magnetic-stripe card technology and cover only those actions required to set up and properly bill a call. These requirements are generally limited to the station itself. Actions by other facilities to provide public calling via credit cards are included only insofar as they relate to pertinent station functions. This document contains requirements primarily concerning public stations, card reading, and carrier selection. The station should also meet requirements specified by the FCC Rules regarding registration of telephone sets (Part 68), FCC Rules regarding radiated emissions (Part 15), requirements concerning the normal station to network interface, and requirements concerning abnormal conditions on the local loop. Human factors of the station and the related service have not been, for the most part, specifically addressed. Good human factors design, however, is crucial to a successful product, and underlies many of the requirements. 1.3 General Operation of the Station This document describes a station similar to Charge-a-Call stations, with features added to read a magnetic-stripe card and conveniently select an IC to handle the call. This station needs to provide four basic functions: Voice-band transmission and reception, Addressing the far end party, Selection of a carrier, Relaying appropriate billing and call status information. The first two functions are common to all telephone stations. Carrier selection is a relatively new function and one of increasing importance. Relaying of billing information is a function inherent in public stations. The station described in this document will operate as a typical modern telephone with respect to voice-band transmission and reception. Addressing the far end will be done by standard Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals. The station will provide the customer at least one way to select an IC. One way lets the customer dial a particular sequence of digits on the DTMF key pad. This includes speed code dialing or 7-digit access numbers for carriers, as well as equal access carrier codes (10XXX). A second way allows the customer to select certain ICs by pressing a single button on a button field distinct from the DTMF key pad. This is sometimes referred to a "Select-a-Carrier" or "Choose-a-Carrier" feature. The station will have to translate the single button activation into an appropriate sequence of DTMF signals, but this translation will be largely transparent to the customer. A third potential way that could be implemented in combination with the first two ways would have an IC code on the magnetic stripe of a Calling Card. This Calling Card could be issued by a BOC or by the IC. If the BOC issued the Calling Card, the call would be directed to that carrier for inter-LATA calls unless the customer overrides. If the IC issued the Calling Card, the carrier selection could not be changed. The station will provide the customer three ways of entering billing information. The first tow ways are available on today's Charge-a-Call stations and involve entering information by voice to an operator, or by use of the DTMF key pad. The third way allows the customer to enter billing information by physically presenting a magnetic-stripe credit card to a card-reading device in the station. In general, the station will need enough intelligence to perform the following functions: Accept carrier selection and billing information from the customer. Store some of that information for later use in completing the call, if it is not immediately needed. Communicate billing and/or addressing information to carriers or associated processors, possibly according to more than one protocol. 2. Station Requirements Two types of features of the station are described in this document. The word "should" indicates a mandatory requirement. "It is desirable" indicates a non-mandatory feature. These requirements are dynamic and could be influenced by time, technology, market strategy, or economics. 2.1 Card Reader The card reader and its associated electronics needs to provide four basic functions: accept the card from the customer, read it, and get it safely back to the customer; perform certain checks on the data encoded on the magnetic stripe; separate the card data into meaningful data fields and store each field for use when and if it is needed; and notify the customer about errors or invalid cards. This document does not specify a type of card reader. Any type may be used, as long as it can be easily used by the customer. Some of these requirements pertain only to particular card reader types. 2.1.1 Card Presentation 1. When the customer presents a card to an off-hook station, the card reader should read the card, check its validity (see Section 2.1.2), and store the data for use during call set-up by the station. 2. Any card data should be purged from the station after the station goes on-hook. 3. If the card reader type entails the customer releasing the card while it is being read, the station should alert the customer to remove the card from the reader before sitting up the call. The station should not proceed with the call setup until the card is removed. Also, it is desirable that part of the card always remain in sight of the customer. 4. The customer should be able to remove the card at any time, even while it is being read. 5. The card reader should be positioned such that the customer action is natural. If the customer moves the card in a vertical slot, the motion should be downward. In a horizontal slot, the card should be moved from left to right. For insertion type readers, the card should be pushed forward and then removed. 6. If the customer must move the card past the reader head, the card reader should successfully read the card over the range of speeds that the customer might reasonably attempt to move the card. 7. The customer should receive tactile feedback when presenting the card to the card reader, as well as feedback when the card is read successfully. 2.1.2 Checks 1. The station should check the parity of each character. Each data character will be encoded on the card with an odd parity bit. 2. The station should do a Longitudinal Redundancy Character (LRC) check. The LRC is a check character for the remaining data on the magnetic stripe. The first four bits in the LRC check the corresponding bits in the other characters on the magnetic stripe. Each bit is an even parity bit that checks the corresponding bits in the other characters on the card. The fifth LRC bit is an odd parity bit for the LRC itself. 3. The station should check the format of Calling Cards for proper layout of the data on the card. The format is specified in Section 2.1.3. If the four digits of the PIN are zeros, the actual PIN is not on the card. 4. It is desired that the station not check the expiration or effective dates on the card. 2.1.3 Card Characteristics 1. Calling Card characteristics are covered thoroughly in Reference (3). Both Calling Cards and CCCs will adhere to standards ...
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