U.S. patent application number 13/893978 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-06 for nfc transaction processing systems and methods.
The applicant listed for this patent is PAYPAL, INC.. Invention is credited to Kevin Laracey.
Application Number | 20160292667 13/893978 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49582099 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160292667 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
Laracey; Kevin |
October 6, 2016 |
NFC TRANSACTION PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods,
processes, computer program code, and means for employing the near
field communication ("NFC") functionality of mobile devices for use
in payment transactions.
Inventors: |
Laracey; Kevin; (Natick,
MA) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
PAYPAL, INC. |
San Jose |
CA |
US |
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Prior
Publication: |
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Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20130311313 A1 |
November 21, 2013 |
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Family ID: |
49582099 |
Appl. No.: |
13/893978 |
Filed: |
May 14, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
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Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13768156 |
Feb 15, 2013 |
9305295 |
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13893978 |
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12846911 |
Jul 30, 2010 |
8380177 |
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13768156 |
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13731348 |
Dec 31, 2012 |
9400978 |
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12846911 |
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12846911 |
Jul 30, 2010 |
8380177 |
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13731348 |
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13336574 |
Dec 23, 2011 |
8632000 |
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12846911 |
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12846911 |
Jul 30, 2010 |
8380177 |
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13336574 |
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61646523 |
May 14, 2012 |
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61362567 |
Jul 8, 2010 |
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61322477 |
Apr 9, 2010 |
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61651177 |
May 24, 2012 |
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61582010 |
Dec 30, 2011 |
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61362567 |
Jul 8, 2010 |
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61322477 |
Apr 9, 2010 |
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61426731 |
Dec 23, 2010 |
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61362567 |
Jul 8, 2010 |
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61322477 |
Apr 9, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/327 20130101;
G06Q 20/3821 20130101; G06Q 20/3278 20130101; G06Q 20/401
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 20/32 20060101
G06Q020/32 |
Claims
1. A system, comprising: a point of transaction device for
identifying information about a transaction, the point of
transaction device identifying a checkout token for use in the
transaction; and an NFC device, in communication with the point of
transaction device, receiving the checkout token from the point of
transaction device, the NFC device wirelessly communicating the
checkout token to an NFC reader of an NFC enabled mobile device,
for use by a mobile application of said NFC enabled mobile
device.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the point of transaction device
identifies a request from a customer to conduct the transaction
using an NFC enabled mobile device.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the NFC reader of said NFC
enabled mobile device is operated in reader/writer mode.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the NFC device is in
communication with the point of transaction device over a wired
interface.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkout token is updated on
the NFC device under control of the point of transaction
device.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkout token is received at
the point of transaction device from a remote transaction
management system prior to transmission of the transaction code to
the NFC device.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the point of transaction device
and the NFC device are formed as a single unit.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkout token is received at
the NFC device from a remote transaction management system.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkout token is a static
code assigned by the transaction management system to be used in
transactions at the point of transaction device.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkout token is generated
by the point of transaction device prior to transmission of the
checkout token to the NFC device.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkout token is generated
by a point of sale system and is provided to the point of
transaction device for transmission to the NFC device.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving the checkout token
from the point of transaction device includes encapsulating the
checkout token in a message wrapper and transmitting the message
wrapper to the NFC device.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the point of transaction device
is a second NFC enabled mobile device.
14. A system, comprising: a point of transaction device for
identifying information about a transaction involving said point of
transaction device and a customer, the point of transaction device
identifying a request from the customer to pay using an NFC enabled
mobile device; and an NFC device, in communication with the point
of transaction device, the NFC device wirelessly receiving a
checkout token from said NFC enabled mobile device operating in
reader/writer mode to write the checkout token to the NFC device
when the NFC enabled mobile device is positioned proximate the NFC
device, the NFC device transmitting the received checkout token to
the point of transaction device for use in completing the
transaction.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the checkout token is generated
by a transaction management system for use by the NFC enabled
mobile device in conducting a transaction.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the checkout token is selected
from among a plurality of cached checkout tokens accessible to said
NFC enabled mobile device.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the point of transaction device
is a second NFC enabled mobile device.
18. A method for conducting a payment transaction, comprising:
totalling a purchase amount at a point of sale device; determining
that a mobile payment option has been selected; updating a NFC
device at the point of sale device with a checkout token, the
checkout token wirelessly transmitted from the NFC device to a
mobile device operated by a customer via an NFC interface; and
receiving a payment authorization from the transaction management
system.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said payment authorization is
received from the transaction management system after both said
mobile device and said point of sale device have separately
transmitted said checkout token to said transaction management
system.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the NFC device is in
communication with the point of sale device over a wired serial
interface.
21. A method for conducting a payment transaction, comprising:
totalling a purchase amount at a point of sale device; determining
that a mobile payment option has been selected; receiving a
checkout token from a mobile device operated by a customer, the
checkout token received via a wireless communication between a NFC
device in the mobile device and a second NFC device in
communication with the point of sale device; transmitting a
merchant payment request, including the checkout token and purchase
transaction data to a transaction management system; and receiving
a payment authorization from the transaction management system.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the checkout token is
identified by a mobile payment application operating on the mobile
device.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the checkout token is cached in
advance of the payment transaction by the mobile payment
application.
24. The method of claim 21, wherein the checkout token is
identified by the mobile payment application during the conduct of
the payment transaction.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is based on, and claims benefit and
priority of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/646,523, filed on May 14, 2012, and U.S. patent application Ser.
Nos. 13/768,156, filed on Feb. 15, 2013; 13/731,348, filed on Dec.
31, 2012; 12/846,911, filed on Jul. 30, 2010, and 13/336,574 filed
on Dec. 23, 2011, the contents of each of which are incorporated
herein in their entirety for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Increasingly, mobile devices such as smart phones now
include near field communication ("NFC") technologies allowing the
mobile device to use NFC to communicate with readers, tags and
other NFC devices. NFC devices generally are able to operate in
three modes of operation--"reader/writer", "peer-to-peer", and
"card emulation" modes. The different operating modes are based on
the ISO/IEC 18092, 14443, and NFC IP-1 standards.
[0003] In reader/writer mode, the NFC device is capable of reading
NFC Forum-mandated tag types, such as in the scenario of reading an
NFC Smart Poster tag. The reader/writer mode on the RF interface is
compliant with the ISO/IEC 14443 and FeliCa schemes. In
peer-to-peer mode, two NFC devices can exchange data (e.g., two
devices can share Bluetooth or WiFi link set up parameters, or
exchange virtual business cards or digital photos). Peer-to-peer
mode is based on the ISO/IEC 18092 standard. In card emulation
mode, an NFC device appears to an external reader much the same as
a traditional contactless smart card. Card emulation mode enables
contactless payments and ticketing by NFC devices without changes
to the existing payment processing infrastructure. Currently, a
number of smart phones include NFC technology.
[0004] Many mobile payment schemes propose to use the NFC devices
in "card emulation mode". This mode allows the phone to serve as a
repository of securely encrypted payment card credentials.
Unfortunately, however, such usage requires that the payment card
credentials be encrypted according to standards (or "schemes")
controlled by the payment card associations (such as Visa, American
Express, etc.), and furthermore require that a secure encrypted
chip called a "secure element" be present on the mobile device,
adding cost and complexity to mobile devices. These encryption
schemes are closed and proprietary and licensing is at the
discretion of the owner of the scheme. The licensing can be
expensive, and approval to participate is not guaranteed.
[0005] Further, the application processing required to implement
the encryption schemes can be complicated. For example, one
standard, referred to as "Globoplatform/JCOP" (which is essentially
a Java runtime environment implemented on an NFC chip) requires
that each payment card stored on the chip have its own Java
application that manages the encryption and decryption of that
card's data using a unique set of keys.
[0006] The complexity and security considerations associated with
managing different proprietary key schemes have resulted in the
creation of a new entity in the NFC payments ecosystem called a
Trusted Service Manager. The TSM has the job of serving as a
trusted intermediary charged with managing the movement of
encrypted payment card credentials using multiple encryption
schemes to consumers' handsets. The TSM exists since the different
associations have different schemes, and the associations do not
want to share their specific encryption and card management schemes
with one another, among other considerations. It is estimated that
use of a TSM can add as much as $5 per year in cost to having a
payment card stored and managed on a consumers' smartphone using
card emulation mode NFC.
[0007] The use of encrypted card emulation mode NFC to facilitate
payments has also created the opportunity for handset makers, and
wireless carriers to attempt to control the process of placing
payment cards on devices equipped with NFC card emulation mode
capable chips. Wireless carriers such as Verizon and ATT working
together as part of the Isis Consortium, and handset makers such as
Google are attempting to charge significant fees to payment card
issuers either in the form of licensing fees or co-marketing
dollars, something that is not appealing to banks, who are the
primary issuers of payment cards. Industry experts believe that
Isis is proposing that banks pay nearly $10 per payment card per
year to make a payment card available in an NFC enabled mobile
phone from ATT or Verizon.
[0008] It would be desirable to provide methods and systems for
employing NFC features of mobile devices for use in payment
transactions that solve these and other problems, including offer
delivery and redemption, and the delivery and redemption of loyalty
points and awards. Other advantages and features will become
apparent upon reading the following disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system configured
pursuant to some embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram depicting a process pursuant to
some embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a further process
pursuant to some embodiments.
DESCRIPTION
[0012] Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems,
methods, processes, computer program code, and means for employing
the near field communication ("NFC") functionality of mobile
devices for use in payment transactions. In general, embodiments
may be deployed in conjunction with a system such as that described
by the inventors in their co-pending and commonly assigned
applications referenced above in which mobile devices may be used
to conduct transactions by scanning, capturing, or otherwise
entering a code associated with a transaction. Features of some
embodiments will be described in conjunction with a payment or
other transaction system in which a mobile device is used to
conduct a transaction at a merchant location (or, in some
embodiments, at an automated teller machine, a kiosk, in a person
to person transaction, or the like). Further, embodiments may be
used in conjunction with payment or other transaction systems in
which a mobile device is used to initiate a transaction by
generating or otherwise obtaining a checkout token or other code
and providing the checkout token or code to a second device
involved in the transaction (such as a merchant point of sale
device, an automated teller machine, a kiosk, a device of another
individual, or the like) using NFC technologies.
[0013] Features of the present invention will be described assuming
the use of the payment and transaction systems described in our
co-pending applications referenced above, and the details of those
systems will not be fully reiterated herein. However, embodiments
of the present invention are not limited to use in conjunction with
the payment or transaction systems described in our co-pending
applications. Instead, the use of NFC functionality as described
herein may be used with desirable results and benefits in a wide
variety of payment or transaction systems, digital wallets, or the
like. Further, while embodiments are described herein generally in
reference to transactions (such as payment transactions),
embodiments may be used with desirable results in other types of
transactions such as loyalty, reward or other offer type of
transactions where one device (such as a mobile) may interact with
another device (such as another mobile device or a point of
transaction).
[0014] Features of some embodiments of the present invention will
now be described by reference to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram
of a system 100 pursuant to some embodiments. Further details of
the system 100 may be obtained by reference to our co-pending
applications incorporated by reference herein. As shown, a payment
account holder, buyer, or other user or operator (hereafter, the
"customer") may have or use a mobile device 102 (such as a mobile
telephone or the like). The mobile device 102 has a display screen
and a data entry device (such as a keypad or touch screen).
Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, the customer may
use the mobile device 102 to conduct a transaction with a merchant
or other entity (such as a bank) via a point of transaction device
106. The point of transaction device 106 may be, for example, a
point of sale terminal, an automated teller machine, another mobile
device (e.g., such as a portable point of sale terminal, another
individual's mobile device, etc.), or the like. The merchant may be
a physical storefront, electronic commerce merchant, or mail order
and telephone ("MOTO") merchant, or another person or entity.
Further, the merchant need not be a "merchant", but may also be
another individual (in the case of person to person transactions),
or a kiosk or other unattended device (such as an automated teller
machine ("ATM") or the like.
[0015] For convenience, and ease of exposition, the device
associated with a customer, consumer, or other entity acting as a
purchaser in a transaction will be referred to herein as the
"mobile device 102" or "NFC enabled mobile device 102". The device
associated with a merchant, vendor, funds recipient, or other
entity acting as a seller or funds recipient in a transaction will
be referred to as the "point of transaction device 106". Those
skilled in the art, upon reading this disclosure, will appreciate
that the point of transaction device 106 may be a traditional
merchant point of sale device adapted to operate pursuant to the
present invention, or it may be a device such as a mobile telephone
or other device (e.g., in some embodiments, a customer may operate
a mobile device and the merchant or other participant in a
transaction may also operate a mobile device).
[0016] Pursuant to some embodiments, the mobile device 102 is an
NFC-enabled mobile device such as a mobile telephone having a radio
frequency identification ("RFID") chip installed therein (either as
a part of the mobile telephone's chip set, or installed as an
after-market SIM card). As a specific example, the mobile telephone
may be a Google.RTM. Nexus S, or a Blackberry.RTM. 9600 smartphone
each of which have RFID chips installed therein. Pursuant to some
embodiments, the mobile device 102 may be operated pursuant to one
or more standards, such as, for example, the ISO/IEC 18092, NFC
IP-1 and ISO/IEC 14443 contactless communication standards or the
like.
[0017] More particularly, pursuant to some embodiments, the mobile
device 102 may be operated in the so-called "reader/writer" mode in
which the NFC device in the mobile device 102 is capable of reading
data from NFC Forum compatible NFC tags (such as an NFC tag in the
NFC device 104). In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may
further (or alternatively) be capable of operating in the so-called
"peer-to-peer" mode of operation. For convenience and ease of
exposition, a mobile device which has an NFC device and that is
capable of operating in an NFC mode of operation (such as in
reader/writer mode and/or peer-to-peer mode, for example) will be
referred to herein as an NFC enabled mobile device 102. The
operation of the NFC device in the NFC enabled mobile device 102
may be controlled (at least for the purposes of transactions
conducted pursuant to the present invention) via a mobile payment
application installed on the NFC enabled mobile device 102. For
example, operation of the mobile payment application may cause the
NFC enabled mobile device 102 to activate or enable an NFC mode of
operation of the NFC enabled mobile device, allowing the mobile
device 102 to read data from an NFC device 104 associated with a
point of transaction. The data read from the NFC device 104 (or, in
an embodiment discussed further below in conjunction with FIG. 3,
the data written to the NFC device 104) is captured by the mobile
payment application and used in conjunction with payment or other
transactions pursuant to the present invention.
[0018] As described in the co-pending applications, a purchase or
other transaction process pursuant to some embodiments include the
generation, scanning or capturing of a unique code (referred to
herein as a "checkout token") associated with the point of
transaction. Pursuant to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the
checkout token associated with the point of transaction is read by
an NFC device in the NFC enabled mobile device 102 from an NFC
device 104 associated with the point of transaction 106. As
described in the co-pending applications, in some embodiments, the
checkout token may be dynamically generated for use in individual
transactions at specific merchants or locations. As used herein,
such a dynamically generated checkout token is referred to as a
"dynamic token" or "dynamic checkout token". A dynamic checkout
token may be a token that is generated based on one or more items
of information such as, for example, information associated with
the specific point of transaction (such as a terminal identifier
and/or a merchant identifier), information associated with a date
and time of the transaction, and/or information associated with the
transaction amount or other transaction details.
[0019] The checkout token may also be a static checkout token
associated with a specific point of transaction 106. For example, a
specific identifier may be assigned to an individual point of
transaction.
[0020] In some embodiments, the reading of the checkout token
(whether it be a static token or a dynamic token) by the NFC
enabled mobile device 102 causes information to be transmitted from
the NFC enabled mobile device 102 to a transaction management
system 108 for use in completing a transaction. Pursuant to some
embodiments, data associated with the checkout token may be used in
conjunction with identifying or selecting an appropriate payment
account for the transaction, for associating the NFC enabled mobile
device 102 (and its holder) with a transaction, or for otherwise
obtaining information about a pending transaction with a point of
transaction 106.
[0021] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the NFC device 104 is
in communication with the point of transaction device 106 via a
communication interface 110 which allows the point of transaction
device 106 to operate to either (1) update an NFC tag (or a device
that emulates one of the many varieties of NFC tags) located in the
NFC device 104, or (2) read information from an NFC tag (or a
device that emulates an NFC tag) received from an NFC enabled
mobile phone 102. For example, the communication interface 110 may
be a wired interface (such as, for example, a serial interface or
the like) or a wireless interface (such as a Bluetooth, ZigBee, or
the like). Pursuant to some embodiments, the NFC device 104 may
include an NFC tag encoded in the NFC Data Exchange Format ("NDEF")
such as, for example, an NFC Forum Type 1-Type 4 tag pursuant to
ISO/IEC 14443A, FeliCa, or ISO/IEC 14443.
[0022] The data transmitted to the NFC device 104 may include data
that is formatted pursuant to a data exchange format such as the
NFC Forum Data Exchange Format ("NDEF"). For example, the point of
transaction device 106 may be provided with code allowing data
(such as a static or dynamic checkout token) to be transmitted to
the NFC device 104 in a format that allows the NFC device 104 to
operate on the data such that the data (such as a static or dynamic
checkout token) is stored in a memory of the NFC device 104 and
accessible to be read by an NFC device such as an NFC enabled
mobile device 102.
[0023] In some embodiments, for example, the point of transaction
device 106 may be provided with an application that encapsulates
checkout tokens generated by (or otherwise accessible to) the point
of transaction device 106. The checkout tokens may be encapsulated
into a single NDEF message or a group of NDEF messages that allow
the checkout token data to be provided to the NFC device 104 for
writing into an NFC tag of the NFC device 104. Pursuant to some
embodiments, the point of transaction 106 may generate an NDEF
message each time a checkout token is generated or identified. That
is, in some embodiments, each time a checkout token is generated or
identified, the point of transaction 106 is operated to cause the
checkout token to be written to or stored in an NFC tag of the NFC
device 104. The checkout token data may then be communicated to an
NFC enabled mobile device such as device 102 for use in a
transaction pursuant to the present invention. For example, when
the NFC enabled mobile device 102 receives a checkout token, a
message parser (such as an NDEF message parser) may be operated to
deconstruct the message and hand the payload (containing the
checkout token) to an application for processing. Pursuant to the
present invention, the checkout token is passed to a mobile payment
application for further processing (which may include, for example,
transmitting the checkout token and other data to a transaction
management system 108 to allow the transaction management system
108 to associate the mobile device 102 with a transaction involving
the point of transaction 106).
[0024] In some embodiments, the checkout token may be generated (or
otherwise identified) and transmitted (in a message such as an NDEF
message) to NFC device 104 on a per-transaction basis. For example,
in some embodiments, the NDEF message encapsulating a checkout
token may be triggered or prompted by a cashier initiating a
transaction at the point of transaction. As another example, the
NDEF message encapsulating the checkout token may be triggered or
prompted by a customer (or holder of an NFC enabled mobile device
102) instructing a point of transaction 106 that the customer
wishes to conduct a transaction using a mobile device.
[0025] In some embodiments, the checkout token may be generated (or
otherwise identified) and transmitted (in a message such as an NDEF
message) to NFC device 104 on a less frequent basis. For example,
in some embodiments, a static checkout token may be generated (or
otherwise identified) to uniquely identify a particular point of
transaction. Such a static checkout token need not be generated for
each transaction; instead, the token may be generated or identified
as needed to ensure the token uniquely identifies the point of
transaction. In such embodiments, the point of transaction 106 may
encapsulate the static checkout token data and transmit it (in a
message such as an NDEF message) to NFC device 104 as needed.
[0026] The data encapsulated in the NDEF (or other) message may
include a message type identifier (which may be, for example, an
NDEF-specified type, or a custom message type). Further, the
message may include other information useful to an NFC device for
reading and acting on the data.
[0027] In some embodiments, the NFC tag in the NFC device 104 is
written such that it is available to be read by an NFC enabled
mobile device 102 operating in read/writer mode or in peer-to-peer
mode. An example transaction involving the embodiment of FIG. 1
will now be described by reference to FIG. 2.
[0028] The process of FIG. 2 is generally presented from the
perspective of a merchant or other point of transaction. For
example, transaction process 200 may be performed by or at a
merchant location that has a point of transaction device 106 having
an NFC device 104. Processing begins at 202 where the goods or
services are rung up to total the purchase. Processing continues at
204 where the point of transaction device 106 (or the clerk)
prompts the customer to select a payment option, and a
determination is made whether a mobile payment option is selected.
If the mobile payment option is not selected, processing continues
at 206 where standard payment processing or processing to complete
the purchase using another payment option occurs.
[0029] If the mobile payment option is selected, processing
continues at 208 where the point of transaction device 106 (or
other associated merchant systems) generates or otherwise obtains a
checkout token. For example, the point of transaction device 106
may be operated to generate or assign a static or a dynamic
checkout token for use in conjunction with the transaction. In one
illustrative but not limiting example, the point of transaction
device 106 may create and transmit a merchant payment authorization
request, including a merchant checkout token, a transaction amount,
and other transaction data (such as a terminal identifier, date,
time, enhanced transaction data, etc.) to a transaction management
system 108. The merchant payment authorization request is then used
by the transaction management system 108 (as described, for
example, in our co-pending applications), to create a pending
transaction in a merchant transaction queue. In some embodiments,
as discussed in our co-pending applications, the checkout token is
not sent from the point of transaction device 106. Instead, the
checkout token may be retrieved, generated or "looked up" by the
transaction management system 108 in response to a message received
at 208 from the point of transaction 106. For example, the checkout
token may be looked up from a table associating a merchant ID
(received at 208) with a static checkout token. In some
embodiments, the checkout token could be generated by the
transaction management system 108 when it receives the merchant
payment authorization request at 208, and then the checkout token
would be passed back to the point of transaction 106 as part of the
acknowledgement of the merchant payment authorization request.
Although processing at 208 is shown as including a checkout token
transmitted from the merchant to the transaction management system
108, in some embodiments, the token is not sent at 208, instead,
the checkout token is provided by the transaction management system
108.
[0030] Processing continues at 210 where a checkout token may be
made available to the customer via the NFC device 104 so that the
customer may capture the checkout token using an NFC reader in the
mobile device 102. Processing at 210 may include the operation of
the point of transaction device 106 to encapsulate the checkout
token into a message (such as an NDEF message or messages) for
provision to the NFC device 104 (e.g., to cause the NFC device to
be updated with data associated with the checkout token). The
customer may then, for example, be instructed by a clerk (or by
signage associated with the NFC device 104) to tap or present their
NFC enabled mobile device 102 to a touch point or area on the NFC
device 104 within range of the NFC reader. A mobile payment
application installed on the mobile device 102 may provide a
confirmation signal or message that confirms when the data from the
NFC device has successfully been read.
[0031] Once the checkout token has successfully been read by the
mobile device 102, a message containing the checkout token is
transmitted from the mobile device 102 to the transaction
management system 108 for use in matching the payment details with
the customer's payment information as described in our co-pending
applications. Processing at the point of transaction continues at
212 where the point of transaction device 106 receives a merchant
payment authorization response message from the transaction
management system 108 (either directly or indirectly via
intermediate systems such as a payment gateway, a point of sale
system, or the like). The merchant payment authorization response
message is generated by the transaction management system 108 after
certain customer-related processing steps and transaction
management system-related processing steps (described in our
co-pending applications) have been completed, and after a payment
account selected by the customer (using their mobile device 102)
has been authorized for the purchase transaction. Processing
continues at 214 where the point of transaction device 106 is
operated to cause the generation of a transaction receipt to
complete the transaction. The sequence of these messages is
provided for illustrative purposes only. In some embodiments, the
transaction processing may be performed in a different order--for
example, a checkout token may be read by an NFC enabled mobile
device 102 to initiate processing prior to any communication
between the point of transaction 106 and the transaction management
system 108.
[0032] As described in our co-pending applications, in some
embodiments, the process of FIG. 2 may be modified to allow the
merchant to transmit a merchant payment authorization request
before the transaction total has been calculated. Further, in such
embodiments, the customer may operate their NFC enabled mobile
device 102 to read the checkout token before the transaction total
has been calculated.
[0033] Pursuant to some embodiments, the NFC enabled mobile device
102 may be configured to write data to the NFC device 104 to
deliver a checkout token or code to the point of transaction device
106. In such an embodiment, the NFC enabled mobile device 102 is
configured to operate in an NFC writer mode, enabling the NFC
enabled mobile device 102 to pass a checkout token or code to the
point of transaction device 106. Certain existing payment schemes
use the NFC capabilities of a mobile device to pass encrypted
cardholder data to the payment terminal. Such schemes, as described
in the background section above, require expensive and complex
encryption and credentialing schemes to facilitate payments.
Embodiments of the present invention, when operating in a mode as
shown in FIG. 3, avoid such expense and complication, as the only
information that is transmitted from the mobile device 102 to the
point of transaction 106 is a static or dynamic checkout token used
to associate the NFC enabled mobile device 102 to the point of
transaction 106 such that a pending transaction involving the
devices may be uniquely identified. In some embodiments, the
checkout token is obtained by the NFC enabled mobile device 102
from the transaction management system 108 prior to (or during) the
conduct of the transaction. In some embodiments, the checkout token
may be obtained by the NFC enabled mobile device 102 prior to a
transaction and cached for use. This allows a transaction pursuant
to the present invention to be performed even in situations where
the NFC enabled mobile device 102 is unable to reach the
transaction management system 108 during a transaction (e.g., in
situations where a transaction location has limited wireless or
cellular connectivity available).
[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, a transaction in such an embodiment may
proceed as follows. Processing begins at 302 where the goods or
services are rung up to total the purchase. Processing continues at
304 where the point of transaction device 106 (or the clerk)
prompts the customer to select a payment option, and a
determination is made whether a mobile payment option is selected.
If the mobile payment option is not selected, processing continues
at 306 where standard payment processing or processing to complete
the purchase using another payment option occurs.
[0035] Processing continues at 308 where the consumer selects an
option on a mobile payment application on the NFC enabled mobile
device 102 to generate (or otherwise obtain) a checkout token and
to write the checkout token to the NFC device 104 associated with
the point of transaction device 106. This checkout token is written
from an NFC device on the NFC enabled mobile device 102 to the NFC
device 104 via wireless communication (such as over a contactless
communication interface 112 of FIG. 1). Once the checkout token is
received by the NFC device 104, it is communicated (via interface
110 of FIG. 1) to the point of transaction device 106 for use in
generating one or more messages to the transaction management
system 108. For example, the point of transaction device 106 may,
upon receipt of the checkout token, generate a merchant payment
request message that includes transaction details (including, for
example, a transaction amount, merchant information, point of
transaction information, or the like). The transaction details,
along with the checkout token, are transmitted to the transaction
management system 108. Processing of the transaction continues in a
similar fashion as described above in conjunction with FIG. 2 (and
as described in our co-pending applications). In this manner,
embodiments allow NFC enabled mobile devices 102 to conduct
transactions in NFC writer mode, without need for complex,
expensive and potentially insecure encryption schemes.
[0036] Whether the NFC enabled mobile device 102 operates in writer
mode (as in FIG. 3) or in reader mode (as in FIG. 2), embodiments
provide a number of advantages. For example, embodiments enable NFC
based payment schemes for mobile devices and terminals that bypass
card association, TSM, carrier and handset maker fees and rules by
bypassing the need to use the secure element capabilities of the
NFC controller chip. Further, embodiments allow all NFC enabled
mobile devices that support reader/writer mode to have secure
mobile payment and mobile offer redemption functionality without
using card emulation NFC and a secure element. Embodiments also
enable the completion of a contactless payment transaction in
situations where there is no wireless connection available to the
mobile device, without using card emulation mode NFC.
[0037] The above descriptions of processes herein should not be
considered to imply a fixed order for performing the process steps.
Rather, the process steps may be performed in any order that is
practicable, including simultaneous performance of at least some
steps.
[0038] Those skilled in the art, upon reading this disclosure, will
appreciate that a wide number of different hardware and software
configurations may be used to implement features of the present
invention. As one specific illustrative (but not limiting) example,
a point of transaction may be connected to a RC-S801 NFC Dynamic
Tag (also referred to as a FeliCa Plug) offered by Sony. In some
embodiments the RC-S801 NFC Dynamic Tag may be connected via a
wired interface to receive a checkout token from an external system
(such as a point of sale device or the like). Once received, the
RC-S801 NFC Dynamic Tag may make the checkout token data present on
an NFC tag in the RC-S801 and the checkout token data may be made
available to be read by an NFC enabled mobile device 102 operating
in NFC reader mode. The reverse process is also supported. That is,
the RC-S801 NFC Dynamic Tag can be operated to receive a value
(such as a checkout token) provided by an NFC enabled mobile device
102 operating in reader/writer mode. A number of other commercially
available tags may be configured for use in conjunction with the
system of the present invention.
[0039] In some embodiments, checkout tokens may be read (or
written) using the NFC controller present in many NFC enabled
mobile devices. For example, many mobile devices are equipped with
NFC controllers such as the NXP PN532 which can read and write NFC
tags. Such NFC controllers can also emulate standard NFC tags
allowing them to serve as a point of transaction device 106. That
is, an NFC enabled mobile device 102 configured in such a manner
can be operated to present a checkout token to an NFC enabled
mobile device 102 or to receive a checkout token from an NFC
enabled mobile device 102 with NFC reader/writer mode
capabilities.
[0040] It is also possible to make the solution work with the NFC
controller present in many NFC phones are equipped with NFC
controllers such as the NXP PN532 (available from NXP
Semiconductors) which can read and write NFC tags. They can also
emulate standard NFC tags, meaning that they can serve as a point
of transaction device that can present a checkout token to an NFC
enabled mobile device or receive a checkout token from an NFC
enabled mobile device with NFC reader/writer mode capabilities. By
allowing checkout tokens to be transmitted between such devices,
transactions pursuant to the present invention may be
performed.
[0041] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with specific exemplary embodiments, it should be
understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations
apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the disclosed
embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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