Systems and methods for data authentication via a stateless edge appliance

• US 10,498,743 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Metz, John, Taylor, David Keith, Hodges, Marina
• Primary Examiner(s): Zoubair, Noura
• Application Number:
  US15/380,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Methods, systems, and non-transitory computer readable media are provided for rendering at an electronic terminal a first set of graphical user interfaces to request a first set of data from a user, receiving, at a central server in communication with the electronic terminal, the first set of data from the user, communicating the first set of data via a stateless edge appliance to a third party verification server in a selected one of a plurality of third party computer networks to validate the first set of data, rendering a second set of graphical user interfaces to request a second set of data from the user, communicating the second set of data to the third party verification server to authenticate the second set of data, and authenticating the user in response to receipt of authentication of the second set of data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a central server;

a stateless edge appliance; and

an electronic terminal, the electronic terminal in electrical communication with an input device and a display device, the electronic terminal is configured to render a first set of graphical user interfaces of a web service associated with one or more universal resource locators hosted by a central server to solicit a first set of data from the user including a transaction reference number received from a given one of a plurality of third party computer networks and a transaction amount, the input device configured to receive the first set of data from a user, the first set of data associated with a request;

wherein the central server is in communication with the electronic terminal, the electronic terminal and the central server forming a first computer network, the first computer network is configured to;

confirm the first set of data is within a specified maximum amount based on a rule setting of the electronic terminal; and

in response to confirming the first set of data is within the specified threshold, communicate, by the first computer network, the first set of data to the stateless edge appliance;

wherein the stateless edge appliance is in electronic communication with the first computer network and the plurality of third party computer networks, the stateless edge appliance configured to (i) receive the first set of data in a first format for communication from the first computer network, (ii) select the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks based at least on the transaction reference number in the first set of data, (iii) determine a compatible data format for communication with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected, (iii) reformat the received first set of data from the first format to the compatible data format, and (iv) route the reformatted first set of data to a third party verification server in the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected, to validate the first set of data;

wherein, in response to receipt of validation of the first set of data from the third party verification server by the central server, the electronic terminal is configured to render a second set of graphical user interfaces of the web service associated with the one or more universal resource locators hosted by the central server to solicit a second set of data from the user to authenticate the user;

wherein the stateless edge appliance is configured to receive the second set of data in the first format for communication from the first computer network and reformat the received second set of data from the first format to the compatible data format;

wherein the central server is configured to communicate, by the first computer network and via the stateless edge appliance, the reformatted second set of data to the third party verification server in the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected to authenticate the reformatted second set of data, and receive an authentication confirmation in the first format from the third party verification server, via the stateless edge appliance, the authentication confirmation reformatted from the compatible data format associated with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected to the first format by the stateless edge appliance; and

wherein the electronic terminal is configured to authenticate the user in response to receipt of the authentication confirmation of the second set of data from the third party verification server by the central server, process the request received from the first set of graphical user interfaces based on the validation of the first set of data and the authentication of the user based on the second set of data, and tender payment to the user for a monetary value associated with the transaction amount in response to the authentication of the user by the electronic terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the central server is hosted on a cloud.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sets of data in the first format are encrypted according to a first encryption standard.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein sets of data in the compatible data formats are encrypted according to a different encryption standard.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic terminal is at least one of an automated teller machine or a point of sale terminal.

6. A method comprising:

rendering, by a display device of an electronic terminal, a first set of graphical user interfaces of a web service associated with one or more universal resource locators hosted by a central server in communication with the electronic terminal to solicit a first set of data from a user, the electronic terminal and the central server forming a first computer network, the first set of data associated with a request;

receiving, at the central server via a user input of the electronic terminal, the first set of data from the user including a transaction reference number received from a given one of a plurality of third party computer networks and a transaction amount;

confirming, at the central server, the first set of data is within a specified maximum amount based on a rule setting of the electronic terminal;

in response to confirming the first set of data is within the specified maximum amount, communicating, via the first computer network, the first set of data to a stateless edge appliance;

receiving, via the stateless edge appliance in electronic communication with the plurality of third party computer networks, the first set of data in a first format for communication from the central server;

selecting, via the stateless edge appliance, the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks based at least on the transaction reference number in the first set of data;

determining, via the stateless edge appliance, a compatible data format for communication with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected;

reformatting, via the stateless edge appliance, the received the first set of data from the first format to the compatible data format;

routing, via the stateless edge appliance, the reformatted the first set of data to a third party verification server in the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected, to validate the first set of data;

rendering, by the electronic terminal, in response to receipt of validation of the first set of data from the third party verification server by the central server, a second set of graphical user interfaces of the web service associated with the one or more universal resource locators hosted by the central server to solicit a second set of data from the user to authenticate the user;

receiving, via the stateless edge appliance, the second set of data in the first format for communication from the first computer network;

reformatting, via the stateless edge appliance, the received the second set of data from the first format to the compatible data format associated with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected;

communicating, by the first computer network and via the stateless edge appliance, the reformatted second set of data to the third party verification server in the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected to authenticate the reformatted second set of data;

receiving, via the central server, an authentication confirmation in the first format from the third party verification server, routed from the stateless edge appliance, the authentication confirmation reformatted from the compatible data formats associated with the given one of the third party computer networks that has been selected to the first format by the stateless edge appliance;

authenticating the user in response to receipt of the authentication confirmation of the second set of data from the third party verification server by the central server;

processing, via the electronic terminal, the request received from the first set of graphical user interfaces based on the validation of the first set of data and the authentication of the user based on the second set of data; and

tendering, via the electronic terminal, payment to the user for a monetary value associated with the transaction amount in response to the authentication of the user by the electronic terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the central server is hosted on a cloud.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sets of data in the first format are encrypted according to a first encryption standard.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein sets of data in the compatible data formats are encrypted according to a different encryption standard.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic terminal is at least one of an automated teller machine or a point of sale terminal.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor of a central server, cause the central server to:

instruct an electronic terminal in communication with the central server to render, by a display device of the electronic terminal, a first set of graphical user interfaces of a web service associated with one or more universal resource locators hosted by the central server to solicit a first set of data from a user, the electronic terminal and the central server forming a first computer network, the first set of data associated with a request;

receive, at the central server via a user input of the electronic terminal, the first set of data from the user including a transaction reference number received from a given one of a plurality of third party computer networks and a transaction amount;

confirm, at the first computer network, the first set of data is within a specified maximum amount based on a rule setting of the electronic terminal;

in response to confirming the first set of data is within the specified maximum amount, communicate, via the first computer network, the first set of data to a stateless edge appliance;

receive, via the stateless edge appliance in electronic communication with the plurality of third party computer networks, the first set of data in a first format for communication from the central server;

select, via the stateless edge appliance, the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks based at least on the transaction reference number of the first set of data;

determine, via the stateless edge appliance, a compatible data format for communication with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected;

reformat, via the stateless edge appliance, the received first set of data from the first format to the compatible data format;

route, via the stateless edge appliance, the reformatted first set of data to a third party verification server in the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected, to validate the first set of data;

instruct an electronic terminal to render, in response to receipt of validation of the first set of data from the third party verification server by the central server, a second set of graphical user interfaces of the web service associated with the one or more universal resource locators hosted by the central server to solicit a second set of data from the user to authenticate the user;

receive, via the stateless edge appliance, the second set of data in the first format for communication from the first computer network;

reformat, via the stateless edge appliance, the received the second set of data from the first format to the compatible data format associated with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected;

communicate, by the first computer network and via the stateless edge appliance, the reformatted second set of data to the third party verification server in the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected to authenticate the reformatted second set of data;

receive, via the first computer network, an authentication confirmation in the first format from the third party verification server, routed from the stateless edge appliance, the authentication confirmation reformatted from the compatible data formats associated with the given one of the plurality of third party computer networks that has been selected to the first format by the stateless edge appliance;

instruct the electronic terminal to authenticate the user in response to receipt of the authentication confirmation of the second set of data from the third party verification server by the central server;

process, via the electronic terminal, the request received from the first set of graphical user interfaces based on the validation of the first set of data and the authentication of the user based on the second set of data; and

tender payment to the user for a monetary value associated with the transaction amount in response to the authentication of the user by the electronic terminal.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the sets of data in the first format are encrypted according to a first encryption standard.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein sets of data in the compatible data formats are encrypted according to a different encryption standard.