System method and apparatus for preventing fraudulent transactions

• US 20040254890A1
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ipass Incorporated (Pareteum Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Ipass Incorporated (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Sancho, Enrique David, Bob, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US10/444,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an improved security system, method and apparatus for reducing recurring fraudulent activity from a particular location. The present invention uses a non-intrusive process that registers and uniquely identifies each location using a digital fingerprint. When fraudulent use is encountered, the associated location is flagged in a database and the associated location is prevented from completing the transaction.

Claims

1. An authentication program for securing a user station identity for a transaction over a computer network, the program comprising:

a user station connected to a computer network;

a fingerprint of the user station;

an authentication database that compares the fingerprint of the user station to other fingerprints which have been associated with fraudulent transactions; and

a provider station that receives the comparison.

2. An authentication program as in claim 1 wherein the user station is a device selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a laptop, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a satellite-enabled pager, and a television with web-browsing capability.

3. An authentication program as in claim 1 wherein the fingerprint is a hardware identity of the user station.

4. An authentication program as in claim 3, wherein the hardware identity is a processor manufacturer of the user station.

5. An authentication program as in claim 3, wherein the hardware identity is an amount of random access memory available on the user station.

6. An authentication program as in claim 1, wherein the provider station is a server of a vendor.

7. A method of preventing fraudulent transactions over a computer network comprising:

establishing a connection by a user station with the computer network;

initiating a transaction with a provider station over the network;

generating a digital fingerprint of the user station;

comparing the fingerprint of the user station with a database of fingerprints used in fraudulent transactions; and

sending the comparison to the provider station.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein the user station is a device selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a laptop, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a satellite-enabled pager, and a television with web-browsing capabilities.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein the digital fingerprint is a processor manufacturer of the user station.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein the digital fingerprint is an amount of random access memory available on the user station.

11. A method as in claim 7 wherein the digital fingerprint is encrypted.

12. A method for conducting secure transactions over a computer network comprising:

recording a fingerprint by an authentication agent from a user station;

encrypting the fingerprint;

sending the encrypted fingerprint to an authentication server;

decrypting the fingerprint;

initiating a secured communication link between the user station and a vendor server; and

conducting a transaction over the link.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the authentication agent is a COM object.

14. A system as in claim 12, wherein the authentication agent is a dynamic-link library.

15. A method as in claim 12, wherein the fingerprint is a hardware characteristic of the user station.

16. A system for conducting secure transactions over a computer network, the system comprising:

a server adapted to communicate with a user station;

a fingerprint of the user station, whereby the server reads the fingerprints; and

,

a database maintained by the server for detecting fraudulent transactions associated with the fingerprint.

17. A system for conducting secure transactions over a computer network, the system comprising:

a vendor server adopted to communicate with an authentication server and a user station;

a fingerprint from the user station obtained by the vendor server, whereby the vendor server transmits the fingerprint to the authentication server; and

,

a report from the authentication server about fraudulent conduct associated with the fingerprint.