MOBILE PAYER AUTHENTICATION

• US 20100082486A1
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Timothy Mu-Chu
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

An address of a computing device for conducting a transaction with a merchant on an account of an account holder is used to obtain display attributes of the computing device. An authentication request is formatted using the obtained display attributes of the computing device. The formatted authentication request is sent for delivery to the logical address of the computing device. In response to the formatted authentication request, authentication information for the account holder is received from the logical address of the computing device. A validation attempt is performed on the received authentication information for the account holder. If the received authentication information for the account holder was successfully validated by the performance of the validation attempt, the authentication response is transmitted for delivery to a logical address for the merchant.

Claims

1. A method comprising a plurality of steps each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving, incident to a transaction being conducted by a merchant upon an account of an account holder, a logical address of a computing device having a display with display attributes that is being used to conduct the transaction;

obtaining the display attributes of the display of the computing device by accessing, using at least the logical address of the computing device, a database;

formatting an authentication request using the obtained display attributes of the computing device;

sending the formatted authentication request for delivery to the logical address of the computing device;

receiving, from the logical address of the computing device and in response to the formatted authentication request, authentication information for the account holder;

performing a validation attempt on the received authentication information for the account holder;

and

if the received authentication information for the account holder was successfully validated by the performance of the validation attempt, transmitting the authentication response for delivery to a logical address for the merchant.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the computing device is a cellular telephone;

the logical address of the computing device is a cellular telephone number;

if the received authentication information for the account holder was successfully validated by the performance of the validation attempt, the steps further comprise digitally signing the authentication response to the authentication request for the authentication information for the account holder, wherein the authentication response that is transmitted for delivery to the logical address is a digitally signed authentication response; and

the step of the receiving of the logical address of the computing device is performed by the receipt of one or more transmissions over the internet.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the steps further comprise:

receiving a transmission containing information confirming the authorization of the transaction by the issuer of the account;

formatting a message, using the obtained display attributes of the computing device, containing the information confirming the authorization of the transaction by the issuer of the account; and

transmitting the formatted message for delivery to the logical address of the computing device.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the transaction is one of a plurality of transaction in a transaction payment processing system;

and

each said transaction in the payment processing system is processed by;

the merchant of the transaction sending an authorization request for the transaction being conducted on the account to an acquirer for the merchant of the transaction;

the acquirer sending the authorization request to a transaction hander;

the transaction hander sending the authorization request to the issuer of the account upon which the transaction is being conducted;

the issuer sending, in response to the authorization request, an authorization response to the transaction hander;

the transaction handler sending the authorization response to the acquirer for the merchant; and

the merchant completing the transaction with the account holder after receiving the authorization for the transaction from the acquirer.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein:

communications between the transaction handler, the issuer and the acquirer are performed by via transmissions a dedicated network; and

each said receiving step is performed by via one or more transmissions over the internet.

6. A hardware storage device comprising the software which, when executed by the hardware, the hardware performs the steps of claim 1.

7. A method comprising a plurality of steps each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving from logical address of a merchant, incident to an e-commerce transaction being conducted by the merchant upon an account of an account holder, a logical address of a web enabled mobile computing device having a display and being used to conduct the e-commerce transaction;

obtaining display attributes of the display of the web enabled mobile computing device by accessing a display attributes database with the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device;

formatting an authentication request using the obtained display attributes of the web enabled mobile computing device;

transmitting the formatted authentication request for delivery to the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device;

receiving, from the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device and in response to the transmitted formatted authentication request, authentication information for the account holder;

performing a validation attempt on the received authentication information for the account holder;

and

if the received authentication information for the account holder was successfully validated by the performance of the validation attempt;

digitally signing an authentication response; and

transmitting the digitally signed authentication response for delivery to the logical address of the merchant, whereby the merchant can send an authorization request for the transaction being conducted on the account to an acquirer for the merchant that identifies the received authentication information for the account holder as being successfully validated.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein:

the web enabled mobile computing device is a cellular telephone executing a web browser;

the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device is a cellular telephone number; and

the step of the receiving of the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device is performed by the receipt of one or more transmissions over the internet.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the steps further comprise:

receiving a transmission containing information confirming the authorization of the transaction by the issuer of the account;

formatting a message using the obtained display attributes of the web enabled mobile computing device and containing data representing the confirmation of the authorization of the transaction by the issuer of the account; and

transmitting the formatted message for delivery to the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device.

10. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein:

the transaction is one of a plurality of transaction in a transaction payment processing system;

and

each said transaction in the payment processing system is processed by;

the merchant of the transaction sending an authorization request for the transaction being conducted on the account to an acquirer for the merchant of the transaction;

the acquirer sending the authorization request to a transaction hander;

the transaction hander sending the authorization request to the issuer of the account upon which the transaction is being conducted;

the issuer sending, in response to the authorization request, an authorization response to the transaction hander;

the transaction handler sending the authorization response to the acquirer for the merchant; and

the merchant completing the transaction with the account holder after receiving the authorization for the transaction from the acquirer.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein:

communications between the transaction handler, the issuer and the acquirer are performed by via transmissions a dedicated network; and

the steps of the receiving, the step of the obtaining, and the step of the sending are performed by via one or more transmissions over the internet.

12. A hardware storage device comprising the software which, when executed by the hardware, the hardware performs the steps of claim 7.

13. A method comprising a plurality of steps each being performed by hardware executing software, wherein the steps include:

receiving, at one of a plurality of network devices on a network, from a logical address of an e-commerce website of a merchant, incident to an e-commerce transaction being conducted by the merchant upon an account of an account holder;

a telephone number of a web enabled cellular telephone having a display with display attributes that is being used to conduct the e-commerce transaction; and

an enrollment verification request;

verifying, in response to the enrollment verification request, that the account and the web enabled cellular telephone are both enrolled in an authentication service;

transmitting, for delivery to the logical address of the e-commerce website of the merchant, an verification that the account and the web enabled cellular telephone are both enrolled in the authentication service;

receiving, in response to the verification that the account and the web enabled cellular telephone are both enrolled in the authentication service, at one of the plurality of network devices on the network;

the telephone number of the web enabled cellular telephone;

an identifier for the merchant;

a total currency amount for the transaction; and

an identifier for the account;

obtaining the display attributes of the display of the web enabled cellular telephone by accessing a display attributes database using at least the telephone number of the web enabled cellular telephone;

formatting an authentication request using the obtained display attributes of the display of the web enabled cellular telephone;

transmitting, for delivery to the telephone number of the web enabled cellular telephone, the formatted authentication request that includes;

an identifier for the merchant;

the total currency amount of the transaction; and

an identifier for the account;

receiving, from the telephone number of the web enabled cellular telephone and in response to the formatted authentication request, at one of the plurality of network devices on the network, authentication information for the account holder that includes an access code;

performing, using at least the access code, a validation attempt on the received authentication information for the account holder;

and

if the received authentication information for the account holder was successfully validated by the performance of the validation attempt;

digitally signing an authentication response; and

transmitting, from one of the plurality of network devices on the network, the digitally signed authentication response for delivery to the logical address of the e-commerce website of the merchant, whereby an authorization request for the transaction being conducted on the account can be sent to an acquirer for the merchant that identifies the received authentication information for the account holder as being successfully validated.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the display attributes of the display of the web enabled cellular telephone comprise a mark-up language and a character set supported by the web enabled cellular telephone.

15. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the steps further comprise:

receiving, at one of the plurality of network devices on the network, a transmission containing information confirming the authorization of the transaction by the issuer of the account;

formatting a message using the obtained display attributes of the web enabled mobile computing device and containing data representing the confirmation of the authorization of the transaction by the issuer of the account; and

transmitting, from one of the plurality of network devices on the network, the formatted message for delivery to the logical address of the web enabled mobile computing device.

16. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein:

the transaction is one of a plurality of transaction in a transaction payment processing system;

and

each said transaction in the payment processing system is processed by;

the merchant of the transaction sending an authorization request for the transaction being conducted on the account to an acquirer for the merchant of the transaction;

the acquirer sending the authorization request to a transaction hander;

the transaction hander sending the authorization request to the issuer of the account upon which the transaction is being conducted;

the issuer sending, in response to the authorization request, an authorization response to the transaction hander;

the transaction handler sending the authorization response to the acquirer for the merchant; and

the merchant completing the transaction with the account holder after receiving the authorization for the transaction from the acquirer.

17. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein:

communications between the transaction handler, the issuer and the acquirer are performed by via transmissions a dedicated network; and

each said step of receiving and each said step of transmitting is performed by via one or more transmissions over the internet.

18. A hardware storage device comprising the software which, when executed by the hardware, the hardware performs the steps of claim 13.