Transmission of sensitive customer information during electronic-based transactions

• US 20100241565A1
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Network Merchants, LLC
• Original Assignee: Network Merchants, LLC
• Inventors: Starai, Nicholas J., Schmidgall, Matthew M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• 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

Abstract

An exemplary method is implemented by a payment gateway for processing electronic transactions. A token-ID that is unique to each transaction is generated, and on receiving a request to initiate an electronic transaction from a merchant server, a first message is transmitted to the merchant server that includes a first token-ID. A communication is received from an electronic device of a cardholder that contains information about the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account and the first token-ID. A record is stored that includes the first token-ID and information enabling the credit card account of the cardholder to be identified. On receiving a second request, that includes the first token-ID, from the merchant server for payment of a specified amount, the credit card account of the cardholder to be debited for the requested payment is identified based on the token-ID. A determination is made if the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account was successfully debited for the requested payment, and a second message is transmitted to the merchant server that specifies if the requested payment transaction was successfully completed.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a payment gateway for processing electronic transactions comprising the steps of:

receiving a first request to initiate an electronic transaction from a merchant server;

transmitting, in response to receipt of the first request, a first message to the merchant server that includes a token-ID that is unique to the electronic transaction;

receiving a communication from an electronic device of a cardholder where the communication includes information about the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account and the token-ID;

storing a record that includes the token-ID and information enabling the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account to be identified;

receiving a second request from the merchant server for payment of a specified amount, where the second request includes the token-ID;

identifying the credit card account of the cardholder to be debited for the requested payment based on the token-ID;

determining if the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account was successfully debited for the requested payment;

transmitting a second message to the merchant server that specifies if the requested payment transaction was successfully completed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message transmitted to the merchant server also includes a form URL, where the form URL provides a form to be transmitted by the merchant server to the electronic device of the cardholder, the form identifying credit card account information of the cardholder to be input by the cardholder.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of receiving the communication from the electronic device of the cardholder includes receiving the form URL with the requested information having been input into the form by the cardholder.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first request contains no identification of the cardholder and no information about the transaction.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account is not processed for the payment transaction until the receipt of a second request from the merchant server.

6. A payment gateway that processes electronic transactions comprising:

an input/output device of a processing unit receives a first request to initiate electronic transaction from a merchant server;

the processing unit transmits, in response to receipt of the first request, a first message to the merchant server that includes a token-ID that is unique to the first requested electronic transaction;

the input/output device of the processing unit receives a communication from an electronic device of a cardholder where the communication includes information about the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account and the token-ID;

a memory in the processing unit stores a record that includes the token-ID and information enabling the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account to be identified;

the input/output device of the processing unit receives a second request from the merchant server for payment of a specified amount, where the second request includes the token-ID;

the processing unit identifies the credit card account of the cardholder to be debited for the requested payment based on the token-ID;

the processing unit determines if the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account was successfully debited for the requested payment;

the processing unit transmits a second message via the input/output device to the merchant server that specifies if the requested payment transaction was successfully completed.

7. The payment gateway of claim 6 wherein the first message transmitted to the merchant server also includes a form URL, where the form URL provides a form to be transmitted by the merchant server to the electronic device of the cardholder, the form identifying credit card account information of the cardholder.

8. The payment gateway of claim 7 wherein the communication from the electronic device of the cardholder includes the form URL with the requested information having been input into the form by the cardholder.

9. The payment gateway of claim 6 wherein the first request contains no identification of the cardholder and no information about the transaction.

10. The payment gateway of claim 9 wherein the processing unit does not process the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account for the payment transaction until the receipt of a second request from the merchant server.

11. An article, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing tangible media;

means in the one or more media for enabling receipt of a first request to initiate electronic transaction from a merchant server;

means in the one or more media for enabling transmission, in response to receipt of the first request, of a first message to the merchant server that includes a token-ID unique to the first requested electronic transaction;

means in the one or more media for enabling receipt of a communication from an electronic device of a cardholder where the communication includes information about the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account and the token-ID;

means in the one or more media for enabling storage of a record that includes the token-ID and information that enables the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account to be identified;

means in the one or more media for enabling receipt of a second request from the merchant server for payment of a specified amount, where the second request includes the token-ID;

means in the one or more media for enabling identification of the credit card account of the cardholder to be debited for the requested payment based on the token-ID;

means in the one or more media for enabling a determination if the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account was successfully debited for the requested payment;

means in the one or more media for enabling transmission of a second message to the merchant server that specifies if the requested payment transaction was successfully completed.

12. The article of claim 11 wherein the first message transmitted to the merchant server also includes a form URL, where the form URL provides a form to be transmitted by the merchant server to the electronic device of the cardholder, the form identifying credit card account information of the cardholder.

13. The article of claim 12 wherein the means in the one or more media for enabling receipt of the communication from the electronic device of the cardholder enables receipt of the form URL with the requested information having been input into the form by the cardholder.

14. The article of claim 11 wherein the first request contains no identification of the cardholder and no information about the transaction.

15. The article of claim 11 wherein the cardholder'"'"'s credit card account is not processed for the payment transaction until the receipt of a second request from the merchant server.