IMPLEMENTING SECURE, ANONYMOUS CUSTOMER INFORMATION EXCHANGE IN ONE OR MORE VENDING MACHINES THROUGH TOKENIZED CUSTOMER IDENTIFIERS GENERATED USING A ONE-WAY HASH FUNCTION
First Claim
1. A method of providing anonymous customer identification at a vending machine, comprising:
- obtaining a payment account number from a customer at the vending machine as part of a vend transaction;
generating a unique, tokenized customer identifier from the payment account number within the vending machine using a one-way hash function;
transmitting the customer identifier from the vending machine to a remote server;
receiving at the vending machine a response associated with the customer identifier from the remote server; and
completing the vend transaction at the vending machine based on the received response.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A unique, anonymous, tokenized customer identifier is derived by a one-way hash function from a credit/debit account number each time a customer provides the same credit/debit card information at a vending machine. The customer identifier thus repeatedly generated at each of the vending machines is then used to track the customer'"'"'s purchase history and preferences for customer-focused programs, such as a loyalty rewards program. The customer need not carry a separate token bearing the customer identifier, but instead can automatically participate in the customer-focused programs as part of paying for a purchase. The customer may optionally remain anonymous in each program.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of providing anonymous customer identification at a vending machine, comprising:
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obtaining a payment account number from a customer at the vending machine as part of a vend transaction; generating a unique, tokenized customer identifier from the payment account number within the vending machine using a one-way hash function; transmitting the customer identifier from the vending machine to a remote server; receiving at the vending machine a response associated with the customer identifier from the remote server; and completing the vend transaction at the vending machine based on the received response. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system configured to provide anonymous customer identification at a vending machine, the system comprising:
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a first interface within the vending machine configured to receive payment account number from a payment token presented at the vending machine; a second interface within the vending machine configured to communicate with a remote server; and a controller communicably coupled to the first and second interfaces, the controller configured to; obtain a payment account number from a customer via the first interface as part of a vend transaction; generate a unique, tokenized customer identifier from the payment account number using a one-way hash function; transmit the customer identifier via the second interface to the remote server; receive a response associated with the customer identifier from the remote server; and complete the vend transaction based on the received response. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A vending machine system comprising:
at least one vending machine configured to communicate with a remote server, the at least one vending machine comprising; a payment device configured to read a payment account number from a card, token, or electronic device associated with a customer; and a controller configured to; obtain a payment account number from a customer at the vending machine as part of a vend transaction; generate a unique, tokenized customer identifier from the payment account number using a one-way hash function; transmit the customer identifier to the remote server; receive a response associated with the customer identifier from the remote server; and complete the vend transaction based on the received response. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification