DEVICE PAIRING VIA TRUSTED INTERMEDIARY

• US 20140143137A1
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,911,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/388 using mutual authentication without cards, e.g. challenge-response

Abstract

Embodiments are directed at systems, apparatuses, and methods for indirect device pairing through a trusted intermediary. One embodiment is directed to a method including receiving a pairing identifier associated with an untrusted device controller. The method further comprises extracting the pairing identifier from the pairing request, searching a pairing identifier database for a matching pairing identifier, determining an untrusted device controller associated with the matching pairing identifier, and sending the pairing request to the untrusted device controller. The untrusted device controller may identify the untrusted device, associate the pairing identifier with the trusted intermediary, and lock the pairing identifier. The method further comprises receiving a pairing response indicating that the untrusted device is paired with the computer. Accordingly, the trusted device is indirectly paired to the untrusted device and the trusted device is configured to complete a transaction with the untrusted device without communicating transaction information to the untrusted device.

Claims

1. A method of indirectly pairing a trusted device with an untrusted device through an untrusted device controller, the method comprising:

receiving a pairing request from the trusted device, the pairing request including a pairing identifier associated with the untrusted device controller;

extracting the pairing identifier from the pairing request;

searching a pairing identifier database for a matching pairing identifier;

determining, by a computer, the untrusted device controller associated with the matching pairing identifier in the pairing identifier database;

sending the pairing request to the untrusted device controller, wherein the untrusted device controller identifies the untrusted device, associates the pairing identifier with the computer, and locks the pairing identifier;

receiving a pairing response from the untrusted device controller indicating that the untrusted device is paired with the computer; and

sending a pairing confirmation to the trusted device,

wherein the trusted device is indirectly paired to the untrusted device and wherein the trusted device is configured to complete a transaction with the untrusted device without communicating transaction information to the untrusted device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a transaction request from the trusted device; and

sending the transaction request to the untrusted device controller, wherein the untrusted device controller processes the transaction request and commands the untrusted device to complete the transaction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the transaction request to the untrusted device controller further comprises:

identifying account information associated with the consumer;

updating the transaction request to include the account information; and

sending the transaction request to the untrusted device controller, wherein the untrusted device controller processes the transaction request and commands the untrusted device to complete the transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before receiving the pairing identifier from the trusted device, receiving the pairing identifier from the untrusted device controller; and

storing the pairing identifier and an untrusted device controller identifier in a pairing identifier database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pairing identifier is associated with an expiration condition and cannot be used by the untrusted device controller after the expiration condition is triggered.

6. A computer comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer readable medium comprising code, executable by the processor for implementing a method of indirectly pairing a trusted device with an untrusted device through an untrusted device controller, the method comprising;

receiving a pairing request from the trusted device, the pairing request including a pairing identifier associated with the untrusted device controller;

extracting the pairing identifier from the pairing request;

searching a pairing identifier database for a matching pairing identifier;

determining the untrusted device controller associated with the matching pairing identifier in the pairing identifier database;

sending the pairing request to the untrusted device controller, wherein the untrusted device controller identifies the untrusted device, associates the pairing identifier with the computer, and locks the pairing identifier;

receiving a pairing response from the untrusted device controller indicating that the untrusted device is paired with the computer; and

sending a pairing confirmation to the trusted device,

wherein the trusted device is indirectly paired to the untrusted device and wherein the trusted device is configured to complete a transaction with the untrusted device without communicating transaction information to the untrusted device.

7. The computer of claim 6, the method further comprising:

receiving a transaction request from the trusted device; and

sending the transaction request to the untrusted device controller, wherein the untrusted device controller processes the transaction request and commands the untrusted device to complete the transaction.

8. The computer of claim 7, wherein sending the transaction request to the untrusted device controller further comprises:

identifying account information associated with the consumer;

updating the transaction request to include the account information; and

sending the transaction request to the untrusted device controller, wherein the untrusted device controller processes the transaction request and commands the untrusted device to complete the transaction.

9. The computer of claim 6, the method further comprising:

before receiving the pairing identifier from the trusted device, receiving the pairing identifier from the untrusted device controller; and

storing the pairing identifier and an untrusted device controller identifier in a pairing identifier database.

10. A method of indirectly pairing a trusted device with an untrusted device through a trusted intermediary computer, the method comprising:

receiving a pairing identifier request from an untrusted device;

determining, by an untrusted device controller, an available pairing identifier;

associating, by the untrusted device controller, the available pairing identifier with the untrusted device;

sending a pairing identifier response including the pairing identifier to the untrusted device to be displayed to a consumer;

receiving a pairing request including the pairing identifier from the trusted intermediary computer;

identifying, by the untrusted device controller, the untrusted device associated with the pairing request;

associating, by the untrusted device controller, the pairing identifier with the trusted intermediary computer;

locking, by the untrusted device controller, the pairing identifier from additional pairing requests;

sending a pairing notification to the untrusted device; and

sending a pairing response to the trusted intermediary computer, wherein the trusted intermediary computer notifies the consumer that the trusted device is paired,

wherein the trusted device is indirectly paired to the untrusted device through the trusted intermediary computer and wherein the trusted device completes a transaction at the untrusted device without communicating transaction information to the untrusted device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising after receiving the pairing request, validating the pairing identifier against an expiration condition, wherein the pairing identifier cannot be used by the untrusted device controller after the expiration condition is triggered.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the expiration condition includes a time limit, a number of uses, and a locked status of the pairing identifier.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a transaction request from the trusted intermediary computer; and

processing the transaction request;

sending a transaction decision to the untrusted device, the transaction decision including a command to the untrusted device to perform the requested transaction; and

sending a transaction response to the trusted intermediary computer.

14. A computer comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer readable medium comprising code, executable by the processor for implementing a method comprising;

receiving a pairing identifier request from an untrusted device associated with the untrusted device controller;

determining an available pairing identifier;

associating the available pairing identifier with the untrusted device;

sending a pairing identifier response including the pairing identifier to the untrusted device to be displayed to a consumer;

receiving a pairing request including the pairing identifier from a trusted intermediary computer;

identifying the untrusted device associated with the pairing request;

associating the pairing identifier with the trusted intermediary computer;

locking the pairing identifier from additional pairing requests;

sending a pairing notification to the untrusted device; and

sending a pairing response to the trusted intermediary computer, wherein the trusted intermediary computer notifies the consumer that the trusted device is paired,

wherein the trusted device is indirectly paired to the untrusted device through the trusted intermediary computer and wherein the trusted device completes a transaction at the untrusted device without communicating transaction information to the untrusted device.

15. The computer of claim 14, the method further comprising after receiving the pairing request, validating the pairing identifier against an expiration condition, wherein the pairing identifier cannot be used by the untrusted device controller after the expiration condition is triggered.

16. The computer of claim 15, wherein the expiration condition includes a time limit, a number of uses, and a locked status of the pairing identifier.

17. The computer of claim 14, the method further comprising:

receiving a transaction request from the trusted intermediary computer;

processing the transaction request;

sending a transaction decision to the untrusted device, the transaction decision including a command to the untrusted device to perform the requested transaction; and

sending a transaction response to the trusted intermediary computer.

18. A system for indirectly pairing a trusted device with an untrusted device, the system comprising:

the untrusted device associated with an untrusted device controller, the untrusted device configured to request a pairing identifier from the untrusted device controller and display the pairing identifier to the consumer;

the untrusted device controller associated with the untrusted device, the untrusted device controller configured to receive a pairing identifier request from the untrusted device, identify an available pairing identifier, send the pairing identifier to the untrusted device, and receiving a pairing request from a trusted intermediary computer, identify the untrusted device associated with the pairing identifier, associate the pairing identifier with the trusted intermediary computer, and lock the received pairing identifier from additional pairing requests;

a trusted device operated by a consumer, the trusted device configured to send the pairing identifier to the trusted intermediary computer;

the trusted intermediary computer associated with the trusted device, the trusted intermediary computer configured to receive the pairing identifier from the trusted device, determine the untrusted device controller and send a pairing request to the untrusted device controller to indirectly pair the untrusted device with the trusted device,

wherein the trusted device is indirectly paired to the untrusted device through the trusted intermediary computer and wherein the trusted device completes a transaction at the untrusted device without communicating transaction information to the untrusted device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the untrusted device controller is further configured to receive a transaction request from the trusted intermediary computer, process the transaction request, and send a transaction decision to the untrusted device, the transaction decision including a command to the untrusted device to perform the requested transaction, and wherein the untrusted device performs the requested transaction.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the untrusted device controller processes the transaction request through a payment processing network.