TECHNIQUE TO AUTHENTICATE IN A MOBILE APPLICATION USING NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATION

• US 20150317623A1
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Beilis, David, Lee-Kwen, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 10,262,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method for operating a mobile communication appliance enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC) has steps for (a) positioning the communication appliance and an article associated with a person, the article enabled for NFC and storing a unique identifier, within a near-field threshold; (b) acquiring by the communication appliance through NFC the unique digital identifier from the article; and (c) using the identifier to select and initiate a particular functionality of the communication appliance.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile communication appliance enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC), comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning the communication appliance and an article associated with a person, the article enabled for NFC and storing a unique identifier, within a near-field threshold;

(b) acquiring by the communication appliance through NFC the unique digital identifier from the article; and

(c) using the identifier to select and initiate a particular functionality of the communication appliance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the functionality is selecting a particular contact from a contact list, and launching a transaction to an address or telephone number associated with the contact.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the functionality is launching an application linking to an Internet-connected first server, and authenticating the person in the application to interact with functionality of the server requiring authentication.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the article is a credit card issued by a financial institution, and the authentication allows the person to access and manipulate data in an account.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication appliance is an Android™

operated cellular telephone.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising a step (e) accessing and manipulating data in the account by the person operating the communication appliance.

7. The method of claim 3 including a step for opening a link to a data repository at a second Internet-connected server, using the unique identifier to locate and acquire further data stored at the second server regarding the person, all or a part of which is communicated by the communication appliance to the first server.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the person establishes a first link to the first server via an appliance that is not NFC enabled, and a second link through the mobile computerized appliance that is NFC enabled to the first server as well, by use of the NFC-enabled article, and the first server authorizes the person and enables the person to access and manipulate functionality of the first server that requires authentication from the appliance that is not NFC enabled.

9. The method of claim 3 further comprising a step initiating a server function by the person by input at the mobile communication appliance, initiating thereby a transaction from the communication appliance to a call-center hosted by the financial institution, resulting in a dialogue between the cardholder and an agent at the call center.

10. A communication system comprising:

an article enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC) and storing a unique identifier associated with a person;

a mobile communication appliance NFC enabled, executing software from a non-transitory physical medium;

wherein bringing the article and communication appliance within an NFC threshold distance enables the appliance to acquire the unique identifier, which it uses to select and initiate specific functionality.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the functionality is selecting a particular contact from a contact list, and launching a transaction to an address or telephone number associated with the contact.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the functionality is launching an application linking to an Internet-connected first server, and authenticating the person in the application to interact with functionality of the server requiring authentication.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the article is a credit card issued by a financial institution, and the authentication allows the person to access and manipulate data in an account.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication appliance is an Android™

operated cellular telephone.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising a step for accessing and manipulating data in the account by the person operating the communication appliance.

16. The method of claim 12 including a step for opening a link to a data repository at a second Internet-connected server, using the unique identifier to locate and acquire further data stored at the second server regarding the person, all or a part of which is communicated by the communication appliance to the first server.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the person establishes a first link to the first server via an appliance that is not NFC enabled, and a second link through the mobile computerized appliance that is NFC enabled to the first server as well, by use of the NFC-enabled article, and the first server authorizes the person and enables the person to access and manipulate functionality of the first server that requires authentication from the appliance that is not NFC enabled.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising initiating a server function by the person by input at the mobile communication appliance, initiating thereby a transaction from the communication appliance to a call-center hosted by the financial institution, resulting in a dialogue between the cardholder and an agent at the call center.