ENCRYPTION AND TOKENIZATION ARCHITECTURES

• US 20160005034A9
• Filed: 08/16/2013
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sahasranaman, Mahesh, Plumer, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US13/969,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164250A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods, systems and computer program products for conducting an online transaction on a website involving sensitive information. Such embodiments provide methods, systems and computer program products to: (a) register at least one entity with a gate keeper module, the registering comprising associating the entity with a subscription level; (b) associate a sub-string of a character string with a unique token so that a direct link does not exist between the unique token and the character string; and (c) during processing of the online transaction: (i) using the unique token for intermediate steps during the processing of the online transaction; and (ii) only accessing the character string in storage memory to complete the online transaction after receiving a request from at least one registered entity associated with a subscription level associated with a privilege to receive the requested sensitive information.

Claims

1. A method for conducting an online transaction on a website involving sensitive information, the method comprising the steps of:

registering at least one entity with a gate keeper module, the registering comprising associating the at least one entity with a subscription level;

associating a sub-string of a character string with a unique token so that a direct link does not exist between the unique token and the character string, the character string comprising the sensitive information and the sub-string being configured to identify the character string without revealing the sensitive information; and

during processing of the online transaction;

using the unique token for intermediate steps during the processing of the online transaction; and

only accessing the character string in storage memory using the unique token and the sub-string to retrieve the sensitive information and to complete the online transaction using the information for the online transaction and the sensitive information after receiving a request for the sensitive information from at least one of the at least one registered entity associated with a subscription level associated with a privilege to receive the requested sensitive information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the online transaction is a purchase on the website and the character string is a credit card number for use to make the purchase.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the sub-string is a last four digits of the credit card number for use to make the purchase.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage memory is remote from where the record is saved.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the character string is stored as encrypted data in the storage memory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the character string is stored as a record in a database within the storage memory.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of verifying that a computer device or a user retrieving the sensitive information is authorized to access the character string.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction, the request comprising the unique token; and

displaying the sub-string on the website during the online transaction without revealing the sensitive information.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using the unique token during the online transaction to access and retrieve the sub-string without accessing the character string.

10. A system for conducting an online transaction on a website involving sensitive information, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more storage devices coupled to the one or more processors and adapted for storing a character string;

wherein the one or more processors execute a gatekeeper module to;

register at least one entity with the gatekeeper module, the registering comprising associating the at least one entity with a subscription level;

associate a unique token with a sub-string of a character string wherein a direct link does not exist between the unique token and the character string, the character string comprising the sensitive information and the sub-string being configured to identify the character string without revealing the sensitive information; and

during processing of the online transaction;

use the unique token for intermediate steps during the processing of the online transaction; and

only access the character string in the one or more storage devices using the unique token and the sub-string-to retrieve the sensitive information and to complete the online transaction using the information for the online transaction and the sensitive information after receiving a request for the sensitive information from at least one of the at least one registered entity associated with a subscription level associated with a privilege to receive the requested sensitive information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the online transaction is a purchase on the website and the character string is a credit card number for use to make the purchase.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the sub-string is a last four digits of the credit card number for use to make the purchase.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more storage devices are remote from where the record is saved.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the character string is stored as encrypted data in the one or more storage devices.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the character string is stored as a record in a database within the one or more storage devices.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more processors further execute the gatekeeper module to verify that a computer device or a user retrieving the sensitive information is authorized to access the character string.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more processors further execute the gatekeeper module to:

receive a request to display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction, the request comprising the unique token; and

display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction without revealing the sensitive information.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more processors further execute the gatekeeper module to:

use the unique token during the online transaction to access and retrieve the sub-string without accessing the character string.

19. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to register at least one entity with the gatekeeper module, the registering comprising associating the at least one entity with a subscription level;

an executable portion configured to associate a unique token with a sub-string of a character string wherein a direct link does not exist between the unique token and the character string, the character string comprising the sensitive information and the sub-string being configured to identify the character string without revealing the sensitive information; and

during processing of the online transaction;

an executable portion configured to use the unique token for intermediate steps during the processing of the online transaction; and

an executable portion configured to only access the character string in one or more storage devices using the unique token and the sub-string to retrieve the sensitive information and to complete the online transaction using the information for the online transaction and the sensitive information after receiving a request for the sensitive information from at least one of the at least one registered entity associated with a subscription level associated with a privilege to receive the requested sensitive information.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the online transaction is a purchase on the website and the character string is a credit card number for use to make the purchase.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the sub-string is a last four digits of the credit card number for use to make the purchase.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the one or more storage devices are remote from where the record is saved.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the character string is stored as encrypted data in the one or more storage devices.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the character string is stored as a record in a database within the one or more storage devices.

25. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to execute the gatekeeper module to verify that a computer device or a user retrieving the sensitive information is authorized to access the character string.

26. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive a request to display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction, the request comprising the unique token; and

an executable portion configured to display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction without revealing the sensitive information.

27. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to use the unique token during the online transaction to access and retrieve the sub-string without accessing the character string.

28. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive a request to display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction, the request comprising the unique token;

an executable portion configured to use the unique token during the online transaction to access and retrieve the sub-string without accessing the character string; and

an executable portion configured to display the sub-string on the website during the online transaction without revealing the sensitive information.