Method of electronic payment by chip card by means of numbered tokens allowing the detection of fraud

• US 5,305,383 A
• Filed: 08/16/1993
• Issued: 04/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: France Telecom Telediffusion de France SA, US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: France Telecom Telediffusion de France SA, US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Guillou, Louis-Claude, Quisquater, Jean-Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US08/107,413
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 380/24, 380/25, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/472, 235/487
• US Class Current: 705/66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/29 characterised by micropayments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3433 the counter having monetary units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3678 e-cash details, e.g. blinded, divisible or detecting double spending
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices

Abstract

Method of electronic payment by chip card.

According to the invention, each token carries a number making it possible to check its authenticity.

The invention is used for electronic payment.

Claims

1. A method of performing an electronic automated transaction by initializing a management card from an initial management card, said management card for interfacing with a consumption card, to copy a plurality of tokens to said consumption card in order for said consumption card to transfer tokens to a vendor by interfacing said consumption card with a vendor card to copy a predetermined number of tokens to said vendor card, each of said cards including a microprocessor and input and output terminals, comprising the steps of:

generating a distribution array in said initial management card, said distribution array including an initial set of t consecutive entries in said initial management card, a random portion of said numbers being removed from said set;

generating a subset of numbers from said initial set and copying each number of said subset to said management card to form a sales array;

said sales array including t number of entries, each entry corresponding to one of said tokens;

each token being valid for payment upon interfacing said consumption card with said vendor card;

copying a predetermined amount of tokens from said sales array of said management card to said consumption card;

upon transacting a sale, copying a predetermined number of tokens from said consumption card to said vendor card;

updating said consumption card to prevent said copied tokens from again being copied to said vendor card or a further vendor card; and

comparing the corresponding number of each token received by said vendor card with the corresponding number on said management card to authenticate a valid transfer of tokens between said consumption card and said vendor card.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating said distribution array includes resetting all t entries to a sale state and then setting p entries to a no sale state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein an entry in said distribution and sales arrays are equal to one if in a sale state and equal to zero when in a no sale state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of generating said sales array includes resetting all t entries to one and setting the (t-p) entries to zero.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of transferring tokens from said management card to said consumption card includes selecting the entries in said sales array which are in a sale state, copying the entries to said consumption card and setting the copied entries in said sales array to a no sale state.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each entry in said sales array and said distribution array are positioned in an array of Q words, each word having R bits, whereby each entry corresponds to one of the R bits in the Q words.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of copying the selected tokens from said initial management card to said management card and from said management card to said consumption card includes locating said selected token by assigning each token a marker which identifies the word where the selected token is located and an index which identifies which of the R bits of the marked word contains the selected token.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the marker and index each include eight bits and wherein each token is identified by sixteen bits, the most significant eights bits representing the marker and least significant eight bits representing the index.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of coping tokens from said sales array to said consumption card includes incrementing the marker by one and selecting a random index, copying the corresponding index to said consumption card if the token is in a sale state, and if the token is in a no sale state, incrementing the index by one until a token in a sale state is located.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said management card includes a checking array, each entry in said checking array corresponding to a token, each entry having three bits, a first bit for exhibiting whether said token has been presented by said operating card, said second and third bits for exhibiting whether said token has been copied from said management card to said consumption card or will never be transferred from said management card to said consumption card.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the copying of tokens from said initial management card to said management card, from said management card to said consumption card and from said consumption card to said vendor card is encrypted.

12. The method of claim 10, further including the step of transferring portions of the checking array to said operating card.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each token is in one of a populated state and an exhausted state, whereby each token in a populated state can be transferred to said vendor card and whereby each token in an exhausted state can not be transferred to said vendor card.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said operating card includes information which indicates whether a token is in one of a populated state and an exhausted state.

14. An automated electronic transaction system comprising:

an initial management card including a microprocessor mounted therein and data input and output means connected to said microprocessor;

at least one management card including a microprocessor mounted therein and data input and output means connected to said microprocessor;

a consumption card including a microprocessor mounted therein and data input and output means connected to said microprocessor;

an vendor card including a microprocessor mounted therein and data input and output means connected to said microprocessor;

means for interfacing said initial management card and said management card for copying a predetermined number of tokens from said initial management card to said management card;

first updating means for updating the status of said initial management card to prevent said copied tokens to be transferred to any other management card;

means for interfacing said management card and said consumption card for copying a predetermined number of tokens from said management card to said consumption card;

second updating means for updating the status of said management card to prevent said copied tokens to be copied to any other vendor card;

means for interfacing said consumption card and said operating card to copy tokens from said consumption card to said operating card upon a successful sale; and

third updating means for updating the status of said consumption card to prevent said copied tokens to be copied from said consumption card.