Secure method and system for communicating a list of credit card numbers over a non-secure network
DCFirst Claim
1. A method enabling a merchant to indicate to a customer by a communication over a non-secure network, a credit card number of the customer that is maintained in a database by the merchant, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) retrieving the credit card number of the customer from the database;
(b) extracting a portion of the credit card number, said portion being substantially smaller than the complete credit card number;
,(c) constructing a message containing the portion of the credit card number; and
(d) transmitting the message to the customer over the non-secure network.
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Litigations
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for securely indicating to a customer one or more credit card numbers that a merchant has on file for the customer when communicating with the customer over a non-secure network. The merchant sends a message to the customer that contains only a portion of each of the credit card numbers that are on file with the merchant. The message may also contain a notation explaining which portion of each of the credit card numbers has been extracted. A computer (38) retrieves the credit card numbers on file for the customer in a database (40), constructs the message, and transits the message to a customer location (10) over the Internet network (30) or other non-secure network. The customer can then confirm in a return message that a specific one of the credit card numbers on file with the merchant should be used in charging a transaction. Since only a portion of the credit card number(s) are included in any message transmitted, a third party cannot discover the customer'"'"'s complete credit card number(s).
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method enabling a merchant to indicate to a customer by a communication over a non-secure network, a credit card number of the customer that is maintained in a database by the merchant, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) retrieving the credit card number of the customer from the database; (b) extracting a portion of the credit card number, said portion being substantially smaller than the complete credit card number;
,(c) constructing a message containing the portion of the credit card number; and (d) transmitting the message to the customer over the non-secure network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for constructing and transmitting a message from a merchant to a customer using a non-secure transmission method, said message indicating a credit card number of the customer that is maintained by the merchant in a database, comprising:
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(a) a computer for use in constructing and transmitting said messages, said computer having a central processor that executes instructions, a memory for storing the instructions to be executed, and non-volatile storage for storing the database and the messages; and (b) said instructions stored in the memory of the computer causing the central processor to; (i) retrieve the credit card number of the customer from the database stored in the non-volatile storage; (ii) extract a portion of said credit card number, said portion being substantially smaller than the complete credit card number; (iii) construct a message including the portion of the credit card number; and (iv) transmit the message to the customer using the nonsecure transmission method. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification