Cryptography security for remote dispenser transactions

• US 6,185,307 B1
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Johnson, William S. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Callahan, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US09/006,245
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 380/44, 380/45, 380/23, 380/24, 380/28, 380/29, 705/13, 705/16, 705/21, 705/24
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The invention relates to providing secure transactions with a tag and POS device associated with a host network authorization system. In doing so, the tag is adapted to bi-directionally communicate with a POS device, preferably a fuel dispenser, which further communicates with a host network to provide authorization of the tag and carry out any desired purchases or transactions. To avoid transmitting data from which valuable account or financial information could be derived, between the tag and POS device or the POS device and the host network system, the invention may maintain all or a majority of account and financial information requiring absolute security only at the host network. Neither the tag nor the POS device has or has access to certain critical financial or account information. The tag also is adapted to communicate with other local sources and the POS device directly. Additional and alternate security is available for these communications. Furthermore, the local sources may need a password to access certain data stored in the tag'"'"'s memory.

Claims

1. A cryptography key generator for generating keys used in remote communications devices comprising:

a remote communication device identification number generator adapted to generate unique identification numbers for a plurality of remote communication devices

a memory having at least one master encryption key stored therein;

cryptography electronics associated with a host processing system adapted to encrypt a function of an identification number using said at least one master encryption key to provide a main remote communication device key; and

communication electronics associated with said cryptography electronics adapted to transmit said remote communication device identification number and said remote communication device key to a corresponding remote communication device;

wherein said identification number generator includes an incremental sequence counter, said incremental sequence counter adapted to provide a tag sequence number used to form at least part of said identification number.

2. The cryptography key generator of claim 1 wherein said identification number generator forms said identification number by including an industry code signifying a type of industry from which the corresponding remote communication device is issued as part of said identification number.

3. The cryptography key generator of claim 1 wherein said identification number generator forms said identification number by including an issuing company code signifying a company from which the corresponding remote communication device is issued as part of said identification number.

4. The cryptography key generator of claim 1 wherein said cryptography electronics is adapted to encrypt a function of at least part of said identification number with said at least one master encryption key to form a value used to arrive at said main remote communication device key.

5. The cryptography key generator of claim 4 wherein said function is f(x)=x.

6. The cryptography key generator of claim 4 wherein said function of at least part of said identification number is a result of taking an exclusive-OR of at least part of said identification number and a constant.

7. The cryptography key generator of claim 1 wherein said cryptography electronics creates said remote communication device key by:

a. taking an exclusive-OR of at least part of said identification number and a constant stored in said memory to provide a first result;

b. taking an exclusive-OR of said first result and a first master key to provide a second result;

c. encrypting said second result with said first master key to provide a third result;

d. taking an exclusive-OR of said third result and said first master key to provide a fourth result;

e. taking an exclusive-OR of said fourth result and a second master key to provide a fifth result;

f. decrypting said fifth result with said second master key to provide a sixth result;

g. taking an exclusive-OR of said sixth result and said second master key to provide a seventh result;

h. taking an exclusive-OR of said seventh result and a third master key to provide an eighth result;

i. encrypting said eighth result with said third master key to provide a ninth result; and

j. taking an exclusive-OR of said ninth result and said third master key to provide said remote communication device key.

8. The cryptography key generator of claim 1 wherein said cryptography electronics encrypts and decrypts according to The Data Encryption Standard (DES) and the master encryption key is a DES key.

9. A cryptograph key generator for generating keys used in remote communication devices comprising:

a remote communication device identification number generator adapted to generate unique identification numbers for a plurality of remote communication devices,

a memory having at least one master encryption key stored therein;

cryptography electronics associated with a host processing system adapted to encrypt a function of an identification number using said at least one master encryption key to provide a main remote communication device key; and

communication electronics associated with said cryptography electronics adapted to transmit said remote communication device identification number and said remote communication device key to a corresponding remote communication device,

wherein said identification number generator includes an incremental sequence counter, said incremental sequence counter adapted to provide a tag sequence number used to form at least part of said identification number, and said identification number generator forms said identification number by combining said tag sequence number, said issuing company code signifying a company from which the corresponding remote communication device is issued and an industry code signifying a type of industry the issuing company is associated.

10. A cryptography key generator for generating keys used in remote communications devices comprising:

a remote communication device identification number generator adapted to generate unique identification numbers for a plurality of remote communication devices;

a memory having at least one master encryption key stored therein;

cryptography electronics associated with a host processing system adapted to encrypt a function of an identification number using said at least one master encryption key to provide a main remote communication device key; and

communication electronics associated with said cryptography electronics adapted to transmit said remote communication device identification number and said remote communication device key to a corresponding remote communication device;

wherein said cryptography electronics are adapted to encrypt a function of at least part of said identification number with a first master key to provide a first result and decrypt a function of said first result with another master key to provide another result used to arrive at said main remote communication device key.

11. A cryptography key generator for generating keys used in remote communications devices comprising:

a remote communication device identification number generator adapted to generate unique identification numbers for a plurality of remote communication devices;

a memory having at least one master encryption key stored therein;

cryptography electronics associated with a host processing system adapted to encrypt a function of an identification number using said at least one master encryption key to provide a main remote communication device key; and

communication electronics associated with said cryptography electronics adapted to transmit said remote communication device identification number and said remote communication device key to a corresponding remote communication device;

wherein said cryptography electronics are adapted to encrypt a function of at least part of said identification number with a first master key to provide a first result and encrypt a function of said first result with another master key to provide another result used to arrive at said main remote communication device key.

12. A cryptography key generator for generating keys used in remote communications devices comprising:

a remote communication device identification number generator adapted to generate unique identification numbers for a plurality of remote communication devices;

a memory having at least one master encryption key stored therein;

cryptography electronics associated with a host processing system adapted to encrypt a function of an identification number using said at least one master encryption key to provide a main remote communication device key; and

communication electronics associated with said cryptography electronics adapted to transmit said remote communication device identification number and said remote communication device key to a corresponding remote communication device;

wherein said cryptography electronics are adapted to encrypt a function of at least part of said identification number with a first master key to provide a first result;

decrypt a function of said first result with a second master key to provide a second result and encrypt a function of said second result used to arrive at said main remote communication device key.

13. A cryptography key generator for generating keys used in remote communication devices comprising:

a remote communication device identification number generator adapted to generate unique identification numbers for a plurality of remote communication devices,

a memory having at least one master encryption key stored therein;

cryptography electronics associated with a host processing system adapted to encrypt a function of an identification number using said at least one master encryption key to provide a main remote communication device key; and

communication electronics associated with said cryptography electronics adapted to transmit said remote communication device identification number and said remote communication device key to a corresponding remote communication device,

wherein said identification number generator includes an incremental sequence counter, said incremental sequence counter adapted to provide a tag sequence number used to form at least part of said identification number, and said identification number includes a standard industry code, issuing company identifier and a tag sequence number.

14. The cryptography key generator of claim 13 wherein said identification number is ten bytes having four bytes allocated for said standard industry code, two bytes allocated for said company identifier and four bytes for said tag sequence number.

15. The cryptography key generator of claim 13 wherein said at least part of said identification number includes said tag sequence number.

16. The cryptography key generator of claim 13 wherein said at least part of said identification number includes said tag sequence number and said issuing company identifier.

17. The cryptography key generator of claim 13 wherein said at least part of said identification number includes said tag sequence number, said issuing company identifier and part of said standard industry code.

18. A method of generating a cryptography key for a plurality of remote communication devices comprising:

a. generating a unique identification number for a remote communication device;

b. taking an exclusive-OR of at least part of the identification number and a constant to provide a first result;

c. taking an exclusive-OR of the first result and a first master key to provide a second result;

d. encrypting the second result with the first master key to provide a third result;

e. taking an exclusive-OR of the third result and the first master key to provide a fourth result;

f. taking an exclusive-OR of the fourth result and a second master key to provide a fifth result;

g. decrypting the fifth result with the second master key to provide a sixth result;

h. taking an exclusive-OR of the sixth result and the second master key to provide a seventh result;

i. taking an exclusive-OR of the seventh result and a third master key to provide an eighth result;

j. encrypting the eighth result with the third master key to provide a ninth result; and

k. taking an exclusive-OR of the ninth result and the third master key to provide the remote communication device key.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein step a. includes:

generating a sequence number, and

forming said identification number by combining the sequence number, an issuing company code and a standard industry code.