Transaction system and method of conducting a point-of-sale transaction between a merchant and a consumer using a wireless platform

• US 7,024,396 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Woodward, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Eddy, Elisca Pierre
• Application Number:
  US10/732,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 52, 705/64, 705/34, 705/67, 705/26, 705/75, 705/27, 705/71, 713200-202, 713175-177, 713/171, 380/228
• US Class Current: 705/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• 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 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/00 Complete banking systems; Coded card-freed arrangements adapted for dispensing or receiving monies or the like and posting such transactions to existing accounts, e.g. automatic teller machines data processing equipment for bank accounting G06Q40/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A transaction system is provided for a merchant and a consumer to conduct a point-of-sale (POS) transaction. The transaction system includes a host, a consumer transaction processor, and a merchant transaction processor. The host provides a merchant authorization key and a consumer authorization key which co-operates as a pair with the merchant authorization key. The consumer transaction server receives the consumer authorization key from the host, and communicates the consumer authorization key to a portable wireless client of the consumer to allow the consumer to send the consumer authorization key to a POS terminal of the merchant. The merchant transaction server receives the merchant authorization key from the host, and compares the merchant authorization key with the consumer authorization key when the consumer authorization key is received from the POS terminal of the merchant. A message is sent to the POS terminal of the merchant to indicate a successful transaction if the comparison of the keys reveals that the keys comprise a pair. As an example, the keys comprise a pair when the keys match. A message is sent to the POS terminal of the merchant to indicate a failed transaction if the comparison of the keys reveals that the keys do not comprise a pair.

Claims

1. A transaction system for enabling a merchant and a consumer to conduct a point-of-sale (POS) transaction, the transaction system comprising:

a host transaction processor for generating a merchant authorization key and a consumer authorization key which co-operates as a pair with the merchant authorization key;

a consumer payment server including (i) means for receiving the consumer authorization key from the host transaction processor, and (ii) means for communicating the consumer authorization key to a portable wireless client device of the consumer to allow the consumer to send the consumer authorization key from the portable wireless client device to a POS terminal of the merchant; and

a merchant transaction server including (i) means for receiving the merchant authorization key from the host transaction processor, (ii) means for receiving the consumer authorization key from the POS terminal of the merchant after the POS terminal of the merchant has received the consumer authorization key from the portable wireless client device of the consumer, and (iii) means for comparing the merchant authorization key with the consumer authorization key when the consumer authorization key is received from the POS terminal of the merchant.

2. A transaction system according to claim 1, wherein the merchant transaction server includes means for sending a message to the POS terminal of the merchant to indicate a successful POS transaction if the comparison of the keys reveals that the keys comprise a pair.

3. A transaction system according to claim 2, wherein the keys comprise a pair when the keys match.

4. A transaction system according to claim 1, wherein the merchant transaction server includes means for sending a message to the POS terminal of the merchant to indicate a failed POS transaction if the comparison of the keys reveals that the keys do not comprise a pair.

5. A transaction system according to claim 1, wherein the merchant transaction server includes (i) means for sending a message to the POS terminal of the merchant to indicate a successful POS transaction if the comparison of the keys reveals that the keys comprise a pair, and (ii) means for sending a message to the POS terminal of the merchant to indicate a failed POS transaction if the comparison of the keys reveals that the keys do not comprise a pair.

6. A method of operating a transaction system to enable a merchant having a POS terminal and a consumer having a portable wireless client device to conduct a POS transaction, the method comprising:

generating a merchant authorization key and a consumer authorization key which co-operates as a pair with the merchant authorization key;

transmitting the consumer authorization key to a consumer payment server;

transmitting the merchant authorization key to a merchant transaction server;

transmitting the consumer authorization key from the consumer payment server to the portable wireless client device of the consumer to allow the consumer to transmit the consumer authorization key from the portable wireless client device to the POS terminal of the merchant;

receiving at the merchant transaction server the consumer authorization key from the POS terminal of the merchant after the POS terminal of the merchant has received the consumer authorization key from the portable wireless client device of the consumer; and

comparing at the merchant transaction server the consumer authorization key with the merchant authorization key to determine if the keys comprise a pair after the consumer authorization key is received from the POS terminal of the merchant.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the keys comprise a pair when the keys match.

8. A point-of-sale (POS) terminal for a merchant to conduct a POS transaction with a consumer, the POS terminal comprising:

means for wirelessly receiving a consumer authorization key from a portable wireless client device carried by the consumer;

means for transmitting the consumer authorization key received from the portable wireless client device carried by the consumer to a merchant transaction server located remotely from the POS terminal to allow the merchant transaction server to compare the consumer authorization key with a merchant authorization key to determine if the keys comprise a pair; and

means for receiving from the merchant transaction server a message indicating a successful POS transaction if the comparison at the merchant transaction server of the consumer authorization key with the merchant authorization key reveals that the keys comprise a pair.

9. A POS terminal according to claim 8, wherein the keys comprise a pair when the keys match.

10. A POS terminal according to claim 8, further comprising means for receiving from the merchant transaction server a message indicating a failed POS transaction if the comparison at the merchant transaction server of the consumer authorization key with the merchant authorization key reveals that the keys do not comprise a pair.

11. A method of operating a point-of-sale (POS) terminal in a POS transaction between a merchant having a POS terminal and a consumer having a portable wireless client device, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving a consumer authorization key from the portable wireless client device of the consumer;

transmitting the consumer authorization key received from the portable wireless client device of the consumer to a merchant transaction server located remotely from the POS terminal to allow the merchant transaction server to compare the consumer authorization key with a merchant authorization key to determine if the keys comprise a pair; and

receiving from the merchant transaction server a message indicating a successful POS transaction when the comparison at the merchant transaction server of the consumer authorization key with the merchant authorization key reveals that the keys comprise a pair.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the keys comprise a pair when the keys match.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving from the merchant transaction server a message indicating an unsuccessful POS transaction when the comparison at the merchant transaction server of the consumer authorization key with the merchant authorization key reveals that the keys do not comprise a pair.