Payment processing system for use in a retail environment having segmented architecture

• US 8,438,064 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Berrio, Gaston, Symonds, Michael James, Klinc, Ronald Philip, Pearce, Andrew Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARIKH, HARSHAD R
• Application Number:
  US13/287,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20120046787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/18, 705/21
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/001 for gas
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A payment processing system and method comprising a POS module providing an interface to effect sales of FGS in a retail environment, a device module operatively connected to at least one retail device configured to supply FGS and comprising a card reader adapted to receive a first payment card data for payment for the FGS, wherein the device module is adapted to control operation of the at least one retail device, and a payment system module operatively connected to the POS module and the device module, the payment system module adapted to validate payment for the FGS. The payment system module and the device module are separated from the POS module in order to segment a portion of the payment processing system configured to handle payment card data from a portion of the system that does not handle payment card data.

Claims

1. A retail fueling environment comprising:

a first portion of the retail fueling environment that is configured to handle only non-sensitive transaction information, the first portion comprising;

a point-of-sale device (POS) configured to facilitate a sale of fuel, goods, or services for use by an operator of the fueling environment to perform functions unrelated to handling of sensitive payment information;

a second portion of the retail fueling environment that is configured to handle sensitive payment information and the non-sensitive transaction information, the second portion comprising;

a plurality of fuel dispensers, each having a customer interface including a card reader and a PIN pad to receive sensitive payment information, the customer interface being configured to transmit the sensitive payment information;

a secure hub device operatively connected to the plurality of fuel dispensers and the POS, the secure hub device being operative to;

receive the sensitive payment information from the customer interfaces of the fuel dispensers;

receive the non-sensitive transaction information from the fuel dispensers;

separately route the sensitive payment information and non-sensitive transaction information such that the secure hub device;

transmits the sensitive payment information to a financial institution system operatively connected to the secure hub device via an external network and does not transmit the sensitive payment information to the POS; and

transmits the non-sensitive transaction information including information indicative of the fuel dispensed and non-sensitive customer identification information to the POS; and

allow dispensing of fuel at the fuel dispensers or sale of goods or services upon receipt of authorization from the financial institution system;

wherein the first portion of the retail fueling environment is segmented from the second portion so that the second portion handles the sensitive payment information and the non-sensitive transaction information and the first portion handles only the non-sensitive transaction information.

2. The retail fueling environment of claim 1 comprising:

a secure router operatively connected to the secure hub device; and

a store router operatively connected to the POS and the secure router, wherein the first portion of the retail fueling environment comprises the store router and the second portion of the retail fueling environment comprises the secure router.

3. The retail fueling environment of claim 1, wherein the secure hub device is a separate physical device from the POS and the plurality of fuel dispensers.

4. The retail fueling environment of claim 1 comprising at least one underground storage tank associated with at least one tank monitor, wherein the secure hub device is configured to receive tank monitor data from the at least one tank monitor.

5. The retail fueling environment of claim 1 comprising a car wash, wherein the secure hub device is configured to handle operation of the car wash.

6. The retail fueling environment of claim 1, wherein the secure hub device is configured to handle operation of the plurality of fuel dispensers.

7. The retail fueling environment of claim 1 comprising a payment device associated with and located adjacent to at least a portion of the POS and operatively connected to the secure hub device, the payment device being configured to receive and transmit the sensitive payment information to the secure hub device, wherein the second portion of the retail fueling environment comprises the payment device.

8. A secure hub device for a retail fueling environment, whereby the retail fueling environment comprises a first portion that is configured to handle only non-sensitive transaction information and a second portion that is configured to handle sensitive payment information and the non-sensitive transaction information,

wherein the second portion of the retail fueling environment comprises a plurality of fuel dispensers, each having a customer interface including a card reader and a PIN pad to receive sensitive payment information, the customer interface being configured to transmit the sensitive payment information,

wherein the first portion of the retail fueling environment comprises a point-of-sale device (POS), wherein the POS is configured to facilitate a sale of fuel, goods, or services for use by an operator of the fueling environment to perform functions unrelated to handling of the sensitive payment information, and

wherein the secure hub device being operative when connected for communication with the plurality of fuel dispensers and the POS to:

receive the sensitive payment information from the customer interfaces of the fuel dispensers;

receive the non-sensitive transaction information from the fuel dispensers;

separately route the sensitive payment information and non-sensitive transaction information such that the secure hub device;

transmits the sensitive payment information to a financial institution system operatively connected to the secure hub device via an external network and does not transmit the sensitive payment information to the POS; and

transmits the non-sensitive transaction information to the POS; and

allow dispensing of fuel at the fuel dispensers or sale of goods or services upon receipt of authorization from the financial institution system;

wherein the first portion of the retail fueling environment is segmented from the second portion so that the second portion handles the sensitive payment information and the non-sensitive transaction information and the first portion handles only the non-sensitive transaction information.

9. The secure hub device of claim 8 being operative to create a report comprising at least a portion of the transaction information.

10. The secure hub device of claim 9, wherein the report is a secure report comprising at least a portion of the sensitive payment information.

11. The secure hub device of claim 8 being operative to receive tank monitor data from a tank monitor of the retail fueling environment.

12. The secure hub device of claim 8 being operative to handle operation of a car wash of the retail fueling environment.

13. A secure hub device comprising:

a processing device;

memory operatively connected to the processing device comprising;

a payment data software module configured to process sensitive payment data and non-sensitive transaction information for a transaction, wherein the sensitive payment data is received from at least one payment device of a retail fueling environment at which the sensitive payment data is provided by a customer, and wherein the non-sensitive transaction information is received from the at least one payment device of the retail fueling environment;

a point-of-sale software module configured to communicate with a point-of-sale device (POS) of the retail fueling environment including providing non-sensitive data for the transaction to the POS; and

a transaction software module configured to transmit the sensitive payment data to a host configured to effect payment for the transaction and does not transmit the sensitive payment information to the POS so that the sensitive payment information and non-sensitive transaction information are separately routed; and

wherein the secure payment hub device enables a first portion of the retail fueling environment comprising the POS to be segmented from a second portion of the retail fueling environment comprising the at least one payment device so that the first portion handles only the non-sensitive data for the transaction.

14. The secure hub device of claim 13, wherein the at least one payment device comprises a payment card reader of a fuel dispenser of the retail fueling environment.

15. The secure hub device of claim 14, wherein the at least one payment device comprises a PIN pad of the fuel dispenser.

16. The secure hub device of claim 13, wherein the at least one payment device is a payment card reader associated with and located adjacent to at least a portion of the POS.

17. The secure hub device of claim 16, wherein the at least one payment device comprises a payment card reader of a fuel dispenser of the retail fueling environment.

18. The secure hub device of claim 13 comprising a housing that is physically different from the POS and the at least one payment device.

19. The secure hub device of claim 13, wherein the memory comprises a forecourt software module configured to control operation of at least one device located in a forecourt of the retail fueling environment.

20. The secure hub device of claim 19, wherein the forecourt software module comprises a fuel pump module, wherein the at least one device located in the forecourt comprises at least one fuel pump and the fuel pump software module is configured to control the at least one fuel pump.

21. The secure hub device of claim 13, wherein the memory comprises a tank monitor software module configured to receive data from a tank monitor connected to an underground storage tank of the retail fueling environment.

22. The secure hub device of claim 13, wherein the memory comprises a car wash software module configured to handle operation of a car wash of the retail fueling environment.

23. A method for effecting a transaction for a retail fueling environment that includes a first portion comprising a point-of-sale device (POS) and a second portion comprising at least one payment device and at least one fuel dispenser, wherein the first portion of the retail fueling environment is configured to handle only non-sensitive data, and wherein the second portion of the retail fueling environment is configured to handle sensitive payment data and the non-sensitive data, the method comprising:

providing, in the second portion, a secure hub device operatively connected to the POS, the at least one payment device, and the at least one fuel dispenser, wherein the secure hub device is configured to communicate the non-sensitive data associated with the transaction to the POS and to receive the sensitive payment data associated with the transaction from the payment device;

receiving the sensitive payment data from the payment device;

receiving the non-sensitive data from the payment device;

separately routing the sensitive payment data and non-sensitive data such that the secure hub device;

transmits at least a portion of the sensitive payment data from the payment device to a host system to effect payment for the transaction and does not transmit the sensitive payment data to the POS; and

transmits the non-sensitive data including information indicative of fuel dispensed and non-sensitive customer identification information to the POS; and

receiving confirmation data associated with the transaction from the host system;

wherein the first portion of the retail fueling environment is segmented from the second portion so that the second portion handles the sensitive payment data and the non-sensitive data and the first portion handles only the non-sensitive data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one fuel dispenser comprises the at least one payment device.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one payment device comprises a first payment card reader associated with and located adjacent to at least a portion of the POS and a second payment card reader included in the at least one fuel dispenser.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one payment device is associated with and located adjacent to the POS.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the non-sensitive data transmitted to the POS comprises a non-sensitive portion of the confirmation data received from the host system.