Method and apparatus to secure an electronic commerce transaction

• US 8,548,913 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pure Storage, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleversafe Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Grube, Gary W., Markison, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US12/797,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1028 Distributed, i.e. distributed RAID systems with parity
• 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 20/40 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 20/401 Transaction verification

Abstract

A method begins by a processing module receiving data content. The method continues with the processing module embedding the data content into a data stream to produce a stream of data. The method continues with the processing module sequentially encoding data segments of the stream of data in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function to produce pluralities of encoded data slices. The method continues with the processing module outputting the pluralities of encoded data slices to a plurality of dispersed storage units for storage therein.

Claims

1. A method for secure electronic commerce transaction executed by a computer, the method comprises:

receiving, via computer interface of the computer, account information regarding an electronic commerce transaction;

generating, by a processing module of the computer, a transaction authorization request message based on the account information, transaction information, and merchant information;

encoding, by a processing module of the computer, the transaction authorization request message in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function to produce a plurality of encoded data slices;

outputting, via the computer interface, the plurality of encoded data slices to a plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with an authorization protocol;

receiving, via the computer interface, at least a threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with the authorization protocol; and

decoding, via the processing module, the plurality of encoded data response slices in accordance with the error coding dispersed storage function to produce a response message.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

outputting, via the computer interface, a message to an authorization server regarding the transaction authorization request message in accordance with the authorization protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the at least the threshold number of encoded data response slices further comprises requesting the at least the threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with the authorization protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises:

generating a plurality of read messages, each read message includes a slice name, wherein the slice name includes dispersed storage routing information and a transaction response name, wherein the dispersed storage routing information identifies dispersed storage units associated with an authorization server, and the transaction response name identifies the response message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting further comprises:

generating a plurality of write messages, each write message includes a slice name and a corresponding error coded data slice, wherein the slice name includes dispersed storage routing information and a transaction name, wherein the routing information identifies dispersed storage units associated with an authorization server, and the transaction name identifies the transaction authorization request message.

6. A method for secure data content transmission executed by a computer, the method comprises:

receiving, via a computer interface of the computer, the data content;

embedding, by a processing module of the computer, the data content into a data stream to produce a stream of data;

sequentially encoding, by the processing module, data segments of the stream of data in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function to produce pluralities of encoded data slices; and

outputting, via the computer interface, the pluralities of encoded data slices to a plurality of dispersed storage units for storage therein.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprises:

receiving, by the processing module, account information regarding an electronic commerce transaction; and

generating by the processing module, as the data content, a transaction authorization request message based on at least one of the account information, transaction information, and merchant information.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprises:

receiving, via the computer interface, at least a threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with an authorization protocol; and

decoding, by the processing module, at least a threshold number of the encoded data response slices in accordance with the error coding dispersed storage function to produce a response message.

9. The method claim 6, wherein the data stream comprises at least one of:

null data;

at least one pre-defined data file; and

random data.

10. The method claim 6, wherein the data stream comprises:

calculated data based on one or more of account information, transaction history information, and/or merchant information.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprises:

receiving, via the computer interface, a plurality of sets of at least a threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with the authorization protocol; and

decoding, by the processing module, at least a threshold number of the encoded data response slices of each set of the plurality of sets of the at least the threshold number of encoded data response slices in accordance with the error coding dispersed storage function to produce one or more response messages.

12. A computer comprises:

an interface;

memory; and

a processing module operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the memory stores operational instructions that, when read by the processing module, causes the processing module to;

receive, via the interface, account information regarding an electronic commerce transaction;

generate a transaction authorization request message based on the account information, transaction information, and merchant information;

encode the transaction authorization request message in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function to produce a plurality of encoded data slices;

output, via the interface, the plurality of encoded data slices to a plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with an authorization protocol;

receive, via the interface, at least a threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with the authorization protocol; and

decode the plurality of encoded data response slices in accordance with the error coding dispersed storage function to produce a response message.

13. The computer of claim 12, wherein the processing module further functions to:

output, via the interface, a message to an authorization server regarding the transaction authorization request message in accordance with the authorization protocol.

14. The computer of claim 12, wherein the processing module further functions to receive, via the interface, the at least the threshold number of encoded data response slices by requesting, via the interface, the at least the threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with the authorization protocol.

15. The computer of claim 12, wherein the processing module further functions to input by:

generating a plurality of read messages, each read message includes a slice name, wherein the slice name includes dispersed storage routing information and a transaction response name, wherein the dispersed storage routing information identifies dispersed storage units associated with an authorization server, and the transaction response name identifies the response message.

16. The computer of claim 12, wherein the processing module further functions to output by:

generating a plurality of write messages, each write message includes a slice name and a corresponding error coded data slice, wherein the slice name includes dispersed storage routing information and a transaction name, wherein the routing information identifies dispersed storage units associated with an authorization server, and the transaction name identifies the transaction authorization request message.

17. A computer comprises:

an interface;

memory; and

a processing module operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the memory stores operational instructions that, when read by the processing module, causes the processing module to;

receive, via the interface, the data content;

embed the data content into a data stream to produce a stream of data;

sequentially encode data segments of the stream of data in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function to produce pluralities of encoded data slices; and

output, via the interface, the pluralities of encoded data slices to a plurality of dispersed storage units for storage therein.

18. The computer of claim 17, wherein the processing module further functions to:

receive, via the interface, account information regarding an electronic commerce transaction; and

generate, as the data content, a transaction authorization request message based on at least one of the account information, transaction information, and merchant information.

19. The computer of claim 18, wherein the processing module further functions to:

receive, via the interface, at least a threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with an authorization protocol; and

decode at least a threshold number of the encoded data response slices in accordance with the error coding dispersed storage function to produce a response message.

20. The computer claim 17, wherein the data stream comprises at least one of:

null data;

at least one pre-defined data file; and

random data.

21. The computer claim 17, wherein the data stream comprises:

calculated data, calculated by the processing module, based on one or more of account information, transaction history information, and/or merchant information.

22. The computer of claim 18, wherein the processing module further functions to:

receive, via the interface, a plurality of sets of at least a threshold number of encoded data response slices from the plurality of dispersed storage units in accordance with the authorization protocol; and

decode at least a threshold number of the encoded data response slices of each set of the plurality of sets of the at least the threshold number of encoded data response slices in accordance with the error coding dispersed storage function to produce one or more response messages.