Systems, methods and apparatus for facilitating transactions using a mobile device

• US 8,606,638 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dragt, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US12/396,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/380, 455/406, 455/557, 705/16, 705/40, 705/70, 705/36
• US Class Current: 705/17
• 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 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3272 using an audio code
• 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 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for facilitating transactions using a mobile device are provided by certain embodiments of the invention. Information associated with a proposed transaction may be received at a mobile device from a point of sale device. The mobile device may communicate a request to approve the proposed transaction to a transaction processor. The request may at least a portion of the received information and an identifier associated with the mobile device. The transaction processor may determine whether to approve the proposed transaction and communicate an approval or decline message to the point of sale device.

Claims

1. A method for requesting the completion of a payment transaction by a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a point of sale device by a mobile device utilizing at least one microphone, within a predetermined distance from the point of sale device, one or more tones output by the point of sale device and comprising embedded information associated with a proposed transaction;

extracting, by the mobile device, the received information from the one or more tones;

transmitting, by the mobile device to a third-party processor, a first request for a risk analysis for the proposed transaction based at least in part on the extracted information;

receiving, by the mobile device from the third-party processor, the risk analysis in response to the request;

generating, by the mobile device utilizing at least a portion of the received information and an identifier associated with the mobile device, a second request comprising the risk analysis to approve the proposed transaction; and

communicating, from the mobile device to a transaction processor, the generated second request,

wherein the transaction processor determines based at least in part on the risk analysis whether to approve the proposed transaction and communicates an approval or decline message to the point of sale device, and

wherein account information associated with a user of the mobile device is not provided to the point of sale device or a merchant associated with the point of sale device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile device from the transaction processor, an indication of whether the proposed transaction was approved or declined.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile device from a user of the mobile device, verification information for the user; and

determining, based at least in part on the received verification information, whether the user is authorized to complete the proposed transaction using the mobile device,

wherein the second request to approve the proposed transaction is communicated to the transaction processor based at least in part on the determination.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more tones comprising embedded information associated with a proposed transaction comprises receiving one or more tones comprising a transaction amount for the proposed transaction and an identifier associated with the point of sale device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier associated with a mobile device comprises one of a telephone number, a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) identifier, a universal device identifier (UDID), a subscriber identity module (SIM) card identifier, or an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile device from a user of the mobile device, a selection of a payment account to utilize for the proposed transaction,

wherein the second request to approve the proposed transaction further comprises an identifier of the selected payment account.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more tones comprises receiving one or more tones that are substantially inaudible to the human ear.

8. A mobile device operable to facilitate a payment transaction, the mobile device comprising:

at least one microphone operable to receive, from a point of sale device, within a predetermined distance from the point of sale device, one or more tones output by the point of sale device and comprising embedded information associated with a proposed transaction;

at least one communications interface operable to communicate a first request to approve the proposed transaction to a transaction processor; and

at least one processor operable (i) to extract the received information from the one or more tones, (ii) transmit to a third-party processor, a second request for a risk analysis for the proposed transaction based at least in part on the extracted information, (iii) receive from the third-party processor, the risk analysis, (iv) to utilize at least a portion of the received information, the risk analysis, and an identifier associated with the mobile device to generate the first request to approve the proposed transaction and (v) to direct the communication of the generated first request to the transaction processor,

wherein the transaction processor determines based at least in part on the risk analysis whether to approve the proposed transaction and communicates an approval or decline message to the point of sale device, and

wherein account information associated with a user of the mobile device is not provided to the point of sale device or a merchant associated with the point of sale device.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the at least one communications interface comprises a communications interface operable to facilitate communication via a network.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more tones are output by at least one speaker associated with the point of sale device.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the at least one communications interface is further operable to receive, from the transaction processor, an indication of whether the proposed transaction was approved or declined.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one user input device operable to receive verification information from a user of the mobile device,

wherein the at least one processor is further operable to determine, based at least in part on the received verification information, whether the user is authorized to complete the proposed transaction using the mobile device and to generate the first request based at least in part on the determination.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the proposed transaction comprises a transaction amount for the proposed transaction and an identifier associated with the point of sale device.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the identifier associated with the mobile device comprises one of a telephone number, a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) identifier, a universal device identifier (UDID), a subscriber identity module (SIM) card identifier, or an international subscriber identity (IMSI) number.

15. The mobile device of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one user input device operable to receive a user selection of a payment account to utilize for the proposed transaction,

wherein the first generated request to approve the proposed transaction further comprises an identifier of the selected payment account.

16. A method for facilitating a payment transaction requested by a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a transaction processor from a mobile device, a request to approve a proposed transaction, wherein the request is generated by the mobile device and comprises (i) an identifier associated with the mobile device (ii) a risk analysis provided by a third-party processor, and (iii) transaction information extracted by output by a point of sale device via one or more tones that are received by at least one microphone associated with the mobile device within a predetermined distance from the point of sale device, wherein account information associated with a user of the mobile device is not provided to the point of sale device or a merchant associated with the point of sale device;

identifying, by the transaction processor, a payment account to be utilized for the proposed transaction;

determining, by the transaction processor based at least in part on the received transaction information and based at least in part on the risk analysis, whether to approve the proposed transaction; and

communicating, by the transaction processor, an approval or decline message to the point of sale device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether to approve the proposed transaction comprises conducting a risk assessment for the proposed transaction.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transaction information comprises a transaction amount for the proposed transaction and an identifier associated with the point of sale device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

facilitating, by the transaction processor, settlement of the proposed transaction when the proposed transaction is approved.

20. A system for facilitating a payment transaction, the system comprising:

at least one communications interface operable;

(i) to receive, from a mobile device using a network interface, a request to approve a proposed transaction, wherein the request is generated by the mobile device and comprises an identifier associated with the mobile device, the risk analysis, a risk analysis provided by a third-party processor, and transaction information output by a point of sale device via one or more tones that are received by at least one microphone associated with the mobile device within a predetermined distance from the point of sale device, wherein account information associated with a user of the mobile device is not provided to the point of sale device or a merchant associated with the point of sale device, and wherein the network interface comprises at least one of the following;

a cellular network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a radio frequency network; and

(ii) to communicate via the network interface an approval or decline message to the point of sale device; and

at least one processor operable;

(i) to identify a payment account to be utilized for the proposed transaction, (ii) to determine, based at least in part on the received transaction information and the risk analysis, whether to approve the proposed transaction, and (iii) to direct the communication of the approval or decline message to the point of sale device.

21. A method for facilitating a payment transaction with a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a tone transmission device by a mobile device utilizing at least one microphone within a predetermined distance from the point of sale device, one or more tones output by the tone transmission device and comprising embedded information associated with a proposed transaction, wherein the information comprises an identifier of a merchant;

extracting, by the mobile device, the received information from the one or more tones;

transmitting, by the mobile device to a third-party processor, a first request for a risk analysis for the proposed transaction based at least in part on the received information;

receiving, by the mobile device from the third-party processor, the risk analysis;

generating, by the mobile device utilizing at least a portion of the received information, the risk analysis, and an identifier associated with the mobile device, a second request to approve the proposed transaction; and

communicating using a network interface, from the mobile device to a transaction processor, the second request to approve the proposed transaction,

wherein the network interface comprises at least one of the following;

a cellular network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a radio frequency network, and

wherein the transaction processor determines based at least in part on the risk analysis whether to approve the proposed transaction and communicates an approval or decline message to the merchant, and

wherein account information associated with a user of the mobile device is not provided to the merchant.