System and method of provisioning confidential information via a mobile device

• US 8,706,588 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zhu, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, John
• Application Number:
  US12/254,267
• Time in Patent Office: 2,010 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3265 characterised by personalisation for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction

Abstract

A method of provisioning confidential information to a target device is provided. The method comprises a mobile device wirelessly transmitting using a public land mobile network a message to request confidential information, wherein the confidential information is associated with at least one of a credit card, a transit card, a transit token, an electronic coupon, a loyalty program access code, an access badge, and an access code. The method also comprises the mobile device wirelessly receiving the confidential information from the public land mobile network and transmitting the confidential information using near field communication technology to the target device. The method also comprises the target device receiving the confidential information using near field communication technology and storing the confidential information.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a transaction between a near field communication (NFC) terminal and a target device, said method includes a provisioning of confidential information from a mobile device to the target device, said method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, by a mobile device having a cellular transceiver, an NFC transceiver, a memory element, an operating system, applications, and a display, a request for confidential information over a cellular network to a server, wherein the confidential information is associated with provisioning at least one of a credit card, a transit card, a transit token, an electronic coupon, a loyalty program access code, an access badge, and an access code;

wirelessly receiving over the cellular network, by the mobile device, the confidential information from the server;

provisioning, by the mobile device using NFC technology, the confidential information to a target device having an NFC transceiver and a memory element for storing the confidential information;

presenting the target device to make payment for one of a purchase and a service;

transmitting, by the target device, the confidential information to an NFC terminal to conduct a transaction using NFC technology, wherein the mobile device, the target device, and the NFC terminal are three separate devices and function independently of each other;

verifying, by the NFC terminal through a back-end system to the server, the confidential information;

when the confidential information is verified, completing, by the target device independent of the mobile device, the payment transaction with the NFC terminal using NFC technology; and

when the confidential information is not verified, refusing the payment transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, further including storing the confidential information in a first secure element of the mobile device before provisioning the target device with the confidential information.

3. The method of claim 1, further including storing the confidential information in a second secure element of the target device.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

verifying in the back-end system that a user defined time duration associated with the confidential information has not expired;

when the user defined time duration associated with the confidential information has not expired and when the payment does not exceed a predefined limit, completing the payment transaction; and

when the user defined time duration associated with the confidential information has expired, refusing the payment transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the target device deleting the confidential information based on a determination that a time duration associated with the confidential information has expired.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the target device marking the confidential information as inoperative after a time duration associated with the confidential information has expired.

7. The method of claim 1, further including the mobile device challenging the target device to authenticate the target device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the confidential information is received from an issuer of one of the credit card, the transit card, the transit token, the access badge, and the access code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the confidential information comprises at least one of account information, fund balance information, remaining credit limit information, electronic identification code information, and an application executable, and wherein the application executable promotes using the target device to perform at least one of making payments and accessing a secure area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined limit is an aggregate expense limit associated with the confidential information and further comprising:

when the aggregate expense limit is exceeded, refusing the payment transaction.

11. A method for conducting a transaction between a near field communication (NFC) terminal and a target device, said method comprising:

transmitting, by a mobile device having a cellular transceiver, an NFC transceiver, a memory element, an operating system, applications, and a display, preloaded confidential information to a target device, wherein the preloaded confidential information promotes provisioning at least one of a credit card, a transit card, a transit token, an electronic coupon, a loyalty program access code, an access badge, and an access code to the target device;

provisioning, by the mobile device using NFC technology, the preloaded confidential information to the target device;

presenting the target device to make payment for one of a purchase and a service;

transmitting, by the target device, the preloaded confidential information to an NFC terminal to conduct a transaction using NFC technology, wherein the mobile device, the target device, and the NFC terminal are three separate devices and function independent of each other;

verifying, by the NFC terminal through a back-end system, the preloaded confidential information;

when the preloaded confidential information is verified, completing, by the target device independent of the mobile device, the payment transaction with the NFC terminal using NFC technology; and

when the preloaded confidential information is not verified, refusing the payment transaction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the preloaded confidential information transmitted by the mobile device to the target device comprises a first funds transfer from the mobile device to the target device.

13. The method of claim 12, further including transferring a remaining funds balance from the target device back to the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the preloaded confidential information comprises a time duration of the preloaded confidential information.

15. The method of claim 14, further including the target device deleting the preloaded confidential information based on a determination that the time duration expires.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the target device is one of a wrist watch, a radio frequency identification tag, a media player, or a digital camera.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile device is one of a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant.

18. A mobile device, comprising:

a radio transceiver of the mobile device to receive confidential information and an expiration time of the confidential information from a server over a wireless network, wherein the expiration time defines a time duration during which the confidential information may be used by a target device;

an NFC transceiver of the mobile device to transmit the confidential information and the expiration time of the confidential information to the target device, wherein the target device comprises a short range communication transceiver and an application for conducting at least one of credit card transactions, transit fare transactions, payment transactions based on a debit card, payment transactions based on a discount card, payment transactions based on a loyalty card, payment transactions based on a coupon, and accesses to restricted access areas;

a secure element of the mobile device;

a processor of the mobile device; and

an application of the mobile device that, when executed by the processor, obtains the confidential information and the expiration time of the confidential information via the radio transceiver, stores the confidential information and the expiration time of the confidential information in the secure element, transmits the confidential information and the expiration time of the confidential information to the target device, wherein the confidential information promotes provisioning at least one of a credit card, a transit card, a debit card, a discount card, a transit token, an electronic coupon, a loyalty program access code, an access badge, and an access code to the target device, wherein the target device functions independently of the mobile device and uses the confidential information to conduct a NFC terminal, wherein when the target device is presented to make payment for one of a purchase and a service, the NFC terminal verifies the confidential information through a back-end system to the server, wherein when the confidential information is verified, the target device completes the payment transaction with the NFC terminal independent of the mobile device using NFC technology, and wherein when the confidential information is not verified, the payment transaction is refused.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the radio transceiver communicates with the wireless network using at least one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) technology, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) technology, and a worldwide interoperability microwave access (WiMAX) technology.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the application further challenges the target device to authenticate the target device before transmitting the confidential information to the target device.