Camera as a vehicle to identify a merchant access device

• US 8,918,334 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ciurea, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US13/720,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20130117184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.41, 705/44, 705/75, 455/404.2, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

Systems and methods of conducting a payment transaction using a mobile phone having a camera. The systems and methods receive an image of a merchant access device and optionally location data from a mobile device of a user engaged in the transaction. The systems and methods also receive transaction information associated with the transaction and account information associated with an account of the user. The systems and methods use the information to authorize or decline the transaction.

Claims

1. A server computer comprising a processor, a computer readable storage medium, and software stored on the computer readable storage medium, the software, when executed by the processor, causing the server computer to perform operations including:

receiving, during a transaction between a consumer and a merchant performed via a merchant access device associated with the merchant, from a mobile communication device associated with the consumer and used by the consumer to facilitate the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, an image of the merchant access device, the image including structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of an electronic display of the merchant access device, the merchant access device being one of a plurality of different merchant access devices associated with the merchant;

identifying the merchant access device from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant based on the structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device included in the received image by comparing the structural elements of the merchant access device in the received image with stored images to determine a matching image and a merchant access device identifier associated with the matching image; and

causing an authorization response message to be sent to at least one of the merchant access device of the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant and the mobile communication device associated with the consumer and used by the consumer to facilitate the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, wherein the authorization response message indicates whether or not the transaction is approved.

2. The server computer of claim 1, wherein the structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device include at least one of:

a shape of the merchant access device;

a color or arrangement of colors on the merchant access device; and

an arrangement of elements provided on the merchant access device, wherein the elements include at least one of a keypad, a display, a magnetic strip card reader, a printer, a smart card reader, and an antenna.

3. The server computer of claim 1, wherein the structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device include a unique identifier associated with the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device.

4. The server computer of claim 3, wherein the unique identifier is a serial number of the merchant access device.

5. The server computer of claim 1, wherein the software, when executed by the processor, causes the server computer to perform additional operations including:

receiving, during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, transaction information from at least one of the merchant access device and the mobile communication device; and

receiving account information indicating an account associated with the consumer.

6. The server computer of claim 5, wherein the transaction information is received from the merchant access device.

7. The server computer of claim 5, wherein the transaction information is received from the mobile communication device.

8. The server computer of claim 7, wherein the transaction information is embedded in the image of the merchant access device received from the mobile communication device, and the software, when executed by the processor, causes the server computer to read the transaction information from the image.

9. The server computer of claim 7, wherein the transaction information is received separate from the image of the merchant access device.

10. The server computer of claim 1, wherein the software, when executed by the processor, causes the server computer to perform additional operations including:

receiving, during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, location information indicating a location of the mobile communication device associated with the consumer and used by the consumer to facilitate the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, wherein the merchant access device is identified from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant further based on the location of the mobile communication device indicated in the received location information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image includes only portions of the merchant access device, wherein the portions of the merchant access device exclude a display of the merchant access device.

12. The server computer of claim 1, wherein causing an authorization response message to be sent includes:

determining whether to approve the transaction;

generating an authorization response message; and

sending the authorization response message to at least one of the merchant, the merchant access device of the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant, and the mobile communication device associated with the consumer.

13. The server computer of claim 1, wherein causing an authorization response message to be sent further includes:

generating an authorization request message based on the received transaction information and account information, the authorization request message requesting a third party entity to approve the transaction; and

communicating the authorization request message to a computer server associated with the third party entity.

14. A method for facilitating a transaction between a consumer and a merchant, comprising:

receiving during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant performed via a merchant access device associated with the merchant;

an image of the merchant access device, the image including structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of an electronic display of the merchant access device, the merchant access device being one of a plurality of different merchant access devices associated with the merchant; and

location information indicating a location of a mobile communication device associated with the consumer and used by the consumer to facilitate the transaction between the consumer and the merchant;

identifying the merchant access device from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant based on at least one of;

comparing the structural elements of the merchant access device in the received image with images stored in a database to determine a matching image, and locating a merchant access device identifier associated with the matching image, the merchant access device identifier identifying the merchant access device from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant; and

comparing the received location information with locations stored in the database to determine a matching location, and locating the merchant access device identifier associated with the matching location, the merchant access device identifier identifying the merchant access device from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant; and

causing an authorization response message to be sent to at least one of the merchant, the merchant access device of the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant, and the mobile communication device associated with the consumer, wherein the authorization response message indicates whether or not the transaction is approved.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying the merchant by performing steps including;

comparing the received location information with locations stored in the database to determine the matching location; and

locating a merchant identifier associated with the matching location;

wherein the merchant access device is identified by performing steps including;

comparing the received image with the images stored in the database to determine the matching image; and

locating the merchant access device identifier associated with the matching image.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, transaction information from at least one of the merchant access device and the mobile communication device; and

receiving account information indicating an account associated with the consumer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the account information includes at least one of an account number issued by an issuer, a number of a payment card issued by an issuer, an purely alphabetic sequence, a purely numeric sequence, an alphanumeric sequence, a name of the consumer, a name of an account, a dialing tone, a sequence of dialing tones, an image of the consumer, a fingerprint, an audio sequence, and a phone number.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing the received account information with account information stored in a database to determine matching account information, the database having account information associated with consumer account identifiers, the consumer account identifiers identifying accounts issued by one or more issuers to consumer; and

locating a consumer account identifier associated with the matching account information;

wherein the authorization response message is caused to be sent based on the received transaction information and the consumer account identifier.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the transaction information includes at least one of a list of the items in the transaction, a description of the items, item identifiers, prices of the items being purchased, the total number of items, the total amount of the transaction, and a transaction code that uniquely identifies the transaction.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein causing an authorization response message to be sent includes:

generating an authorization request message based on the received transaction information and account information, the authorization request message requesting a third party entity to approve the transaction; and

communicating the authorization request message to a computer server associated with the third party entity.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein causing an authorization response message to be sent further includes:

receiving, from the third party entity and in response to communicating the authorization request message, an authorization response message, the authorization response message indicating whether or not the transaction is approved; and

forwarding the authorization response message to at least one of the merchant, the merchant access device of the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant, and the mobile communication device associated with the consumer.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein causing an authorization response message to be sent includes:

determining whether to approve the transaction;

generating an authorization response message; and

sending the authorization response message to at least one of the merchant, the merchant access device of the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant, and the mobile communication device associated with the consumer.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein before the transaction is initiated, images and geographical locations of the plurality of merchant access devices are stored in a merchant database.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device include at least one of:

a shape of the merchant access device;

a color or arrangement of colors on the merchant access device; and

an arrangement of elements provided on the merchant access device, wherein the elements include at least one of a keypad, a display, a magnetic strip card reader, a printer, a smart card reader, and an antenna.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the structural elements of the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device include a unique identifier associated with the merchant access device located outside of the electronic display of the merchant access device.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the location information includes a location input by the consumer into the mobile communication device.

27. A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause at least one computer to perform operations including:

receiving, during a transaction between a consumer and a merchant performed via a merchant access device associated with the merchant, location information indicating a location of a mobile communication device associated with the consumer and used by the consumer to facilitate the transaction between the consumer and the merchant;

identifying the merchant access device from a plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant based on the location of the mobile communication device indicated in the received location information by comparing the received location information with locations stored in a database to determine a matching location, and locating a merchant access device identifier associated with the matching location, the merchant access device identifier identifying the merchant access device from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant;

receiving, during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, transaction information from the merchant access device; and

causing an authorization response message to be sent to at least one of the merchant, the merchant access device of the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant, and the mobile communication device associated with the consumer, wherein the authorization response message indicates whether or not the transaction is approved.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the location information includes at least one of global positioning system coordinates of the mobile communication device, a triangulated position of the mobile communication device, and a location input by the consumer into the mobile communication device.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the at least one computer to perform additional operations including:

receiving account information indicating an account associated with the consumer.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein causing an authorization response message to be sent includes:

generating an authorization request message based on the received transaction information and account information, the authorization request message requesting a third party entity to approve the transaction; and

communicating the authorization request message to a computer server associated with the third party entity.

31. The computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the authorization request message includes an account identifier and an amount of the transaction, and the authorization request message requests authorization of the transaction amount from a consumer account identified by the account identifier.

32. The computer readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the authorization request further includes at least one of an identification of the merchant and an identification of the merchant access device.

33. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the account information includes a user name and a PIN, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the at least one computer to perform additional operations including:

verifying the PIN before allowing transmission of the location information.

34. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the at least one computer to perform additional operations including:

identifying the merchant based on the location of the mobile communication device indicated in the received location information.

35. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the at least one computer to perform additional operations including:

identifying the merchant based on;

the location of the mobile communication device indicated in the received location information; and

an image of the merchant access device received during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant.

36. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the at least one computer to perform additional operations including:

receiving, during the transaction between the consumer and the merchant, an image of the merchant access device;

wherein identifying the merchant access device from the plurality of merchant access devices associated with the merchant includes;

comparing the received location information with locations stored in the database to determine a matching location;

comparing the received image with images stored in the database to determine a matching image; and

locating the merchant access device identifier associated with both the matching location and the matching image.