Transaction authorization system for a mobile commerce device

• US 8,972,286 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Grigg, David M., Kelly, Patrick B., Jones, Alicia C., Keller, Marc B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Seye
• Application Number:
  US13/017,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include apparatuses and methods that allow a user to wirelessly transmit payment information from a mobile device to a point-of-sale terminal by the user performing only a single action or supplying only a single input to the mobile device. For example, some embodiments of the invention allow a user to assign a default payment vehicle to a particular key or “pay now” icon of the mobile device so that activation of the particular key or icon, alone, causes the mobile device to wirelessly transmit information about the default payment vehicle. In some embodiments of the invention, a user using the single action option of the mobile device does not need to go through an authentication procedure before the mobile device transmits the default payment information. In some embodiments of the invention, if a user uses the single action option, the mobile device is configured to transmit the payment information without needing to first launch an electronic wallet software application installed on the device.

Claims

1. A mobile phone comprising:

an input device configured to receive input from a user;

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit wireless signals to a financial transaction device associated with a financial transaction being performed by the user;

a memory device comprising default payment information stored therein; and

a processor communicably coupled to the input device, the wireless transmitter, and the memory device and configured to;

receive a predetermined list of one or more merchants from the user, wherein the predetermined list discloses merchants at which single action inputs may be used to conduct transactions;

determine that the user is performing a transaction at the transaction device;

receive a particular input from a user via the input device as the single action input;

receive an identity of the merchant from the transaction device;

determine that the merchant is on the predetermined list of one or more merchants; and

in response to receiving the particular input alone, use the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the default payment information to the transaction device without requiring any additional input from the user and without requiring authentication of the user before wirelessly transmitting the default payment information when the merchant is on the predetermined list of one or more merchants.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the memory device comprises an electronic wallet application stored therein, and wherein the processor is configured to use the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the default payment information to the transaction device without requiring the launching of the electronic wallet application prior to wirelessly transmitting the default payment information.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a user input device, and wherein the particular input comprises a particular user input.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the particular input comprises activation of a particular key.

5. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a touchscreen, and wherein the particular input comprises activation of an icon displayed on the touchscreen.

6. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises payment information stored therein about a plurality of payment vehicles associated with the user, and wherein the default payment information is associated with one of the plurality of payment vehicles.

7. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a second particular input via an input device; and

in response to receiving the second particular input alone, use the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit second default payment information to the transaction device without requiring any additional user input before wirelessly transmitting the second default payment information.

8. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a microphone, a voice recognition system, and a speech recognition system, and wherein the particular input comprises a user-created verbal phrase that is analyzed to authorize the user using the voice recognition system and to determine which of a plurality of financial accounts is used for the transaction using the speech recognition software.

9. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a biometric device, and wherein the particular input comprises biometric input entered through the biometric device.

10. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the transaction device comprises a point-of-sale device.

11. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a wireless receiver, and wherein the particular input comprises a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless transmitter associated with or located proximate to the transaction device.

12. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the particular input comprises a combination of user inputs entered simultaneously.

13. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to use the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the default payment information to the transaction device immediately after receiving the particular input.

14. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to allow the user to define the particular input and associate it with user-selected default payment information.

15. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to use the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the default payment information to the transaction device by launching and using an electronic wallet application stored in the memory device.

16. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to use the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the default payment information to the transaction device by only partially launching an electronic wallet application stored in the memory device.

17. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to permit a user to wirelessly transmit payment information using multiple actions different from the single action input.

18. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises an accelerometer, and wherein the particular input comprises tapping the mobile phone against a device associated with or proximate to the transaction device.

19. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the input device is persistently displayed to the user.

20. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter comprises a near field communication device configured to transmit wireless near field communication signals comprising payment information.

21. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to alert the user when a balance associated with the default payment information reaches a predetermined threshold.

22. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit an indicator to the transaction device along with the default payment information, wherein the indicator can be used by one of the transaction device, a merchant'"'"'s computer system, or a financial institution'"'"'s computer system to determine that the default payment information was transmitted by the mobile phone using a single action payment feature where the default payment information is wirelessly transmitted to the transaction device without requiring any additional user input before wirelessly transmitting the default payment information.

23. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the default payment information comprises a default payment code that can be transmitted by a point-of-sale system to a financial institution'"'"'s computer system, and then used by the financial institution'"'"'s computer system to determine a default payment vehicle associated with the default payment code.

24. A method comprising:

storing payment information for at least one payment vehicle in memory of a mobile phone of a user;

receiving a predetermined list of one or more merchants from the user, wherein the predetermined list discloses merchants at which single action inputs may be used to conduct transaction;

associating particular input received using an input device of the mobile phone with a default payment vehicle selected from the at least one payment vehicle;

determining that the user is performing a transaction at a transaction device;

receiving the particular input from a user via the input device;

receiving an identity of the merchant from the transaction device;

determining that the merchant is on the predetermined list of one or more merchants; and

using a wireless transmitter of the mobile phone to wirelessly transmit payment information for the default payment vehicle to a transaction device in response to receiving the particular input alone and without requiring any additional input from the user and without requiring authentication of the user before wirelessly transmitting the payment information when the merchant is on the predetermined list of one or more merchants.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising looking up the default payment vehicle associated with the particular input in the memory in response to receiving the particular input.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising wirelessly transmitting an indicator that the wireless transmittal of payment information was initiated via a single action input with the payment information.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising analyzing the particular input to determine the payment information to wirelessly transmit.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein analyzing the particular input comprises evaluating verbal input using speech recognition software.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising establishing a secure connection with a point of sale device prior to transmitting the payment information.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising prompting a user to associate the particular input with the default payment vehicle.

31. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving account information associated with the default payment vehicle; and

determining whether the payment information can be wirelessly transmitted based on predetermined rules, wherein the payment information is wirelessly transmitted if the account information conforms to the predetermined rules.