Secure reports for electronic payment systems

• US 9,147,189 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Kelly, James, Williams, Francis C., Symonds, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US12/544,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,231 Days
• Field of Search: 380/485, 705/64, 235/80
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0819 Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

A system, device, and method for generating and transmitting secure reports or documents in a retail environment or payment system comprising both secure and unsecure portions, where users of the unsecure portions may require access to sensitive information stored by the secure portions for various purposes, such as reporting, accounting, or reconciliation.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information securely in a retail fueling environment comprising at least one secure device and a plurality of retail devices including at least one fuel dispenser, wherein the at least one secure device is operatively connected to a host system, the method comprising:

encrypting sensitive data comprising payment card information at a retail device, wherein the retail device and the at least one secure device are both located within a secure communication portion at the retail environment;

storing the sensitive data by the at least one secure device;

decrypting, at the at least one secure device, the encrypted sensitive data;

encrypting the decrypted sensitive data by the at least one secure device;

transmitting the sensitive data that has been encrypted by the at least one secure device from the at least one secure device to the host system, wherein the host system is remote from the retail environment and located outside of the secure communication portion;

receiving a request from outside the secure communication portion of the retail fueling environment for at least a portion of the sensitive data stored at the at least one secure device;

generating a secure report in the form of an electronic file by the at least one secure device, said secure report containing genuine sensitive data; and

transmitting the secure report via a communication path to another device outside the secure communication portion by the at least one secure device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the another device and communication path is unsecure.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating a secure report by the at least one secure device comprises encrypting the secure report.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating a secure report by the at least one secure device comprises password-protecting the secure report.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of generating a secure report by the at least one secure device further comprises password-protecting the secure report.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the sensitive data from a customer at the retail device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the at least one secure device, data representative of a financial transaction from the host system based at least in part on the sensitive data;

encrypting the data representative of the financial transaction; and

storing the data representative of the financial transaction at the at least one secure device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the secure report includes the data representative of the financial transaction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the secure report comprises sensitive data related to multiple retail devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the secure report comprises sensitive data related to multiple customer accounts.

11. A fueling environment comprising:

at least one fuel dispenser;

at least one secure device operatively connected to the at least one fuel dispenser, wherein the at least one secure device is configured to;

receive sensitive data comprising payment card information from the at least one fuel dispenser, wherein the sensitive data has been encrypted at the at least one fuel dispenser;

decrypt the sensitive data encrypted at the at least one fuel dispenser;

encrypt the sensitive data;

transmit, to a host system, the sensitive data that has been encrypted by the at least one secure device, wherein the host system is remote from the at least one fuel dispenser and the at least one secure device;

store at least a portion of the sensitive data;

receive a request for at least a portion of the sensitive data stored at the at least one secure device;

generate a secure report in the form of an electronic file, said secure report containing genuine sensitive data; and

transmit the secure report via a communication path to another device by the at least one secure device.

12. The fueling environment of claim 11 wherein the secure device is configured to store the sensitive data within the at least one secure device in encrypted form.

13. The fueling environment of claim 11 further comprising at least one unsecure device, wherein the at least one secure device is configured to transmit the secure report to the at least one unsecure device.

14. The fueling environment of claim 11 wherein the at least one secure device is configured to encrypt and password-protect the secure report.

16. The fueling environment of claim 11, wherein the at least one secure device is further configured to:

receive, at the at least one secure device, data representative of a financial transaction from the host system based at least in part on the sensitive data;

encrypt the data representative of the financial transaction; and

store the data representative of the financial transaction at the at least one secure device.

17. The fueling environment of claim 16, wherein the secure report includes the data representative of the financial transaction.

18. The fueling environment of claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the secure report comprises sensitive data related to multiple retail devices.

19. The fueling environment of claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the secure report comprises sensitive data related to multiple customer accounts.

15. The fueling environment of 13 wherein the at least one secure device is configured to generate the secure report based on a request received from the at least one unsecure device.

20. A secure device for generating a secure report associated with a financial transaction comprising:

a processing device; and

memory operatively connected to the processing device, wherein the memory comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing device, perform a method comprising the steps of;

receiving sensitive data comprising payment card information from a retail device that encrypted the sensitive data;

decrypting the sensitive data that was encrypted at the retail device;

encrypting sensitive data associated with the financial transaction received by the secure device;

storing at least a portion of the sensitive data;

transmitting, to a host system, the sensitive data that has been encrypted by the secure device, wherein the host system is remote from the retail device and the secure device;

receiving a request for at least a portion of the sensitive data stored at the at least one secure device;

generating a secure report in the form of an electronic file, said secure report containing genuine sensitive data; and

transmitting the secure report via a communication path to another device by the at least one secure device.

21. The secure device of claim 20 wherein the step of generating a secure report comprises encrypting the secure report and password-protecting the secure report.

22. The secure device of claim 20 wherein the step of generating a secure report comprises generating the secure report in the portable document format.

23. The secure device of claim 20, the method further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the secure device, data representative of a financial transaction from the host system based at least in part on the sensitive data;

encrypting the data representative of the financial transaction; and

storing the data representative of the financial transaction at the at least one secure device.

24. The secure device of claim 23, wherein the secure report includes the data representative of the financial transaction.

25. The secure device of claim 20, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the secure report comprises sensitive data related to multiple retail devices.

26. The secure device of claim 20, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the secure report comprises sensitive data related to multiple customer accounts.

27. A method for transmitting information securely in a retail environment, the method comprising:

storing a predefined password;

receiving, by at least one secure device, sensitive data corresponding to a financial transaction and comprising payment card information from a retail device that encrypted the sensitive data;

decrypting, by at least one secure device, the sensitive data that was encrypted at the retail device;

encrypting the sensitive data by the at least one secure device;

storing, by the at least one secure device, sensitive data corresponding to the financial transaction;

transmitting, from the at least one secure device to a host system, the sensitive data that has been encrypted by the secure device, wherein the host system is remote from the retail device and the at least one secure device;

receiving a request from an unsecure device for at least a portion of the sensitive data;

generating a report containing genuine sensitive data;

password protecting the report using the predefined password;

encrypting the report; and

transmitting the report to the unsecure device.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the report is generated in a portable document format.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the report is encrypted using an Advanced Encryption Standard.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the report is transmitted using a file transfer protocol.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the report is transmitted via a secure sockets layer.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the report is transmitted with an indicia indicating the report is secure.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein the report is transmitted with an indicia indicating the report requires a password to access.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving, at the at least one secure device, data representative of a financial transaction from the host system based at least in part on the sensitive data;

encrypting the data representative of the financial transaction; and

storing the data representative of the financial transaction at the at least one secure device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the report includes the data representative of the financial transaction.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the report comprises sensitive data related to multiple retail devices.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least a portion of the sensitive data in the report comprises sensitive data related to multiple customer accounts.