Personal point of sale

• US 9,312,923 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Inventors: Lyne, Malcolm, deKozan, David, Paetzold, Kay
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, CHAU D
• Application Number:
  US14/733,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20150270873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/354 Card activation or deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/088 the card reader being part of the point of sale [POS] terminal or electronic cash register [ECR] itself
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0877 using additional device, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard, USB or hardware security module [HSM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/675 the user being required to insert a coded card, e.g. a smart card carrying an integrated circuit chip
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 : Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Embodiments provided herein include techniques for enabling a mobile device to communicate with smart media in a manner that can sidestep the secure element of the mobile device—and the costs associated with it. The mobile device can communicate with the smart media using near-field communication (NFC) by creating an encrypted connection with a remote computer while bypassing a secure element of the mobile device. This allows the mobile device to provide point-of-sale (POS) functionality by reading and/or writing to the smart media, without compromising the security of the smart media.

Claims

1. A method for enabling an electronic device, capable of communicating with a smart media, to provide a secure link between the smart media and a remote computer, the method comprising:

providing a user interface with the electronic device, the user interface configured to receive user input;

receiving, with the electronic device, the user input;

reading information from the smart media with the electronic device;

establishing a secure communications link between the electronic device and the remote computer, wherein establishing the secure communications link includes;

providing at least a portion of the information read from the smart media; and

in response to providing the information, receiving, with the electronic device, encrypted data from the remote computer via the secure communications link; and

communicating the encrypted data from the electronic device to the smart media wirelessly, without decrypting the encrypted data with the electronic device, wherein communicating the encrypted data to the smart media includes writing the encrypted data without using a secure element of the electronic device.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein communicating the encrypted data from the electronic device to the smart media wirelessly includes communicating with the smart media using Near-Field Communications (NFC).

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein reading the information from the smart media is based on the user input.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the smart media comprises at least one of:

a contactless smart card,

a credit card,

a debit card, or

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the smart media is physically attached to the electronic device.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the smart media is adhesively coupled with the electronic device.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein communicating the encrypted data to the smart media includes changing a value stored in a memory of the smart media.

8. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the value is used to track usage related to a transit system.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein providing the at least a portion of the information from the smart media includes providing an identifier of the smart media.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the user input includes at least one of:

login information,

payment source information,

payment amount information, or

an indication of a product or service for purchase.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions embedded thereon enabling a electronic device, capable of communicating with a smart media, to provide a secure link between the smart media and a remote computer, the instructions including computer-executable code for:

providing a user interface with the electronic device, the user interface configured to receive user input;

receiving the user input;

reading information from the smart media;

establishing a secure communications link between the electronic device and a remote computer, wherein establishing the secure communications link includes;

providing at least a portion of the information from the smart media; and

in response to providing the information, receiving encrypted data from the remote computer; and

communicating the encrypted data from the electronic device to the smart media wirelessly, without decrypting the encrypted data, wherein communicating the encrypted data to the smart media includes writing the encrypted data without using a secure element of the electronic device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the smart media comprises at least one of:

a contactless smart card,

a credit card,

a debit card, or

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the computer-executable code for providing the user interface includes computer-executable code for displaying a graphical user interface on a display of the electronic device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein providing the at least a portion of the information from the smart media includes providing an identifier of the smart media.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the computer-executable code for receiving the user input includes computer-executable code for receiving at least one of:

login information,

payment source information,

payment amount information, or

a product or service for purchase.