Remote disabling of target point-of-sale (“POS”) terminals

• US 9,818,266 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Murphy, Matthew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Assistant Examiner(s): Habib, Asifa
• Application Number:
  US15/357,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20170169670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]

Abstract

In response to detecting imposition of an erroneous surcharge, a point-of-sale (“POS”) terminal used to impose that surcharge may be disabled. A remote server may be programmed to power down the POS terminal. For example, in response to detecting a surcharge violation, a remote server may transmit a disable signal to the POS terminal that triggered the surcharge violation. The disable signal may power down the POS terminal. The remote server may be programmed to power up a POS terminal or otherwise bring the POS terminal back online. A payment instrument that includes a chip may programmed such that when the chip is inserted into the POS terminal or an associated card reader, it triggers a disabling of the POS terminal. Servers that process transactions may be programmed to ignore or reject transactions received from a POS terminal that triggers a surcharge violation.

Claims

1. A system for controlling operation of a target point-of-sale (“

POS”

) terminal at a merchant location, the system comprising;

a payment instrument comprising a reprogrammable chip;

a first card reader that is configured to;

provide power to the chip; and

load, onto the chip, executable instructions that, when run, power-off the target POS terminal; and

a second card reader linked to the target POS terminal that is configured to provide power to the chip and run the executable instructions loaded on the chip;

wherein the executable instructions, when run, power-off the target POS terminal within a pre-determined period of time after the chip is inserted into the second card reader.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions, when run, power-off a plurality of POS terminals at the merchant location.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first card reader is positioned within an automated teller machine (“

ATM”

).

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second card reader is at the merchant location.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein, the executable instructions for powering-off the target POS terminal are further configured to power-on the target POS terminal after expiration of a pre-determined period of time.

6. A system for disabling a target point-of-sale (“

POS”

) terminal at a merchant location, the system comprising;

a payment instrument comprising a chip;

a first card reader linked to the target POS terminal that is configured to receive the chip; and

a second card reader that is configured to;

receive the chip;

associate the payment instrument with at least one surcharge violation imposed by the target POS terminal;

set a flag on the chip that identifies the target POS terminal; and

load, onto the chip, executable instructions that disable the target POS terminal after the chip is received by the first card reader;

wherein the first card reader, in response to receiving the chip after the executable instructions have been loaded onto the chip by the second card reader, is configured to;

detect that the flag has been set on the chip; and

trigger execution of the executable instructions on the chip and thereby disable the target POS terminal.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the chip is an EMV chip.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the second card reader is embedded in an automated teller machine (“

ATM”

).

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the executable instructions are configured to disable two or more target POS terminals at the merchant location.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the second card reader is configured to program a plurality of chips with executable instructions that disable the target POS terminal.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein, before programming the chip, the second card reader is configured to:

estimate a time when the chip is expected to be inserted into the second card reader; and

program the chip when the estimate is less than a threshold period of time.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein, the estimate is determined based on a transaction history associated with the payment instrument.