SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTHORIZING A MOBILE PAYMENT TRANSACTION

• US 20140279111A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahaffey, Kevin Patrick, Buck, Brian James
• Granted Patent: US 9,852,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for authorizing a mobile payment transaction is provided. The method includes receiving, by a server, a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module. In an embodiment, the request includes payment information of the payment transaction and location information of the POS module. When the request is received, an authorizing client device for the payment transaction is identified based on the payment information and a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction is determined based on whether the authorizing client device is located within a predetermined proximity to the POS module.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing a mobile payment transaction, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module, wherein the request includes payment information of the payment transaction, and information identifying the POS module;

identifying, by the server, an authorizing client device for the payment transaction based on the payment information;

determining, by the server, location information of the authorizing client device and location information of the POS module; and

comparing, by the server, the location information of the authorizing client device to the location information of the POS module to determine a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the disposition of the request comprises one of granting or denying the request to authorize the payment transaction or requiring additional authentication information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information identifying the POS module includes the POS'"'"'s location information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the payment information includes information identifying a user, and wherein the authorizing client device is a personal mobile device associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the personal mobile device is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, and a handheld network enabled electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location information of the authorizing client device comprises transmitting a request to the authorizing client device over a network, the request for the location information of the authorizing client device, and receiving a response from the authorizing client device over the network, the response including the location information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the network is one of a BLUETOOTH network, a personal area network, a near field communication network, a LAN, and a WAN.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein when the authorizing client device is a mobile handheld device connected to a cellular network comprising a plurality of cell towers, determining the location information of the authorizing client comprises transmitting a message to the authorizing client device over the cellular network, identifying a destination cell tower in proximity to the authorizing client device, and receiving a location of the destination cell tower.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein when the location information of the authorizing client device is different from the location information of the POS module, the method further comprises denying the request to authorize the payment transaction.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information of the authorizing client device corresponds to a first geo-location and the location information of the POS module corresponds to a second geo-location, and wherein the method further comprises denying the request to authorize the payment transaction when a distance between the first geo-location and the second geo-location exceeds a threshold distance.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein when the location information of the authorizing client device is different from the location information of the POS module, the method further comprises:

transmitting an indication to the POS module directing the POS module to request additional authentication information.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising sending a message to the authorizing client device for display to a user, the message relating to the requested payment transaction at the POS module.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein when the message includes a request to verify the requested payment transaction, the method further comprises receiving a response to the request to verify, the response authorizing the requested payment transaction, and granting the request to authorize the payment transaction.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a plurality of payment rules; and

determining whether at least one of the plurality of payment rules is satisfied to determine the disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of payment rules is provided by a user associated with the authorizing client device.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of payment rules is based on at least one of a location of the POS module a temporal attribute of the payment transaction, an item and/or service type associated with the payment transaction, and a payment amount associated with at least a portion of the payment transaction.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining that the authorizing client device'"'"'s geo-location is within a specified distance of the POS'"'"'s geo-location based on the comparison of the location information;

determining that at least one of the plurality of payment rules is not satisfied; and

denying the request to authorize the payment transaction.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining that the authorizing client'"'"'s geo-location is within a specified distance of the POS'"'"'s geo-location based on the comparison of the location information;

determining that at least one of the plurality of payment rules is not satisfied; and

transmitting an indication to the POS module directing the POS module to request additional authentication information.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to authorize the payment transaction is received by an anti-fraud service in the server via an internal link or via a network.

20. A method for authorizing a mobile payment transaction, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module, wherein the request includes payment information of the payment transaction and information regarding the POS module;

determining, by the server, whether information regarding an authorizing client device for the payment transaction has been received; and

when the information regarding the authorizing client device has been received, determining a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein when the information regarding the authorizing client device includes its location information, and the information regarding the POS module includes the POS module'"'"'s location information, determining the disposition includes comparing, by the server, the location information of the authorizing client device to the location information of the POS module.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein when the location information of the authorizing client device is received automatically at regular time intervals, the location information received immediately prior to receiving the request to authorize the payment transaction is compared to the location information of the POS module.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein when the comparison indicates that the authorizing client device is located within a predetermined distance of the POS module, the method further comprises granting the request to authorize the payment transaction.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the information regarding the authorizing client device is received automatically when the payment transaction is initiated or when the payment transaction is pending.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein when the information regarding the authorizing client device has not been received, the method further comprises denying the request to authorize the payment transaction.

26. A system for authorizing a mobile payment transaction, the system comprising:

a server coupled to at least one of a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module, a payment processing module, and at least one handheld client device;

a storage component coupled to the server storing information relating to a user and to an authorizing client device associated with the user; and

an anti-fraud service component hosted by the server and configured to;

receive a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module, wherein the request includes payment information of the payment transaction, and information identifying the POS module;

identify an authorizing client device for the payment transaction based on the payment information;

determine location information of the authorizing client device and location information of the POS module; and

compare the location information of the authorizing client device to the location information of the POS module to determine a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the request to authorize the payment transaction is received from the POS module or the payment processing component.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the storage component stores a plurality of payment rules provided by the user and wherein the anti-fraud service component is configured to determine whether at least one of the plurality of payment rules is satisfied to determine the disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein the location information of the authorizing client device is at least one of GPS geo-coordinates, information relating to a transmitting cell tower, information relating to a wireless access point, and information relating to a LAN.

30. A system for authorizing a mobile payment transaction, the system comprising:

a server coupled to at least one of a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module, a payment processing module, and at least one handheld client device;

a storage component coupled to the server storing information relating to a user and to an authorizing client device associated with the user; and

an anti-fraud service component hosted by the server and configured to;

receive a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from the POS module, wherein the request includes payment information of the payment transaction and location information of the POS module;

determine whether information regarding the authorizing client device has been received; and

determine a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction when the information regarding the authorizing client device has been received.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein when the information regarding the authorizing client device has not been received, the anti-fraud service component is configured to deny the request to authorize the payment transaction.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the information regarding the authorizing client device includes its location information and wherein the anti-fraud service component is configured to compare the location information of the authorizing client device to the location information of the POS module, and to grant the request to authorize the payment transaction when the comparison indicates that the authorizing client device is located within a predetermined distance of the POS module.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the anti-fraud service component is configured to determine whether information regarding the authorizing client device has been received by:

transmit a request for the information regarding the authorizing client device to the authorizing client device directly over a network or indirectly via the POS module; and

waiting to receive a response including the information regarding the authorizing client device from the authorizing client device directly over the network or indirectly via the POS module.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein when the anti-fraud service component transmits the request to the authorizing client device indirectly via the POS module, the POS module receives and forwards the request to the authorizing client device over a wireless short range personal area network, and the anti-fraud service component receives the response including the information regarding the authorizing client device when the authorizing client device is located within the wireless short range personal area network.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the anti-fraud service component is configured to grant the request to authorize the payment transaction when the response including the information regarding the authorizing client device is received.

36. A method for authorizing a mobile payment transaction, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module, wherein the request includes payment information of the payment transaction and location information of the POS module;

identifying, by the server, an authorizing client device for the payment transaction based on the payment information; and

determining, by the server, a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction based on whether the authorizing client device is located within a predetermined proximity to the POS module.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising transmitting the location information of the POS module to the authorizing client device, and the requesting the authorizing client device to confirm or deny that a current location of the authorizing client device substantially matches the POS module'"'"'s location information.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein determining the disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction is based on the authorizing client device'"'"'s reply confirming or denying that the current location information of the authorizing client device substantially matches the POS module'"'"'s location information.